Cat problems coming like buses

[vilakins]

First Ashley got blood in her urine so we took her in on Sunday (Monday being a holiday - our cats always seem to get ill on weekends) and after getting painkillers and pills for her cystitis, brought her back home. She improved a lot and got her scampery playfulness back. So far, so good.

Then two days ago, after he and Ashley had enjoyed their dinner, Sebastian jumped up on the stool by me as he likes to do when we're watching telly, then suddenly started circling anticlockwise. We were puzzled, but when Greg put him down on the floor, his legs, especially on the left side, were all floppy. I googled and the symptoms indicated vestibular disease which has sudden onset and comes right over a couple of weeks. Sebastian was panicked and panting, but we calmed him down and took him to the vet the nest morning, yesterday. He's still there as they want to know what might have caused it so they're doing tests, and he needed to go on a drip as he lacked the coordination to drink properly here, spilling the water all over the floor. We'll probably get him back tomorrow, but they'll give us a big crate to confine him so he doesn't accidentally hurt himself.

Ashley went back today for more tests as they wanted to be sure there wasn't a kidney problem, so they're both there right now.

Greg, who usually does the pilling, will be away for two weeks from next Monday and I'm so not looking forward to doing them and dealing with poor floppy Seb on my own. Sooo stressed about it all happening at once.

Comments

[astrogirl]

Poor kitties! I wish them all the best, including very quick recoveries.

And, I swear, all cats have a propensity to get sick on weekends. And especially holiday weekends. Mine always picked the times when my work shifts were maximally inconvenient for making vet appointments, too.

[vilakins]

Sebastian's staying in another day, maybe more. Ashley is back with us and reeling drunkenly around the place, poor little thing, because they sedated her for an ultrasound (which was all clear). She falls over when she turns corners. :P

[eve11]

Oh no, poor kitties! Pilling is the worst, maybe you can find a liquid suspension or something instead.

[vilakins]

I have liquid antibiotic and painkiller for Ashley I can squirt down her throat, but the capsules for her and Sebastian (different ones for each) I'll have to open and mix into their food. Sebastian will probably eat his, being a garbage-guts, but I'll have to put Ashley's in her favourite, yogurt, and hope for the best.

[gwendraith]

Poor kitties, I'm so sorry. I hope Ashely and Sebastion will soon be back to their old selves. I think you are right about things always happening on a weekend! x

[vilakins]

Ashley's sedative has worn off and she's waiting for me to go up to bed (she likes to sleep with me and smooch me when I wake up in the night).

Sebastian will stay another day or two until he's steadier on his feet. It turns out he has FIV - probably born with it - so may be more vulnerable to whatever infection has given him vestibular problems. They're waiting on test results. I just hope he gets over it in the 2-3 weeks googling told me.

[gwendraith]

Oh I'm sorry to hear about the FIV, poor wee thing. I hope he's over his vestbular problem soon.

[vilakins]

I had no idea he had anything like that. He's always been fairly healthy, unlike Jasmin who had several infections.

[kerravonsen]

(hugs)

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, poor Ashley and Sebastian! I hoep they both recover well - and good luck with dealing with them! <3

[vilakins]

They both home now . We picked up Sebastian today and thought they said he hadn't improved, he's really perked up since he got back. I think he was really stressed there.

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, glad to hear it! POor Sebastian!

[zoefruitcake]

Oh no, that sounds very alarming. I do hope that they are both ok.

Are you able to get hold of this stuff? https://vetpost.co.nz/easypill-cat-4-x-10g/
It has revolutionised dosing Quincy twice a day as he thinks they are treats and just wolfs them down

[vilakins]

Ha, I buy stuff from that site; it's very good! I got a pill popper when we picked Sebastian up (they stock those too BTW - https://vetpost.co.nz/pill-popper-tablet-introducer-soft-tip/) which should help. I see the pill pockets are out of stock, and the vet assistant, who misunderstood when I asked for a pill popper, said they've been discontinued. It's not always that easy to buy things here.

[katriona_s]

Ohhhh this is not good. Poor Ashley and Sebastian! I really hope they would be fine soon!! My heart is with you, dear friend!

[vilakins]

They're both home now, and though they said Sebastian was no better, he's improved vastly once we got him back today. I think he was stressed there, and of course he couldn't move much in the cage.

[katriona_s]

Good! Oh I understand, being in the hospital is a big stress for animals though the medical staffs take care ofit well.

[jaxomsride2]

They usually do seem to time it for the weekend in our house too!
I hope they both get better soon.

[vilakins]

Ashley's back, on meds, and is getting better. Sebastian probably comes home today. He hasn't improved yet but I hope he'll perk up back here. Greg's brother's family was told to say goodbye to their cat with FIV, but that was two years ago - she got much better once she got home. I'm hoping for that.

[kalypso]

Very sorry Ashley and Sebastian have both been ill, and hope they're better soon. And really sorry you have to do the pilling on your own. The only reason Rosie lived as long as she did was that my neighbour came round every day to help me shoot a pill down her throat, and last month I was terrified after the vets said that Abby's heart murmur was getting worse that we'd be back in that territory. Fortunately a heart scan suggested that she's still functioning normally, so I don't have to give her anything.

[vilakins]

That's a relief. I think Ashley has a heart murmur but they're more concerned about her kidneys beginning to have problems.

Ashley has some liquid antibiotic and painkiller which I can manage to give her. The different capsules they both have to have though I'll have to open and mix into their food and hope they eat it. There may be more tuna (and yogurt for Ashley) in their diet to make sure they eat all their meals, which isn't great for them, but it's better than them not getting their doses.

[vilakins]

I now have a pill-popper which should help with pilling them on my own. I'm feeling a bit more confident now.

[kalypso]

I hope it works! With Rosie, it took one person to hold her still and one to hold her mouth open and shoot the pill at the back of her throat with a sort of plastic syringe. And Abby is no more docile when it comes to medicine. I hope yours are better behaved.

Abby is a very picky eater, and it's difficult to predict what she'll eat. The best bet at the moment is to drench it in Lick-e-lix (yoghurty sauce).

[vilakins]

That's what the pill popper is - a small plastic syringe for pills. Ashley loves yogurt so I could probably put her dose in some, but they said Sebastian's would have an unpleasant flavour. Ours aren't that bad but Greg does what the vets do - pop the pill in with his fingers, something I'm not willing to risk. Previous cats have also kept the pill in their mouth still it foamed and was spat out: oy.

[vera_j]

Oh dear, I am late here due to unpleasant and still unsolved problems with my PC....Oh dear, I am so sorry! Poor Ashley, poor Sebastian and poor you... I join the others to send you the good vibes. But no matter what, I know how worried you are. HUGS HUGS HUGS

[vilakins]

They're both home now and improving. I can see Ashley pacing on the deck in the sun, with a monarch butterfly overhead. Sebastian is lying on the floor in this room near me. They said he hadn't improved at all at the vets and was still circling, but we brought him home yesterday and though he circled at first, he's been going in straight lines since, They suspect either toxoplasmosis (which we have pills for) which caused neurological problems or a stroke. Anyway, he seems to be getting better, though he's sleeping a lot which will help his brain heal. He's had his tail up like in the icon (we call him a little teapot because it curves like a handle) so that's a sign he's happy.

[vera_j]

Sebastian id a fighter and home is just home - the love can make the difference. I do hope he will keep recovering. Give my loving strokes both of them from me, please.