My Poor Storm: Update 11-03-09 Having Ups & Downs

[krazyaboutkatz]

Storm's been having some gums issues which have turned into severe gingivitis.:( His worst problem seems to be in his upper left quadrant area. I noticed in early Aug. that he had also chipped his left upper canine tooth but it didn't seem to bother him. I decided to make a dental cleaning appointment for him but I've had to wait a few weeks for the appointment because I wanted it when my vet would be there to supervise. He has a dental cleaning on Mon. Oct. 19th.

Before I made his appointment I noticed that his left eye was tearing a lot which isn't normal for him. Now it's still tearing and he's also started sneezing and sniffling some. His left nostril will some times become runny or have dry crusties in it. I feel that this is all related to his gum/teeth issues in his upper left quadrant area so hopefully this will all clear up after his dental.

Wed. night I noticed that there was some blood on my comforter and I was pretty sure that it was from Storm. Last night I also found some bloody mucus looking stuff on my carpet.:( I looked at Storm's mouth last night and just above his upper left chipped canine is a red swollen bump.:( He may now have an abscessed tooth.:( I don't see any pus though. His mouth looks so painful that I'm surprised that he's still able to eat.

I e-mailed my vet about all of this but I haven't heard back from her yet. She doesn't work until Sunday. I called my vets office this morning to ask them some questions. The lady told me that if he does have an abscessed tooth that they can take care of it when they do his dental cleaning which I was happy to hear.

I'm so glad that I made a dental cleaning appointment for him when I did. Please send some positive vibes and prayers his way. I was hoping that he wouldn't need any teeth extracted this time but it doesn't look good.:( I just hope that everything goes smoothly without any complications. Thanks in advance.

[lvpets2002]

:(Awee poor baby Storm.. I sure hope you get to feeling better real soon.. Now go to the Vets & they will take care of you & then you will feel better real soon.. Sending Lots of Prayers & Huggss..

[Catty1]

Poor little guy! I hope the dental clears up all problems. Sometimes the 'littlest' thing, like teeth, can cause big problems.

Hugs and cuddles to Storm...looking forward to a healthy happy boy!:love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks Helene and Candace.:) I just heard back from my vet and she thinks that his gums are just inflamed but not infected and since he's still eating he'll be fine until Monday. She also said that the treatment for an abscessed tooth would be a dental cleaning and an extraction.

[lvpets2002]

:( Ouchy Ouchy.. Now they will give him a sleeping drug before they do all this mouth work right?? I sure hope so.. Poor baby..

[Catty1]

Oh yes, Storm will be in the arms of Morpheus while all this is going on!

Or, as my sister used to say, "I don't wanna be in the room while they're doing that!" ;):D

General anesthetics are used for cats because their jaws are SO strong...and imagine trying to give a cat a local! :eek: :D

Best wishes for Storm!

[smokey the elder]

Poor Storm, I hope he feels better.

[Taz_Zoee]

Aww, poor Storm. It's a good thing you have that appointment on Monday. Hopefully he'll be feeling much better after they take care of that. I know my Taz did after he had one of his "fangs" removed. And you'll feel so much better knowing he's not in pain. :)

I'll keep you and Storm in my thoughts.

[Moesha]

Please keep us posted about Storm. I'm sure you're right and that it is a tooth problem. I hope he heals up soon after the teeth are cleaned.

[Queen of Poop]

Poor Storm. Feel better soon sweetie pie.

[Prairie Purrs]

Poor Storm! Toothaches are no fun. I'm sure he'll feel much better after his dental work is done.

[cassiesmom]

Prayers for sweet Storm!

[Medusa]

Ouch! Poor li'l guy. The teeth cleaning will get him all fixed up, hopefully, and he'll be back to normal in no time. :)

[heidiv]

Ugh! Poor Storm..I hope they are able to fix you all up on Monday...Prayers coming from us!!

I had to have one of Tuckers teeth removed during his lastest cleaning and when I brought him home his eye on the side of the extraction was really watering??? I don't know if that is a response to pain or not? But it concerned me greatly...Are they able to give him something for the discomfort?

Poor Storm I just hope it all goes away soon!! Poor guy! :(

[katladyd]

Poor baby! I hope the vet makes him all better very quickly!:love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks everyone.:) I've been working very long hours this week and we supposedly aren't even busy.:rolleyes: It's mainly due to some problems we've been trying to iron out and now my department has to do things differently which also takes more time. My boss is out of town and he sure won't like this.

Any way, when I got home one of my cats had thrown up some brown liquid like they do when they have a hairball. I didn't see any hairballs though. I don't know if it was Storm or not. He's still sneezing and sniffling and his left eye waters a lot. His right eye just has some dried up eye crusties in it.

As much as I like long weekends, Monday can't come soon enough. He's still eating so I'm glad that he has a good appetite. Yes, my vets will do blood work and then determine which kind of anesthesia to use on him. I'm sure that he'll be sent home with pain meds or antibiotics if needed.

I have to drop him off between 7-8am and he can't have anything to eat after midnight the night before. They'll call me later in the afternoon to let me know how he's doing and when I can pick him up. I'll update you as soon as I can. Thanks again.:)

[Barbara]

I have been away for some days so I didn't see that up to now. I hope all will be fixed and fine by tomorrow. Sending best wishes to Storm:)

[Felicia's Mom]

I'm sorry Storm hasn't been feeling well; sending prayers his way.:love:

[Randi]

I'm sending lots of positive vibes to dear Storm for a good vet visit tomorrow. I hope the Gingivitis will be taken care of and he'll feel all better very soon!

Gentle kisses and purrs from,
Fister and me. :love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks again everyone.:) Luckily he's still eating. He's been resting a lot. I've also noticed that he seems a bit more needy for his momma lately. This is probably because he doesn't feel well.:( I just hope that everything will go well tomorrow and that he'll feel a lot better after his teeth cleaning and possible extractions are all over. I probably won't be able to update you until Monday evening because I don't have access to a computer at work.

When I was reading about cats teeth in one of my many cat books, it said that cats living in hard water areas eventually develop tartar stains on their teeth. I've never heard that hard water can cause this. I live in a very hard water area. When I fill up their 3 bowls I do use tap water from my bathroom sink for the water bowl in my bedroom and the other two are filled with tap water from my sink that has been filtered which I also drink.

I also found out that when a cat eats dry food that this encourages chewing which stimulates the flow of saliva. Saliva contains substances which fight off bacteria. Unfortunately Storm has to eat a lot of canned food mixed with water because of his urinary problems.:( He does get some dry also. I need to find out what would be good to give Storm to chew on that he'll enjoy to help his teeth. I'd also prefer that it be grain free if possible. I know that they sell dental chews. Sorry this post is so long.:o I'll update you again when I can. Thanks again.

[columbine]

Smudge, Storm's Boston twin, is bonkers over Indigo Moon, a grain-free dry food made by Solid Gold. He absolutely loves it!

Love, Columbine

[krazyaboutkatz]

Smudge, Storm's Boston twin, is bonkers over Indigo Moon, a grain-free dry food made by Solid Gold. He absolutely loves it!

Love, Columbine

I already feed all of my cats Innova Evo which is also grain free. They all seem to love it too. I was referring to some kind of a dental treat that would also be grain free and that would hopefully help his teeth and gums. I used to buy greenies but it's not grain free.

[Killearn Kitties]

Poor Storm. The girls all have their paws crossed that things will go well for his dental treatment today.
Good luck handsome boy!

[Pinot's Mom]

Pinot's got her paws crossed and we're sending prayers for Storm's visit to be quick and effective. Good Luck, sweetie! :love:

[Catty1]

I give my guys water from a Brita style pitcher - there are also generic ones available these days, and they are not as expensive.

I've always done this, and they have always had great dental reports. Maybe one tiny piece of tartar on one tooth that is not worth worrying about.

I've had Oscar about 5 years, and Cole for 3 - and they've been nowhere near having a dental. Maybe it IS something (not) in the water?

Looking forward to a healthier happier Storm.:):love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks everyone.:) I dropped Storm off and he wasn't happy at all. He cried most of the way and also while I waited for the surgery technician to come and get him.:( She took him out of his carrier to bring him back to surgery so I have to keep his carrier in the trunk of my car so that I won't forget it later. While I was driving him to the vets, I could really smell his horrible breath. I have a feeling that he'll be having at least one tooth extraction.:( I sure hope that he'll feel much better after all of this. I'll update you later tonight.

[Catty1]

Poor baby! Storm, you'll feel so much better, sweetheart. :love:

Prayers for a successful surgery.:love::love:

[katladyd]

Prayers and kisses for Storm! I hope the vet makes you all better real quick!:love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

Hi everyone. Storm is finally home and he's doing well and resting. He was still very grumpy when the vet tech was putting him back in his carrier. She said that he hissed and growled at her. He also hissed in the car and then he hissed a few more times at home.

My vet called me at work around 1pm and said that everything went well. He did have to have his left upper canine removed and the first pre-molar came out too. She sent out a biopsy of Storm's jaw bone because it felt soft and some of the bone came out with the tooth. She wants to make sure that it isn't a pre-cancerous tumor or to just rule out cancer. I'll know the results in a few days. Please send some prayers and positive thoughts his way.

He's on some pain meds for the next 3-4 days and also some antibiotics for the next 10 days. He needs to eat canned food or soft food for the next 3-5 days. He ate a little of his canned food tonight but he wanted some dry so I tried soaking it in some warm water like the post surgery instructions said but he didn't seem to like it. I'll give him some more pain medication before I go to bed. Hopefully he'll heal up quickly and his biopsy will come back with good results. Thanks again for all of the prayer and well wishes for Storm.

[Killearn Kitties]

The girls are keeping their paws crossed for Storm's biopsy.
Daisy is sending some exta-special purrs for her sweetheart Storm.:love:

[Randi]

It sounds like quite an ordeal Storm has been through, but it's over now. He just needs to rest and get spoiled. :)

I hope the biopsy will come back with good results!

Storm, tell your meowmie that she must be out of her mind... soaking your dry food! :eek: The whole attraction is that they're crunchy! But Storm, she was only trying to help.

Fister and I are keeping our paws and fingers crossed for you. :love:

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Get well soon, dear Storm!! Dental surgery is never pleasant, I know :eek::)...!!

[Medusa]

Aw, poor Storm. Thank goodness for pain meds. We'll keep the prayers going here. :)

[Pinot's Mom]

Prayers continuing for good results - feel better, sweet Storm.
Pinot asked me to send you a note....dry food in water is really good! She has it all the time!

[Catty1]

Welcome home, Storm! :):love:

I hope you feel better soon, and that biopsy is all clear. Maybe your bone got a little soft with the infection.

Hugs and kissies to you, sweetheart!:love::love::love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks everyone.:) He did eat the soaked dry food later on last night so it must not have been too bad.;) He's been very perky and hungry today. I gave him his canned food and he wanted some dry again so I'm soaking more of it to give it to him later. He also got some yummy Turkey baby food which he really enjoyed.:) I gave him his antibiotics and pain meds and he had a good nap. Now he's up again waiting to be fed again before I leave for work. I'm also hoping that his bone became soft due to the infection in his mouth and nothing more.

[lvpets2002]

:love: WoW that is such Great News Tracey.. Way to go Storm = keep on getting well.. So glad all is good now..

[Moesha]

I sure hope that the biopsy shows no cancer. Having just been through that with Morgan, just the thought of it with your dear Storm scares me. But I'm glad to read that he seems to be doing so well with his recovery.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks again everyone.:) I forgot to mention that his sniffling and sneezing is now gone.:) His eyes were still a little goopy but they do put some kind of a lubricant in them when they do the dental.

Storm has been extremely hungry and he really wants some dry kibble but I keep telling him that it's too soon. I think he's lost a little weight but I'm sure that once he can eat normally again he'll gain it all back. He does seem to be a much happier cat which I really like.:)

My vets assistant called my home phone and left a message. My vet wanted to know how Storm was doing. I called and left a voice mail message telling her that he's doing just fine.:) Now I'm hoping that his biopsy will also turn out fine.:)

[Barbara]

The poor boy must have been so hungry during the last days. Now I am glad his toothache is gone and he is eating again.
Keeping all our paws crossed for the biopsy:)

[moosmom]

Poor Storm. I hope that the cleaning will help get rid of all the other symptoms.

Mollie Rose (RB) had terrible allergies which cause her nose and eyes to run and relentless sneezing. She was diagnosed with kitty asthma and allergies. I kept her comfortable with Chlortrimeton. God I miss her!!

[krazyaboutkatz]

Hi everyone.:) I just wanted to let you know the great news. Storm's biopsy came back normal!!!:D He's doing excellent and seems to be a much happier and content cat. I'm sure he feels so much better now.:) In a few weeks I'm going to start brushing his teeth at least 2 times a week as well as my other cats. Hopefully this will help everyone's teeth and gums. Thanks again for all of the emotional support.:)

[lvpets2002]

:love: Way to Go Storm.. That is the Greatest of News.. Now you rest & keep getting spoiled..

[Prairie Purrs]

Happy news for Storm! :D Such a relief!

[Kirsten]

Wow, huge relief!!! I'm happy for you and Storm! So glad that he is feeling better now!! :)

Kirsten

[Killearn Kitties]

I'm so pleased! Please give Storm big hugs! :love:

[Barbara]

Can I say I was scared? After Morgan?
Now I think this is really happy news!!!!:D

[Moesha]

Can I say I was scared? After Morgan?
Now I think this is really happy news!!!!:D
Ditto!! Thanks for letting us know!

[Pinot's Mom]

Oh I'm so glad! Kisses to Storm!:D

[Felicia's Mom]

That is great news! Give Storm a big kiss for me.:love:

[Catty1]

YAAAY!:D HUGS to that baby boy!:love::love::love:

[Medusa]

Whew! Storm dodged a bullet! Yay! Great news! :D

[columbine]

Purrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Love, Columbine and Smudge

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks again everyone.:D I'm cherishing every moment that I have with Storm as well as my other cats. Life is very precious and you never know how long you have. Kisses and hugs sent.:)

[Randi]

Tracey, that is such good news - I'm so happy for you and Storm. :)

I would love to see how you're going to manage brushing their teeth; you must give us a full report on that. ;) There's no way Fister will let me brush his teeth, but I try to massage his gums from the outside with a rubber brush - it seems to help. :)

Fister sends purrs and I send headbumpies. :love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

Tracey, that is such good news - I'm so happy for you and Storm. :)

I would love to see how you're going to manage brushing their teeth; you must give us a full report on that. ;) There's no way Fister will let me brush his teeth, but I try to massage his gums from the outside with a rubber brush - it seems to help. :)

Fister sends purrs and I send headbumpies. :love:

Thanks Randi.:) Yes, they hate it. I've already tried brushing their teeth before and Sky seems to be the hardest one. I have both the toothbrush and the rubber finger brushes. Like everything else they'll get used to it and hopefully it'll help them in the long run.:)

[krazyaboutkatz]

Hi everyone.:) I just thought I'd let you know that Storm became very sick yesterday due to the antibiotics that he's been taking.:( I fed him in the morning and a little while later I gave him his antibiotics. He then started to gag and he threw up all of his breakfast.:( I fed him a little while later and he also threw this up and then he continued to throw up mostly liquid.:( When I got home I found even more liquid throw up in several places.:(

I e-mailed my vet about it but I didn't hear anything back until last night. She said to stop the antibiotics. He was almost finished with them any way. Last night he was able to keep his food down. I did notice that there were some mushy stools in one of the litter boxes this morning and I suspect Storm because he smelled very stinky last night and I had to clean up his bottom a little bit.

This morning he also kept his food down but he doesn't seem to have as big of an appetite as usual and he also seems to be extra tired.:( He's resting comfortably in one of the cat beds for now. I hope he'll bounce back soon. Please send some prayers and positive vibes his way. Thanks in advance.

[Barbara]

I send my best thoughts- may Storm recover soon :)

[katladyd]

Prayers and good wishes coming from me to Precious Storm! Feel better soon, baby!:love:

[Felicia's Mom]

I'm sorry to hear about Storm. Sending prayers and good vibes his way.:love:

[Medusa]

Aw, poor boy. I can relate. I'm on an antibiotic right now, too, and it does mess up the stomach about right. Sure hope Storm feels better really soon. :love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks everyone.:) He seems more alert and seems to have improved tonight. He was also very hungry but I did get home late so they had a later dinner than usual. I do have some scarf and barf cats and one of them did throw up their dinner back in my bedroom.:( I didn't see which cat it was but I sure hope that it wasn't poor Storm. Storm did come up to me in the kitchen meowing like he was still hungry and I told him that he had just eaten. I'll feed everyone again before I go to bed so hopefully things will go better then. Thanks again.:)

My vet said that I can start brushing Storm's teeth in about 1 week so I'll let you know how it goes.;)

[Pinot's Mom]

Aw, Storm, I hope you feel better today! Don't eat all your food so fast you'll cough it back up, though, you need your strength!

I can't wait to hear about the teeth brushing-that's something I've never tried with kitties!

[Prairie Purrs]

It sounds like the antibiotics were the problem. My Kacey never could tolerate antibiotics, and Gatsby had a bad reaction to Clavamox tablets. I'm glad Storm is perkier and hope he's keeping all his food down now.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks again everyone.:) He's feeling much better today and so far so good.:) He's also become sick from taking the Clavamox tablets which was when one of his molars had to be extracted. He had to end up getting an antibiotic injection to finish off the course of antibiotics. This time he was taking Clindimycin which is a liquid 2 times a day and it was supposed to be for 10 days. I was told that this wouldn't make him sick but he proved them wrong. At least he was almost finished.

[Anikaca77]

I'm so glad Storm is feeling better and doing well. Going to the vets is never fun especially having to stay for a few hours.

Take Care Storm my prays are coming for you to continue to feel well.

Melissa

[lvpets2002]

:love: So Very Glad Storm is Feeling much better today.. Get some rest Storm & meowmom will take good care of you..

[katladyd]

Having a scarf and barf cat myself, I know how it feels to wonder, "Now which cat did that?" If Ming barfs, he's pretty sick and a visit to the vet is in order. If Mac pukes, it means it is a day of the week that ends in Y.

[smokey the elder]

Clindamycin is supposed to be very bitter; maybe it upset his stomach after awhile. When Moby was on it, she drooled very badly, but tolerated it OK.

[Medusa]

Clindamycin is supposed to be very bitter; maybe it upset his stomach after awhile. When Moby was on it, she drooled very badly, but tolerated it OK.

Yes, it is very bitter but if you refrigerate it and administer it when very cold, it helps to take the bite out of it. :)

[krazyaboutkatz]

Yes, it is very bitter but if you refrigerate it and administer it when very cold, it helps to take the bite out of it. :)

That's exactly what I was doing but I could tell that Storm still hated the taste of it. When it was at room temp. it smelled like it had a lot of alcohol in it but when it was cold you couldn't really smell it as much. Storm seems to be back to normal now and he was extra hungry last night. He still needs to gain a little more weight back so I don't mind feeding him some extra food.:)

[krazyaboutkatz]

Hi everyone. My Storm was doing well but now he's having some problems.:( I think that the antibiotics really messed up his good bacteria so now he has very bad diarrhea.:( He's the kind of cat that will always show me when something is wrong and he sure did this time. After I fed my cats earlier this morning, I went back to bed. Later Storm jumped up on my bed and I noticed that he smelled bad. He sat down on my sheets and left a big brown mark behind. His back end was covered in diarrhea.:( I cleaned him up and then I remembered that I still have some FortiFlora left so I gave him a packet of it and he loved it. Now he seems extra tired and he's resting.

When I got home last night, one of my cats had thrown up more liquid piles and now I suspect that it's Storm.:( Storm didn't eat well last night or this morning so I know that his tummy is bothering him. I e-mailed my vet about this and told her that I'd be picking up some more FortiFlora today because I only have 1 weeks worth left. I sure hope that this will be the solution to help Storm get back to normal again. Please send some good vibes his way. Thanks.

[Medusa]

I was just about to suggest Forti Flora when you posted about it. That always helped my RB Puddy. Sure hope that this straightens things out for Storm now. You both need a break. :love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

Hi everyone. Storm's still not his usual self yet.:( He's been throwing up again and not eating very well.:( I've been giving him Forti Flora to help his tummy and it seemed to work wonders on Sat. and Sun. early Mon. but I came home to more liquid throw up last night.:( After Storm barely ate his canned food, he threw up more liquid.:( I ended up giving him 1/2 of a pepcid tablet in a pill pocket and later on he was able to eat some dry and little canned food.

One of my cats threw up during the night but I don't know if it was Storm or not. This morning all Storm would eat was a little baby food mixed with the Forti Flora. He barely ate any dry and wouldn't touch his canned.:( I e-mailed my vet and she won't be in the office until next Mon. She said he may need to be seen if he continues to throw up which I will do but I'd have to see some one else.

I also noticed that he cut his upper lip on the left hand side where his left canine was removed. I think he was chewing on some sisal rope that's on the cat tree. It looks better today though. Please send some more positive vibes his way. Thanks.

[3Catcondo]

Sending well wishes and healthy vibes Storm's way. Feel better soon :)


:love:

Amy and furkids

[Medusa]

Goodness, he's sure got you jumping through hoops, huh? Poor li'l guy. I hope you're able to get to the bottom of this soon for his sake and for your sanity. :p

[Pinot's Mom]

I'm so sorry about poor Storm...it really wouldn't be a bad idea to take him to the other vet, though, maybe that vet will think of something no one else has yet. Prayers for Storm...:love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks everyone.:) He's doing a bit better tonight. I didn't find any throw up when I got home. He seemed very hungry but he didn't want to eat too much. I've started giving him 1/2 packet of Forti Flora in the morning and 1/2 packet of it at night and I mix it with baby food. This seems to be better for Storm so far. I think that by giving him the whole packet at once that this may have been causing his stomach to become upset. I know this also happened with Sky in the past.

After the Forti Flora kicked in he wanted to eat again so I gave him some dry food. He really needs to gain some of his weight back. He's a very large cat and should weigh no less than 14lbs. I'm going to feed all of my cats again before I go to bed so hopefully Storm will eat well for me. I hope that from now on he'll continue to improve and finally get back to normal again.