RE: Cat health question

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GreedyTop -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 7:05:48 AM)
tazzy.. I think if you both make an attempt at trying to make things as normal as possible (and yeah.. the emotional aspect needs to be considered/worked on), then she will come out. I think she is probably feeling the emotional upheaval and may be reacting to that as much as anything she may be feeling physically.. I could be wrong.. I know Amos was acting freakier than normal the days leading up to me taking Gracious in..

tazzygirl -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 7:31:10 AM)
I tried to "starve" her out. But, after 18 hours and not being sure she was coming out at night, I got worried and moved her food. Should I have done that? We are also interacting alot by way of hanging over the side of the bed. She will only stick her head out, but I thought she needed the reassurance of being petted alot. Frankly, Im not sure what I am doing is right.

TheFireWithinMe -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 7:37:55 AM)
I think just leaving her alone and going about your lives is the way to go. Just let her come out when SHE wants to. I think hanging out all the time is just adding stress, she clearly wants to be left alone.

tazzygirl -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 7:43:13 AM)
Ok. That i can understand. What about the food? Should we wait her out or leave it at the bedside?

xxblushesxx -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 7:49:11 AM)
I'd leave it near the bed, maybe not by the bedside, but in the same room along with fresh water. But change it every day (or twice a day) they won't eat stale food. How often does she go to the vet? Could she still be mad about the car ride and the indignities she suffered at the vet? (Some cats carry grudges for a while. The dogs are just glad to be home!)

tazzygirl -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 7:52:14 AM)
The vet hurt her... he had no choice, but he did hurt her. Then, the man had to leave once the vet spoke about cancer. So the tech put Binxie back into the crate. I think that may have been a bigger issue than the pain. Binxie was crying, and while John would talk to her, he didnt take her out till we got home... and under the bed she went. She hasnt been out since.

TheFireWithinMe -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 7:54:57 AM)
That's a tough one. I've done both. When I first got Maggie she was really freaked out - having never seen humans before being brought to the SPCA. I put out food nearby and basically left her alone. Eventually she came out and ate. On the other hand when Max my second cat was in pain because of arthritis in his hip and spent his days lying on my bathroom floor I brought it to him. Does Binxie eat if the food is a little ways from the bed? I wonder if she is simply in too much pain to walk; the bitch of it with cats is they hide pain well. How is Dinnardin at this point, does he still refuse to consider amputation? I do think it's something to consider; cats adapt remarkably well and it might well buy her a good chunk of time. Did the vet give you an estimate of how much time it might buy? Sorry if that's been answered already. love to you both. Fire

xxblushesxx -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 8:34:37 AM)
Will a bit of tuna or her favorite treat tempt her out? I would worry if she wouldn't even eat that when left alone. If that is the case, you'll need to call your vet again to see what he suggests.

tazzygirl -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 9:06:07 AM)
blushes... we put the food out for her by the bed and she devoured it. Fire... the Vet saw spots on her lungs. He said if not for that, he would recommend amputation. And the man isnt dealing well yet. I told him about this thread. Dont know if he can handle reading it.

lizi -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 9:27:38 AM)
A couple of years ago our 17 year old cat was diagnosed with cancer. She seemed fine and then was just being very droopy - we took her in and found out about the cancer. Obviously at her age there wasn't much to do except wait for the end. I watched her carefully to see when the right time was. She slowed down quite a bit over the next few weeks, and I started carrying her up the stairs and to her food dish and to be up on the bed with me. She seemed to want to be with us still, I used that as my guideline. When the day came that she refused water and food I took her in to be put down. We had decided previously to have her cremated and have them scatter her ashes in a nearby orchard, it was a service you could ask for. The boys didn't want the ashes, which was ok with me too but you can keep them if you want. A friend of mine has many boxes with her animals ashes in them, she wants them buried with her when the time comes. My deepest sympathies.

TheFireWithinMe -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 9:32:59 AM)
Sorry Taz I guess I misunderstood. I thought the vet was suggesting amputation but you guys decided it's not an option. I would get proper films of the lungs to clarify since the mets to the lungs are a contraindication to amputation.

xxblushesxx -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 9:38:51 AM)
Ok, well...depending on your feelings, you may want to start moving the food a foot or two away each day or every other day until you have it someplace that's reasonable to you. (like against the wall in the same room for instance) It sounds to me like she may not be used to riding in the car or going to the vet, so she's unhappy about that, plus...everyone is acting kinda weird (to her) right now. Hopefully with a little time to be left alone, she'll come around. Just keep the room quiet and dark(ish), and when you're in there go on about your business pretending to ignore the fact that she's in there. She should eventually come to you. You may want to spend some quiet time in there every day, reading a book, sewing, or something that keeps you quietly occupied. Cats are very curious...

Duskypearls -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 11:16:24 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: tazzygirl Thank you for the cloth suggestion, We are going to try that. Binxie wont come out, except to stick her head out to be scritched. She is purring and her tail is twitching. But she wont come out. I finally got her to drink some milk yesterday, and she finally ate food as well. We had to put the food out beside the bed. The man tried to pull her out... that didnt go over well, she started hissing. Am I right in thinking it has to be her idea.. and she may never get that idea? Whether she will get the idea or not remains to be seen. All you can do is support and enourage her, but never force, as it will only compound the stress and fear factor. Animals know how to protect and take care of themselves. All you have to do is watch them, give them their space, and bring calm and healing to your own mental/emotional issues regarding this, and she will come out when she feels safe enough. The flower essences can be helpful, and can be put in their food/beverages. If you do not know how to make up a treatment bottle of them, PM me privately for instructions.

GreedyTop -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 11:20:14 AM)
one of my former vets (adn still my go to for advice) said this how to determine when it is time" If the furrbaby stops eating, or paying ANY attention to the things she/he used to get all excited for..if the fuzzbutt is showing signs of pain: in essence, if your furrykid NO LONGER HAS QUALITY of life... then it is time"

LookieNoNookie -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 11:22:50 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: tazzygirl We took her to the vet today. Its bone cancer. The vet thinks it may have spread to her lungs already. A shot of antibiotics and a shot of pain meds and she is home. The man is not taking it well, understandably. Just wanted to thank everyone for their advice. I lost 2 in the last year....had them both for a verrrrrry long time.....little signs like you caught completely eluded me and then (for selfish reasons) I didn't make "the right" decision on either of them until they were in pain that was more than obvious. I kept thinking there was something I could do.....$5,000.00 on one, $4,000.00 on the other. It was their time. I didn't mind spending the money....I was mad as hell at myself for not being more aware, moreover, for allowing them to suffer because I didn't want them to go. My heart goes out to you.

Duskypearls -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 11:25:41 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: tazzygirl I tried to "starve" her out. But, after 18 hours and not being sure she was coming out at night, I got worried and moved her food. Should I have done that? We are also interacting alot by way of hanging over the side of the bed. She will only stick her head out, but I thought she needed the reassurance of being petted alot. Frankly, Im not sure what I am doing is right. I would never suggest starving a cat out, especially a sick one, as cats are EXTREMELY prone to Hepatic Lipidosis from a lack of food, which can be deadly. Allow her her space and choice of being under the bed, and try to find a balance between the amount of attention and physical contact you give her, and encouraging her to come out. Too much supporting of her fearful behavior, by constantly making all petting/feeding happen under the bed may teach her to stay there. you want her to face and overcome her fear. Make it safe for her to do so. Perhaps moving her food/beverage bowls a littler further away from the bed each time may help. Keeping the bedroom door open and communicating to her from outside the bedroom may help. Get you and your man to work on feeling and releasing your feelings regarding the cancer and it's possible outcomes. The longer you leave them unaddressed, the longer they will create the "big, bad block" in your household, which is greatly disturbing the cats.

leonine -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 12:13:47 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: TheFireWithinMe I think just leaving her alone and going about your lives is the way to go. Just let her come out when SHE wants to. I think hanging out all the time is just adding stress, she clearly wants to be left alone. Cats tend to go off and hide when they feel ill, it's often the first way you find that something's wrong. She probably feels safer where she is. You have my sympathy. We had to have our oldest furchild put down last year, she was just lying in the sun on the windowsill too ill to care about the vet sliding a needle into her paw, then off to sleep. We were the ones that hurt.

lizi -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 12:38:01 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: GreedyTop one of my former vets (adn still my go to for advice) said this how to determine when it is time" If the furrbaby stops eating, or paying ANY attention to the things she/he used to get all excited for..if the fuzzbutt is showing signs of pain: in essence, if your furrykid NO LONGER HAS QUALITY of life... then it is time" Thanks for posting this Greedy. I guess that's what I thought at the time, and it's nice to have it confirmed as the way to go about things. I could tell she still wanted us and our presence, even though she was very weak, plus she was still eating and drinking so....well, it's just nice to think that I didn't make her wait too long.

TheFireWithinMe -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 12:41:43 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: leonine quote: ORIGINAL: TheFireWithinMe I think just leaving her alone and going about your lives is the way to go. Just let her come out when SHE wants to. I think hanging out all the time is just adding stress, she clearly wants to be left alone. Cats tend to go off and hide when they feel ill, it's often the first way you find that something's wrong. She probably feels safer where she is. You have my sympathy. We had to have our oldest furchild put down last year, she was just lying in the sun on the windowsill too ill to care about the vet sliding a needle into her paw, then off to sleep. We were the ones that hurt. Mine went and lay down in the bathroom. I suspected illness because he never showed signs of being in pain. It took doing an xray to diagnose him.

soul2share -> RE: Cat health question (11/20/2011 6:28:55 PM)
Tazzy, if it doesn't bother you two, just push the food under the bed to her. Keep water under there also. DOn't force her out from under there, she obviously needs the time alone. But if she doesn't come out, then I'd call the vet again. It could be that all the manipulation at the vet has hurt her and brought on pain that she wasn't feeling before. Cancer moves so quickly in cats, rarely is there even time to do anything proactive to combat the cancer. My sister has lost two cats to it, and one day, the cats were fine, the next, sick. She took them to the vet's, but it was too late to do anything. Both times I lost my cats, they hid from me, it was the first sign they were ill. The vet said it was depression, and that cats do the hiding thing becuase of it. I lost mine to Feline Leukemia, and one was even after she'd gotten the shots. My heart goes out to both of you. I know this decision isn't easy, and if Dinnardin is separating himself from it because of his pain, (which is perfectly normal), then you're going to have to be the brave one. I don't envy you at all, sweetie.

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