Big Major Prayers for Tiger

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear that Tiger isn't doing well. Lots more prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

[Emeraldgreen]

I was so hoping to read a good report. Well, we'll take the good and leave the rest. He's attacking the cat tree; that's something at least. Lots of (((HUGS))) to you and love pats to Tiger and, of course, prayers.
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Blessings,
Mary

Thanks, that's how I'm trying to look at it. He may not be recovering but at least he is able to breathe much easier since the surgery. I do think that the cancer is really causing him problems in his lung area now and something is going on with his throat. But at least he can get air in quite well through his nose so he's not in a panic the way he was before the surgery.

Oh Lara...I am so sorry to hear that Tiger is not well...

Even the stinky fish food - he won't take the TF?

Is it worth you and hubby doing it the 'quick and dirty way', into the back of the throat with a pill syringe/finger?

{{{{hugs}}}}

PT PRAYERS FOR TIGER!

Thanks Candace. He just hates this stuff for some reason and he is very fussy. If I try and mix a little bit of it with his food and put the plate on the floor, he somehow knows, even from 4 feet away. He won't even come near the dish. And it's not the act of mixing that he's catching onto because I crush and mix his prednisilone twice a day into his food and he watches me do it and has no problem eating the food afterwards. It's bizarre. The only thing that seems to work is salmon cream cheese and sardine juice with a bit of sardines. I will try and give him some more but he gets tired of the cream cheese and sardines after awhile. The cream cheese really seems to gum up his throat too and he coughs afterward.
I wouldn't try and force this stuff down him, especially because his issues are right in this throat. It's just too traumatic for him. If it was a tablet, it might have been easier but this is a fair sized capsule. And unfortunately he is no longer interested in pill pockets.
I'll keep on trying but my main goal is to make him comfortable right now. I think this thing has become very advanced now and I just don't know if TF could turn it around. I will keep trying though.

About the stinky salmon cat food... can you find FIGARO canned food??? It's basically all tuna or salmon, really smelly, but when I had Bear (who was FIV+ and had horrible URIs) and he was sick, he scarfed it down. I've found it at Redner's in our area. I don't think it's a "gourmet" food at all... so look at some of the cheaper stores, lol.

He does love Figaro tuna! But not with the TF in it. He is such a smartie! Thank you for the suggestion though.

[momtomany]

I am sorry Tiger is not doing well. We will keep the prayers going up for you both.

[Catty1]

Lara - could you open a capsule and do the same thing with it that you do with the pred?

Maybe it is the CAPSULE he senses.

Couldn't hurt to try. Remember that other lady - her cat had had NO cancer treatment and recovered.

As you say, Tiger's may be more advanced by now...but heck, open the caps and stir it in to the stinky stuff!

HUGS to that gorgeous boy.

[Emeraldgreen]

Lara - could you open a capsule and do the same thing with it that you do with the pred?

Maybe it is the CAPSULE he senses.

Couldn't hurt to try. Remember that other lady - her cat had had NO cancer treatment and recovered.

As you say, Tiger's may be more advanced by now...but heck, open the caps and stir it in to the stinky stuff!

HUGS to that gorgeous boy.

That is how we've been doing it. The capsule is too big to do it any other way. I open the capsule and mix in half of it, sometimes even less hoping he won't detect it. I mix it really well with the stinkiest food I can find and he knows it's in there. The cream cheese is the only way to hide it so I'll keep trying with that.
Thanks for the suggestion though. You are right, that woman, Bethany didn't give her cat any cancer treatment other than the TF so I'll keep on.

[Catty1]

Maybe Denise could have a word with Tiger about the TF? I'm serious. At this point, I wonder if it is him truly not liking the stuff, OR just asserting his independence! (NO cat does that ,right?)

The only other thing I can think of - though it would be REALLY time consuming - is to get smaller gel capsules and a plastic 'pill-popper'. Hubby holds mouth open, you shoot cap to back of throat (with a tad of butter on it).

Sorry to nag...I just want SOMETHING to really help this boy!

[Moesha]

Please give Tiger my love and tell him to share some with you also. Perhaps if you are feeling up to it you could also give him some scrubbies from me.

[Emeraldgreen]

Maybe Denise could have a word with Tiger about the TF? I'm serious. At this point, I wonder if it is him truly not liking the stuff, OR just asserting his independence! (NO cat does that ,right?)

The only other thing I can think of - though it would be REALLY time consuming - is to get smaller gel capsules and a plastic 'pill-popper'. Hubby holds mouth open, you shoot cap to back of throat (with a tad of butter on it).

Sorry to nag...I just want SOMETHING to really help this boy!

The Denise idea might be a good one but I wouldn't want to pill Tiger at this point. He is having difficulty swallowing wet food on his own so I don't want to add anymore stress to his throat area. He is a very difficult cat to pill, even for the tech who had help. She was ultimately unsuccessful. I'm sure that my husband and I could manage to force a few down him but it would be a struggle and I can't do that to him. The few doses I would be able to get into him won't be enough to save his life. I have to find a way that I can get it into him on a regular basis without trauma. I wish the TF came in a tablet form because it would then be a smaller amount of medication to deal with. This capsule is really packed and it's hard to hide two full caps per day. He only wants the cream cheese once per day.
I think I need to get more creative and try stuff like warm cream of chicken soup and stuff like that. Or maybe I could purree some chicken with chicken stock and hide it in there. I will pick some up tomorrow. If you have any other ideas with regard to food that you think might make a good place to hide the TF, I'm all ears.

[Emeraldgreen]

Please give Tiger my love and tell him to share some with you also. Perhaps if you are feeling up to it you could also give him some scrubbies from me.

Thanks!

[Emeraldgreen]

I took a video of Tiger today in the outdoor enclosure and thought I'd post it. He seemed to have a good day. About an hour ago he was in the kitchen and I offered him some milk (which I don't usually give him) and he really liked it. I know some cats don't do well on milk but he loved it. If he doesn't get an upset stomach from it I think I might pick up some light cream and try and mix the TF in there! I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner.

Edited to add: It's just after 10:00 p.m. here but it's still a bit light out so I decided to take Tiger for a walk with a harness. He seemed to really enjoy it! I let him lead and he took us all around the property sniffing everything! There were two deer grazing not far off and Tiger was watching them intently. Owls were hooting and it was such a nice time. I think we will make this a nightly routine for as long as he wants to do it.

Here is Tig's video from today:

[krazyaboutkatz]

I was also thinking that you could mix the pill powder into a liquid. If Tiger likes it then he can drink it and if he doesn't then maybe you could put it in a syringe and then try to squirt it down his throat. Hopefully this wouldn't cause a gagging reflex in him. I sure hope that something will work and that he'll start feeling better soon. He looks good in the video. Your grass sure is getting long. Do the cats ever try to eat it?

[Emeraldgreen]

I was also thinking that you could mix the pill powder into a liquid. If Tiger likes it then he can drink it and if he doesn't then maybe you could put it in a syringe and then try to squirt it down his throat. Hopefully this wouldn't cause a gagging reflex in him. I sure hope that something will work and that he'll start feeling better soon. He looks good in the video. Your grass sure is getting long. Do the cats ever try to eat it?

We keep the grass really short everywhere else but we let it grow really long inside the enclosure because the cats love it. I think it's like a little jungle for them. Their favourite thing to do is wind up and race from one end to the other through the tall grass. My husband goes in there with the weed wacker every few weeks and cuts them a path so they can have some short stuff to hang out on too.
Yes, they all eat it on a regular basis and then throw up their hairballs. Seems to work well for them, maybe a little too well! LOL

[momtomany]

What about trying some yougurt. I have done that with my guys when getting medication down them has been difficult. We will keep the prayers going up for you and Tiger.

[moosmom]

Emeraldgreen,

Tiger is beautiful! Great enclosure too! Prayers coming from CT for Tiger's recovery.

[slick]

What a wonderful video! I love the sound of the birds in the background and I can see why the kitties love it, especially with the long grass.

Kisses to you sweet Tiger and more prayers coming from the mainland.