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Old April 5th, 2012, 10:04 AM
mischa91 mischa91 is offline
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hard decision

Hi, new to the forum and coming here with a bit of a problem

I've had my 2 cats for almost 4 years. The male, Spencer is quite healthy and is a great pet; the female, Mischa has always been on the sickly side, she's deaf and has some stomach issues.

I hate to say this about my pet but i've had enough. I've had enough of cleaning up cat vomit, i've had enough of taking her to the vet and having her act like a deranged psycho, i'm at my wits end with this cat. I'm also at my financial end.

She's vomited 4 times in 2 days so i know it's time to whisk her to the vet, unfortunately the last time i took her the vet couldn't get near her so i just took her home, kept her hydrated and monitored her (watched her vomit) until it stopped.

I originally got her from a vets office and they said that if i ever needed to re-home her i should take her back. I'm at the point now where i want to take her back and let them deal with her. I don't have another $400-$500 for xrays and sedation to be told to 'monitor her' and 'bring her back if she gets worse'.

I'm sad about this decision and know my other cat will be sad if she goes but i don't know what else to do.
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  #2  
Old April 5th, 2012, 10:45 AM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Hi mischa91, welcome to the board (sorry it isn't under better circumstances).

Quote:
Originally Posted by mischa91 View Post
i don't know what else to do.
First important question is: what do your cats eat? Gastrointestinal issues are most often related to diet, so sometimes just finding an appropriate food is all that's needed. Because vets are rarely a good source of nutritional info, they don't pursue this area sufficiently beyond just throwing a bunch of lousy (and expensive) prescription diets at the problem.

Next question is: what medications, if any, have been tried?

And also, has any blood work been done, specifically an fPLI test for pancreatitis? What about an ultrasound?
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Old April 5th, 2012, 11:18 AM
mischa91 mischa91 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sugarcatmom View Post
Hi mischa91, welcome to the board (sorry it isn't under better circumstances).



First important question is: what do your cats eat? Gastrointestinal issues are most often related to diet, so sometimes just finding an appropriate food is all that's needed. Because vets are rarely a good source of nutritional info, they don't pursue this area sufficiently beyond just throwing a bunch of lousy (and expensive) prescription diets at the problem.

Next question is: what medications, if any, have been tried?

And also, has any blood work been done, specifically an fPLI test for pancreatitis? What about an ultrasound?

My cats eat premium wet food with the occasional treat of some dry food. When she started to have puking issues i switched them over to wet. I've never tried prescription. I honestly think she might have a fish allergy since she pukes a lot more if she gets a fishy food, but when i suggested this to the vet she said that trying to check for allergies is very hard.

She's been on lactulose. blood test, i think but can't remember, no ultrasound.
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Old April 5th, 2012, 11:30 AM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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HI misha91. You are in good hands with SugarCatMom

What brand/flavours of food are you feeding?

Why is she on lactulose?
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Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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Old April 5th, 2012, 12:52 PM
mischa91 mischa91 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Love4himies View Post
HI misha91. You are in good hands with SugarCatMom

What brand/flavours of food are you feeding?

Why is she on lactulose?
Hi,

She/they get afew different brands (i usually have to buy on sale since premium food wasn't entirely in my budget when i got the kitties, plus i now have grad school fees to pay too) they get natural balance, wellness sometimes although she doesn't like it much, spots stew (but omg expensive!), they were getting avoderm and both quite liked it but then my pet store stopped selling the variety without fish as the main ingredient so i can only really get it online.

She was on lactulose because she was impacted from the dry food, so i switched to wet and they put her on that.
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Old April 5th, 2012, 02:35 PM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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Sounds like you are feeding good food . Have you tried feeding fish-free varieties for a while so see if that stops the vomiting?

Is she still constipated or is the lactulose working? Does she scarf her food down or a muncher?

Does she groom herself a lot and perhaps she has a furball that won't come out? I know Puddles vomits for a few days before a furball.
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Cat maid to:


Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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  #7  
Old April 6th, 2012, 06:04 AM
mischa91 mischa91 is offline
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Thanks. I try to fee fish free or minimal fish (sometimes it's really hard to find food without traces of fish in) but that does help.

Right now i'm not sure if shes constipated or not, 2 cats, 2 litter boxes... sometimes it's hard to tell whos poo is whos. She's not on the lactulose anymore. I ran out and then started to have financial problem so was reluctant to take her back to the vet for them to charge me $80 + for an $11 bottle of medicine. I think i'm going to swing by there today with her and see what they can suggest. For a while i had her on pumpkin baby food and pedialyte and that seemed to work but then she started to throw up again. Last night she only had baby food, she likes it but was looking longingly at my other cat eating his dinner.

She has been shedding a lot, i know my other cat grooms her because he's thrown up several white hairballs and he's orange. i've been trying to keep on top of brushing but she might have some hair stuck in there.
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Old April 6th, 2012, 06:52 AM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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Does your cats have access to cat grass to chew on? All my cats chew on it outside, so I'm thinking it seems to be an important part of their diet . I'm thinking if you cut up some grass into very small pieces and add it to their food, it may add some fiber that is not grain based That, of course, is not based on any scientific data, just a hunch.

Even the smallest amounts of allergens will cause a reaction. I buy the Wellness in the large soup size cans due to the price of it. Much cheaper that way. They have two flavours that I buy: Chicken and Turkey, they don't have any fish in them. Another brand you may want to give a try is Nature's Variety, Instinct (canned). It is potato free and has some unique proteins, such as duck, venison, lamb and rabbit. The have single protein sources which may help signal what may be irritating your cat.
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Cat maid to:


Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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  #9  
Old April 6th, 2012, 09:13 AM
mischa91 mischa91 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Love4himies View Post
Does your cats have access to cat grass to chew on? All my cats chew on it outside, so I'm thinking it seems to be an important part of their diet . I'm thinking if you cut up some grass into very small pieces and add it to their food, it may add some fiber that is not grain based That, of course, is not based on any scientific data, just a hunch.

Even the smallest amounts of allergens will cause a reaction. I buy the Wellness in the large soup size cans due to the price of it. Much cheaper that way. They have two flavours that I buy: Chicken and Turkey, they don't have any fish in them. Another brand you may want to give a try is Nature's Variety, Instinct (canned). It is potato free and has some unique proteins, such as duck, venison, lamb and rabbit. The have single protein sources which may help signal what may be irritating your cat.
I have some cat grass seed i just never got round to planting it. I will do that today!

I'll give those brands a try, i'll look for the bigger tins. I'll look then up online to make sure i know what i'm looking for at the store. She's eaten pumpkin baby food for her last 2 meals (loves the stuff) and hasn't thrown up yet. I'll start giving her small amounts of real food tomorrow.

I was going to try then on a raw or cooked meat diet but i'm a vegan and the thought of handling dead chicken just didn't work for me.
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Old April 6th, 2012, 11:29 AM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mischa91 View Post
I have some cat grass seed i just never got round to planting it. I will do that today!

I'll give those brands a try, i'll look for the bigger tins. I'll look then up online to make sure i know what i'm looking for at the store. She's eaten pumpkin baby food for her last 2 meals (loves the stuff) and hasn't thrown up yet. I'll start giving her small amounts of real food tomorrow.

I was going to try then on a raw or cooked meat diet but i'm a vegan and the thought of handling dead chicken just didn't work for me.
Here is the link:

http://www.naturesvariety.com/Instinct/cat/can/all

This is the food I've had the most success with keeping Puddles vomiting down to almost non existent (she was eating crap food before).

If you are going to feed real food (by that I mean a real raw diet) then I highly recommend you read these link as cats have a very particular diet:

http://www.catinfo.org/

I understand your issue with handling raw meat, I don't like it either and when I make my raw, I actually start feeling queasy, but I do it for the health of my cats.
__________________
Cat maid to:


Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs)

Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey
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  #11  
Old April 6th, 2012, 12:39 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mischa91 View Post
I was going to try then on a raw or cooked meat diet but i'm a vegan and the thought of handling dead chicken just didn't work for me.
I'm vegan too, so I instead of making my own raw diet (although I wouldn't be so terribly averse to it, but my husband is), I buy frozen commercial raw. Not sure where you're located but here in Canada there are some excellent products available. It's really no more difficult than opening a can (as long as you remember to take it out of the freezer in time to thaw!). Commercial raw suppliers also tend to source their meat from more humanely raised animals (ie not factory farmed) than the big pet food companies do. The only drawback is that it CAN be more expensive than other methods of feeding (although you usually feed less, so in some cases it balances out). You also have to consider the bigger picture, which is that if it helps resolve any health issues than you end up saving money on vet bills.

Oh, and you can get some pretty exotic protein sources with a commercial raw food that you'll rarely see in cans. My cats have tried everything from ostrich to wild boar to kangaroo to llama. This variety can be a lifesaver for cats that have food allergies.

One thing I'd recommend if you haven't already is eliminating ALL dry from her diet, even if it was just for treats. Some better treat options are 100% freeze-dried meat like PureBites or Halo Liv-a-Littles.
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"To close your eyes will not ease another's pain." ~ Chinese Proverb

“We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies.” ~ Gretchen Wyler
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  #12  
Old April 7th, 2012, 12:54 PM
mischa91 mischa91 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Love4himies View Post
Here is the link:

http://www.naturesvariety.com/Instinct/cat/can/all

This is the food I've had the most success with keeping Puddles vomiting down to almost non existent (she was eating crap food before).

If you are going to feed real food (by that I mean a real raw diet) then I highly recommend you read these link as cats have a very particular diet:

http://www.catinfo.org/

I understand your issue with handling raw meat, I don't like it either and when I make my raw, I actually start feeling queasy, but I do it for the health of my cats.
I got a coupon from their site and got 1 tin of the canned food to try, i got some kibble for Spencer too. He ate every scrap this morning. Mischa ate the wet food i gave her, she likes it and didn't throw up.

Thanks for the link. I might not have to handle the meat . i spoke to my mam about it and she handles meat for my dads so i bet she'd have left overs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sugarcatmom View Post
I'm vegan too, so I instead of making my own raw diet (although I wouldn't be so terribly averse to it, but my husband is), I buy frozen commercial raw. Not sure where you're located but here in Canada there are some excellent products available. It's really no more difficult than opening a can (as long as you remember to take it out of the freezer in time to thaw!). Commercial raw suppliers also tend to source their meat from more humanely raised animals (ie not factory farmed) than the big pet food companies do. The only drawback is that it CAN be more expensive than other methods of feeding (although you usually feed less, so in some cases it balances out). You also have to consider the bigger picture, which is that if it helps resolve any health issues than you end up saving money on vet bills.

Oh, and you can get some pretty exotic protein sources with a commercial raw food that you'll rarely see in cans. My cats have tried everything from ostrich to wild boar to kangaroo to llama. This variety can be a lifesaver for cats that have food allergies.

One thing I'd recommend if you haven't already is eliminating ALL dry from her diet, even if it was just for treats. Some better treat options are 100% freeze-dried meat like PureBites or Halo Liv-a-Littles.
i'm in ohio. I'll have a look at the pet places in the area and see what they have.

i am looking for other sources of protein so i can try and eliminate fish altogether, that's really the only way i'll be able to tell if it is a fish allergy she has.

She gets very little dry food, the occasional treat. I have no objection to trying other forms of treats, i'll have a look.
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