A little update on Oksana

[ancientgirl]

My little miss certainly seems better. She's not using the litter box excessively like she had been. I had left her in my bathroom on Tuesday and Wednesday while I was at work. When I let her out in the evening, Vlad pretty much left her alone. I'm going to continue doing this during the week.

I'm taking her to the vet on Monday, I want to try and get her x-ray'd. I want to make sure her lungs are clear, since I have been worrying she might have asthma, and I want to make sure she's got no underlying with her kidneys.

I'm thinking though that her issue may have been more stress related, since Vlad has been ambushing her a lot lately. Hopefully making some minor changes will do the trick.

[Winston]

AG thats good that your girl is feeling better! hope things improve with her and Vlad. If I can be honest I dont think you need an xray just yet. Maybe wait and see how things progress....your little miss will appreciate it too!
I just really think its all stress related just my worth?

Cindy

[ancientgirl]

Originally Posted by Winston

AG thats good that your girl is feeling better! hope things improve with her and Vlad. If I can be honest I dont think you need an xray just yet. Maybe wait and see how things progress....your little miss will appreciate it too!
I just really think its all stress related just my worth?

Cindy

The x-ray is also because I've been concerned about her possibly having asthma. I've been wanting to check out her lungs for a while so that's one of the reasons I want the x-ray. Hopefully it will show her lungs as normal and those little fits she has are not due to asthma and are reverse sneezes.

[catlover2]

Glad to hear Oksana is better, and Vlad's being a good boy. I agree with you that her health issues were probably stress related. Hope everything continues on a even keel.

[rainbow]

Glad that Oksana is improving and that things are working out with her and Vlad.

Good luck with the xray ....hope she doesn't have asthma.

[ancientgirl]

So, no sooner do I think she's better, I've seen her go into the litter 3 times in the last 20 minutes. I know once she peed, not a lot. The other two times I'm not sure what she did. I just hope she's not going to get sick again.

[rainbow]

OH NO

[hazelrunpack]

for better news today!

[ancientgirl]

So she's okay. It could be I'm just watching too much and just think she's going too much. Vlad ambushed her this morning but I caught it in time.

Tomorrow I'll be putting her again in the bathroom while I'm at work. I was only able to give her that alone time for two days, since I had some holiday time off. But hopefully an entire week will help. We go to the vet again tomorrow so I'll be talking a little more about what we can do to make her feel more comfortable.

[diandpat]

AG of course it is great you are keeping such a close eye on things...it is easier to answer the vet's questions. Hope all goes well at tomorrow's appt with the vet and that you will be able to find a healthy happy solution to these goings on.

Sounds like giving her some R&R during the day is going to be a good thing. It will be interesting to see how things are at week's end.
To you and your gang. Hope Oksnana continues in good health and that she and Vlad can find some common ground

[ancientgirl]

Originally Posted by diandpat

AG of course it is great you are keeping such a close eye on things...it is easier to answer the vet's questions. Hope all goes well at tomorrow's appt with the vet and that you will be able to find a healthy happy solution to these goings on.

Sounds like giving her some R&R during the day is going to be a good thing. It will be interesting to see how things are at week's end.
To you and your gang. Hope Oksnana continues in good health and that she and Vlad can find some common ground

I'm hoping things will be better for her at the end of the week. I think basically, I would like the others to just leave her alone and not even acknowledge she's there. As I've said before, Oksana really is a loner, so her being able to walk around with nobody bugging her would be ideal.

I'm still going to get the Feliway, because Vlad is getting to be quite the bully. I know, he is the alpha cat here, but I've noticed him going after Kiska a little more, and she's way too small for him to be knocking around. So I think something calming for him might be good.

[rainbow]

AG, have you tried putting lavender oil in a diffuser or using one of those aromatherapy things that you plug in? Lavender is supposed to be very calming for our pets (as well as us) and it would be cheaper to try that before buying the Feliway.

I know you're not supposed to put lavender essential oil on your cat in case it gets ingested but using a diffuser shouldn't harm them.

[ancientgirl]

Originally Posted by rainbow

AG, have you tried putting lavender oil in a diffuser or using one of those aromatherapy things that you plug in? Lavender is supposed to be very calming for our pets (as well as us) and it would be cheaper to try that before buying the Feliway.

I know you're not supposed to put lavender essential oil on your cat in case it gets ingested but using a diffuser shouldn't harm them.

That's a good idea. I do have quite a few of those oil scent thingy's that you plug in. I can buy the lavender scent and see how it goes first before I buy the Feliway.

I'm wondering if spritzing some Lavender essence around and on their sleeping places might help as well.

[rainbow]

That could help as well but make sure any bedding, etc is dry before they lay on it. And I would spray when they are not in the room at the same time in case they inhale it.

[ancientgirl]

Easier said than done. I'll try the oil scent first. I've also seen these new things that look like candles but aren't. flameless luminare I'm sure they have a lavender scent so I can look for that.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by ancientgirl

I'll try the oil scent first. I've also seen these new things that look like candles but aren't. flameless luminare I'm sure they have a lavender scent so I can look for that.

I would advise against diffusing essential oils or using the Febreze product while the cats are in the room, which may defeat the purpose of using them. Inhalation is possibly an even more toxic route than dermal absorption. Some people use hydrosols instead of essential oils but I'm not convinced those are entirely safe either. Some info: http://www.thelavendercat.com/3201/index.html

Most people are aware of warnings that focus on the topical and oral administration of essential oils, but they are generally unaware that inhalation of essential oils can also be unsafe for your cat. Oils can affect a cat by absorption and inhalation just like for humans, and precautions should be used when repeatedly diffusing essential oils, since the development of liver damage can be a slow process without any visible symptoms.

http://cats.about.com/od/housekeepin...omatherapy.htm
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.ph...therapyandcats

[ancientgirl]

SCM, I use these Glade scented oil.

Do you think these are harmful? I'm not really sure what kind of oils they use, but I mainly buy the vanilla scented ones. I've never read vanilla being harmful.

[14+kitties]

Originally Posted by ancientgirl

SCM, I use these Glade scented oil.

Do you think these are harmful? I'm not really sure what kind of oils they use, but I mainly buy the vanilla scented ones. I've never read vanilla being harmful.

AG - Any of those plug ins use essential oils. I know for a fact they are not safe for birds. One was plugged in here a few years back upside down. I am almost positive the leaking oil was what killed my first lovebird. :sad: I still haven't told the guilty party that though. Better to not cause an argument. :sad:
I would think any essential oils should be used with extreme caution or not at all. I don't use Febreze here for that reason. Candles are only lit for a short time and kept away from the kitties.

[ancientgirl]

I can't trust the gang around candles unless I'm in the same room. I need something to keep the place smelling not like a litterbox, even though I clean their box daily.

I'll have to look for the Feliway then. I already have two diffusers. I'll have to figure something else out for scent.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by ancientgirl

SCM, I use these Glade scented oil.

Do you think these are harmful? I'm not really sure what kind of oils they use, but I mainly buy the vanilla scented ones. I've never read vanilla being harmful.

These are actually bad even for people, never mind cats. They contain phthalates, which are known endocrine disrupters: http://chetday.com/dangersairfreshener.htm

[ancientgirl]

Wow, I had no idea! Is there anything natural I can use that won't harm my kitties?

[aslan]

you can put cinamon sticks in a pot with a little water and simmer it for abit to make your place smell like cinnamon..

[ancientgirl]

Originally Posted by aslan

you can put cinamon sticks in a pot with a little water and simmer it for abit to make your place smell like cinnamon..

Okay, I can do that. You think eucalyptus would be okay too?