Am very upset about Luna today

[Barbara]

I think you got very good advice. I am so sorry about that. I hope you have the urine soon to have Luna checked.
Extra scritchies to Luna and {{{hugs}}} to you

[Kirsten]

Here's an update:

After a horrible night for everyone of us (Luna feeling lonely in her "prison", Lily missing Luna and mommy being upset anyway), Luna finally used her empty litterbox this morning! Now I could finally open the door to the cat room again and Lily and Luna were greeting each other as if they have been seperated for ages!

However, I immediately brought the urine to the vet, and they found out there's a small amount of bacteria and an increased pH-value - so it very much looks like a beginning UTI again. There are no struvite crystals yet, but due to the basic pH it's very likely she would have devoloped some in the next future. I've got pills for her now and have to find a diet that allows the additional feeding of Hill's Indoors (which she has to eat, otherwise she constipates again). Well, things are always complicated with my Luna girl!

At the moment, Luna and Lily are happy to be together again. I just found Luna grooming Lily and the baby was suckling again! They are definitely happy to have each other!

Kirsten

[jenluckenbach]

Congratulations on getting the urine sample (I am not having as much luck here with Sterling). And continued success in keepig Luna healthy and happy. At least now you have the medicine and that should be the beginning of the end of the problems. You should ask if there is anything you can do to try to prevent further UTI's since she seems to be prone to them.

[Lerah021399]

Luna,

I was very sorry to read that you are not feeling good. It makes me sad to think of you in any kind of pain. I hope that you are feeling better soon. Make sure you take your medicine and eat your special food and don't give your meowmie a hard time. I know that it's hard not to feel a bit grumpy when you don't feel good. I'm glad your meowmie saw that you weren't feeling good so early so that it didn't get any worse. Sending you purrs and headbumpies.

Yours furever,
Jack

[K & L]

I'm glad you caught this in the early stages! Hope she clears up and feels better real soon!

[moosmom]

I'm so glad you were able to catch the UTI in time. Cats have an amazing way of letting you know when something is wrong. I'm glad you listened and got her help.

Hoping Luna girl is feeling better soon!!

[Cinder & Smoke]

OK... Kat's *fixed* ;
let's work on the Couch!

Most sofas & couches have removable cushions -
examine the cushion to see if it has a Zipper along the back edge that will allow you to remove the fabric cover...
If so - open the zipper and pull off the cover.
Launder or possibly dry-clean that seperate from the padding insert. You should be able to find a German brand of an "enzyme" type of cleaner.

NO Zipper?
Go to an Upholstry Shop and ask about them *replacing* the padding or foam rubber insert.
Even if they have to install a Zipper - that may be a lot less expensive than replacing the whole couch.

/s/ Phred

[Kirsten]

No, my couch doesn't have a zipper or removable parts... and in my current situation I really don't have any money left for the upholstry shop. But I think I've got the worst smell out of it. Lily, however, sniffed there immediately when I just let the cats back into the living room today. The couch is covered with rubber sheets now and cream colored plaids. Looks a bit messy but it's the best choice I have at the moment.

Luna just got her first pill and I hope it will help her to recover soon. But I cannot say I'm trusting her 100% as far as the sofa is concerned... I sprayed it with Feliway, hope that helps!

Luna would like to thank Jack for his sweet words, it means a lot to her he's thinking of her!

Kirsten

[Kirsten]

Argh, it's not working with the pills!!!

I mixed one under Luna's food (I bought Sheba because usually she eats that immediately, and it can only work like that because I have to feed her seperated from Lily because the baby eats EVERYTHING so I have to make sure she's not eating from the food with the pill in it) and after she tried a bit, she puked all over the place. She doesn't seem to feel sick because minutes later, she ate from Lily's food. I figure the pill made the food bitter...

Now the first of the 14 pills is already wasted, and I had to clean up the entire room. I'm so exhausted at the moment that I'm feeling I'm going to pass out if I don't get a break soon. Geez, having cats has never been that stressful! *sigh*

Kirsten

[jenluckenbach]

I was recently explaining to some people that I never take the chance of hiding a pill in the food. It is too risky that they will not get the dosage. Be strong and just get a good grip on the scruff of Luna's neck, pull her head back, have the pill in your other hand already, put your pinkie on the side of her mouth and wiggle it between the teeth until she opens, but the pill WAY back on the tongue as far as you can and then let her close her mouth. Make sure she doesn't let her tongue spit it out. DONE. Sterling and Jim were both giving me more trouble than I expected, but are accepting this method so it is becomeing less time consuming. Of course, Jim wants to try to push my hand away with his front feet, so I tuck them under my arm. Not too comfortable, but it is only for a few seconds. Just remember, grab a lot of skin, tilt the head nice and far and don't give up, it is VERY important for them to have the medicine.

[Denyce]

I am giving Deirdre a medication called Clomicalm to help with her anxiety. Long story..but the pill is very soft and bitter tasting. So we have the horrible drool every time I gave it to her.

I found that Velveeta cheese makes a great carrier for a nasty pill. I take a small amount and wrap it around the pill. It is soft so it forms a ball easily. I then just open her mouth and shove the ball of cheese down her throat. Because of it's texture it slides down easily and it is coating the nasty pill so no horrible drool.

Denyce

[Kirsten]

Hmm, you could be right about the dosis...

However, this put-it-straight-into-the-mouth-method never worked for me so far, impossible to hold Luna if she doesn't want to... but I will start another try tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Kirsten

[Kirsten]

Denyce, meanwhile I'm almost sure it was no vomiting but drooling, like your Deirdre!

The cheese method sounds like it's worth a try, thanks!

Kirsten

[jenluckenbach]

velveeta cheese here I come. At least they can get s bit of a treat while I pill them.

[Cinder & Smoke]

Here's a good article on How to PILL da Kat ~
with minimal loss of blood...

How to PILL the Kat article

And we'll repeat *our* method ~
Get youselves a Pill Shooter!

They are *cheap* - less than $4.00 US;
should be availabe in any Pet Store - US and elsewhere:
cause little *stress* to either Kitty OR the Human;
almost Guarantee a successful *pilling* on the first *shot*

Here's a poor picture of ours - all soft plastic and made by
Four Paws".

Pix - "Four Paws Pill Dispenser"

Dad *loves* it; Boots tolerates it;
and there hasn't been a lost or spit-out pill in years!

Y'all really Otta Get One!!