Great news about Simon

[janelle]

The vet put him on Hill's Prescription diet i/d and he doesn't throw up anymore. I also have changed his eating to a small amount throughout the day and that seems to help.

Added benefit is his coat is getting silky and lush. He lost weight but he can now jump up to the top of his cat tree and he tries to catch his tail up there---so funny the energy he has. He has started to chase through the house with my other cat like before so the weight loss didn't hurt him. I think he is gaining some weight but my hubby measures out the portion he should have for each day as per the instructions on the bag.

He should be ok now. Thanks for all your help when I asked about it.

[Medusa]

Always love to read a good report. Way to go, Simon! :)

[kb2yjx]

That sure is great news about Simon!!!

[lvpets2002]

:love: WoW thats so great Simon.. Glad the food is doing good for you..

[Karen]

Thanks for sharing the good news! Seeing him leap to the top of the cat tree must make you smile!

[kittykatharine]

That is so wonderful to hear! I love hearing happy success stories, it gives the rest of us some hope! I hope Simon continues to improve! :love::love::love:

[janelle]

Well Simon started vomiting again and losing weight so we took him back to the vet. Seems the cortisone shot had worn off after three months so he gave him another one but it only lasted for about 10 days then the symptoms started again.

His blood test came back ok again so when we took him back, the vet said something about maybe a stomach tumor. They would need to operate to see if he had one. The X-rays would not show a tumor. If it was not operable then they would call us and we would need to decide if they should put him down or what to do.

After talking about that the vet suggested it may be indigestion. The vet recommended giving him Prilosec and an anti-vomit med. We jumped at this, I don't want to put a cat through such an invasive surgery when they could do nothing if they found a tumor. I wanted to try this first.

Well it is working. My hubby gives him a forth of a pill of Prilosec a day and three doses of the anti-vomit med each day. He is gaining weight again and we don't have to feel his bones anymore. He may have an ulcer. Strange how animals can get the same diseases we get.

I sure am glad I did not jump at the operation. The vet knew we were hesitant so we talked more and came up with a less invasive treatment. Now we are keeping our fingers crossed this will be the last of it. If he needs to be on meds the rest of his life that is better than the alternative.

My hubby will look around the web to find cheaper med costs if Simon has a chronic condition. My hubby gets Prilosec for himself so that is easy to buy anyway. So Simon is on the special food and meds now but he is such a sweet cat I don't want to lose him.

[Medusa]

Goodness, that was a close one! I'm so glad that the Prilosec is working for Simon. PT and the internet are wonderful for finding new meds and treatments. I'm sorry that you were frightened and alarmed like that. It must have been awful for you. It sounds as though Simon is on the mend, though. Way to go! :)

[Catty1]

HUGS and I am glad to hear that this latest treatment is working for Simon!

Prayers that he stays well and healthy!

er....any pics available of this handsome boy? ;)

[krazyaboutkatz]

I missed this thread that last time but I'm glad to hear that Simon is doing well again.:) I've heard of cats having to take pepcid to avoid vomiting as well so the prilosec probably does the same thing. Did your vet ever say anything about him possibly having IBD? Some cats with this disease will vomit, some will have severe diarrhea, and some will have both symptoms.

My cat Starr has IBD and colitis and he had severe diarrhea. Now he has to take prednisolone for the rest of his life. This has stopped his diarrhea but has caused him to gain weight. I hope that Simon will continue to do well. Please continue to keep us updated about him.

[janelle]

Well, sad to say but Simon's stomach condition is chronic. He still throws up and now he is licking the back of his front legs until the fur is gone.

He has to take Prilosec and Metoclopramide each day. He takes it 3 times a day if bad but I try to limit it to once a day. His last cortisone shot didn't last very long.

Right now he is very skinny and I wonder if he is getting enough vitamins. I have him on the vet's A/D food but he still has the sensitivity to it. He drinks a lot of water but he always did that. I think most days he lives on water.

I am now reading up on some natural solutions to correct it. I sure do not want him to go through an operation and by now if it was a tumor or something serious he would be having other symptoms. I just fear his not eating much will lead to liver problems.

Does anyone else have this problem with their furbaby and what helped? TIA

[Catty1]

Try grain-free food. It has helped many kitties. Even vet food has grain in it.

See if your pet store has some samples of Innova Evo or another grain-free food. Some cats are allergic to grains!

Good luck and prayers for dear Simon! Bless you for not giving up on him.

[columbine]

I think Catty1 is probably right. That sounds like it could be an allergy. Please keep us posted!

Love, Columbine

[janelle]

I'll never give up on him but I fear his liver will give out with not eating and going into fasts like he does. He did eat a little canned tuna today. I know it's not good for him but at this point whatever he wants to eat is ok with me.

I wish he liked more human food so he will at least eat something.

[Catty1]

Did you read the last two posts, Janelle? Go to a pet store and get some grain-free food and try that on him.

[janelle]

Yes, I did, and amazingly he likes it. PETCO has CORE and I got that, they didn't have the other.

I also upped his meds to 3 times a day---the max I can give him. He is keeping it down.

Right now he is trying to keep me from whistling. He jumped up and put his body over my mouth to stifle me. LOL He always comes when I whistle so I do have a good way of finding him but he also doesn't like me to do it. LOL

Sorry for not posting earlier.

[Catty1]

SO glad to hear this! Has Simon been on it long enough for you to tell if it is helping his fur-pulling?

Hugs and prayers for Simon!:love::love: You is a GOOD meowmie!:)

[janelle]

No I don't think I will know if he stops pulling until the hair starts to grow back in. Only time will tell on that.

I really don't care if he needs to do that if it easies his anxiety or whatever just as long as he starts to gain weight, which he should if he keeps his food down. Thanks so much.

[janelle]

Well Simon is off his food again. Now he is skin and bones. Took him back to the vet 3 days ago. They gave him a shot of steroids. If he had IBS it should make the inflammation go away and he will start to eat again. So far he isn't so we are force feeling him. We are also giving him a tab of steroids but so far haven't seen any improvement. He hasn't had liver issues so can be thankful about that.

I guess I need to know just how much doctoring I should put him through. I told my hubby as long as we can help him I think we should do it but we can't be out a lot of money and him not getting better at all. I think surgery would be out since it is so expensive.

He hates to be forced fed and hides. Tonight we could hardly find him, he hides in a new place so we can't find him easy. It breaks my heart to force him to take meds and food but still see him whither away.

What have you done when you were faced with this---anyone?

[Medusa]

I've not had to force feed any of my cats so far but I just wanted to give you my encouragement. I know how rough it must be for you and Simon. Keep the faythe. :love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm sorry to hear this.:( I had a cat,Starr, who had IBD with severe diarrhea and he was on the pill form of prednisolone. Sadly I had to end up putting him down on 7-1-09 because his poor little body was starting to give out.:(

Now my oldest cat Storm who will be 14 in Jan. has also been diagnosed with IBD but he vomits. He's also been taking pred in pill form but was still having some problems until I also started giving him pepcid at night. All if his blood work, x-rays, ultrasound looked fine so my vet is still a bit puzzled over why he was continuing to vomit. He's on 5mg of pred in the morning and 5mg of pepcid at night. The pred makes his very hungry. My vet doesn't like giving steroid shots in cases with IBD because she says they don't work as well as the pill form.

I've had to force feed a few cats in the past and it's not an easy thing to do. I've used Hills A/D which you can easily mix with water and then use a large syringe to squeeze it into the cats mouth. Usually more food goes on you and the cat than in their mouth though. I hope that things will get better. Good luck. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent your way.

[janelle]

I feel like I am just waiting until Simon's body gives out as well. So far he won't eat and hides when we go to give him meds. He is so smart he knows when it is time for them. Last night we looked all through the house for him and finally found him behind the desk in a little opening. He hates being forced fed so much. He weighs 8 pounds now down from 12 or more. A lot for a cat.

I opened a can of tuna (his favorite) a while ago but he won't even drink the liquid. He doesn't act like he is in pain though and just wants to hide away and sleep.

The vet looked at the inside of his ears and his third eyelid to see if it is turning yellow which means liver damage. So far it isn't.

He is on Hills A/D. We got the can food and force feeding him that. He still talks to us and is not in bad shape so I hate to end it for him. I hope he can perk up or the vet can do something for him. Thanks for the prayers and thoughts. It helps.

[krazyaboutkatz]

If you can afford it, you may want to have some more specific blood tests done on him. I did this with my Storm and he was finally diagnosed today with small intestinal disease. He's low in folate so I'm starting him on 400 mcg of Folic Acid each day for 6 weeks and continuing his 5mg of pred for 4 weeks. Hopefully this will do the trick. Vitamin B12 is also supposed to help increase a cats appetite. You may want to ask your vet about this.

[janelle]

Well have been dealing with his nausea for about 2 years. He always had a sensitive stomach but it got worse as time went by.

I have taken him to the vet a lot of times. At first the shot did some good and he went back to eating. It has just gotten gradually worse over time.

They did want to operate on him to see if he had a tumor but I didn't want to put him through that trauma. I chose to go the non-envasive route to see if it helped him. The A/D food helped and he kept it down. Now he doesn't even want to eat. We are force feeding the canned A/D twice a day.

I guess he needs to go back to the vet again. He said they could do more blood tests. I hope it shows something that is treatable.

[janelle]

Simon goes back to the vet today. Not sure what they will try next. We have been force feeding him all week. He still does not want to eat and I read cats can completely stop eating. Then they die of starvation or liver damage.

I got info online on how to force feed and how much. The vet said something about a feeding tube but it would be inserted into his stomach---not a good thing. Others online have suggested having the vet do a endoscope exam to look at his digestive system. I'll have to see what the vet suggests now.

So far Simon has been in pretty good spirits and wanting to go out. He is an indoor cat but he likes to go out. I supervise him and it is cold here and that makes it worse.

[Catty1]

I hope something simple is found, that can be treated. The three of you have been through a LOT, little Simon not the least.

I hope it might be something as simple as a sore tooth...


Hugs and prayers for you and hubby and Simon.:love::love::love:

[janelle]

The vet didn't give me much hope today. He said they can do a biopsy. They can't do the endoscope here in town, we would need to go to another city since they do not have the small one here for cats. The biopsy involves opening him about 4 or 5 inches to see inside his stomach. If it is a tumor they can do chemo and it would cost around 1500 plus surgery. If he indeed has IBD we will be back to square one treating symptoms since there is not a cure.

He suspects the treatment with the steroids may have caused stomach ulcers but he needs the shots---it's a vicious circle. He could have inserted a feeding tube but it can cause problems as well. It helps him with the feeding and he won't fight us so much but the tube is on his neck and it will bother him.

He said some cats get anorexic when they are sick and refuse to eat. They get liver disease though and die of that. They gave him a steroid shot again so we don't need to give him the pill, one less thing to make him take. they also injected some fluid since he is dehydrated.

For now I will force feed him and try to encourage him to eat but it may not help. He lost a whole pound this week from not eating except for what we gave him. No water either. His food has water but he doesn't drink from his bowl anymore.

I don't know how long we can do this but we are willing to give it a try and see what happens. Thank you all for your concern and prayers. It's helping us all.

[Medusa]

I'm sorry. I wish it was better news. Prayers are still continuing. Keep the faythe. (((HUGS))) :love:

[columbine]

{hug!} I hope Simon's feeling better soon.

Love, Columbine

[Catty1]

HUGE PT Prayers for Simon!:love::love::love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm sorry to hear this.:( Lots more prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

[janelle]

Simon started eating from his dish today and drinking water on his own!!!! My hubby force fed him this morning but later on Simon went to his dish and ate some on his own then drank some water. Since then he has been drinking water.

The shot must have helped his inflamation and pain for now. I sure hope it keeps helping him for hopefully up to six weeks. If it does he will have a chance to gain some weight.

Simon is so intelligent. When he looks at me it's like he knows things. My other cat doesn't seem quite as intelligent, she is a nice cat but Simon is very smart. He makes connections with us. He makes eye cantact when I talk and look at him.

He just went to his food bowl and is eating now. I think he even knows what I type. LOL

Thank you all for everything, it's helping !!!!! :)

[Catty1]

Good!

In today's cat of the day - the kitty had a thyroid problem and he lost a lot of weight. I am sure Simon got tested for thyroid (T4 as well as regular?). Read Shadow's story.

So glad to hear that Simon is chowing down again!:D:love::love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

This is great news!!!:D I hope that he'll continue to eat on his own and gain some weight back. Please continue to keep us updated about him.

[Anikaca77]

Sorry I haven't posted before, I'm glad Simon is eating on his own now. My prays that he continues to do well. Also, if you are having trouble affording vet care you can try United Animal Nations, CareCredit, etc. Just do a search on the internet, most places don't have a lot of funds right now due to the poor eco. but it doesn't hurt to try.

Melissa

[janelle]

I am posting at another site as well. We have had to go to force feeding and watering. This is what I wrote.

Well he was improving a bit with the force feeding and watering but tonight I am wondering how much longer we need to make him suffer. he growls and fights the feeding---who wouldn't.

I would be willing to keep it going for a long time but he may be telling me to let him go.

They could insert a feeding tube so we could just pour food into it but that is not a good thing to put him through either. He still needs his meds so as not to throw up. I wish he was older so the decision would be easier to make.

He has always been my bodyguard---at least he thinks so and it will be hard to let him go.

How do I make the decision?

[slick]

Oh Janelle, how very distressing for you and sweet Simon. Yes, kitties can be extremely smart. I know when I tried to give Max his sub-q fluids he'd hide too and shake, cower in the corner and drool. It was then that I decided enough is enough. He's too old to put him through that.

How old is Simon?

How do I make the decision? I asked myself the same question back in 2005 when my RB Speckles was at the end of her life. People say that the eyes say it all. I was dubious about that but when I looked into Speckles' eyes, she told me she was ready to go.

All you can do is make sure his quality of life is good. Once that goes downhill then it's time to think about other options.

All we can do is pray the send you lots of healing thoughts. :love:

[janelle]

Thanks. I appreciate your thoughts about things.

My hubby came home tonight and when we talked about it he said to put it in God's hands now. I had another cat who got sick and his eyes did say it all. The thing with Simon is his eyes are still so intelligent and he still makes contact with us. That is what makes it so hard.

He is only 8 years old. My other cat was 18 and I knew he had a good life so it was easier to let him go.

I hate this time of year for any sickness. The vets will be out of the place in case I need them and one has to decide life and death on a schedule. We do have a pet hospital so I can use them I guess. Hopefully I won't need to.

[Catty1]

Oh, Janelle, how maddening - to not even have a clear idea of what is wrong with poor Simon! Does your vet have any ideas? Is getting a second opinion maybe an idea?

{{{{hugs}}}} to you and your husband and dear Simon. I agree it can be put in God's hands...sometimes there is an unexpected miracle, and I pray there is one for young Simon.:love::love::love:

[janelle]

This was originally posted in November. I have not read the whole thing but I have arrested MANY a feline and human digestive problems using Slippery Elm which is a mucilaginous herb that normalizes the digestive tract.

It stops vomiting, loose bowels and even constipation. All you do is mix in 1/8 the adult dose into your cat's food. It calms and soothes. It works much better than those nasty drugs with all their various and sundry side effects.

Its best to mix it with some water as well. If you are taking it yourself, take three capsules with a glass of water three times a day if necessary.

I googled it and they have lots of info about it.

[Catty1]

Janelle - I don't have experience with it. BUT why not ask your vet? Just give them a call.

If it won't hurt him, it just might help. :)

Has he been on pepcid? It soothes sensitive tummies that might stop a kitty from eating.

{{{{hugs}}}}

[janelle]

The vet told us to give him one forth pill of Pepcid and he gets that. Actually, we give him Prilosec since my hubby takes it. I just wondered if vets want people to go the holistic way and if this is a question for them but my hubby reminded me the vet needs to know all the things he takes because it all interacts together.

[Catty1]

It can't hurt to ask, Janelle. There are holistic vets, but I don't know how much they might charge.

Have a look here for some starter info:
http://www.ehow.com/about_5098887_slippery-elm-uses-pets.html

[Anikaca77]

My prays are coming for Simon and you and your husband.

Melissa

[janelle]

I am waiting for my hubby to come home to take Simon to the vets to be put to sleep. He started throwing up the food we force fed him as well. I told my hubby to leave him alone and let him rest.

The vet knew nothing about slippery elm so didn't want us to try it with his other meds. He spent last night in the corner in our bedroom where the heat vent comes out. He is there now.

We got him hydrated before Christmas so we would have him with us but the vet will be out this weekend so do not want him to get bad when they are gone.

I would just let him be here until he died but I am not sure what he will go through. He might have a seizure and we would not know what to do for him. I hope this is the best way.

[Medusa]

I am waiting for my hubby to come home to take Simon to the vets to be put to sleep. He started throwing up the food we force fed him as well. I told my hubby to leave him alone and let him rest.

The vet knew nothing about slippery elm so didn't want us to try it with his other meds. He spent last night in the corner in our bedroom where the heat vent comes out. He is there now.

We got him hydrated before Christmas so we would have him with us but the vet will be out this weekend so do not want him to get bad when they are gone.

I would just let him be here until he died but I am not sure what he will go through. He might have a seizure and we would not know what to do for him. I hope this is the best way.

It is the best way, truly. You're doing the unselfish thing for Simon instead of keeping him around for your sake. I just had to do this w/one of my cats, Pidgie, last week so I know the pain you're experiencing. We all do here on PT. I'm sorry for you and for sweet Simon but you're doing the last act of kindness for him. He'll love you even more for it. (((HUGS)))

[Pinot's Mom]

I'm sorry for you all, but you know when it's time for poor Simon to rest in peace, and so does he. Prayers for you and the poor baby...

[janelle]

I am such a coward I do not want to go in with him. I guess I should try to be with him. He is such a sweet cat. What would you do?

[Medusa]

I am such a coward I do not want to go in with him. I guess I should try to be with him. He is such a sweet cat. What would you do?

Go. Do it for Simon. You won't regret it. He'll go so much more peacefully knowing that the people who love him are w/him, helping him cross the Bridge. It's painful for you but it'll be more painful later if you have regrets. And it won't be physically painful for Simon. He'll just drift off peacefully to sleep. Go. Your vet will let you hold him, stroke him and tell him it's alright, that you love him and will miss him but it's ok to go. Go, Janelle. I do understand how you feel, I promise. I've done it many times and it never gets any easier but our cats were w/us during our hard times and now it's our turn to be w/them for their final journey. :love:

[slick]

Go. Do it for Simon. You won't regret it. He'll go so much more peacefully knowing that the people who love him are w/him, helping him cross the Bridge. It's painful for you but it'll be more painful later if you have regrets. And it won't be physically painful for Simon. He'll just drift off peacefully to sleep. Go. Your vet will let you hold him, stroke him and tell him it's alright, that you love him and will miss him but it's ok to go. Go, Janelle. I do understand how you feel, I promise. I've done it many times and it never gets any easier but our cats were w/us during our hard times and now it's our turn to be w/them for their final journey. :love: Sorry this response has to be short but please go. I agree with everything that Mary said. You won't regret spending his last minutes on earth with him.

http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/message.cfm?l=eng&cid=9866940
Candle lit.

[janelle]

Well I did go, I'm so glad, thank you. Suddenly I got calm about it and I took him. The vet was good and we went into a room to wait for him. The vet came in and asked us if we were sure that was what we wanted to do. I said, well there isn't anything else we can do to help him, he won't eat and is fading.

The vet shaved a small place on his arm and put in the med. The tech was there with him. Simon laid down as if to sleep and was gone within 30 seconds. We told them we didn't want the body so they will take care if it.

I think my hubby took it worse than I did. He cried and said he didn't know it would be so hard. I guess I have been saying goodbye to Simon for the last few days and my hubby has been busy with other things.

Thank you slick---that is the sweetest thing in the world for us now. Hugs

When we got home my hubby threw out all Simon's meds so as not to remember how sick he was. Now we will have only one cat, Chianti, and she will wonder where Simon went. My hubby is not ready to think about getting another cat in the Spring so we need to grieve Simon for awhile.

Thank you everybody for the kind words and prayers. It helped us a lot during this sad time.:love::love:

I am always sending people here when they say their animals have died or sick but I never knew I would need to come here for that so soon. I am so grateful for this site.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear that Simon has passed on:( but you did the right thing. He'll be missed but never forgotten. RIP sweet boy.:(

The first time I put down one of my cats,RB Pepper, I was too chicken to be with him so I left the room. Now I've always regretted it.:( I did stay with Starr and I'll continue to be with any other cat or animal that I have to put to sleep. I'm glad that you decided to be there with him.

[Catty1]

{{{{hugs}}}} Rest peacefully and play happy at the Bridge, dear Simon.:love::love:

[Medusa]

I knew you could do it. We're always stronger than we give ourselves credit for. Simon will take a nice rest and then be strong and healthy and play hard again and you helped him get to that beautiful place. RIP, Simon and peace to your humans. :love:

[janelle]

Looking at the time line of this post it has been almost a year since I started it. Simon had stomach problems before as well but the last year was hit or miss for us. He would get better than go back to his problems. It's still hard and we miss him so much already.

I keep wanting to call him. He always came when I called his name and whistled for him. He was a loving cat and would nip my chin sometimes to give me love bites. He liked to be around us but not a clingy kitty and would refuse to sit on our laps. I think he was claustrophobic. He never wanted to be covered up unless he crawled under a blanket himself.

Our other cat is nice but she is not a man's cat. She doesn't want to be played with and is timid. I think my hubby will miss Simon's playfullness. Maybe in the Spring I can talk him into finding another male cat who likes to play.