Jimmy is feeling Good: Ridiculous but wonderful update #46

[Medusa]

Boy, it's up and down, up and down w/our furkids, huh? I'm so sorry that Jimmy is feeling punk. And you sure don't need another $1000 vet bill after just paying that much not too long ago. It's so frustrating when a vet takes such an I-couldn't-care-less attitude. I'm sure that your regular vet will make you feel much better. Prayers going up for you and sweet Jimmy.....

[Randi]

I'm so sorry to her that Jimmy is feeling crummy again - and what a disappointment with that vet you talked to.

I hope Jimmy will perk up soon, the Metronidazole will hopefully help. I'm sure he enjoys the warm room, cuddles and your patience with food.

I also hope that Muddy's urine sample will test good!

Lots of positive thoughts and hugs.

[katslady]

I just read this thread about Jimmy,and hope he gets better soon. So sorry about all you are going through.My hopes and prayers are with you guys. katslady

[krazyaboutkatz]

Lara, I'm sorry that I haven't even replied to this thread yet. I sure hope that Jimmy will start feeling better again. I know how frustrating it can be. I learned that Starr can't eat the canned food that I was giving him because it's just too rich for his system so I now mix his herbal formula in baby food which is either the Turkey or Chicken flavor and this has helped a lot. I'll continue to keep Jimmy in my thoughts and prayers. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

[Medusa]

So how is Jimmy doing now? Better, I hope.

[Emeraldgreen]

Thanks for your posts guys. Jimmy is doing sooooooooooooo much better. I called my vet the Monday morning after the weekend when he took a bad turn and asked if I could pick up some more Metronidazole and they put together a 2 week prescription for him. It's compounded with chicken flavoured suspension but it's apparently extremely bitter and he hates it. A few weeks ago I was giving him a teaspoon of Fancy Feast right after so it would wash away the taste but since he had a relapse and got sick again, he's been on a STRICT diet of Medi-Cal Gastro dry and Medi-Cal Hypo-Gastro wet. Royal Canin also makes a wet food called Sensitive but he is not keen on either of these wet foods. Sometimes I add a bit of water to the dry and nuke it for 10 seconds and give that to him but he's not impressed.
I asked the vet if I could give him baby food because he really likes it and she said that she thinks his IBD is so severe that he probably can't tolerate it. She thinks it might take a few days or a week but eventually it catches up with him and he starts pooping that weird intestiney looking stuff. Yuck.

I also asked her if I could start him on Forti-Flora but the receptionist called me back and left a message saying that the vet said it is contraindicated for cats with immunity problems and he has the herpes virus. I'm going to see if there is some kind of enzyme or good bugs that I can give him since he will have been on a whole month of antibiotics once we're done.

I'm also going to ask about the vitamin B12. There are two versions and one is more appropriate for cats with IBD because of absorption. I have to look it up so more and get my facts straight.

I just wish there was some human food that I could give him as a treat. He loves treats and he is getting the most boring diet in the world. He doesn't do well on the grain free diets (wet or dry) so I can't try those. I will see if I can find an IBD diet other than Medi-Cal and Royal Canin. I remember years ago EN made a kibble that was moist like Tender Vittles and it was called Gastro and came in these little pouches. He would like those I think.

Anyway, he is in our room and I can hear him racing around with Stinky and Paddy. Well, Paddy probably isn't racing, he's more of an observer. But Jimmy is really full of beans today! He might be bored with his food but his health has really improved and he is better than I've seen him in quite awhile so we're so relieved. Thanks for asking, I've been meaning to post an update for a few days now.

[Moesha]

Oh good! I'm so glad to read that Jimmy is feeling better!

[jennielynn1970]

Glad Jimmy is feeling better.

How are the two new boys doing??

[Emeraldgreen]

Glad Jimmy is feeling better.

How are the two new boys doing??

I thought I'd post a super short clip of Jimmy 'frisking out' this morning. I only caught about 7 seconds of it because my batteries died but he has been going mental all morning. Racing around crazy style and attacking his toys and trying to engage the other cats to play. It sure is good to see him like this. He has another week of Metronidazole left. I'm hoping he will not relapse once it's gone. He hasn't had one naughty thing to eat, just boring Gastro but it is so worth it.

Here is Jim, followed by my other cat Stinky (black and white) freaking out:





Wallace and Gromit (we went back to using Gromit instead of Mink) are doing okay. Grommies has totally settled in and is a happy boy but Wallace is off and on. He has his good moments when he plays and attacks the cat tree and runs through the tunnel but the rest of the time he sits or lays with his head down and when we go to reach for him, he cowers. I'm really wondering if he was maybe abused before. I know he was attacked by a raccoon before we adopted him and his fur is still growing back in areas where there is scarring but it seems like there is more going on. He's very stiff and uptight. We are working on it though and we are being very gentle with him and giving him lots of lovies and space when he needs it.

[Medusa]

Oh how cute! Boo was on my lap as I viewed the videos (he still is) and he sat upright and watched.

[katslady]

I am so happy to hear Jimmy is doing well.If it comes back after the Metronidazole is finished,ask your vet about using the Metro. on and off as A preventive treatment.I have done it with great success. katslady

[Moesha]

I'm so glad that Jimmy is doing so well!! I also have full confidence that you'll get Wallace feeling relaxed full time with your diligence.

[cristy]

I know that acidophilus is good to take while humans are on antibiotics...you might ask the vet about a kitty formula...just make sure that it contains LIVE cultures. My sister had a cat named Sophie years ago that died because of some type of thread that she had eaten. I think that it got tangled around in her intestines and actually blocked one. They didn't find it though until it was too late. You and Jimmy got lucky that he was able to pass all of that gunk and move on...YAY!...Glad to hear that he is feeling more frisky!!

[kittykatharine]

Those were the sweetest clips ever! What a frisky little guy! He was running around playful as ever! I just love it when cats do that, it makes me feel so happy. Jim looked really really good!

[gini]

It made me so happy to see your video. What a worry for you - but he sure looks wonderful now.

I had to laugh because my Emma must have thought "well, I can do that too" - and she raced through the room as I was watching your video.