Update on Puddy; she's gone*9/29* see post #421

[jenluckenbach]

To be honest, Clomicalm is to reduce stress (correct?). This does not sound like stress. To me it is either she CANNOT make it to a box or she DOESN'T CARE IF she makes it to a box. Unless she has been a problem pee-er in the past, I would doubt if this is caused by attitude.
For the record, if this is your breaking point, it is legitimate. People, no matter how noble, can only handle so much. You have to honestly ask yourself how much can you take?

I think she's just plain miserable

If she IS miserable, I think you KNOW what you have to do.

I apologize if any of this sounds harsh or heartless, but it is not meant to be. It is life...............

Hugs and prayers are with you now, more than ever.

[Medusa]

Thanx, Jen, I appreciate the encouraging words a lot. You've been a good friend through all of this, all of you have. I'll admit to having a weak moment when I posted this. I was so shocked when I saw her pee like that. She's never done that; she's always been the model cat. The only time she's ever peed outside the box is when she's had a URI and she just went off Zenaquin for a URI, so I doubt that's it. If this was all she was doing, it might be different but the constant sitting on the countertop or sleeping under my bed, not socializing, all of it, it's just too much. It's breaking my heart. I don't want this to be about me; it's about Puddy. I just cannot fathom having her PTS for inappropriate peeing. I've got to have confirmation that she is indeed miserable and doesn't want to go on. Yet, I roasted a chicken w/stuffing for dinner and I took some white meat w/a little broth on it to her and she scurried down those little steps so fast, I could hardly believe it. And she ate almost all of the chicken. That tells me that she still has the will to live.

Clomicalm is for behavior problems, inappropriate urinating being one of them. I just want to be sure that it won't hurt her, given all of her other problems. I'm just sick at heart right now. I cooked that dinner and can't eat any of it. All I do is cry. I've had pets all my life and if I need to have her PTS, this won't be the first time I've done it but it would be the first time that I'll feel that a part of my soul has died, too. I've never loved an animal the way I love Puddy.

[Grace]

I know why she was put on the Epogen, but did she act this way at all before it was started? And it is the only new medication she's on, correct?

Before I would say good bye to her, I would stop the med and see how she is.

[carole]

Mary would inappropriate peeing just be part and parcel of having kidney failure, that is what Puddy has isn't it?

Mary keep loving her as much as you do, just know that part of loving her is knowing when to let her go, so hard with kidney kitty's as one day they are so bad and the next they perk up like Puddy does.

I feel your'e pain and i too will be faced with the same decisions as you further down the track, it makes an already devastating decision just that much harder to make.

You know your'e kitty best and what is for the best,I was thinking though apart from the necessary medications, if it were me i would not add anymore, they could be adding to her problems, you know how many side effects medication can have, and they may not necessarily be making her feel better, just worse, anyhow that is purely my opinion, and it is entirely your right and decision to do what you think is for the best, i am thinking of you and Puddy, take care, and HUGS.

[cassiesmom]

I roasted a chicken w/stuffing for dinner and I took some white meat w/a little broth on it to her and she scurried down those little steps so fast, I could hardly believe it. And she ate almost all of the chicken.

Thatagirl, sweet Puddy!

[Medusa]

I know why she was put on the Epogen, but did she act this way at all before it was started? And it is the only new medication she's on, correct?

Before I would say good bye to her, I would stop the med and see how she is.

I'm thinking back and it does seem that she started this weird behavior after she started the Epogen. But if I take her off it, then her anemia will be so bad that she won't have any energy at all. Her energy level does seem to have improved; you should've seen how fast she came down that little staircase and went to her food dish. I'm hoping Dr. Lee will have some answers for me tomorrow. Every time I think I'm done crying, the tears start up again. I'm exhausted. If my head and my heart would just be congruent, I could make a decision one way or the other. Right now, I'm frozen.

[carole]

Mary i can understand how torn you are inside about what to do next, maybe you should ask Dr lee, be straight to the point and see what he say's he may be able to take the decision out of your hands, if you know what i mean, or at least help you make one, in the meantime , try and get some rest and remember you are amongst friends here who really care about you and Puddy, HUGS

[Emeraldgreen]

Oh my goodness Mary, you two have been through so much! It seems that her inappropriate urinating is getting more and more excessive. It might be that she is dealing with a UTI and she may be associating an uncomfortableness that she might be feeling is connected with the use of the actual litter box. I found this quote on the net tonight:

"Inappropriate urination can be as a result of a urinary tract infection (UTI) or constipation, whereby the cat associates the litter box with the pain of the UTI or constipation, so starts urinating and/or defecating elsewhere."

It would be great if you could get a urine sample and bring it in to the vet. Those little pellets that are like litter but allow you to collect a urine sample are called No-Sorb.

Or you could put the plug in your drain in the sink and then check it every now and then and if she uses it, you could use a syringe to draw up a sample. I know it wouldn't be entirely sterile but it might be worth a try.

"UTIs and kidney infections may also damage your cat's kidneys further, so if your cat urinates or defecates in the wrong place more than once, you should go to the vet as soon as possible in order to have tests done and treatment begun if necessary."

I've read that you can't determine if a cat has a kidney infection through collecting a sample using NoSorb though and that a urinalysis and/or blood work is what is needed to show if a cat has a kidney infection or not.

I found the following quote on a site about kidney infections:

"In older cats, if you notice anything different about their behavior, like not using their litterbox, or blood in their urine, it is in your aging cat's best interests to get him/her to a vet as soon as possible. Older cats are more susceptible to kidney infections and disease than younger cats."

But I seem to remember that Puddy has been on or is on meds for a UTI or something similar. I will have to go look through some of your older threads.

I have one other idea about her excessive and inappropriate urination.

It is kind of a weird thought but after I read this quote:

"In animals, erythropoietin has one major use: the treatment of anemia due to chronic renal disease. Since most erythropoietin is produced by the kidney it should make sense that a damaged kidney cannot produce normal amounts of erythropoietin and anemia results."

I started thinking, what if her kidneys have been helped by the Epogen to the point that the sub-q fluids are not as necessary as they once were and now Puddy's body has too much fluid on board?
I started thinking about that the more I read about Erythropoietin and how it is a synthetic form of the naturally occurring hormone normally produced in the kidneys. If a cat has suffered a reduction in this hormone for a length of time and then becomes dependent on sub-q fluids to help the kidneys along, it seems like it could make sense that the kidneys might not need both fluids and the hormone at the same time because maybe it's too much help. I don't know if there is a direct connection between the hormone and urinating but the kidneys themselves are related to urinating so if changes are happening within the kidneys with the addition of meds, it seems possible that the act of urinating might be effected as it is the 'end' result of what is happening in the kidneys.
I don't know how often you are giving sub-q's at this point but you might want to try backing off on it (if your vet okay's it) and see if the inappropriate peeing decreases.
Does that make sense?I might be grasping at straws here but I want to help you so much to find some answers. I know this has been so hard on you and it would be for any of us if it was happening to one of our pets.

In the meantime, since the runner in the hall seems to be her fav spot for peeing out of the box, could you put a tarp down, folded in the shape of the runner (to fool her of course!) and then put some towels on top or an old blanket that you could toss in the wash each day until this thing is figured out? I can only imagine how frustrating this is becoming for you and something has got to give and soon. I'm praying for resolution and that you and Puddy will both find healing ASAP! Whatever you decide, Puddy has an awesome mom and she surely knows how much you love her.
p.s. I'm sure you've come across this site in your searches of CRF over the years but just in case I'll include it here because it seems to have a ton of info on it, including a bunch about Anemia and Epogen. Here is the link.

[Medusa]

Oh my goodness Mary, you two have been through so much! It seems that her inappropriate urinating is getting more and more excessive. It might be that she is dealing with a UTI and she may be associating an uncomfortableness that she might be feeling is connected with the use of the actual litter box. I found this quote on the net tonight:

"Inappropriate urination can be as a result of a urinary tract infection (UTI) or constipation, whereby the cat associates the litter box with the pain of the UTI or constipation, so starts urinating and/or defecating elsewhere."

It would be great if you could get a urine sample and bring it in to the vet. Those little pellets that are like litter but allow you to collect a urine sample are called No-Sorb.

Or you could put the plug in your drain in the sink and then check it every now and then and if she uses it, you could use a syringe to draw up a sample. I know it wouldn't be entirely sterile but it might be worth a try.

"UTIs and kidney infections may also damage your cat's kidneys further, so if your cat urinates or defecates in the wrong place more than once, you should go to the vet as soon as possible in order to have tests done and treatment begun if necessary."

I've read that you can't determine if a cat has a kidney infection through collecting a sample using NoSorb though and that a urinalysis and/or blood work is what is needed to show if a cat has a kidney infection or not.

I found the following quote on a site about kidney infections:

"In older cats, if you notice anything different about their behavior, like not using their litterbox, or blood in their urine, it is in your aging cat's best interests to get him/her to a vet as soon as possible. Older cats are more susceptible to kidney infections and disease than younger cats."

But I seem to remember that Puddy has been on or is on meds for a UTI or something similar. I will have to go look through some of your older threads.

I have one other idea about her excessive and inappropriate urination.

It is kind of a weird thought but after I read this quote:

"In animals, erythropoietin has one major use: the treatment of anemia due to chronic renal disease. Since most erythropoietin is produced by the kidney it should make sense that a damaged kidney cannot produce normal amounts of erythropoietin and anemia results."

I started thinking, what if her kidneys have been helped by the Epogen to the point that the sub-q fluids are not as necessary as they once were and now Puddy's body has too much fluid on board?
I started thinking about that the more I read about Erythropoietin and how it is a synthetic form of the naturally occurring hormone normally produced in the kidneys. If a cat has suffered a reduction in this hormone for a length of time and then becomes dependent on sub-q fluids to help the kidneys along, it seems like it could make sense that the kidneys might not need both fluids and the hormone at the same time because maybe it's too much help. I don't know if there is a direct connection between the hormone and urinating but the kidneys themselves are related to urinating so if changes are happening within the kidneys with the addition of meds, it seems possible that the act of urinating might be effected as it is the 'end' result of what is happening in the kidneys.
I don't know how often you are giving sub-q's at this point but you might want to try backing off on it (if your vet okay's it) and see if the inappropriate peeing decreases.
Does that make sense?I might be grasping at straws here but I want to help you so much to find some answers. I know this has been so hard on you and it would be for any of us if it was happening to one of our pets.

In the meantime, since the runner in the hall seems to be her fav spot for peeing out of the box, could you put a tarp down, folded in the shape of the runner (to fool her of course!) and then put some towels on top or an old blanket that you could toss in the wash each day until this thing is figured out? I can only imagine how frustrating this is becoming for you and something has got to give and soon. I'm praying for resolution and that you and Puddy will both find healing ASAP! Whatever you decide, Puddy has an awesome mom and she surely knows how much you love her.
p.s. I'm sure you've come across this site in your searches of CRF over the years but just in case I'll include it here because it seems to have a ton of info on it, including a bunch about Anemia and Epogen. Here is the link.

Y'know, Lara, you and I are of the same mind. Puddy has been fighting me tooth and claw during her subQ treatments and that's odd because she's always just sat there calmly, even purred during it. Yes, in the beginning she put up a fuss but after a few treatments, she got used to it and no more fussing. Yesterday, she carried on so badly that she pulled the needle out and so I stopped the treatment. The reason I started her back on daily treatments is because she was so dehydrated. After a treatment, she always has a sack of fluid under her right front leg but for a while, this wasn't occurring. Dr. Lee said "Wow, she's absorbing all that fluid because she's so dehydrated" so I kept up the dailies. I decided yesterday after she fussed so much to skip today and see how she does.

Last night she paced nearly all night. She has one funky claw that grows weird and I'm not able to clip it down the way it should be so I heard that claw "tap tap tap" on the hard wood floor all night. I'm waiting to hear from Dr. Lee yet this morning; I'm anxious to hear what he has to say about all this.

[smokey the elder]

When my Luna (RB) was at the end stages of his kidney failure, he became incontinent.