justginger
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- May 11, 2009
- Messages
- 3,712
Would really love some good wishes for our current foster mummy, Turtledove.
I noticed she was off her food the last couple of days, but chalked it up to the fact that I had run out of her super posh wet food and she was stuck with her normally posh dry food. I literally just hadn't had the time to get to the store and get more wet stuff, so thought she could suffer through. That made her eating drop off probably around Sunday night/Monday morning.
Then yesterday I was gone all day, she was normal in the morning before I left, as I had uni orientation, plus work til 9 pm. I got home and DH said he thought she had vomited in the laundry. Went in, looked like vomit - clear, tinted green, so assumed bile. It was immediately obvious that she wasn't feeling well. She usually JUMPS up to see whoever goes in the laundry, but she was lethargic and had visibly lost weight already. While I was visiting with her, she used the litter box and it became obvious that the water-like substance on the tiles was poo, not vomit.
I boiled up a chicken breast for her - she wouldn't touch it. Tried canned tuna, wouldn't touch it. Her favorite wet kitten food, wouldn't touch it.
Thankfully I have some Ensal left from when the kittens gave my dog their Salmonella infection, which is a binding medicine suitable for both cats and dogs. I gave her the lower dose last night (poor thing - the stuff tastes like ground chalk dust!), and got her to drink some water at least. She was still unhappy this morning, only drinking if really forced, more Ensal.
Tonight she is a bit better, but she has already lost so much weight. I can feel her backbone! I've consulted the vet and he says to continue what I'm doing - get her bound up with Ensal, keep her fluid intake up, and offer her ANYTHING and EVERYTHING in order to get some nutrition into her. I went to the shops and came home with nine different kinds of wet food.
And then, you know you're a crazy cat lady when..., I sat on the floor of the laundry and hand fed her for two hours tonight. She got through about 3/4 of a can of wet cat food (turkey was the winner). She's more alert and responsive, purring. I've given her another dose of Ensal and am leaving her to rest for the night. Poor thing, still nursing three fat kittens while feeling like absolute rubbish.
I'd appreciate any and all good wishes for her. I am hoping she manages to shake whatever this is very, very soon (yes, I'm taking her poo to work tomorrow to check for Salmonella). It is so taxing on her body to be nursing and unable to eat. After the traumatic loss of Trifecta, I'm having a hard time not panicking, but the vet reassured me that this is the best way to proceed for now. If she doesn't resume eating properly in the next 24 hours, I'll have to consider supplement bottle feeding the little ones to give her body a break.
I SO hope this isn't Salmonella. If it is, what am I going to do? I don't want to give up fostering, but I can't put all of these cats at risk by being in my infected house!
I noticed she was off her food the last couple of days, but chalked it up to the fact that I had run out of her super posh wet food and she was stuck with her normally posh dry food. I literally just hadn't had the time to get to the store and get more wet stuff, so thought she could suffer through. That made her eating drop off probably around Sunday night/Monday morning.
Then yesterday I was gone all day, she was normal in the morning before I left, as I had uni orientation, plus work til 9 pm. I got home and DH said he thought she had vomited in the laundry. Went in, looked like vomit - clear, tinted green, so assumed bile. It was immediately obvious that she wasn't feeling well. She usually JUMPS up to see whoever goes in the laundry, but she was lethargic and had visibly lost weight already. While I was visiting with her, she used the litter box and it became obvious that the water-like substance on the tiles was poo, not vomit.
I boiled up a chicken breast for her - she wouldn't touch it. Tried canned tuna, wouldn't touch it. Her favorite wet kitten food, wouldn't touch it.
Thankfully I have some Ensal left from when the kittens gave my dog their Salmonella infection, which is a binding medicine suitable for both cats and dogs. I gave her the lower dose last night (poor thing - the stuff tastes like ground chalk dust!), and got her to drink some water at least. She was still unhappy this morning, only drinking if really forced, more Ensal.
Tonight she is a bit better, but she has already lost so much weight. I can feel her backbone! I've consulted the vet and he says to continue what I'm doing - get her bound up with Ensal, keep her fluid intake up, and offer her ANYTHING and EVERYTHING in order to get some nutrition into her. I went to the shops and came home with nine different kinds of wet food.
And then, you know you're a crazy cat lady when..., I sat on the floor of the laundry and hand fed her for two hours tonight. She got through about 3/4 of a can of wet cat food (turkey was the winner). She's more alert and responsive, purring. I've given her another dose of Ensal and am leaving her to rest for the night. Poor thing, still nursing three fat kittens while feeling like absolute rubbish.
I'd appreciate any and all good wishes for her. I am hoping she manages to shake whatever this is very, very soon (yes, I'm taking her poo to work tomorrow to check for Salmonella). It is so taxing on her body to be nursing and unable to eat. After the traumatic loss of Trifecta, I'm having a hard time not panicking, but the vet reassured me that this is the best way to proceed for now. If she doesn't resume eating properly in the next 24 hours, I'll have to consider supplement bottle feeding the little ones to give her body a break.
I SO hope this isn't Salmonella. If it is, what am I going to do? I don't want to give up fostering, but I can't put all of these cats at risk by being in my infected house!
300x240.png)