Journal Entry: September 12, 2009
Took Simone to the vet in the morning; she meowed, roared, and hissed the whole time that she was on the exam table. Dr. C. was amazed at how well she was doing and said that she could be the poster cat for CRF; no tests today and next appointment will be in about 6 months. Simone has really perked up: purrs, snuggles, follows me, occasionally greets me; grooms herself, good appetite, drinks from fountain regularly. Estimate 80 to 85% comeback.
In addition to the right medications, the most important imperative for Simone was to get her to eat regularly. After getting sick, she had lost several pounds. From the time she was a kitten, she loved and craved tuna fish. I knew she would go for it now. Even though the tuna was not the healthiest food she could eat (high mercury, PCB's, etc.), it was the best choice for her at that time. At the vet's suggestion, I also started her out with Purina NF. I mixed about equal amounts together. She got fed twice a day (about 2 oz. per meal) after administering the medicines, supplements, and sub-Q fluid. Simone loved that breakfast and supper, usually downing each meal. When she occasionally didn't eat, that was a tell-tale sign that she wasn't feeling well and something was wrong. Over the months, there were times when she didn't eat much or threw up her meal. The causes varied from reactions to supplements or medications, tainted/spoiled food, upset stomach, or food revulsion. During those times, I adjusted or eliminated medicines, cutback on supplements, and paid closer attention to spoiled food or sanitation (cleaning her dishes, silverware, or syringes). To be on the extra safe side, I started sanitizing the supplies used for force-feeding using ethyl alcohol. But, and here's the big but, ethyl alcohol is toxic to cats! So, it has to thoroughly be rinsed off any utensil used for a cat's food and medication to avoid ingesting it. CRF is bad enough; you don't want to poison your cat at the same time!
Simone, the typical Siamese cat, unpredictably changes her taste in food. After a few months of loving the Purina NF, one day she turned her nose up at it. Then the next day she turned her nose up again. Finally, I gave up and turned to IAMS white fish in a can. She love it, again mixed with her absolute favorite, tuna. But eventually the IAMS company changed its formula, so I switched to the much cheaper and more consistent Friskies ocean fish. Simone didn't seem to notice the change and continued to eat well.
Next up, continued symptoms of CRF in Simone and the importance of fresh water. Purr on!!!
Simone & Me
"Man is the only animal that blushes or needs to."
>< Mark Twain
No comments:
Post a Comment