Miss Kitty got backed up

[cats4ever]

A few days ago, Miss Kitty's appetite was decreasing, and she was lethargic and depressed. And she has been dealing with congestion.
I took her yesterday to be seen. We took xrays to make sure that her lungs were clear and that her mass in her lungs hadn't grown.
The mass had grown a little bit, but the big finding was that she was constipated, lots of hard stool in her colon.
She got fluids under the skin to hydrate her to get things moving and an antibiotic injection for the congestion.
The hope was that she would have a bowel movement overnight. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
I took her back today, and she got an enema.

If you have ever seen an enema in action, you know how messy it is. Miss Kitty was also slightly loopy because I had given her gabapentin to relax her.
So it was hard for her to get out of the way of the mess, but it was a success. Everything came out. I had to clean her up with a butt bath.
The plan is to observe and make sure that she has regular bowel movements.
Miss Kitty always had trouble with her poop, because all the water she drinks goes to the kidneys to keep them going.
She had been on lactulose for a couple of years, but then she couldn't tolerate it anymore, then I tried miralax. It made her sick as well with vomiting and diarrhea.
I'm hesitant to use any stool softener, but if necessary I will try again.
For now it's canned food only with some pumpkin.

This was a rough day for an 18-yr old cat, but she seems to be doing ok.

[Karen]

Canned pumpkin should b easy to find these days, and may be gentler on her.

[phesina]

Big Hugs and Purrrrs to Miss Kitty and you, Heidi! Here's hoping the canned food and pumpkin make things work much more easily!

from Sparkler and Galaxy and Pat

[cats4ever]

Thank you, Karen and Pat!
Even though I cleaned Miss Kitty, she is still omitting a nasty smell of poop and chemical odor (from the enema). I wiped her down with baby wipes and put a blanket on the couch. She's cleaning herself as well, but it may take just a few days before she's back to smelling pleasant.

[phesina]

AWWwwwwww.. Miss Kitty, I'm so glad you're getting better. You've got the most wonderful Mom in the world!

{{{{{HUGS}}}}} and ~~~~PURRRS~~~~ and from Pat and Galaxy and Sparkler

[cats4ever]

Thanks, Pat! Obviously, I meant "emitting".

[phesina]

Yes, that's what I saw it as!

[cats4ever]

Miss Kitty already smells much better. As crazy cat lady, I'm always smelling my cats, because a different odor probably means something's wrong.

[cats4ever]

Miss Kitty doing great with the canned pumpkin. I mix it with her wet food, and she gobbles it right up.
So far, she has no problems with her bowel movements.

[cats4ever]

Two and a half months, after her first enema, Miss Kitty needed another one. The canned pumpkin didn't do enough.
We took x-rays to see the extent of the constipation, and I also wanted to check if the tumor in her lungs had grown. It was found first in December 2018.
Unfortunately, we found a second tumor, and the vet says that most likely it is malignant, and possibly a metastasis from another tumor somewhere in her body.
The only way to know for sure would be an ultrasound.
Miss Kitty is almost 19 now, and I would not put her through chemotherapy, if it was truly cancer.
She doesn't seem to be affected by it, so I will just monitor her, and we will repeat the radiograph in one month.
As for her constipation, she now gets lactulose twice daily.
Miss Kitty is a real trooper, more so than her mom. I was pretty depressed yesterday, but we will make the best of it!

[Catty1]

Oh dear - sweet Miss Kitty! You will have an even longer and happy beloved life because of your mom.

Getting older is not for sissies - and you are a determined girl. I wish you much more time with your mom.

Heidi - would a touch of prednisone help keep the tumour down and perk up her appetite?

[cats4ever]

Thank you, Candace!
I will ask Miss Kitty's vet about the prednisone. Miss Kitty has lost weight, but not due to a lack of appetite. Her kidneys are working overtime which could be part of it.

[phesina]

Oh my gosh.. Dear Miss Kitty, your Meowmie loves you so very much and is giving you the very best care she can. You and she are doing very well under the circumstances. What a brave, gallant girl you are!

We are sending loads of love and encouragement and good wishes to you both.

{{{{{HUGS}}}}} and ~~~~PURRRS~~~~ and from Pat and Galaxy and Sparkler

[cats4ever]

Than you, Pat!
Miss Kitty and I are anxiously waiting for that first, post-enema poop.

[Randi]

I agree you're the BEST kitty mom in the world. I so hope Miss Kitty will present a post-enema poop soon. It will surely make her feel better.

I'm so sorry to hear another tumor has been found, but as long as she eats, she probably feels fairly well.

Sending lots of good wishes to Miss Kitty and to you!