Beans Update

[QueenScoopalot]

I'm so happy to hear Beans is acclimating better. I'd have scooped that boy up quick if he was on the East Coast, but I think I have enough M*A*S*H Unit cats now. Does your vet carry "amphoral" by chance? I had a litter of kittens some years back with the worlds worst diarrhea! They had all the routine tests, and meds, and the only thing that worked was the amphoral. Nasty tasting and it has to be given 3 times a day for 3 days. By the second day the babies I had were almost 100% better, and by dose # 9 were good to go. They were covered with poop as was everything else, and it was awful. I waited a week or two after meds and they all went off to new homes. I hope precious Beans starts feeling better soon. Have you thought of adding pumpkin to his food to help bind his stools? Plain 100% with no spices etc. Many cats love it. I'm not going to attempt spelling the active cultures that are in yogurt (acido...) but capsules from a health food store will also help Beans replenish the good bacteria being washed out of his intestines. I hope you can get to "the bottom" of Beans problems, and wish you tons of luck.

[Lizzie]

What do you mean, if he'd been on the East Coast!? He was a lot further east than he was west.

I haven't tried anything yet, except to change to AvoDerm and that worked until last night. For a few days he'd been pooping in the front hall instead of going down the hall to the litter room and I thought it was just a behavior matter that I'd have to figure out. Then, late last night, the stuff just came pouring out of him and I knew it was time for a vet. My vet is a big believer in pumpkin but that means switching to wet food and I've kept Beans on dry since I didn't want to make that change also. I'll also pick up some yoghurt which I've used often,usually with success. Actually, his poop isn't that smelly, but it is slimey which indicates inflammation (I think). I really don't need another diet in this household but it looks like I'm going to have to deal with it. The kittens, of course, want anything that isn't theirs and are very aggresive about getting it. I'm out of isolation rooms and the garage is too cold at this time of the year!

I doubt if my vet is going to go with amphoral. He's a big believer in not using drugs of any kind until you know the reason for the illness. Since Beans' problem could be for a multitude of reasons, he'll probably advise food changes first. I am going to push for some med though, since Beans' bum was red raw.

Just got off the phone with my vet. We are going to try the hypo-allergenic diet, antibiotics for anything in his gut, centrine (short-term) to stop the diarrhoea, and a general de-wormer (even though tests don't show any evidence), and his sample has been sent out to a lab. If that doesn't work, we are looking at surgical diagnostic tests.

Jan - do any of your RH cats have intestinal problems? We are wondering if the RH is Beans' only birth defect.

[kt_luvs_kitties]

Any undate on Beans? Is he still adjusting well and being good for you? How are his ears looking, and has his diarrhea subsided? Sorry Lizzie, I just had to ask!

[Lizzie]

Thanks for asking. First of all, I should let everyone know that I renamed Beans. His name is now Surya. I was afraid that he'd been named for his disability because when he's startled he jumps like a jumping bean. I wanted to name him for his golden eyes and Surya is the Hindu sun god.

Surya overall is doing very well. He wants to play with Darcy and Cattulus, the two 7-month-olds, and moves towards them often. They are very nice to him, they don't smack him when he gets close, but they are so used to playing together and don't know how to include him, so they just dash off. I know that Belle would give him a good head wash if he was able to curl up near her, but he doesn't get really close to any of the other cats except Raven, a very shy but naughty FIV+ boy. They've slept on the same comforter together. When he wants a cuddle on the bed with me, he sits at the side of it and then rears up on his hind legs. The bed is rather high so he can't jump up, though he does jump down (which makes me cringe). I try to keep the others away while I'm cuddling him on the bed but it always ends up with several of them storming forward, Surya growling and snapping and then getting down. It's early days yet. No-one is being mean to him and he's stopped hissing.

I do have a serious problem in that he won't go down the hall to the litter boxes to poop. He goes in the kitchen, under the table, in the front hall, etc. I believe it is because the distance to the boxes is greater than he wants to travel, and with his bowel irritation, he's more likely to need to go a.s.a.p. I'm figuring out what to do. If he enjoyed being in one of the bedrooms that are set up as sitting rooms, as many of the other cats do, then he'd have litter boxes very close by. But he likes being in the large open plan area and I don't want litter boxes by the kitchen. I can't move him downstairs because those cats would be mean to him. I'll probably end up putting litter boxes in the front hall. I can partially screen them with something so it isn't the first thing people see when I open the front door. I've put a pile of empty boxes in the car from our copy center, and I'll ring the kitchen area with them so he can't get in there. Cleaning up very wet poop from the legs of a mahogony pastry table at midnight is not something I want to have to do again.