Yowling, vomiting, and hiding?

[zoneout]

Hey thanks!  I learned from you  I can take my own cats temp without having to go to the vet.   See.... you helped someone else already!!!

 

[puffinfluff]

He doesn't like it, that's for sure. =P

Does anyone have any advice on how to tell if a cat is dehydrated? Now that his IV is done, that's my greatest concern. He's urinating regularly and eating wet food, but I haven't actually seen him go for his water bowl.

 

[peaches08]

He doesn't like it, that's for sure. =P

Does anyone have any advice on how to tell if a cat is dehydrated? Now that his IV is done, that's my greatest concern. He's urinating regularly and eating wet food, but I haven't actually seen him go for his water bowl.

Tenting the skin and watching for it to snap back is one way, but the best way for me to tell if my cats are dehydrated is to look inside their mouth.  If it's wet with a watery substance, great.  If it's sticky, then they're dehydrated.

You can add probiotics now if you'd like, just don't give them at the same time as the antibiotic.  This allows each medication to work at their fullest.

I feed raw (well, beef I cook lightly) and this forum can help you with that when you're ready.  For now, one thing you can do is make stock from bones.  Either buy some chicken necks/backs, or whatever is cheap, or ask the grocer about buying some bones just to make stock with.  I hate watching stock, so I make it in a crock pot:  http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com/2012/04/easiest-homemade-chicken-broth-in.html.  You can use any bones actually, but chicken is probably the most common.  You don't have to go through the clarifying and defatting process for the cat.  Just put bones in crock pot, water, a tablespoon or two of ACV, and let it do it's thing.  Put liquid in ice cube trays and freeze for individual servings, and add to each of his wet meals.  I add more water than Dr. P says to the raw recipe.  FWIW, mine still drink water.  Well, someone is, the water level goes down in the water bowl.

 

[puffinfluff]

Yeah, mine definitely wants nothing to do with chicken anything right now. Everything we force fed him over the weekend was chicken flavored, so I think it's giving him a negative taste. He's eating his lamb canned food and his beef or catnip flavored greenies, but I put a whole pot of cooked chicken/broth on the floor in front of him and he avoided the kitchen the rest of the day. I may have to go for beef and the likes. He's allergic to fish.

 

[peaches08]

Ask for beef bones then.  It be awesome if you could get joints with cartilage still attached.  Do not buy smoked ham hocks or something like that...he doesn't need the "smoke" or salt/seasonings.  Plain ole raw bones.  Same principle applies like with chicken bones.

 

[puffinfluff]

Awesome! I'll definitely try that. He still doesn't seem to be touching his water (I've been forcing bits of water into him once or twice a day) but he are nearly a whole can of food on his own tonight!

 

[peaches08]

If he's getting water in his food and then you are giving water, he may be getting enough water?  I remember being spooked the first time I saw my cat not drink as much due to getting enough water in her food. 

 

[puffinfluff]

I've never been so happy to see cat poop before! He's got next to no mucus in his stool this morning and he ate a whole can of food on his own! I also put out a different bowl of water and he's obviously drinking it, so I think he's finally better!

 

[zoneout]

I've never been so happy to see cat poop before! He's got next to no mucus in his stool this morning and he ate a whole can of food on his own! I also put out a different bowl of water and he's obviously drinking it, so I think he's finally better!

 

[zoneout]

 
If he's getting water in his food and then you are giving water, he may be getting enough water?  I remember being spooked the first time I saw my cat not drink as much due to getting enough water in her food. 

I was just thinking this last night.   Is there some downside to getting too much fluids???

 

[peaches08]

I've never been so happy to see cat poop before! He's got next to no mucus in his stool this morning and he ate a whole can of food on his own! I also put out a different bowl of water and he's obviously drinking it, so I think he's finally better!

Great news!  Maybe there was something off-putting with the other bowl?

 
I was just thinking this last night.   Is there some downside to getting too much fluids???

I've not heard of cats getting water intoxification from drinking too much water, but I'm not going to say it's impossible.  From an IV, and sometimes even subQ fluids, yes they can get fluid volume excess if it is not monitored carefully.

 

[stewball]

There probably is. Isn't it always too bad to have too much of something. Google it but if he's eating his tins of food he's certainly getting enough liquid. I'd stop giving him by syringe now.
I'm so glad he's feeling better.
By the way that 'yowl' he makes before he vomits is normal. All cats make that noise before they bring up. It's very useful. It gives you time to get a cloth to clean up and they move around while vomiting. They don't vomit where they first did. Funny little animals.
I love cats and to think I was terrified of them as a child.
Good luck with him.

 

[quiet]

Even with sub Q fluids they can be overloaded and go into congestive heart failure and die. Seen it happen with a cat that the vet gave 300mls of LRS sub q. She was a good sized cat. Very very sad. Another reason you have to always make sure if giving fluids on a regular basis that the previous fluids have been absorbed before giving more.

 

[zoneout]

 
Even with sub Q fluids they can be overloaded and go into congestive heart failure and die. Seen it happen with a cat that the vet gave 300mls of LRS sub q. She was a good sized cat. Very very sad. Another reason you have to always make sure if giving fluids on a regular basis that the previous fluids have been absorbed before giving more.

Excellent info.  I would have thought their system just dumps any excess.   Thanks.