This is wonderful news.:) I hope that she continues to do well.
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This is wonderful news.:) I hope that she continues to do well.
I just read this whole thread and the last post is sure encouraging. I am sorry that you both have to go through this - but it sounds as though she is getting better by the minute.
I will continue to keep you in my prayers.:love::love:
Good morning, PT! It is 4:45 AM and Cassie just came to tell me it is time for the first part of breakfast. (I wasn't sleeping... I have not slept very well all night.) She purred and gave me some head bumpies, and in general looks better. She ate all of the wet food I gave her after the baby meat puree last night, so I gave her more of that. She also drank some water while I was in the kitchen getting her breakfast ready - I heard her "lap, lap, lap, swallow" pattern. I wish I could work from home but that is not an option. If winter storm "Saturn" socks us overnight I might be home with her tomorrow. I can't stay home from work on a Monday. I might ask my neighbor to peek in on her around the noon hour. He is already on alert that I might need him to help me give her the fluids. I talked with Sandie (Freedom) about giving her the fluids and she gave me loads of very useful instructions and suggestions. So we will do that this evening, when I get home from work. I'm just going to keep an eye and ear on her till I leave for work at 8.
Prayers that Cassie stays on the road to improvement.
I'm so glad that you took her back to the vet yesterday, rather than waiting till today. Not only was it needed for her, but for your peace of mind too, Elyse. It's sad and frightening to see our fur kids sick, and not know what the problem is. If only they could talk.........
Sending my best thoughts for Cassie- I am glad that for now the crisis seems to be over. I remember from Filou that dental work can be done with very low anesthesia, so even if she is very thin they should be able to do it.
Several good reports since I went to bed last night; great news indeed!
Elyse, what cat foods did the vet suggest to switch her over to once she is feeling better?
i am so happy our Cassie is feeling better!:love:
Get better, sweet Cassie.:love:
Continuing loving prayers for Cassie ( and Elyse) ! I am glad to hear she is improving.:love::love:
Good to hear Cassie is doing better.:)
Great news! All sounds very promising.
Continuing prayers and good wishes and healing energies. :love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:
This is wonderful news!!!:) Lots more prayers and positive thoughts are being sent her way.:love:
Glad to hear Cassie doing better. :love:
So glad to read the updates that indicate Cassie is feeling better. YaY for both of you. I hope giving the fluids goes well for you.
Hi, PT! We did our first dose of fluids at home. We went in the bathroom and I hung the bag on the cabinet knob. She did fine and tried to walk away while the fluid was still running. I was trying to hold the needle with one hand and keep Cassie still with the other. She ate and drank while I was at work. After we did the fluids I fed her. She ate a little and then went away from her dish. That is typical, though. She might go back to eat more in 30 minutes or an hour. I have pureed baby meat here if she is not interested in cat food.
Sandie, the vet didn't give me a recommendation about a brand of food. The tech said that Hill Science Diet is good, but I thought I read somewhere on PT that it is not so good. They carry Royal Canin at their office and Petsmart also carries that. J and M Feed carries the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" cat food and they are right here about half a mile from me. I need to find the thread about cat food that has a link to a chart comparing foods. I do remember that Friskies and Nine Lives are the lowest. I didn't push too hard because I knew I could look up that chart and see which ones are the best to feed.
So I think we are doing better. I need to look in the litter pan and see what she has put out, both urine and stool. I asked the vet if Convenia would give her loose stools - just because every time I've ever taken antibiotics my stomach always turns cartwheels. But the vet said probably not, and if that happened, to phone the office. She said it happens more with oral anti-infectives than with the Convenia.
At least Cassie is doing better. My stupid broken toe from almost 30 years ago - the one I slammed into the wall on my first night in a new dorm room - hurts a LOT! Payback for wearing cute but uncomfortable shoes to the concert last night.
Oh, I hear her drinking. Lap, lap, swallow; lap, lap, swallow. I think we'll have a better night tonight.
:love:,
Cassie and Elyse
Okay, I found the link. But it doesn't generate a table, it just brings up more links.
http://www.petfoodratings.net/cattable.html
I've read that Origin is good, it's a Canadian company and it's sold at a couple of independent stores not far from here. I've read that Chicken Soup for the Soul is good. I need Cassie to eat enough high-quality food that she will be in better health. I'll go to J and M Feed and ask the guys there. They know their products well and don't sell the mediocre ones.
Elyse, the two best foods I have found, and I have a kitty with specialized diet needs, are Wilderness and Solid Gold Indigo Moon (I alternate these two primarily, now they're on the Solid Gold). All three of my boys love both these foods, so that's a miracle in itself!
Filou loved Royal Canin wet food- with kidney kitties it is important they eat at all....
Here is the link to the chart:
http://www.petfoodratings.org/quick-...ference-table/
The best cat foods will be grain free. Cats are obligate carnivores, they get all their nutrition from proteins: meat, fish, fowl, eggs. In the wild, cats never eat grains (unlike dogs who sometimes do).
The canned foods I use: Weruva, Tiki Cats and Fussie Cat.
The kibble I use: Earthborn Holistic. I used Taste of the Wild for many years, successfully. I only stopped using it when a recall made it unavailable for several months.
Thank you for all the food recommendations! I looked at both local supermarkets. Dominick's carries Newman's Own and they both have Nine Lives, Iams, Friskies, Meow Mix and Fancy Feast. So that was kind of a wash. I'll go to Petsmart and the feed store next. Zoey's Eatz 'n' Treatz in Burr Ridge carries Origin, and so does the "dog boutique" near my mom and dad's house. There is a wonderful boutique out in Naperville called Two Bostons. That's a bit of a drive but the owner has set up a cat room and I know she sells food products. She also has neat items for people who love their pets and she really does have two Boston terriers who are sometimes in the shop - so it is a fun place to visit.
Freedom, I laughed out loud when I read the name Fussie Cat -- that's who I'm feeding! A fussy cat :)
p.s., the patient did get some of the fluids yesterday. Her fur got some and so did the towel underneath her :eek:. She is drinking well and I will try to do a better job of getting the fluids into her today. I've started probably dozens of IVs as a nurse, but this is not quite the same.
I just came back from Petco and I scored a 5 lb. bag of Wellness Core for $10! I've always heard this food was good for cats with urinary tract health issues. Now I've looked online and some people said this was not a good food for cats who have urinary tract issues.:confused: Ming has had blockages and I wonder if I bought the wrong food. Does any have any experience with this food? Thanks in advance.
Elyse, cats need high quality grain free food. Supermarket quality is junk, no way you are going to find a good food at a s.m. Just the fact that you looked there tells me you still aren't grasping how important this is! You do need to be at a specialty store.Quote:
Originally Posted by cassiesmom
Duck and Peas? REALLY?~! Cats do not get any nutrition from peas, other legumes or vegetables; all that is just filler. Sorry, no way that is a good food for cats.
I didn't expect to find anything higher than one-star food at Jewel, and that's what they carry. Well, they do have Iams which is maybe higher than one star. But I thought perhaps Dominick's might have something better. I'll go to the specialty locations instead.Quote:
Originally Posted by Freedom
Oh Elyse, running around to all the different places is so . . . 1900's! This is the 21st Century!
Go to each amnufacturer's website, for the food you want to try. They will have a locator in their menu; put in oyour zip code and see what's where.
Even then, you just go to each places' website and some will have their price list posted so you have an idea who has the best prices. THEN you get in the car and start checking them out.
So do you want to try Weruva? Go to the Weruva webiste for a first step.
Want to try Orijen? Same thing go to the website.
Now, what about her kidneys, what did the Senior CBC show? you have only mentioned her thyroid levels. As you know from nursing, if the kidneys are compromised, you may want something lower in protein to give them a break. You can check the ingredients lists on the rating table, which also shows the guaranteed analysis, and compare the protein % so you have a good idea of which brand and which formula you want to try.
All done from the comfort of your own home, with Cassie comfortably ensconced by your side!
Elyse, you can also call different pet stores because sometimes the store locators on the websites give some false information. Some of the stores may carry the brand but not the exact product that you're looking for. It's happened to me a few times. Now I just call before I drive any where.
If you still want Cassie on a grain free diet that has lower protein, then you might want to try Merrick's Before Grain dry food. I currently feed all of my cats this dry food in the Chicken and Salmon flavors. I buy it from Pet Club but I know you don't have one in your location. Petco also sells it. I don't think that Petsmart does. Merrick also makes canned Before Grain but most of my cats didn't like it so I don't buy it any more. I actually had to return most of it. The only canned food that I found to be palatable to all of my cats has been Wellness grain free. They have many different flavors like Chicken, Chicken & Herring, Turkey, Turkey & Salmon, Beef & Chicken, and Beef & Salmon and all of these are grain free. Since I have so many cats now, I buy the large cans of it and I found that An Jan Feed & Supply store sells it for the best price. They only carry the small cans at Pet Club. Petco and Petsmart also have it but it's more expensive. If you do have a feed store near you, I'd call them to see what kinds of better quality cat foods that they carry because they will usually be less expensive than the big chain stores. I was also told that cats who are used to eating the cheaper grocery store canned food seemed to adapt easier to the Wellness canned food. Here's their website: http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/index.aspx. Good luck.:)
I used to feed this dry food to most of my cats but then they didn't like it any more. I had just heard that all grain free foods are much better for cats with urinary problems so I don't really know much other than that. Now it's too expensive for me to feed my 10 cats and Alani & Blaze didn't do well on it because it was too rich for their sensitive tummies. I hope that your boys will like it.Quote:
Originally Posted by katladyd
Here's two links you may want to read: http://www.acreaturecomfort.com/cathealth.htm and http://suite101.com/article/is-a-gra...my-cat-a231213.
Thanks, KAK!! That article was really helpful and I feel better about this food now. Ming seems just fine, so I will most likely finish the bag. But, all of them seem to prefer Solid Gold Indigo Moon best of all, so that will be my next dry purchase.
Back to Cassie. How is she doing? Are the fluids getting any easier to give her? I'm thinking good thoughts for your little girl.
Elyse, how is Cassie doing today? Please give her some headscritchies from me, okay?
The fluids are getting harder, in a way, because Cassie is feeling better, so she can try to get up and start walking away ;) while it's still running. Freedom gave me a terrific suggestion for how to do it so I wouldn't need to keep a hand on the bag. I kind of cuddle her with one hand and hold the needle with the other. She is muuuuuuch better, eating and drinking readily and using the litter pan. We go back to the doctor this coming Wednesday after work. Thank you for thinking of us! :love:
Oh, what good news!
My Poppaea gets fluids every day, and she's a squirmer too. I sit on the toilet seat and put her on my lap, then cuddle her around her head end with my left hand and arm and lift the skin flap with that hand, then put the needle in with my right hand. I have the fluid bag itself hanging up high from the shower curtain rod.
Sometimes I make Poppaea into a burrito, I wrap a towel around her (to the degree that it will stay wrapped on her). That helps a little.. sometimes.
Good luck! And more loads of love and best wishes and healing energies to Cassie and you.
:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:
Keep getting better Cassie!:love:
What wonderful news! And she gets cuddle time with Mom! I am so glad she is feeling so much better!:D:love::love:
I'm glad to hear that she's feeling better.:) I hope that everything goes well with her vet visit on Wed. Lots more prayers and positive thoughts are being sent her way.
Been wondering how Cassie has been doing.