Marbles the chewer

[RedHedd]

Marbles chewed up a part of her favorite toy last week - one of those long ribbon chaser type toys. The ribbon is fleece/microfiber. I noticed it when I came home from the Paul McCartney concert last Saturday night - there was chewed up toy interspersed in a hairball she had horked up. I've been watching her like a hawk .... she's peeing and pooping normally and very active, but her appetite is off.

So I called the vet who said to bring her in ASAP. So she's going in this afternoon for X-rays and probably a barium enema. My poor little girl. She's SUCH a brat! I just hope this is not too $erious or expen$ive.

Purrayers that said toy makes a hasty exit without any invasive techniques necessary.

[Catty1]

Prayers going out!:love:

[Medusa]

Make that a double! :love:

[katladyd]

I'm praying that everything will be alright!

[cassiesmom]

Purrayers that said toy makes a hasty exit without any invasive techniques necessary.

Make it a triple! :love:

[phesina]

ANY kind of thread is extremely dangerous for a cat to consume. It can start snaking through the intestines and wind up slicing right through them. Prayers that Marbles will be all right and this can be removed without too much trouble.

[RedHedd]

It's not a thread - it's a fleece ribbon about 1" wide and apparently she's thrown up all that she did ingest. X-rays show she's not blocked; she's just constipated! So they're giving her an enema right now and will send her home with some Petromalt or Laxatone.

Now if we can just figure out what food she will like - we're transitioning from kitten food to adult food. She won't even touch her kitten food! I guess she's telling me she's a big girl now. I just wish she could talk and tell me what she really likes!

Pets Unlimited is going to get a good food donation this weekend with all her rejects and none of it is cheap stuff - Wellness Core, Blue Buffalo, Science Diet .... ok maybe the Science Diet is junk food, but the rest ....

I think she WILL be on Evo - at least until Proctor & Gamble screws up the formula.

[columbine]

Would she enjoy one of these?


http://www.petguys.com/-871864003270.html
http://www.nationalpetpharmacy.com/product/11402/Petstages-Catnip-Chew-Rin (http://www.nationalpetpharmacy.com/product/11402/Petstages-Catnip-Chew-Ring-Cat-Toy#utm_source=nextag&utm_medium=cse&cm_mmc_o=2mHCjCSnvniviCjCWHra-7CWVVCjCKwuzAkf)g-Cat-Toy#utm_source=nextag&utm_medium=cse&cm_mmc_o=2mHCjCSnvniviCjCWHra-7CWVVCjCKwuzAkf
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3946334&utm_source=googleproduct&utm_campaign=5087958&utm_medium=cse&mr:trackingCode=95C0C2EA-D410-DF11-9DA0-002219319097&mr:referralID=NA

Love, Columbine

[columbine]

Would she enjoy one of these?

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3946334

Love, Columbine

[RedHedd]

@Columbine. No she doesn't like those kinds of toys - she loves ping pong balls - or any balls that make noise - and interactive chasing toys. She LOVES it when I play with her. The laser pointer is another favorite (but I have to buy batteries - she's killed the old set).

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm sorry to hear that she had to have an enema:( but I'm glad that you caught it early and knew something was wrong. I have to hid many of my cat toys especially the feather ones because they'll eat them.

I hope you'll be able to find a cat food that she'll like. Most stores will allow you to return food if the animal doesn't like it so remember to keep the receipt. My cats were on Innova Evo but Ziggy gained too much weight on it so now they're eating Nature's Variety and they seem to like it better. The dry also has less calories. I buy the Duck and Rabbit Instinct dry which is grain free. They also have Chicken which I tried in the past but they didn't like it. They also make Prairie which contains grains. I also buy the canned Instinct in Venison, Duck, Rabbit, and Lamb and they like it much better than the Evo canned. Even my new kittens like the canned. They didn't like the stuff that the lady said they were eating.

I was told by the manager of An-Jan Feed & Supply that P & G won't be changing anything. She said she personally knew the now retired President and that P & G had to sign some papers stating that nothing would be changed. Hopefully this will be the case but I still have my doubts. Good luck.:)

[columbine]

Petco was out of Soulistic Pure Bliss tuna, so tonight Smudge had Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Chicken and Green Peas. It got the bowl-licked-clean seal of approval. Smudge definitely can't have grain, and would actually be quite happy to subsist on his dry food (Solid Gold Indigo Moon), but I need to give him a little canned food just to mix in his meds (including his psyllium-seed husk fiber supplement, generic Metameowcil). There are lots of healthy choices - you just need to find the ones you can get where you live.

Love, Columbine

[RedHedd]

She's still suffering the effects of the enema - do they make Gas-X for kitties? :D

We have to give her Laxatone for the next three days and then twice a week. She's eating a bit but still very picky about what she will eat. The Evo treats are a huge hit.

[Pinot's Mom]

Oh, I'm sorry I somehow missed this, I was alerted by a post on FB there was a problem. Marbles, honey, please only eat FOOD! Ribbons are not food!

Prayers she recovers completely soon! :love:

[RedHedd]

Marbles still having a hard time - not wanting to eat. I hate giving her the Laxatone - it's SO messy and gets her silky fur all sticky. One more day of forcing it down her - not sure it's doing much good. She's pooping, but still not normal "logs" - just little constipation balls.

Played phone tag with the vet today. Will probably try an appetite stimulant next.

Nancy the cat psychic is out of town and can't do a reading right now - I'm stumped and so frustrated!

I've tried just about everything for food - baby food, stinky, not stinky, wet, dry. She nibbled at some Evo turkey & chicken and some of her Iams kitten chow last night; Today it's mostly nibbles of treats. Please pray that she just eat something!

She is bratty and playing so she's not feeling TOO bad.

[Catty1]

Maybe once she 'empties' out a bit more, she will be hungrier. Prayers going out!:love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm sorry to hear that she's still not eating well.:( I know that when my RB Pepper was constipated the first time he stopped eating and lost a lot of weight. This is when I used to free feed so I didn't even notice that he wasn't eating right away.:( I'd also ask your vet about possibly giving her vitamin B-12 shots. This helped my Ziggy get her appetite back when she was very sick last summer with mild pancreatitis. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are going out to Miss Marbles.

[RedHedd]

Well, she finally had a normal poop last night, after which she went zooming around the apartment for about half an hour - she was feeling SO much better. :D

Her appetite is still off, but not gone. The vet said to watch her for a few days and keep trying to entice her to eat yummy things. Those Evo Wild Cravings treats are a huge hit and very expensive, but she loves them. She's also starting to nibble on the Evo food which is what I want to transition her to.

The pampered puss is back to being a super-brat so I know she's on the mend. It may just take a few more days for her digestion to catch up.

[RedHedd]

YAY! She's eating the Evo FOOD! Real Food! YIPPEE! \o/

[krazyaboutkatz]

YAY! She's eating the Evo FOOD! Real Food! YIPPEE! \o/

That's a good girl Marbles!!!:D Now keep it up and gain some weight for your mama.:)

[Barbara]

I'm seeing this right now. I am glad to hear she got that fleece out of her system. I would be worried if a young kitty wouldn't eat. I know all about not eating with Filou but Orion now eats like a little lion.
Glad to hear she finally came around:)

[Medusa]

Atta girl, Marbles! Now keep up the good work; better and better......:D

[Catty1]

YAAY! Though I wasn't worried once I read about her being a brat lol!:)

[RedHedd]

Oh the brat part is alive and well. Appetite is still off, although she is nibbling. I think I will get the appetite stimulant the vet is recommending.

[Pinot's Mom]

Go Marbles!! :D

[KitCat]

I like to give my cat children's toys. The cat toys are not sturdy at all!

[katladyd]

My boys love nothing more than a catnip mouse or a ball of tinfoil. Thankfully, neither of them is a chewer. They just love to bat things around. I hope Marbles is fully recovered very quickly and is eating you out of house and home.;)

[RedHedd]

The vet put her on an appetite stimulant which has gotten her eating a bit more, however I can tell she's still not out of the woods. Yesterday she didn't greet me the two times I had gone out and returned home, which is very unusual for her. Once she was busy bathing (which she seriously needs to do - she's been remiss in that area since this all started), but the second time she was just meatloafed in the hallway, obviously not feeling very well, giving me a pathetic mew in greeting.

Of course, later she did proceed to play and bite me which is very normal for her. I just wish they could talk sometimes.

I felt bad leaving her alone this morning as I left for work. I just hope that whatever it is/was passes without further incident or injury.

[cassiesmom]

Well, she finally had a normal poop last night, after which she went zooming around the apartment for about half an hour - she was feeling SO much better. :D

Her appetite is still off, but not gone. The vet said to watch her for a few days and keep trying to entice her to eat yummy things. Those Evo Wild Cravings treats are a huge hit and very expensive, but she loves them. She's also starting to nibble on the Evo food which is what I want to transition her to.

The pampered puss is back to being a super-brat so I know she's on the mend. It may just take a few more days for her digestion to catch up.


Poopies and zoomies! Good girl, Marbles! I hope the appetite stimulant helps, and I hope your digestion is back to normal very soon. Please allow your meowmie to give you a gentle *kiss* from me.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I sure hope that Marbles will bounce back soon. I'll continue to keep her in my thoughts and prayers.

On a side note, my Ziggy hasn't been quite her piggy self lately. She's still on a diet but now she rarely eats her food and I noticed that she had some diarrhea the other day.:( I think my two widdle boys have been stressing her out so much that it's making her sick. I know that cats hate change and she certainly does. Lets hope that both of our girls will soon have big appetites again.:)

[RedHedd]

She's still not normal. I think I will vet her tomorrow. She's eating a little bit with the appetite stimulant, but nothing like her normal appetite. She is having bowel movements, but again they are not normal poops - either constipation balls (as the vet called them) or soft logs which I know is a result of the Laxatone.

She seems to be in pain this morning as she mewed when I tried to brush her. And then, of course, she gets a bout of normal zoomies and bites - she is so baffling! I wish they could talk.

Please continue prayers as I think she needs them right now. My poor little bean. :(

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear that Marbles is still not her normal self.:( I saw your post about it on FB and I also commented there. I hope that the vet can find out what's going on with her and help her feel better. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent her way. Please keep us updated about her.

Ziggy was also feeling poorly and she was having signs of her mild pancreatitis again like last summer due to stress from her 2 new brothers. I had to take her in yesterday morning and now she's feeling so much better. They gave her sub-q fluids, liquid pepcid, a vitamin B12 shot, and cerenia for vomiting. I also have some Buprenex for pain as needed. I'm giving all of these to her except for the viatmin B12 shot for the next 3 days. So far so good.

I would still ask about giving her a vitamin B12 shot. This helps with appetite. I also asked if it stung while being given and the vet tech said no. The cerenia does sting though so I have to wait a bit before I inject it into the port of the sub-q fluids line. Yes, I sure wish that our animals could tell us exactly what's wrong with them. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

[RedHedd]

Well yesterday she pooped a LOT! :eek:I was surprised that so much poop could come out of such a little cat. I think the Laxatone was working overtime because then it became diarrhea and after laying flat for a few hours - nothing is flatter than a kitty who is hurting - she bounced up, started eating and playing as if nothing had happened.

This morning she was bouncy - not her usually 1,000% bouncy self, but she was bouncing and eating and then had more diarrhea.

I'm not going to give her any more Laxatone for a while. She didn't seem to be in pain or as unhappy as last night so I left her undisturbed, but will have the vet check her this weekend when I'm not so stressed with the insanity of work. We're SO busy!

[lvpets2002]

:love: Woo Hoo that is great news of her pooping && her feeling better to be bouncy.. Marbles lets get well soon ok.. I am sure the Vet visit will go well & Marbles will be bouncing off the ceiling soon.. Keep us posted ok..

[krazyaboutkatz]

I hope that everything continues to go well with Marbles and that she'll check out just fine at the vets.:) Maybe she was just so backed up that her tummy was hurting. Once she was able to let more of it out this helped relieve her poor widdle tummy. I hope she continues to feel much better. Prayers and positive thoughts are being sent her way.

[RedHedd]

She still had soft stool yesterday and this morning. She ate some Evo dry food this morning which made me very happy, but I still have her on the appetitie stimulant. I tried giving her some pumpkin, but she would have NOTHING to do with it. She is the only cat I have ever had who did not like any people food at all.

I'm glad I'm taking her in tomorrow morning. That way if they want to do anything (hopefully not surgery) they will be able to do it tomorrow during the day. Of course paying for it is another thing as I'm strapped and this vet is known to order expensive tests and treatments. I always have to talk her down into reasonableness.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I sure hope that the vet can find out what's going on with her and help her feel better soon. I'll continue to keep her in my thoughts and prayers. Please continue to keep us updated about her.

[RedHedd]

Ms. Marbles seems to have turned a corner. Her weight is up to 8.9 lbs. and the vet said she doesn't need to gain anymore weight - although she's still my long-legged gangly Twiggy girl.

No more Laxatone and I'll stop the Periactin (appetite stimulant) to see where her appetite is now. Hopefully her stools will be more normal now too - they sure smell normal :p

I think we're done with whatever this was, although now she is sneezing. The vet said to watch that and she will check in with me mid-week.

So she's back to being a bratty pest and her fur is almost back to feeling normal. It's amazing how when they get sick even their fur looks and feels unwell.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm glad to hear that Miss Marbles vet visit went well and that she's going to be okay.:) Now hopefully her sneezing won't amount to anything. Good luck.:)