1st post-health problems with my cat

[rosethecopycat]

Welcome to PT.

I commend you for your dedication to Sox. You will see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I've nursed a lot of sick cats. One of my cats lived in a cat bag with only his head sticking out for 6 weeks. He paws were infected and he self-mutilated.

I'm sure Sox appreciates your efforts.
You are doing good by him.

I would continue the A/D and add Nutrical to it. Available at pet stores.
make it into a slurry and pull it up into a needleless syringe.

It only takes about 30 cc's a day to keep a cat going until the meds do their thing.

There is also something called Feline Rebound Diet. It can be used longterm.
It is an RX through your vet.

I hope you get to the source of his problems, so things can get back to normal.

We are here for you.

[RedHedd]

How is Sox doing? You've both been in my thoughts and prayers.

[RobLynn]

Hello all! Sox seems to be improving. He is still not too darn fond of the Sub Q's, and it didn't help that one day I messed up twice. I felt awful about it

Then yesterday, I forgot to warm the fluids in the sink, so he got them as they were room temp. His little body was shivering and I was wondering what I did wrong. Here poor buddy was just cold.

He has been eating the A/D from my hand, and also his Waltham from the bowl. It looks like he may have put on about a pound or so. He has been urinating just fine in the box. Well not just fine, he pees on himself, because he hasn't figured out how to work his new pee hole, but other than that, he's going fine.

I have to take a towel with me everywhere in the house, so when I sit him with me, I can put it between us, so only the towel smells like pee, and not both me, the cat and whatever we're sitting/laying on.

Him and I had to take a break today, we were going a little to fast, we went downstairs, and came back up. That meant we had to go lay down, and take a nap He enjoyed his nap.

I took off his cone, and put him on my lap last night, so he could bathe. When he went to his area, I just put my hand over it. It ticked him off though, but he still got to bathe a little bit.

Sox goes this week to get his stitches out. I'm so happy, because my little cone head probably wants to lick

[RedHedd]

Aww, Poor baby! When did he have his surgery? It sounds like he's on the mend and will be fine in no time. The M's (Mishi and Mitzi) send gently head-bumpies.

[RobLynn]

Sox had his stitches removed from his PU surgery on Friday. We opted to do it without any tranqs at all. We decided that, even though he won't like it the side affects of the tranqs (possible loss of appetite) were not worth it.

I held him, and so did the vet's helper, and he still managed to tag the vet with a claw. He was a trooper though, and he didn't need anything. As soon as he was done, he was as happy as could be. He has maintaned weight (he was 8.2 lbs 11 days ago) and he is still 8.2lbs which, even though he hasn't gained weight, he has stabilized.

I'm still giving him sub q fluids, since his cone isn't coming off until Monday or Tuesday. I may take it off when I can supervise him tonight and tomorrow, but put it back on when I can't. I just don't want him licking that area. He's still getting 150 CCs a day. Yesterday, he managed to wiggle the needle out, and have a little drainage (which is odd so far, because even though the vet said it's normal, I've not seen him do that yet).

I still have to give him his Eurythromiacin (I know I butchered that spelling) until the bottle is gone. Sox has a trick for spitting out the liquid though, so I have to like hold his face so he gets it all down.

He isn't eating the hills A/D from my hand or a spoon or even the can anymore. He simply refuses, but he is eating at least a little bit from the food bowl. He goes a couple times a day, and we're thinking with that cone off and when he can eat a lot he'll do better. If worst comes to worst, I'll just force feed him. That A/D can mix down well in water, and can be given through my dropper, with him still getting most of the food without diluting it too much, and even still water won't hurt boi brown.

Well I just wanted to give an update, I would have sooner but for some reason I was logged out and forgot my password. I would like to thank everyone for keeping my precious boi brown in their prayers.

[RobLynn]

Update on Boi Brown (sox).

I took his cone off Monday, and let him around me where I could supervise. At first, he had no interest in licking his new pee hole, but then after he bathed his butt, tail, the fur above his pee hole, his legs and such, he went right for it. In 3 licks, I saw blood, so the cone went back on.

I removed the cone again today to see what would happen, and it went exactly the same way. He's eating from the bowl, and from my hand, and he's getting his fluids (sub q). I don't enjoy the amount of times I've had to poke him. Tomorrow or the next day (can't remember off hand) will finish up his 2nd bag of 1000mL. That cannot be good on the immune system with all of the needle pokes in him, his pee hole area needs to heal, not these pokes. I'm hoping that the cone can come off, and he will drink on his own once it's off.

He's been acting really pissy though. He has been sneaking downstairs, moving his foodbowl by the litter box, and kicking litter into the food bowl. I asked him, "buddy, that Waltham is like 35+ a bag, how about not wasting it by covering it in litter". No sooner I go back upstairs, I hear him downstairs kicking litter into it again.

He's being quite the irritable kitty

[jenluckenbach]

Poor baby. He sounds a bit miserable. But keep remembering......"this too, shall pass". Rutherford had the PU operation and the cone for what seemed like FOREVER! But it is long a distant memory now and well worth the bother.

[RobLynn]

Boi seems to be improving. He has been eating and drinking on his own. I have still been forcing him food and water at the end of the day. I see him eating levels that I'm happy with, but I don't mind him having "extra" calories and such right now, as he's really been sick. I've tried taking the cone off again, but he licks the area and he makes it bleed. The vet said if he just licks, it bleeds a little, but he doesn't pay a lot of attention to it, it's okay. He however is not doing that. He's paying a lot of attention to it. The sore was about the size of a pea, so it's the cone again until Friday. I'll try again at that point to see if it's bad enough to make it bleed. The vet said that it could have come off 2 weeks ago, so he's probably just healing slowly.

[Karen]

Glad he seems to be improving. I'd be cranky, too, in his shoes, once he's all healed, he should eventually forgive you the indignity of making him a conehead and be back to his old loving self. But you'll probably have to earn that!