Problems "Going"

I just read a really good article I wanted to share. Its about kitties having problems going to the bathroom. My kitty, Strawberry, has been having problems with constipation so I know how rough that can be on them. (His belly was swollen, refusing to eat and just didn't feel good.) But when I read this article, I thought it was important to share since it could be hard to tell whether they were constipated or if they were trying to pee. Constipation is serious, but if they aren't able to pee, it is even more serious. It is an emergency, so you need to act quickly. Please take the time ot read this, even if your cat isn't having this problem now, you will know if it does happen. (By the way, that is my outdoor kitty, Luke, posing for a picture!)

http://www.catster.com/lifestyle/cat-health-poop-problems

(it says "cat poop problems", but it is really about both problems)

Kitty dentist?

For some reason my cats have had more than their share of dental problems. I have had several that were diagnosed with stomatitis. Strawberry, my oldest kitty, ended up getting all his teeth pulled but 4. I got his teeth cleaned regularly and it didn't help for very long. Also had 2 more that lost teeth. I just noticed Sissy and Pumpkin's teeth have a LOT of tartar. So I ordered some gel from PetzLife. I just started it last night. I took some before pictures so I will know for sure if it is working and I will report back! I just dread having them put to sleep for cleaning, especially when they get older. Let's just hope this helps!!

Importance of a clean litterbox

I got my first "house cat" about 17 years ago, so I've had a lot of time to try many different litters, litterboxes and cleaning methods. This is what I've learned so far.

Reasons to keep your litterbox(es) clean:

1. So it won't be stinky. Yes, I'm sure we all know that...keep it cleaned out and it won't be stinky!

2. So your cats won't go outside the box. Cats are clean animals and they want their litterbox to be clean. The cleaner  you keep it, the more likely they are to use it.

3. So if they go outside the box, you'll know its not because the box is dirty.

4. You can tell a lot from what's in the box (or not in the box). You can see if your cat has diarrhea, parasites, is passing blood, etc. Or, if your cat isn't going, you definitely need to know that.

5. To Prevent health problems. If your litterbox isn't clean, your cat may "hold it".  This can cause constipation and I'm sure wouldn't be good for their kidneys either.

6. To prevent bad habits. Once your cat goes outside the box, he or she will tend to go in the same place. So its better to just prevent it in the first place.

7. To save time. Its a lot easier to take a few minutes a couple times a day to clean out the boxes than to wait until its full and dirty. That is going to take a lot of time to clean up.

8. To save money. There is a lot less waste if you clean out your boxes often instead of waiting and dumping the whole box every day.

9. Because you love your cat. Imagine if you had to wait on someone to clean your toilet for you, and cats noses are so much more sensitive than ours. So just do the nice thing and keep their boxes nice and clean.

I'm sure there are more reasons, but those are the main ones for me. I've used all kinds of litter boxes--self cleaning, hooded, non-hooded....I even paid over $300 once for a Litter Robot. It was okay, until you had to take it apart to clean it and I realized I couldn't see in the box all the time to keep a check on things. I have finally figured out the regular old way of doing it is actually better. Now I use a large plastic storage tub that I cut a hole in for their covered litterboxes and an extra large litter pan that I ordered from Petsmart (or was it Petco?) for the ones without a lid. (I get the tallest I can find too because Strawberry tends to spray over the box if it isn't tall enough!) Mine all seem to prefer the covered one. I'll admit I haven't always been the best at cleaning the box, but I have learned how important it is and if you clean it regularly, it really doesn't take that much time. Once in the morning and once at night doesn't take long. It's just a habit now. I use the method Dr. Pierson talks about here: http://www.catinfo.org/?link=litterbox. That's where I got instructions to make my covered litterbox too. I have also probably tried every litter you can imagine, but I think a clumping clay litter is best. I actually prefer the generic wal-mart brand to some of the more expensive ones. I've tried World's Best Litter and I liked it, but it is a little more expensive and hard to find where I live. I don't buy scented litter...the cats don't like it and it really doesn't smell good to me either. Sometimes I sprinkle a layer of baking soda on the bottom of the box under the litter, but I'm not sure if that helps or not. The main thing is keeping the box clean.

Poncho

This is Poncho...he is about 3 years old.  He showed up at our house a few years ago, so scared & hungry. He ran when you looked at him and I was sure he was feral. He was so skinny and sickly. It was in the summer and we were cooking out a lot, so I'd cook some extra hot dogs and toss them to him. He thought he was hiding, but I could see him! He stayed in the garage next door where no one lived. Eventually he started to come out and wait for some hot dogs. And when he let me pet him, he never let up. LOL! He loves, loves, LOVES to be petted. He will stand on his head and turn a flip, then lie down in front of you to be petted. You cannot sit down without him jumping in your lap if he is anywhere nearby. He stands up with his paws on your legs to be petted. He is just a sweetheart. He does have some issues with allergies. He sneezes and gets a runny nose, but other than that he is good. He's kind of chubby looking in this photo, but he slimmed down again (guess he overdid it when he first got lots of good food!) and he stays pretty slim and muscular all the time.

RIP, Mr. Spock

I knew it was coming, but I still wasn't prepared. A few weeks ago, Mr. Spock had a stroke and I thought he wouldn't make it. He just laid there on his side and couldn't even get up to go to the bathroom. I called the vet and we decided to just keep him comfortable and that he probably wouldn't make it through the night. But he did, and he even improved. He was up eating and getting on the couch to sleep, not back to where he was, but he was happy. But finally his kidneys couldn't keep up. Within the week, he began to be extremely thirsty, so thirsty he couldn't get enough water, even with the fluids we gave him. His legs began to get weak and he hardly had any energy and couldn't or wouldn't eat. He never liked going to the vet and didn't really like strangers coming over, so I had hoped he would die a peaceful death at home, surrounded by his family. At first I thought it would be that way, but it he began to snore and I was afraid he might start struggling to breath and didn't want that for him. He was pretty out of it when we took him, so he wasn't upset when we went to the vet's office. My husband and I got to be there with him at the end and that mattered a lot to us. We miss him so much--he has been a part of our life for over 16 years! I am glad that he isn't suffering and I know it was time to go. That helps me cope with it, but doesn't keep me from being sad or missing him. I have been taking care of him for 3½ years with his kidney disease and had been with him almost 24 hours a day (except when my husband stayed with him when for short periods of time) for that last 2 weeks, so I really feel lost without him. The picture I shared looks just like I remember him--bright eyes, beautiful shiny black coat and just looking like he loves you! He had already lost a good bit of weight in this photo (he used to weigh 18½ lbs!) and naturally he lost a whole lot more as his kidney disease progressed. It is always hard to lose each one, always so sad. If there is a kitty heaven, I know he is reunited with Sweet Pea, Bilbo & Elvis now!

Mr. Spock has been sick!

A couple of weeks ago, Mr. Spock was sooo sick. We think he had another stroke and I didn't think he was going to make it. He got really off balance, then later that night was just lying on his side. He wouldn't get up to eat, drink or even to go to the bathroom. He didn't even pick up his head, just laid there looking straight ahead. I called his vet and she felt the same as me, so I just laid in the floor with him on a soft blanket so I could be with him. (I am still paying for that with my back!!) So, for 2 days I didn't think he would pull through. The only thing that gave me hope is that he began to eat the next day. Not much, but a little. And he would let me feed him water from a syringe. He wouldn't get up for it and wouldn't drink from a bowl if I brought it, but he would drink from the syringe. That was a week ago this Monday and now he is starting to get around. He improved a little every day. One of his back legs is still week and he still stumbles around, but he is getting around pretty good today. And when he is in a deep sleep, he kicks and moves his paws around and I have to watch him because he wants to sleep on the couch and sometimes tries to slide off. (He fell off last night and it didn't even wake him.) I am so scared he is going to injure himself! He continues to amaze me...I watched him closely to make sure he wasn't in any pain. Yesterday I was singing along to Christmas songs and he climbed into my lap. I may not be the best singer, but he appreciates it!

I guess now is a good time to tell you about his kidney disease too. A few years ago he began to lose weight. At one time he weighed 18.5 lbs and I always tried to get him to lose weight. But when he started to lose, I worried! He takes benazapril and prednisone (or prednisilone, a liquid form) every night. The prednisone is partly for his arthritis, partly to prevent another stroke and it helps with his appetite. He has actually done well considering we found out that he had CKD in June 2009. This year I started giving him IV fluids every night and that has helped him a lot. I found a great website with a lot of info about CKD:

http://www.felinecrf.org/

Sometimes he gets aggravated when I give him fluids and there have even been a handful of times he got too upset and I just skipped a night. (I believe only 3 times) I have my husband help me. I screwed an eye hook in the ceiling above the bed and hang the fluids there. The higher they are, the quicker they will flow. I'd put him on the bed and my husband would start the fluids once I had the needle in and turn them off when he got the right amount. I really don't think i could do it without him! After a while, Mr. Spock didn't even want to come in the bedroom and certainly didn't want to get on the bed. So now, I give them to him in the living room and my husband just holds them up high. I wait until Mr. Spock is relaxed. Instead of picking him up and putting him where I want him, I let him get relaxed and go to him and that seems to work better. And I try to stay calm and relaxed. That was hard in the beginning because, as you can imagine, I really didn't want to stick him with that big needle. Sometimes it seems like a needle isn't sharp and doesn't want to go in. the other night there were 2 in a row like that. If they don't go in, I just toss it and get a new one.

I am paying $15 per bag of fluids at the vet's office. I get them every 9 days and that adds up! I found I can get them for $5 per bag at Dr. Fosters & Smith (online) along with other supplies. I haven't ordered yet since I just bought a bag yesterday, but it should still be cheaper even with shipping. Some people said they got them at CVS, etc. for $30 per case but I can't find anyone who sells them. Maybe if you are in another state (I'm in Alabama), you will have better luck.

Mr. Spock does have sores on his tongue now so sometimes he doesn't want to drink. I have some small syringes without needles and I squirt a little water on his tongue and that seems to get him started drinking. I can tell when he is having a problem drinking because he will stand over the water bowl and paw at it or just lie beside it. Before I gave him fluids, I tried everyting to get fluids in him--wet cat food, broth, feeding him the juice off canned cat food or tuna, etc. I even squirted water in his mouth from the syringe through the day, sometimes up to 75 times a day! So the IV fluids were a blessing to me and him both!!

If you find out your kitty has CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease), sometimes called  CRF (Chronic Renal Failure), that doesn't mean the end is near! Discuss treatment options with your vet...do reasearch online or at the library, talk to other pet owners that have been through the same thing. I am certainly no expert, but would be glad to answer any questions if you are going through the same thing. I know it is scary to find out, but it has been 3½ years since we found out and he is still hanging in there. Yes, he is skinny and he does have problems sometimes, but he still enjoys his life. He still likes to eat, get petted, snuggle under my sweater and curl up with his kitty brothers.I know I can't keep him forever, but as long as he is happy and not in pain, I will do what I can for him. I will even sing for him!!

R.I.P. Cricket

Yesterday was a sad day...I had to say good-bye to Cricket. We found out about 6 months ago that she had leukemia. Although she had lost so much weight, she still seemed to have mostly good days. She liked to eat canned food (3 times a day!), come inside to be petted, she even caught a bird not too long ago. (sorry little birdie!) Even the night before, she stayed in and snuggled with me a long time and enjoyed getting petted. I was a little worried that she didn't eat much, but didn't notice anything else. Yesterday morning she didn't come to eat and I found her lying behind my neighbor's bushes. She answered me when I called but I could barely hear her, she was so weak. She didn't get up and I could tell she was in pain when I picked her up. So I knew it was time to let her go. I am glad I was able to be with her until the end and hope that I made things a little easier for her. I sure will miss her squeaky little meow. She was a fixture on my porch, always there to greet me. RIP little girl!