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Old March 11th, 2008, 06:29 PM
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MOOSEDRY MOOSEDRY is offline
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Please Help Patsy - I'm Stumped :(

hi all.

to all those who responded over what has been happening to patsy, here is an update - i really really need your advice:

so, patsy has been sick (congested, sneezing, coughing) for about a week now from the bug she caught while at the vets. she has been on moxylean for five days, because she is seasonally asthmatic, and the vet didn't want it to turn into a lung infection. anyway, her first dose was last thursday. i was told that if the coughing didn't stop by saturday, i should bring her in. lo and behold, the coughing stopped by then, so i didn't take her in as i figured it was working.

the sneezing and sniffling never stopped. i kept waiting for it to get better, but it didn't (this was the part i thought we would just have to wait out). last nite, the poor thing wheezed, sneezed and coughed thru the night at frequent intervals. first thing this morning, i called the vet's office and made an appointment. the time of my appointment was 2:15.

anyway, i went out this morning to run some errands, and when i returned, patsy seemed pretty good (as usual - she always seems better in the daytime). i took her to the vet anyway, as i wasn't going to second-guess myself. knowing my luck, she'd start coughing 5 minutes after i cancelled the appointment.

so, by the time the vet saw her, she was hearing hardly any rasping in her breathing (she described it as "intermittant"). she decided that perhaps the antibiotic she was on just wasn't strong enough, so she prescribed clavamox (twice a day for one week). i was instructed to stop if patsy showed signs of distress on it (i.e. vomiting), and that they would then have to try something else instead (probably a shot of depot-medrol - sp?). we are trying to avoid that if not necessary, as she always has to have the long acting shot of that every june for her seasonal asthma, and that's not so far away.

so, here's my dilemma. here it is, nite time, and patsy is worse again. honest to god, she is like a different cat during the day. at nite she acts like a sick cat - hiding, sneezing, sniffling, wheezing. daytimes she perks up a bit and the sniffling/sneezing/wheezing tends to lessen. she shows interest in things (looking out the patio door, for instance), plus she lazes around my other two cats.

she is eating (although her appetitie hasn't returned fully since her pancreatic battle two weeks ago), drinking, peeing and pooing, and grooms herself during the day. am i losing my mind - what the heck could this be? it seems ridiculous to me that she is worse at nite, better in the day. HELP!!!

tracy

Last edited by MOOSEDRY; March 11th, 2008 at 06:32 PM. Reason: mistake
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Old March 11th, 2008, 06:33 PM
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Wow yu must be frustrated! It almost sounds like us humans when we are sick we seem to be worse at night time! But I am wondering if this could be a household issue? like a household allergy? just a thought!

Good Luck
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Old March 11th, 2008, 06:43 PM
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thanks, winston, for responding so quickly.

i gave that some thought, but i can't imagine what it could be, as she is sleeping in different places each nite. sometimes she holes up in her bed (a carrier with a pillow in it that is tucked away in a closet), sometimes she sleeps on a dining room chair, sometimes on our bed, sometimes the spare bed. i can't think of anything different in the house in the evenings that isn't here during the day, and other than being at the vet's (and in the car to and fro), she has been in our house 24/7 since this all began.

she is an outdoor cat, but doesn't usually show interest in going out in the winter. do you think i should try letting her out on the next really nice day? perhaps if she has become allergic to something in the house the break would do her some good. she doesn't usually go very far - the perimeter of our backyard plus into our neighbours.

tracy
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Old March 11th, 2008, 06:52 PM
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Do you have a relative or friend that can take her for a night to see if she coughs/sneezes at night time there as well?
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Old March 11th, 2008, 06:59 PM
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excellent suggestion!

thanks, rainbow - that's worth a try. it will have to wait until tomorrow nite now, tho, as it is too late here to arrange it.

will let you know how it turns out. i welcome any and all suggestions on this!

tracy
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Old March 11th, 2008, 07:13 PM
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At least you'd know if it's something in your house that she's reacting to like maybe the furnace coming on more at night time that stirs something up.

But, maybe as Winston said, like us humans being worse at night time. I've had an earache the last couple of days that hurts more at night.

And, maybe Patsy just does need stronger antibiotics. Poor girl I hope you see some improvement soon.
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Old March 11th, 2008, 07:45 PM
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thanks rainbow

hi there.

yes, the more i think about it, the more the "allergins theory" is beginning to make sense. my other two cats have been exposed to patsy this entire time, and haven't sneezed once. with the watery eye, too, (it's just clear liquid - not green or pussy) that is definitely seeming like an allergy. i changed all the bedding tonite, plus put a fresh towel in her carrier bed, i brushed down all dining room chairs, etc. in other words, anywhere she sleeps tonite will be fresh.

and, patsy came out for supper when i called her - her eating and drinking is really pretty good - she definitely has an appetite. she ate most of her supper (i feed my three girls three meals a day and watch them as they eat, because patsy's sister is a little er, um... "pleasantly plump", and eats like a dog (she eats hers, then tries to steal bites from the other two - she has always been like that, she just looooooves to eat - LOL!).

so, i'm encouraged that everything else is seeming pretty good. hubby and i talked about it tonite, and both of us agree she is better during the day than at nite. let's see if we can't get to the bottom of this soon! will keep y'all informed and updated.

thanks all!!! ps - patsy is looooooving the merrick's food, which was a suggestion from you members for her pancreatic problems. yay!

tracy : )
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  #8  
Old March 11th, 2008, 07:47 PM
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This is a weird idea but you know how animals can sense our feelings, right? Maybe since you're pretty relieved in the daytime that you can call the vet anytime, Patsy has sensed your relief and her symptoms stopped. But at the nighttime, when vet care is a bit harder to find, you're scared that there won't be a ER for Patsy so she senses that too and starts to cough etc. more.
Just a weird thought that I had. We can get easy emergency vet care here so it's not a worry but maybe you don't get it as easily?
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Old March 11th, 2008, 07:55 PM
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hi busterkitty

that's an interesting thought. emergency vet care is available here, but only one outlet, not very close by, and outrageously (and i mean outrageously) expensive.

however, i don't feel what patsy has is life-threatening, i'm really starting to lean towards the allergy theory, as it is the only thing that makes some sense. i'm very encouraged by the fact that she is eating/drinking/peeing/pooing and cuddles up to me when i lay next to her.

thanks for the suggestion. like i said, i want to hear any and all theories on this - maybe it's a mix of a few things, right?

tracy
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  #10  
Old March 11th, 2008, 09:05 PM
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antihistimine for cats?

so, if this is allergies, is there such a thing as antihistimines for cats?

tracy : )
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  #11  
Old March 11th, 2008, 09:29 PM
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Just a thought...what kind of heating do you have in your house?? Have you had your ducts cleaned if it is gas or oil?

Just asking because my one kitty Phoebe would get really congested in the winter time, and like you said at night it would get worse. We pondered back and forth at the vet, then I thought about the heat. Well the heat comes on more in the evening than it does in the day time. I called and had my ducts cleaned.....OMG the dirt that came out of it was disgusting. I just moved into this house and Phoebe had never been congested like she was here.

After they sucked all the crud out of my heating ducts(dirt, dust, pet hair from previous owners, and who knows what else came out), Phoebe stopped her wheezing and sneezing and running nose and eyes. Not to mention how much better us humans in the house feel. I should mention also that the dog and my other kitty Amos never had any problems, Phoebe was just sensitive to all the crud being blown up through the ducts.

Just something to think about.
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Last edited by dogcatharmony; March 11th, 2008 at 09:38 PM. Reason: add more info
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Old March 11th, 2008, 09:30 PM
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can you try a vaporiser in the room she is in with steam, no vicks---- just a thought, one of my pincers was sick with a cold last yr and this really helped , just a idea, good luck brenda and the pins.
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Old March 11th, 2008, 11:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MOOSEDRY View Post
so, if this is allergies, is there such a thing as antihistimines for cats?

tracy : )

Yep, sure is, Fagan was on them for quite a while when we thought his skin issue was an environmental allergy, can't recall the name but I know they are out there.

Best of luck with the night away experiment!
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Old March 12th, 2008, 12:04 AM
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I'm glad Patsy is enjoying the Merricks

I can't think of anything else right now that hasn't been mentioned.

Hopefully the switch in antibiotics will do the trick, sometimes certain meds are not effective for all cats
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Old March 12th, 2008, 07:22 AM
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thanks for the support

hi all.

thanks so much for all the suggestions. regarding the heat in my house, i'm afraid that wouldn't have much to do with anything, as we have electric heat and keep it at a constant setting.

patsy coughed again all night last night, so changing the bedding didn't do anything.

i have a call into my reg vet this morning (i didn't get to see her yesterday - it was another vet), inquiring about the depot medrol shot. i just don't want to spend another week shoving antibiotics down her throat if it's not going to have any effect. the poor brute has been suffering with this for a week already, so i don't want to wait another week and end up having them give her the shot anyway (which they said they'd be doing if the clavamox doesn't work).

looking back over everything, the first antibiotic didn't do anything - her cough returned after two days (that i noticed - like i said, she's worse at nite, and that's when she tends to hide - it's possible it never really went away to begin with...).

will let you know what the vet says.

tracy : )
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Old March 12th, 2008, 07:36 AM
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Tracy,reading through all the posts,I would definetly ask the vet for an antihistamine for kitties,it could not hurt and might be the solution
We all know the frustration trying to find out what is wrong and I am hoping you'll find a solution
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Old March 12th, 2008, 01:34 PM
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heard from vet

hi all.

well, i heard from the vet this afternoon, and she would really like me to give the clavamox a go. she said to try it for four days (2 pills a day), and if patsy shows no sign of improvement, they will give her the depo-medrol shot. will let you know how she is doing as the days pass.

thanks to all who posted suggestions. it's great to have a board like this to go to in times of need.

tracy (and patsy)
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  #18  
Old March 12th, 2008, 03:00 PM
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How about a picture of your patsy..??
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Old March 12th, 2008, 03:42 PM
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hi winston!

of coooourrse i'll upload a photo of my patsy girl. she is such a sweetie - she cuddles with me every nite - lays by my side and purrs. it's been so hard to lay there and listen to her cough! poor angel :sad:
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Last edited by MOOSEDRY; March 12th, 2008 at 03:43 PM. Reason: mistake
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Old March 12th, 2008, 03:57 PM
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Aww what a sweety she is
Also,who needs sleep-aid,when you have a purring kitty in bed
A friend of mine actually has the same going on with his young Samese cat,so I'll be interested to hear how Patsy will be doing.
she'll get better,poor girl.
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Old March 12th, 2008, 05:16 PM
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aww thanks chico

i will definitely let you know how things turn out so you can compare notes with your friend. so, what you are saying is that her cat is having the same symptoms (and times of day) as patsy?

tracy
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  #22  
Old March 13th, 2008, 06:46 AM
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He has almost the same symptoms the coughing,but it happens through the whole day/night.
He too,pees,poops and eats well.
The owner(male)is very reluctant to take him to the vetthinking it's feathers from his birds that cause the coughing,even if it is,which I doubt it needs taken care of.
The kitty is a 5yr old Siamese,he's probably been coughing for at least 1 year
Good Luck with Patsy
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Old March 13th, 2008, 07:49 AM
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Your kitty is very cute .

If the antibiotics don't work, then I would seriously consider that it is an allergin due to something in your house. Just because you don't have forced air heating doesn't mean there isn't any allergins. Cats can be allergic to cleaners, perfumes, smoke, room deoderizers, dust mites, fungus/mould.
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Old March 13th, 2008, 08:00 AM
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Also, I was thinking, has she been tested for asthma? Allergies can sometimes lead to it.
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