sick kitty :(

GraySaturday

I know, I know, there will be someone who says something crude about "sick kitty" but please. I'm serious with this thread:

Anyways, as some of you know, I have three cats. Madeline, Aubrey, and Caitlin.

Aubrey is special needs, as she has IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). She spent the first 5 months of her life living in a glass box at Petsmart. I adopted her, from a shelter who was renting out space at Petsmart to show their cats. Anyways, they were feeding her some generic cat food for months, and she was subject to people starring at her all day, and people bringing dogs in, and such. When we first took her home, we noticed that there were blood spots on the floor. They were little round drips. Nothing like pools of blood. So I took Aubrey to the Emergency Vet. right away. Needless to say, I was told that she has IBS. She has to have special food, for the rest of her life. So I found the right food, I put all of my cats on it, so I wouldn't risk Aubrey eating anything bad for her.

So for months, she seemed to be doing well. Then that pet food recall hit, and lo and behold the one kind of Natural Balance cat food that was recalled was the special kind. So I researched, and came up with a new food that was comparable to the other kind. So, I put Aubrey on that. A few months passed and I started to see the blood spots, but this time they were a lot more frequent. It got so bad, that I refused to keep her on this food. So I called Natural Balance and they told me they released a new food that was the same formula as the old stuff.

Okay fast forward a week. Aubrey has been on the "semi-new" food for a week now, and the blood is still there, and now she is throwing up. It makes me sooooooo sad to see her like this. The doctor tells me this is how its going to be. For some reason I just can't accept that. She leads a stressful life. My other cats sorta pick on each other, but they both love Aubrey and they don't bother her. She never goes outside, ever. And she receives tons of love from us. But my heart breaks for her. She's getting skinny too.

I need some support or something. I don't know what to do for her.

small town beck

:(

I am sorry. I don't know what I can offer other than support. Have you tried more than one vet? A second opinion if you will. I still remember my kitty being sick and staying with him right up until the end. The hardest choice to make but the right one.

Let me know if I can lend an ear, S.

GraySaturday

small town beck wrote:

:(

I am sorry. I don't know what I can offer other than support. Have you tried more than one vet? A second opinion if you will. I still remember my kitty being sick and staying with him right up until the end. The hardest choice to make but the right one.

Let me know if I can lend an ear, S.

Thanks

See, the sad part is, she's young.. she'll only be 2 on Feb 2nd. It just breaks my heart. The good part is, she is still active, she is jumping and running, and not hiding from us, like she is sick.

small town beck

GraySaturday wrote:

Thanks

See, the sad part is, she's young.. she'll only be 2 on Feb 2nd. It just breaks my heart. The good part is, she is still active, she is jumping and running, and not hiding from us, like she is sick.

Well that is a good sign if she is still active. I think. That is young so hopefully she will be ok

josevolution

GraySaturday wrote:

I know, I know, there will be someone who says something crude about "sick kitty" but please. I'm serious with this thread:

Anyways, as some of you know, I have three cats. Madeline, Aubrey, and Caitlin.

Aubrey is special needs, as she has IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). She spent the first 5 months of her life living in a glass box at Petsmart. I adopted her, from a shelter who was renting out space at Petsmart to show their cats. Anyways, they were feeding her some generic cat food for months, and she was subject to people starring at her all day, and people bringing dogs in, and such. When we first took her home, we noticed that there were blood spots on the floor. They were little round drips. Nothing like pools of blood. So I took Aubrey to the Emergency Vet. right away. Needless to say, I was told that she has IBS. She has to have special food, for the rest of her life. So I found the right food, I put all of my cats on it, so I wouldn't risk Aubrey eating anything bad for her.

So for months, she seemed to be doing well. Then that pet food recall hit, and lo and behold the one kind of Natural Balance cat food that was recalled was the special kind. So I researched, and came up with a new food that was comparable to the other kind. So, I put Aubrey on that. A few months passed and I started to see the blood spots, but this time they were a lot more frequent. It got so bad, that I refused to keep her on this food. So I called Natural Balance and they told me they released a new food that was the same formula as the old stuff.

Okay fast forward a week. Aubrey has been on the "semi-new" food for a week now, and the blood is still there, and now she is throwing up. It makes me sooooooo sad to see her like this. The doctor tells me this is how its going to be. For some reason I just can't accept that. She leads a stressful life. My other cats sorta pick on each other, but they both love Aubrey and they don't bother her. She never goes outside, ever. And she receives tons of love from us. But my heart breaks for her. She's getting skinny too.

I need some support or something. I don't know what to do for her.

to me it reads like your doing everything humanly possible to make sure she is getting the best of help i hope it gets better for the kitty ...

redrock

Sorry to hear about your kitty. I have five myself and it is quite distressing seeing them unwell.

Years and years ago, I had a cat with similar problems though probably not as bad as yours. As well as certain foods, my vet proposed slippery elm bark (they were capsules which my cat loved but my other one at the time - who didn't need them - ran away when he just smelled them). That really seemed to help a lot with whatever was coming out from both ends (though no bleeding from mine). Apparently it soothes the intestinal walls, stomach, etc and reduced irritation. Speak to your vet about it, if he/she is fine with alternative medicines. Keep trying different foods until you find one that is suitable. Sometimes you may find that it could be the beef she is sensitive to, or the chicken, etc. A bit trial and error.

AllNiteThing

I can tell you love your kitty, so sorry to hear she hasn't been doing well.

What you need to do is get her off the generic crap that the stores sell. Even if they say it's 'specially made' or 'vet recommended', it's still a lot of filler and junk. It sounds like your kitty has a very sensitive degestive systems and possibly some issues with it.

Best way to 'cure' her is put her on a natural diet. Research it a little on the internet. Not sure about the raw diets out there, though I've read that cats break down bacteria/salmonella that we can't. Regardless, if you want to cook it, it's probably fine, just not overdone. Cook her up chicken, salmon, any kind of fish really and mash it up good. Stay away from cat treats, canned food, etc. It's alright for most cats, but can shorten the average cats lifespan, between the crappy ingredients and periodic contaminations.

Good luck and I hope you take my advice.

releaselauren

I'm sorry to hear about your cat. I have a cat and two dogs so I can relate to how you are feeling.

Have you tried other cat foods, such as Merrick or Nutro? Since my previous dog died from cancer at age 10, I only feed my dogs/cat food that is organic.

If she is stressed out, there are drops you can give her by Bach Flower Essences called "Rescue Remedy" (you can purchase on-line). I have used flower essences for my female dog who I believe has a touch of ADHD and they seem to work (when I remember to give it to her on a regular basis!).

I hope you find a solution soon.

mini_tb

Hopefully you can find some combination that works for your kitty. If not, I know it's a difficult decision to make. It was tough to watch both of the cats I grew up with get progressively worse over the course of their final years. I think you will know when to do what must be done. The hardest thing is that last day. You will find every reason not to do it, but then you find some hidden strength and know you have to do it. Remember the good times.

GraySaturday

ledvedder77 wrote:

It's a difficult decision to make. It was tough to watch both of the cats I grew up with get progressively worse over the course of their final years. I think you will know when to do what must be done. The hardest thing is that last day. You will find every reason not to do it, but then you find some hidden strength and know you have to do it. Remember the good times.

Oh my! I may have given the wrong impression. She isn't dying! Its nearly the same as when a human has IBS. As I said before, she's still a baby, well in my eyes. My vet has NEVER EVER mentioned putting her down. She is a happy happy loving girl. I would never keep a pet alive for my own benefit, but Aubrey is not suffering to that point.

Trailer

josevolution wrote:

to me it reads like your doing everything humanly possible to make sure she is getting the best of help i hope it gets better for the kitty ...

I agree.. I hope you find a way to fix this problem. Atleast the other cats don't pick on her.

redrock

AllNiteThing wrote:

Best way to 'cure' her is put her on a natural diet. Research it a little on the internet. Not sure about the raw diets out there, though I've read that cats break down bacteria/salmonella that we can't. Regardless, if you want to cook it, it's probably fine, just not overdone. Cook her up chicken, salmon, any kind of fish really and mash it up good. Stay away from cat treats, canned food, etc. It's alright for most cats, but can shorten the average cats lifespan, between the crappy ingredients and periodic contaminations.

One has to be so careful when giving cats (I can only speak of cats because that's what I know!) a 'natural' diet. Cooking up some chicken or fish and mashing it up is not sufficient - they need a balanced diet - just like humans, especially when they are ill. Obviously it can be done, but the OP would need to consult a vet who could give her a feeding plan. It would not be reasonable trying to do that on her own.

I do somewhat agree with canned food. Like any other process/ready made food, one needs to read and, more importantly, understand the labels. Some canned/dry foods are very good and balanced and will definitely not shorten the animal's life. But then again, contaminations.....

AllNiteThing

redrock wrote:

One has to be so careful when giving cats (I can only speak of cats because that's what I know!) a 'natural' diet. Cooking up some chicken or fish and mashing it up is not sufficient - they need a balanced diet - just like humans, especially when they are ill. Obviously it can be done, but the OP would need to consult a vet who could give her a feeding plan. It would not be reasonable trying to do that on her own.

I do somewhat agree with canned food. Like any other process/ready made food, one needs to read and, more importantly, understand the labels. Some canned/dry foods are very good and balanced and will definitely not shorten the animal's life. But then again, contaminations.....

This is true, they do need more than just animal flesh, that we eat. Cats are predominantly carnivores, but they will eat the whole animal, so they get a lot more nutrients than what is just in the typical meat we eat. There are great plans online that include a lot of what cats typically need. Of course, it would be good to consult with a vet about it too. I've found a lot of them really push Science Diet though, which I've read a LOT of bad stuff about. SD funds a lot of Vet schools, so that always rubbed me the wrong way. Of course I feed my cat the typical canned/dry foods (stuff he likes) with the occasional fish/chicken treat, but I strongly believe that a more natural (yet balanced) diet, that more closely resembles what they would get in the wild, would significantly improve the health of anyones house cat. Why do you think we see so much more feline obesity, diabetes and cancer nowadays?

redrock

AllNiteThing wrote:

This is true, they do need more than just animal flesh, that we eat. Cats are predominantly carnivores, but they will eat the whole animal, so they get a lot more nutrients than what is just in the typical meat we eat. There are great plans online that include a lot of what cats typically need. Of course, it would be good to consult with a vet about it too. I've found a lot of them really push Science Diet though, which I've read a LOT of bad stuff about. SD funds a lot of Vet schools, so that always rubbed me the wrong way. Of course I feed my cat the typical canned/dry foods (stuff he likes) with the occasional fish/chicken treat, but I strongly believe that a more natural (yet balanced) diet, that more closely resembles what they would get in the wild, would significantly improve the health of anyones house cat. Why do you think we see so much more feline obesity, diabetes and cancer nowadays?

Agree... my 18 year old cat believes in a 'natural' diet, especially in spring or summer when those lovely little baby birds and lil' mice are around... mmmmmm... crunchy, yet melting in the mouth... protein, calcium, loads of nutrients! Science diet is rubbish.

chiquimonkey

i am so sorry about your kitty! definitely talk to your vet about food alternatives, maybe a homemade diet of chicken and fish along with some vitamin supplement stuff might help?

i had a cat that died of cancer a little under 2 years ago so i really feel for anybody that has an ill pet.

all the best to you, it sounds like you are doing a great job doing all you can for her

Stone Is God

IBS for cats? I've worked in the pet industry for 15 years and I have never heard of such a thing.

First of you want to stay away from all of the foods that were in the recall. If you saw some of the shit they put into animal foods you'd puke. I have seen it and it's nasty. Stay with all natural and organic foods such as Wellness and Merrick. Anything that is high end should do the trick.

Most of the higher end canned cat food is also good. Shit like Fancy Feast and that type of stuff is a waste of your money.

You might want to also try something along the lines of this:

http://store.vetsbest.com/shopcats.html#lube

This line is very successful for us and the founder of the company and the person who creates all off these products is a former vet.

I'd also take the cat to a different vet, for another opinion. Like I said, I have never, ever heard of IBS for cats and I work with some of the most advance companies nutrition wise in the industry.

Stone Is God

AllNiteThing wrote:

This is true, they do need more than just animal flesh, that we eat. Cats are predominantly carnivores, but they will eat the whole animal, so they get a lot more nutrients than what is just in the typical meat we eat. There are great plans online that include a lot of what cats typically need. Of course, it would be good to consult with a vet about it too. I've found a lot of them really push Science Diet though, which I've read a LOT of bad stuff about. SD funds a lot of Vet schools, so that always rubbed me the wrong way. Of course I feed my cat the typical canned/dry foods (stuff he likes) with the occasional fish/chicken treat, but I strongly believe that a more natural (yet balanced) diet, that more closely resembles what they would get in the wild, would significantly improve the health of anyones house cat. Why do you think we see so much more feline obesity, diabetes and cancer nowadays?

Vets only take one course of nutrition in school also. That's why they push SD. I'm finding more and more vets, though, are starting to go the holistic route.

GraySaturday

thank you all for your feed back.

This is the food that my cats are currently on:

http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/catformulas/DuckCat.html

Brain of J.Lo

GraySaturday wrote:

I know, I know, there will be someone who says something crude about "sick kitty" but please. I'm serious with this thread:

Anyways, as some of you know, I have three cats. Madeline, Aubrey, and Caitlin.

Aubrey is special needs, as she has IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). She spent the first 5 months of her life living in a glass box at Petsmart. I adopted her, from a shelter who was renting out space at Petsmart to show their cats. Anyways, they were feeding her some generic cat food for months, and she was subject to people starring at her all day, and people bringing dogs in, and such. When we first took her home, we noticed that there were blood spots on the floor. They were little round drips. Nothing like pools of blood. So I took Aubrey to the Emergency Vet. right away. Needless to say, I was told that she has IBS. She has to have special food, for the rest of her life. So I found the right food, I put all of my cats on it, so I wouldn't risk Aubrey eating anything bad for her.

So for months, she seemed to be doing well. Then that pet food recall hit, and lo and behold the one kind of Natural Balance cat food that was recalled was the special kind. So I researched, and came up with a new food that was comparable to the other kind. So, I put Aubrey on that. A few months passed and I started to see the blood spots, but this time they were a lot more frequent. It got so bad, that I refused to keep her on this food. So I called Natural Balance and they told me they released a new food that was the same formula as the old stuff.

Okay fast forward a week. Aubrey has been on the "semi-new" food for a week now, and the blood is still there, and now she is throwing up. It makes me sooooooo sad to see her like this. The doctor tells me this is how its going to be. For some reason I just can't accept that. She leads a stressful life. My other cats sorta pick on each other, but they both love Aubrey and they don't bother her. She never goes outside, ever. And she receives tons of love from us. But my heart breaks for her. She's getting skinny too.

I need some support or something. I don't know what to do for her.

Big hugs for your kitty.

It's really hard to watch an ill pet. It's especially sad because they can't tell you if they're hurting, and you can't tell them that they're gonna be ok. :( Just keep giving her lots of love.

I agree that it sounds like a good sign that she's still active and social. I think that is SUCH a big indication of their overall health and well-being.

redrock

Stone Is God wrote:

IBS for cats? I've worked in the pet industry for 15 years and I have never heard of such a thing.

It is actually quite 'common' in animals, cats in particular. Though the official name of the complaint is feline inflammatory bowel disease - that's what my cat had. I was lucky to have a vet that did offer holistic treatment, thus advising on the slippery elm bark, among other things.

redrock

GraySaturday wrote:

thank you all for your feed back.

This is the food that my cats are currently on:

http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/catformulas/DuckCat.html

Duck! I remember my kitty with problems had duck stuff too - not chicken because for some reason that wasn't good, but duck was!

GraySaturday

redrock wrote:

Duck! I remember my kitty with problems had duck stuff too - not chicken because for some reason that wasn't good, but duck was!

Yeah this food is supposed to be good, because of the grain free formula, and less filler. And duck is supposed to be good for them. Its only been a week on this new food. I know my other 2 cats think its pretty damn tasty!

redrock

GraySaturday wrote:

I know my other 2 cats think its pretty damn tasty!

My dad has the same problem with his cats. One of them has mega kidney problems and has to be on a special (and expensive!) diet. The other two cats like that much better than their stuff so now, after asking the vet just to be sure, the other cats eat the same real tasty food! Best fed cats in Belgium (where my dad lives)!

Stone Is God

redrock wrote:

It is actually quite 'common' in animals, cats in particular. Though the official name of the complaint is feline inflammatory bowel disease - that's what my cat had. I was lucky to have a vet that did offer holistic treatment, thus advising on the slippery elm bark, among other things.

I knew that cats urinary tracks and digestive tracts can be sensitive but I was unaware of that disease. Thanks for the enlightenment. It has been a few years since I've been out in the field.

worlie

Have they done an xray? Maybe her intestines are twisted or something? I have also heard that the inexpensive fish oil capsules (omega 3) is good for them, and they love it. Just dont kiss em. Haha.

My tabby and siamese are both on science diet, both love it, and are shiny and healthy, with the occasional furball.

edvedder913

GraySaturday wrote:

Thanks

See, the sad part is, she's young.. she'll only be 2 on Feb 2nd. It just breaks my heart. The good part is, she is still active, she is jumping and running, and not hiding from us, like she is sick.

you are breaking my heart. my favorite dog was put down at age 3 b/c he had cancerthat spread throughout his body. when they are so young it is really unexpected and extra heartbreaking.
last year i put my favorite kitty Matilda to sleep - she developed a tumor in her mouth and became so ill so fast - 3 weeks - no time to even grasp what was happening.
so i understand your sorrow.....
hopefully she is just in a bad phase and will be all better soon. it is apparent that you are doing your best to get her better.
chin up and good luck

redrock

Stone Is God wrote:

I knew that cats urinary tracks and digestive tracts can be sensitive but I was unaware of that disease. Thanks for the enlightenment. It has been a few years since I've been out in the field.

They're just like us! Stressed out and IBS! I never heard about rodent ulcers in cats until mine had one and it ate away at her lower jaw - like a tumour :( Found out humans can get something similar too. So basically, I guess what we get, they can have. I remember my vet telling me to put suncream on my calico's ears because they were white!

Drop The Leash 10

awww, sorry to hear about your cat. :( my cat eats 25% cat food and 75% animals she finds out side.


keep the faith.

Stone Is God

redrock wrote:

They're just like us! Stressed out and IBS! I never heard about rodent ulcers in cats until mine had one and it ate away at her lower jaw - like a tumour :( Found out humans can get something similar too. So basically, I guess what we get, they can have. I remember my vet telling me to put suncream on my calico's ears because they were white!

God, I love my industry! If we were talking about this stuff 10 years ago people would have though we were nuts.

Another rule of thumb to live by as far as pet foods are concerned is as soon as they are scooped up or bought out by a bigger company (i.e. Iams and Proctor & Gamble) their foods will go down hill. Cheapen the food + sell it at the same price = higher profits.

Was the sunblock SPF 30 or 50?

GraySaturday

Drop The Leash 10 wrote:

awww, sorry to hear about your cat. :( my cat eats 25% cat food and 75% animals she finds out side.


keep the faith.

Your post actually made me laugh. Thanks, I needed that.. Keep the faith.. haha!

RolandTD20Kdrummer

Just in case...but the obvious

http://www.google.ca/search?q=IBS+cats&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

in particular:
http://www.flippyscatpage.com/felineibs.html

lots of stories and remedies out there..