Help, nightmare two weeks

[chazzandsamus]

Hi, I'm new here. I ran across this site over the last two weeks while trying to do some research on my one cats behaviors upon returning home from the vet and am looking for some help. I have two cats, Chazz (3yr old orange tabby) and Samus (2yr old grey tabby). Both have been pretty normal, loving, playful cats who have been the loves of our lives. I have a vet who we love, very smart and helpful when we brought Chazz in for stomach problems, he ended up having IBD. But this is regarding Samus. Last year at this time we left for a long weekend trip and she ended up totally backed up. She was given an enema, and we were told to give her Miralax in her food to push through her BMs. Over the last year she has been fine and returned back to normal. The Miralax was giving Chazz diarreah and we stopped giving it to them when Chazz returned home from the vet 3 months ago.
Fast forward to now, Samus was brought in two weeks ago tomorrow due to excessive vocalizations. Nothing helped. She wanted treats, wasnt eating her wet food, I was sleeping on the couch to make her stop crying, it was bad. Found out she was again totally backed up which was weird because she was taking large BMs everyday. The vet kept her for 4 days on a water treatment to flush her system. She did great and got everything out. I brought her home and she seemed normal. I was told to give her Metoclopramide twice a day and he wanted to see her in 2 weeks. The vocalizations started again at 5am and I was back on the couch. She wasnt eating much. The vet gave me an appetite stimulant (Mirtazapine) and pain meds (Buprenophine). The appetite stimulant made her eat ravenously and the pain meds would calm her however, the vocalization would get worse as soon as it would start to wear off. I discontinued the appetite stimulant after 72 hrs and upon realizing the stomach medication was making her nutty I stopped that too. After 3 days of little rest, we went back to the vet for a metabolic test which checked out fine and he gave me Clomicalm for her to sleep through the night and stop the vocalization.
Now here we are today, 4 days later. The Clomicalm is keeping her asleep and the vocalizations are limited, however she's barely using the litterbox, only using it once or twice a day. She has hard, large BMs when she does go, she's barely eating her food which up until the last 2 days has eaten, and has now vomited 3 times in the last 36 hrs. Her playfulness has come back and is acting more like herself, but just isn't at the same time.

I'm sorry for the very extensive post, I just felt the need to explain everything that has gone on. This is truly upsetting my husband and I and we don't know what to do. Anyone have any suggestions? I would appreciate any advice at all.

 

[jmarkitell]

Cats can be really tough to get back on track. The miralax is excellent for keeping the kitty regular, but perhaps you should try a half dose if she is getting too loose. It seems that a variety of things have happened over time. Miralax is great for keeping kitty regular, but too much can cause things to get too loose. I would try a half dose and see how things work out.

    You didn't really give an explanation for her vocalizations, so I couldn't say if it was from pain or discomfort or simply a habit she has gotten into regarding early AM vocalizations. The Buprenorphine has a side effect of causing constipation, so if she was vocalizing due to being backed up, the pain meds might make the problem worse. All of my cats (4) have been throwing up more lately, although I'm pretty sure it is mainly from losing their winter hair (even though they are indoor kitties, they get a slightly heavier coat during our winters). I typically can expect one or more cats to vomit every day or so until they get rid of all of their excess hair.

       I have one cat, about 2 or 3, who wakes up every day around 5 or 6 AM and starts making noise. He isn't hungry or need to use the litter box (or go outside as he is an indoor/outdoor version). Over the last year he has gotten better, but I don't think he will change totally. My most senior cat, 17, vocalizes whenever my wife isn't spending enough time with her. Once on the bed with my wife she quiets down. From my experience, senior cats (12+) tend to make a lot more random vocalizations for no apparent reason.

    As long as your kitty is eating enough and getting enough water (which can cause constipation if not enough water intake, not to mention kidney issues), then I wouldn't be too worried as long as things seem fairly normal. Prolonged vomiting or blood in the stool should be looked at more carefully, but cats vomit a lot for many reasons...some more than others. Look in the vomit to see what might be causing the problem. Hair is the #1 reason, followed by misc stuff the cat ate (but shouldn't have), like string, grass, plants, etc.

      The fact that Samus still loves her treats is encouraging, since anything serious would probably decrease her desire for treats as well as regular food. My cats drive me nuts with wet food..one day they love something, the next day they won't touch it. I keep a bowl full of dry food in case they get hungry, but I often try a dozen different wet food types until they find something "acceptable".

   I wish you the best for your cats, but I think they are OK based on what you describe. Keep the faith!!

Jim

 

[chazzandsamus]

Hi Jim, 

Thanks so much for your response! Samus typically is a very active, playful cat and would get vocal for food. Two weeks ago the vocalizations began nonstop at the worst in the mornings but during the day she was very restless. While at the vet she was not vocal, ate her food etc. Upon returning home though, the vocalizations began again and would not stop - food, play, treats, dry food...nothing but she was eating, drinking, etc. My vet suggested she was in pain and gave us the Buprenophine. We were giving it to her every 8 - 10 hours. She had continued to be vocal, not quite as terrible but still enough where my husband and I were not sleeping soundly. That's when the vet gave us the Clomicalm. Basically any medication we have given her has only made things worse. She just now ate her dinner, and proceeded to throw everything up. She is urinating, more playful, alert, etc but still no BM yet today and the vomiting. 

I just got off the phone with a friend who has a doctorate in veterinary care. She suggested that her diet may actually be causing her constipation as well. They are on a very high protein organic diet which could be backing her up. She suggested using another food with a little pumpkin (which we've been using for over a year), with a little Miralax. Also to add dry food into their diet too to decrease possibilities for her vocalizations for food. She is 10 pounds and throughout the day was eating 1 full can of wet food a day. She also highly suggested taking her off of the Clomicalm. If she continues to be vocal to try a stress jacket with her and add some hydrochloric protein gel to her food. She was very surprised the vet didn't complete a urine analysis or check her kidneys but were very insistent on checking her pancreas. 

Frankly, we are stopping her medicine tonight, trying some new food, and hoping this little furrball will poop. 

 

[jmarkitell]

I typically keep a bowl full of dry food for my 4 cats, which they can get whenever they want. Wet food is given as a morning treat, but not always every day. We also throw in some Cat Treats...can't think of the name but they are popular, bright colored bag, and have a cartoon cat, typically relaxing or fishing depending on the flavor. This regimen seems to keep them fairly regular and they aren't fat, so I'm OK with it and have used the same style of feeding for nearly 30 years. I typically use Friskies dry food...the cats seem to prefer the seafood flavors and all of them don't seem to care for beef or chicken. Their predecessors loved chicken, so you never know what they will want from day to day.

    When your cat throws up after eating...is it because she gorged herself and ate too much? I can understand if she over-ate and then yakked it back up (I have one that gulps food down then often throws it up due to way to much food), but it shouldn't happen like clockwork or in a recurring pattern. I know that diagnostics at a lot of the "New Generation" Vets are very expensive, but I would expect the vet to check the urine and possibly an xray to rule out obstructions or other issues that could cause discomfort and problems associated with eating.

     One other possibility that comes to mind about the vocalizations is that your Kitty might have you trained to shower her with affection when she vocalizes. Cats are pretty good at training us and this wouldn't be outside the realm of possibilities.

      The various medicines the Vet prescribed could all cause her to be a bit sleepy, which might be why she quieted down a little. I am still reluctant to give my cats a lot of human medicines that are now being prescribed for cats, unless it is something that has been around for a good while and actually intended for cats and animals. If I was in a situation similar to yours, I would try to eliminate some of the variables and try to get the Kitty's on a routine that doesn't vary too much. Try feeding some tuna or wet food at night, before the kitties go to bed...this will keep them from getting hungry in the early AM and waking you up. Try to find one food and stick with it for a while to see if it changes any of the BM or vocalization issues. The Miralax might help if she is still plugged up.

     I wish I had better advice for you. I know how difficult it can be trying to take care of these little guys. I think it is just a matter of time and a "phase" that cats go thru. My smallest and youngest will sit for hours staring at me and chirping at me whenever I look (or don't look) towards her. She is very attached to humans and was socialized to the point that she is more like a human than a cat. You could have the same thing...a cat who loves you to no end! Ok...sorry for the small novel. I wish you the best and hope the vocalizations are based on affection and not something more serious. Keep us in the loop!

Jim