Hi everyone,
I know I am probably posting in the wrong sub-forum and this may get moved, but I thought I would start here because Tim eats mostly raw food and I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for the knowledge in this sub-forum. I am afraid Tim is exhibiting signs of FHS and I am interested in hearing from others who have dealt with FHS in their own cats. Details about Tim follow.
As many of you know, Tim has been through a lot. At one time, he was supposedly one step away from megacolon and was on cisapride. He was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which ended up being an incorrect diagnosis. He suffered from asthma, frequent vomiting and diarrhea, and urinary crystals. The poor cat was a mess. Over time, we changed his diet and resolved most everything. Once we weaned him off cisapride, we got him on raw and he's been doing very well. He still seems to have a sensitive stomach, but we are able to manage this with a strictly controlled diet.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have noticed Tim engage in some erratic behavior. At first, we thought he was finally feeling good and wanted to play. But he seems more freaked out to me. His tail twitches a lot and he licks and paws at it like he's never seen it before. Once or twice he has chewed on it hard enough to growl at himself. Then he gets up and runs like something is after him. And sometimes he hides under tables. He does this mostly in the evenings, after he's eaten. Just last week, he had one attack in the morning and he started one this morning that I was able to stop with gentle petting and talking. I was hoping to post a video of a mild attack he had last night, but do not currently have accounts with the supported formats.
I have done some reading, and some thoughts about FHS include vaccines, diet, allergies, and stress. Here are a facts about Tim:
What I plan to do in the short term: I had stopped feeding Lotus Just Juicy daily because Tim was acting slightly off when I did. It was just a small amount each day (his "bedtime snack" of one ounce or less). But then we ran into the refusal to eat the Primal freeze-dried turkey, so I got back on the Lotus. Is it a coincidence that Tim started eating this daily less than a week before I started noticing the erratic behavior? So I plan to stop this food again and see what happens.
Finally, I know we need to rule out anything medical. Abby and Tim are due for annual exams with their new vet, who practices a blend of traditional and holistic. They are due in April, but depending on how things go with Tim over the next day or so, I will likely get them in later this week or early next week.
Sorry for the length. It seems I cannot help myself when writing about Tim. I would appreciate hearing about what has worked for others with cats with FHS. Truly, because Tim has been through so much already and he's not even 6, this just breaks my heart and makes me want to cry.
I know I am probably posting in the wrong sub-forum and this may get moved, but I thought I would start here because Tim eats mostly raw food and I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for the knowledge in this sub-forum. I am afraid Tim is exhibiting signs of FHS and I am interested in hearing from others who have dealt with FHS in their own cats. Details about Tim follow.
As many of you know, Tim has been through a lot. At one time, he was supposedly one step away from megacolon and was on cisapride. He was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which ended up being an incorrect diagnosis. He suffered from asthma, frequent vomiting and diarrhea, and urinary crystals. The poor cat was a mess. Over time, we changed his diet and resolved most everything. Once we weaned him off cisapride, we got him on raw and he's been doing very well. He still seems to have a sensitive stomach, but we are able to manage this with a strictly controlled diet.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have noticed Tim engage in some erratic behavior. At first, we thought he was finally feeling good and wanted to play. But he seems more freaked out to me. His tail twitches a lot and he licks and paws at it like he's never seen it before. Once or twice he has chewed on it hard enough to growl at himself. Then he gets up and runs like something is after him. And sometimes he hides under tables. He does this mostly in the evenings, after he's eaten. Just last week, he had one attack in the morning and he started one this morning that I was able to stop with gentle petting and talking. I was hoping to post a video of a mild attack he had last night, but do not currently have accounts with the supported formats.
I have done some reading, and some thoughts about FHS include vaccines, diet, allergies, and stress. Here are a facts about Tim:
- Vaccines: Tim has not had vaccines since summer 2013. I have not seen any evidence of fleas on him or Abby in quite some time, so I think their last flea treatment was then, too. My husband is very sensitive to fleas, so we would know if the cats had fleas.
- Diet: Tim eats 85% raw. His foods include primarily Rad Cat Turkey, Primal Pronto frozen rabbit, and Primal Pronto frozen turkey. He eats a small amount of smallbatch frozen raw rabbit, Instinct canned rabbit, Primal Pronto freeze-dried beef and salmon, Primal Pronto freeze-dried turkey, Lotus Just Juicy canned pork, and Lotus Just Juicy canned turkey. Sometimes he steals a bite of Abby's canned turkey (Nature's Variety Instinct LID or Pure Vita turkey). For treats, he eats Pure Bites freeze dried turkey and Wysong Dream Treats in rabbit.
- Allergies: I have to wonder if there may be a seasonal element. I remember Tim was a little twitchy around this time last year, and he seemed to be on the verge of overgrooming. But then it stopped. I wonder if it's a spring thing, especially since it really warmed up here recently and, after some rain a couple of months ago, there is a lot more plant growth than this time last year.
- Stress: Tim is a nervous cat by nature and does not like change. It's a long story as to why, but my husband and I have found ourselves spending a lot of money on the house recently, with a lot of workers coming in and out. We are stressed about the nonstop bleed from our savings and perhaps Tim is picking up on that. Plus all the workers in the house recently.
What I plan to do in the short term: I had stopped feeding Lotus Just Juicy daily because Tim was acting slightly off when I did. It was just a small amount each day (his "bedtime snack" of one ounce or less). But then we ran into the refusal to eat the Primal freeze-dried turkey, so I got back on the Lotus. Is it a coincidence that Tim started eating this daily less than a week before I started noticing the erratic behavior? So I plan to stop this food again and see what happens.
Finally, I know we need to rule out anything medical. Abby and Tim are due for annual exams with their new vet, who practices a blend of traditional and holistic. They are due in April, but depending on how things go with Tim over the next day or so, I will likely get them in later this week or early next week.
Sorry for the length. It seems I cannot help myself when writing about Tim. I would appreciate hearing about what has worked for others with cats with FHS. Truly, because Tim has been through so much already and he's not even 6, this just breaks my heart and makes me want to cry.