You cut that bit off of course. You don't want to stick that bit in your eyelid.
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Is this starving stray pregnant, or has she had her kittens?/ Thomas
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- #383
@Mani , thanks for that. I do have a pill-popper but had been reluctant to cause him any further stress by pushing pills down his throat. So I took the easy way out with putting the pills in his food. Seems it wasn't wise in this case as it has now put him off his food.
At 7.30 this morning Thomas was coughing. It was a wheezy cough and fairly frequent. I bundled him into the car and went to the vet, who was fantastic. She'd just come on duty and didn't know the background. Putting his limited known history together with symptoms and a thorough examination, she too has concluded that he was turned off his food by the tablets being hidden in it. Now he won't attempt wet food. It addition to that, she said he now had a sore throat from coughing, and that would be a deterrent to eating as well.
She came up with a solution. She has taken him off the cortisone and antibiotics, and gave him both by injection which will last 10 days. She also gave him a painkiller which will settle him down.
She said it's possible the coughing was the beginning of cat flu which he may have picked up in the brief time he was at the shelter. Apparently flu in a small number of cats can start with a dry cough. However, she is more inclined to think he was having as asthma attack, and has since settled down. (He coughed only once at the surgery. Always the way, hey?)
She tends to think he's older than 15, or has not had proper veterinary care. She suspects the baldness is the result of a flea allergy. He doesn't have fleas now, but probably did have. No kidney problem showed up in the blood tests last week, but she said she could feel his kidneys weren't great.
I was very pleased to bring him home again with me this morning. The vet has recommended I leave dry food for him today, and tonight give him a range of options of wet food, and try some cooked chicken. So Thomas will be resting today before a smorgasbord tonight, and no more tablets!
OH, and @Stewball , I don't know why I didn't think of cutting off the match tip. Problem is now solved! Thank you Stewball.
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- #384
@Handsome Kitty, yes they do get along. (I think my mother identifies with him a little bit!
She is very concerned about his health and welfare. But she also worries he might get back into her room (his first hiding place on arrival), jump on her bed while she's resting and land on her (he's more than 11 pounds). So, again, she shuts herself in her room when I'm not around.
Sadly, too, he has an unpleasant odor about him that makes you reluctant to want him on your bed. And he has some discharge from his raw skin. The vet thinks the odor is from his mouth, as his teeth need attention, and when he grooms himself he leaves the mouth bacteria on his fur. I have wiped him down with damp paper towels, which helps a bit, but just for a short while.
can you not get kitty wet wipes? He's a poor boy. So neglected.@Handsome Kitty
, yes they do get along. (I think my mother identifies with him a little bit!)
She is very concerned about his health and welfare. But she also worries he might get back into her room (his first hiding place on arrival), jump on her bed while she's resting and land on her (he's more than 11 pounds). So, again, she shuts herself in her room when I'm not around. :frown2:
Sadly, too, he has an unpleasant odor about him that makes you reluctant to want him on your bed. And he has some discharge from his raw skin. The vet thinks the odor is from his mouth, as his teeth need attention, and when he grooms himself he leaves the mouth bacteria on his fur. I have wiped him down with damp paper towels, which helps a bit, but just for a short while.
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- #386
@Stewball, I have just checked online. Kitty wipes are available but veterinary advice seems to be you can use the hypoallergenic unscented baby wipes, which are much cheaper.
I might try them. I have plenty at home. I wonder if a damp, warm hand towel might be more pleasant for the cat. Will do some experimenting.
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I'm full of good ideas for other people. I just can't get my cats to love me.@Stewball
, I have just checked online. Kitty wipes are available but veterinary advice seem
s to be you can use the hypoallergenic unscented baby wipes, which are much cheaper.
I might try them. I have plenty at home. I wonder if a damp, warm hand towel might be more pleasant for the cat. Will do some experimenting.
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- #389
@Stewball , it was the RSPCA vet I took him too, so didn't have to pay.
In my mind he's a dog! Explain that then:-)@Stewball
, it was the RSPCA vet I took him too, so didn't have to pay.It's their cat, and I don't think they even allow you to take their animals to private vets.
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- #391
I don't think I can, @Stewball. You've stumped me this time.
Oh they love you more than you know. I do miss my lap cat. I was sick last night and didn't have my boy laying down with me. Luci and Sammy sat near by but they don't stay long. Ghost would lay with me all night or day when I was sick. He would only leave long enough to potty.
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- #395
@Stewball, it's just after 10pm on Wednesday here on Australia's east coast.Originally Posted by Stewball
Maybe it's his name?
What's your time? 2am Thursday?
It's nearly 3pm Wednesday here.
But they don't. I don't get any affection from them, especially from blighty. No head butts from either of them. No purring from whisky. No licking from blighty or sitting on my lap. He did when he was a baby. They sleep on my bed but not near me. I share my apartment with my ex. He gets all the affection. All my previous cats were my lap cats and slept with me and purred at me. I don't understand. They only come to me for food.
Sounds like you finally have found a "Common Sense" winner of a vet. I hope you can use her from now on. By having Thomas seen by her may have very well saved his life and he will finallly have an opportunity to recover, at least enough to get his "Quality of life back". Good news, Checkers!!!!!
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- #398
Thank you @mazie . Yes, I was very pleased with her, but this lovely old cat is a foster boy from a large refuge, and that vet was one of their experienced ones who was a wealth of information. She was on duty when I needed Thomas seen to.
I have more news on Thomas, and the involvement of another vet from the refuge who was terrific as well. I'm about to post a news update.
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- #399
Thomas update
It turns out Thomas’s suspected asthma was actually the onset of the flu. Thomas’s condition worsened the night before last and I got late-night veterinary advice again. He was still not eating, was congested with frequent coughing and occasional sneezing, and had runny eyes.
The very helpful vet at the refuge’s animal hospital was in fact the same vet who checked him on his admission a week ago. She remembered him well, and was the one who put an instruction on his paperwork to get him into foster as soon as possible as the hospital was rampant with flu cats and she saw his vulnerability due to his age and condition. I think he had spent just one night in the hospital before I was asked to foster him on the morning I returned the kittens. But it was one night too many.
The vet told me that what I’d been told was asthma medication sent in by Thomas’s former home was in fact antihistamines, for some kind of allergy.
The vet suggested some treatment at home and if Thomas didn’t respond, I was to take him back the next morning (which I did, yesterday). You might find these treatment options interesting, so I’ll mention them.
For his congestion, I was to give him steam. If I didn’t have a steamer (which I didn’t) she suggested a couple of options:
(1) put him in his cage, put a container of steaming hot water beside the cage, and throw a cover over both; or
(2) put him in a bathroom with a hot shower running which would fill the room with steam.
I thought the bathroom option the least stressful for him, so sat in the very steamy bathroom with him for about half an hour. He wanted out of the room initially, but settled, enjoyed some patting, and I noticed his breathing improved. Of course, this doesn’t last but he did get some temporary relief. As an aside, I have discovered this big 'bruiser' of a boy I was wary about to start with is an absolute sook. After realising he was happy about my picking him up a couple of nights ago, when he was initially uneasy in the steamy bathroom I picked him up for a cuddle. He snuggled into my neck and when I went to put him down he refused! He clung to my shoulders with his big claws and although I held him close to the floor, he wouldn't let go. Thinking of renaming him 'Scooby-Doo'!
For his refusal to eat, the vet gave me some tricks.
(1) Elevate his food a few inches so that he did not have to bend down to it. When they bend, mucous comes forward and it is more difficult and uncomfortable to eat.
(2) Put his food on a plate rather than in a bowl, as when they are sick like this their whiskers can be very sensitive and when the whiskers hit the side of the bowl, it hurts them.
(3) Give him a range of ‘smelly’ options for a meal, such as fish, roast chicken (with a little skin), or fresh meat.
I changed his water bowl to a wide one to avoid the whisker problem, and lay out his smorgasbord of food options on flat plates. He wasn’t interested in any options so I soaked some of his dry food (an aged-cat formula) in warm water as I had done for the kittens, and he had a few mouthfuls of that, and came back later for some more which would have helped a bit with the dehydration concern.
@Stewball, I also tried hand-feeding again at your suggestion, but he didn’t respond. I recall that does work sometimes, as I occasionally did it with my previous elderly cat.
The vet’s plan on his return the following morning was to put him in a flu-isolation ward (she said now he had the flu, he couldn’t get worse being in with other flu cats), and to put him on a drip if he was dehydrated, which she suspected he would be. She said she might also put him in an oxygen tank if necessary. The vet will keep him in the animal hospital until he is ready for foster, and I told the clinic I was happy to foster him again at that time.
Thanks to those of you interested in and concerned about old Thomas. I hope you may have found some of this helpful. I'll bring you another update when I have one.
It turns out Thomas’s suspected asthma was actually the onset of the flu. Thomas’s condition worsened the night before last and I got late-night veterinary advice again. He was still not eating, was congested with frequent coughing and occasional sneezing, and had runny eyes.
The very helpful vet at the refuge’s animal hospital was in fact the same vet who checked him on his admission a week ago. She remembered him well, and was the one who put an instruction on his paperwork to get him into foster as soon as possible as the hospital was rampant with flu cats and she saw his vulnerability due to his age and condition. I think he had spent just one night in the hospital before I was asked to foster him on the morning I returned the kittens. But it was one night too many.
The vet told me that what I’d been told was asthma medication sent in by Thomas’s former home was in fact antihistamines, for some kind of allergy.
The vet suggested some treatment at home and if Thomas didn’t respond, I was to take him back the next morning (which I did, yesterday). You might find these treatment options interesting, so I’ll mention them.
For his congestion, I was to give him steam. If I didn’t have a steamer (which I didn’t) she suggested a couple of options:
(1) put him in his cage, put a container of steaming hot water beside the cage, and throw a cover over both; or
(2) put him in a bathroom with a hot shower running which would fill the room with steam.
I thought the bathroom option the least stressful for him, so sat in the very steamy bathroom with him for about half an hour. He wanted out of the room initially, but settled, enjoyed some patting, and I noticed his breathing improved. Of course, this doesn’t last but he did get some temporary relief. As an aside, I have discovered this big 'bruiser' of a boy I was wary about to start with is an absolute sook. After realising he was happy about my picking him up a couple of nights ago, when he was initially uneasy in the steamy bathroom I picked him up for a cuddle. He snuggled into my neck and when I went to put him down he refused! He clung to my shoulders with his big claws and although I held him close to the floor, he wouldn't let go. Thinking of renaming him 'Scooby-Doo'!
For his refusal to eat, the vet gave me some tricks.
(1) Elevate his food a few inches so that he did not have to bend down to it. When they bend, mucous comes forward and it is more difficult and uncomfortable to eat.
(2) Put his food on a plate rather than in a bowl, as when they are sick like this their whiskers can be very sensitive and when the whiskers hit the side of the bowl, it hurts them.
(3) Give him a range of ‘smelly’ options for a meal, such as fish, roast chicken (with a little skin), or fresh meat.
I changed his water bowl to a wide one to avoid the whisker problem, and lay out his smorgasbord of food options on flat plates. He wasn’t interested in any options so I soaked some of his dry food (an aged-cat formula) in warm water as I had done for the kittens, and he had a few mouthfuls of that, and came back later for some more which would have helped a bit with the dehydration concern.
@Stewball, I also tried hand-feeding again at your suggestion, but he didn’t respond. I recall that does work sometimes, as I occasionally did it with my previous elderly cat.
The vet’s plan on his return the following morning was to put him in a flu-isolation ward (she said now he had the flu, he couldn’t get worse being in with other flu cats), and to put him on a drip if he was dehydrated, which she suspected he would be. She said she might also put him in an oxygen tank if necessary. The vet will keep him in the animal hospital until he is ready for foster, and I told the clinic I was happy to foster him again at that time.
Thanks to those of you interested in and concerned about old Thomas. I hope you may have found some of this helpful. I'll bring you another update when I have one.
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Get well, Thomas [emoji]128049[/emoji]Thomas update
It turns out Thomas’s suspected asthma was actually the onset of the flu. Thomas’s condition worsened the night before last and I got late-night veterinary advice again. He was still not eating, was congested with frequent coughing and occasional sneezing, and had runny eyes.
The very helpful vet at the refuge’s animal hospital was in fact the same vet who checked him on his admission a week ago. She remembered him well, and was the one who put an instruction on his paperwork to get him into foster as soon as possible as the hospital was rampant with flu cats and she saw his vulnerability due to his age and condition. I think he had spent just one night in the hospital before I was asked to foster him on the morning I returned the kittens. But it was one night too many.
The vet told me that what I’d been told was asthma medication sent in by Thomas’s former home was in fact antihistamines, for some kind of allergy.
The vet suggested some treatment at home and if Thomas didn’t respond, I was to take him back the next morning (which I did, yesterday). You might find these treatment options interesting, so I’ll mention them.
For his congestion, I was to give him steam. If I didn’t have a steamer (which I didn’t) she suggested a couple of options:
(1) put him in his cage, put a container of steaming hot water beside the cage, and throw a cover over both; or
(2) put him in a bathroom with a hot shower running which would fill the room with steam.
I thought the bathroom option the least stressful for him, so sat in the very steamy bathroom with him for about half an hour. He wanted out of the room initially, but settled, enjoyed some patting, and I noticed his breathing improved. Of course, this doesn’t last but he did get some temporary relief. As an aside, I have discovered this big 'bruiser' of a boy I was wary about to start with is an absolute sook. After realising he was happy about my picking him up a couple of nights ago, when he was initially uneasy in the steamy bathroom I picked him up for a cuddle. He snuggled into my neck and when I went to put him down he refused! He clinged to my shoulders with his big claws and although I held him close to the floor, he wouldn't let go. Thinking of renaming him 'Scooby-Doo'!
For his refusal to eat, the vet gave me some tricks.
(1)
Elevate his food a few inches so that he did not have to bend down to it. When they bend, mucous comes forward and it is more difficult and uncomfortable to eat.
(2)
Put his food on a plate rather than in a bowl, as when they are sick like this their whiskers can be very sensitive and when the whiskers hit the side of the bowl, it hurts them.
(3)
Give him a range of ‘smelly’ options for a meal, such as fish, roast chicken (with a little skin), or fresh meat.
I changed his water bowl to a wide one to avoid the whisker problem, and lay out his smorgasbord of food options on flat plates. He wasn’t interested in any options so I soaked some of his dry food (an aged-cat formula) in warm water as I had done for the kittens, and he had a few mouthfuls of that, and came back later for some more which would have helped a bit with the dehydration concern.
@Stewball, I also tried hand-feeding again at your suggestion, but he didn’t respond. I recall that does work sometimes, as I occasionally did it with my previous elderly cat.
The vet’s plan on his return the following morning was to put him in a flu-isolation ward (she said now he had the flu, he couldn’t get worse being in with other flu cats), and to put him on a drip if he was dehydrated, which she suspected he would be. She said she might also put him in an oxygen tank if necessary. The vet will keep him in the animal hospital until he is ready for foster, and I told the clinic I was happy to foster him again at that time.
Thanks to those of you interested in and concerned about old Thomas. I hope you may have found some of this helpful. I'll bring you another update when I have one.
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