 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsGeneral TopicsCat AnecdotesHealth and BehaviorRescue CatKB.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / March 2006Purrs for Natasha
FOOD WARNING! This subject of this message may turn you off your food, so don't read while eating! Natasha gave me a bit of a fright Friday night. Around dinner time I came across evidence she'd thrown up food a couple times earlier (no idea how much earlier). Through the next few hours she also threw up clear liquid, sometimes with a little froth. To me this meant she had a hairball she was having trouble getting up, as this has been the case in the past. The fright came when I realized that not only was she drooling quite a bit, she was also having full body contractions every couple minutes while trying to have a BM but wasn't getting anywhere with that. I tried to help her relax, thinking that might ease things along, but no luck. And so after a couple more hours of this, and me thinking she might hurt herself with all the straining, and a short phone conversation with TED, we made a nighttime visit to his office. He took one look, grabbed the gloves and the K-Y jelly, and inserted one finger. I don't think I've ever seen such a large ball of fecal material emerge from such a small creature - quite literally a "stopper". The vet said that a younger cat would have probably eventually passed it, but given her relative strength due to her age it wasn't too likely she'd have done it on her own. So Natasha got an enema to clear her out (she had a couple other large-ish plugs in the pipeline that he had to extract manually), fluids for dehydration, a shot of something for any nausea (the vet said he didn't know that she had that, but it was likely because he'd certainly be after throwing up that much!), and something else to help soften anything else remaining. Then he cleaned her up (a nice guy!), and then listened to her heart (concerned about any strain from the straining). He said that things sounded good, then gave her a pat and added "poor little thing, you just wore yourself out, didn't you?" Today Natasha has been pretty much hanging around in her bed, snoozing off and on. She hasn't had much interest in food, but has been drinking and paid a couple visits to the litter box. I suspect she's got some very sore muscles today! So a few spare purrs for Natasha to feel better soon! (or at least *eat* something in the next 24 hours or so!) Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha ============ http://www.jhedge.com Just to add - there wasn't any sign at all that a hairball was related to any of her troubles. Pretty strange, eh? Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha ============ http://www.jhedge.com > Just to add - there wasn't any sign at all that a hairball was related > to any of her troubles. > > Pretty strange, eh? Many comforting purrs and pets for her. Charleen Mr. Pumpkin who will wash her ears until they are soggy, Aggie Marble who will send good vibes from under the bed, Victor Velcro who will sniff and sniff and sniff until Mr. P bapps him. > Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha > > ============ > http://www.jhedge.com >> Just to add - there wasn't any sign at all that a hairball was related >> to any of her troubles. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >Aggie Marble who will send good vibes from under the bed, >Victor Velcro who will sniff and sniff and sniff until Mr. P bapps him. With all those purrs and other ministrations, she's sure to feel much better very soon! Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha ============ http://www.jhedge.com > Natasha gave me a bit of a fright Friday night. [snip] Poor girl! That must have been painful! But I'll bet she was glad the vet cleaned her out, even though the process couldn't have been very comfortable. Will she need some changes in her diet, to prevent this from happening again? Purrs for Natasha. Joyce > > Natasha gave me a bit of a fright Friday night. [snip] > >Poor girl! That must have been painful! But I'll bet she was glad the >vet cleaned her out, even though the process couldn't have been very >comfortable. She's been ignoring me all day. After all, I'm the one responsible for the indignity of a stranger sticking his finger up her backside! <g> >Will she need some changes in her diet, to prevent this from happening >again? Not really. I'd been giving her anti-hairball treats because she's never liked the paste, but the only prescription resulting from this all was to give her about an inch of the paste (basically, the usual dosage) every day for the next 3. After that, I have to start giving it to her every 2 or 3 days (again, the usual dose) to try to make sure it doesn't happen again. When I'd tried giving her the paste before, I'd put some on her paws - and then she'd stick her feet in the water bowl to get it off better! So I guess either she's going to have to get used to the stuff or I'm going to have to get good at coating her tongue with it. >Purrs for Natasha. Much appreciated :) Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha ============ http://www.jhedge.com > >Will she need some changes in her diet, to prevent this from happening > >again? > Not really. I'd been giving her anti-hairball treats because she's > never liked the paste, but the only prescription resulting from this > all was to give her about an inch of the paste I sounded like she was badly constipated, though, not like she had trouble with hairballs. Or are you saying that hairballs caused the constipation and blockage? I don't know how it is with cats, but one way to prevent (or lessen) constipation in humans is to drink a lot of fluids. When you're dried out, the stool gets hard and can be difficult to pass. Since you said she was dehydrated, I wonder if that had contributed to the problem? Anyway, I sure hope she feels better soon! Joyce >I sounded like she was badly constipated, though, not like she had >trouble with hairballs. Or are you saying that hairballs caused the >constipation and blockage? I was confused about this too, but both the emergency vet hospital vet I talked to on the phone asked if I had any of the hairball paste too. That vet said that that stuff acts as a laxative, and will often work on things other than hairballs. >I don't know how it is with cats, but one way to prevent (or lessen) >constipation in humans is to drink a lot of fluids. When you're dried >out, the stool gets hard and can be difficult to pass. Since you said >she was dehydrated, I wonder if that had contributed to the problem? She eats dry, but she drinks water all the time too. The dehydration was from the vomiting. This is all so confusing sometimes, isn't it? Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha ============ http://www.jhedge.com > When I'd tried giving her the paste before, I'd put some on her paws - > and then she'd stick her feet in the water bowl to get it off better! LOL! She's no fool, is she?  SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) iki (dot) fi Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/ Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki On Sat 04 Mar 2006 08:33:39p, Jeanne Hedge wrote in rec.pets.cats.anecdotes (news:j2fk021qd1uepi8tkbbr4okardr5o8oibd@ 4ax.com): > So a few spare purrs for Natasha to feel better soon! (or at least > *eat* something in the next 24 hours or so!) purrs for Natasha. Being blocked up like that has to be one of the worst things for a cat. My Marley was so constipated that he had enemas quite frequently, and since it wasn't something I could do for him, it meant lots of TED visits, and one TED would do the manual extraction of poo from him. If the anti-hairball treatments don't work, keep in mind that there's medication to help with that. Lactulose - I think I spelled it right. It's been a while. If she gets stopped up again, a little milk might help, unless she's used to milk. Lots of water is key, too. SignatureCheryl >On Sat 04 Mar 2006 08:33:39p, Jeanne Hedge wrote in >rec.pets.cats.anecdotes (news:j2fk021qd1uepi8tkbbr4okardr5o8oibd@ [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >him, it meant lots of TED visits, and one TED would do the manual >extraction of poo from him. Oh, that sounds *so* expensive! But I'm sure Marley felt better after it was all over with - Tasha sure did! >If the anti-hairball treatments don't >work, keep in mind that there's medication to help with that. >Lactulose - I think I spelled it right. It's been a while. If she >gets stopped up again, a little milk might help, unless she's used to >milk. Lots of water is key, too. She hasn't had milk in ages, but she drinks water quite often. I forget the name of the paste the vet gave me (yes, *gave* me - no charge for it on the bill I paid this morning (a benefit of small town life - see the vet in a nighttime emergency, go back to the office to settle the bill the next day)), but I think it was Lax<something or other>. The instructions were all about it being anti-hairball, but when 2 different vets in 2 different locations(1) recommend hairball paste for its laxative properties, I'm not going to argue. I'll keep the medicine you suggest in mind in case this other doesn't work :) (1)I'd called TED's emergency number first, which was to a 24-hour vet hospital in another town - they suggested I talk to my vet directly Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha ============ http://www.jhedge.com >I forget the name of the paste the vet gave me (yes, *gave* me - no >charge for it on the bill I paid this morning (a benefit of small town [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >paste for its laxative properties, I'm not going to argue. I'll keep >the medicine you suggest in mind in case this other doesn't work :) Well, using a hairball remedy as a laxative makes sense, since it gets rid of a hairball by gooping the hairball together so that it slides on through the digestive track. Most of the hairball remedies I have seen have basically been flavored petroleum jelly. SignatureJohn F. Eldredge -- john@jfeldredge.com PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria >>I forget the name of the paste the vet gave me (yes, *gave* me - no >>charge for it on the bill I paid this morning (a benefit of small town [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > on through the digestive track. Most of the hairball remedies I have > seen have basically been flavored petroleum jelly. Type in "hairball medication for cats" on your computer and you will get lots of information. My cat thinks it is a treat. I squeeze about 1/3 inch out and let her lick it off the tube. Then I repeat until she has had about one inch. I run the end of the tube under hot water when I am finished. MLB > I forget the name of the paste the vet gave me (yes, *gave* me - no > charge for it on the bill I paid this morning (a benefit of small town > life - see the vet in a nighttime emergency, go back to the office to > settle the bill the next day)), but I think it was Lax<something or > other>. Laxatone? > The instructions were all about it being anti-hairball, but > when 2 different vets in 2 different locations(1) recommend hairball > paste for its laxative properties, I'm not going to argue. I'll keep > the medicine you suggest in mind in case this other doesn't work :) I think some hairball remedies are designed to make things move on through the system, so maybe they work for both things. Sandy How scary! I'm glad your vet was able to help her so well. Many purrs for a quick recovery. SignatureBritta Purring is an automatic safety valve device for dealing with happiness overflow. Check out pictures of Vino at: http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album > FOOD WARNING! This subject of this message may turn you off your food, > so don't read while eating! [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > ============ > http://www.jhedge.com >How scary! I'm glad your vet was able to help her so well. Many purrs >for a quick recovery. Thanks :) Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha ============ http://www.jhedge.com > FOOD WARNING! This subject of this message may turn you off your food, > so don't read while eating! [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > ============ > http://www.jhedge.com Oh mega purrs for the poor baby!!!!! Oh dear :( Give her extra kissies and skritchies for me. Maybe when she is over this you should put her on laxatone regulary to keep things moving. Poor dear. >Oh mega purrs for the poor baby!!!!! Oh dear :( Give her extra kissies >and skritchies for me. Maybe when she is over this you should put her >on laxatone regulary to keep things moving. Poor dear. Will do, and already doing! :) Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha ============ http://www.jhedge.com Thanks for the warning. Tell poor Natasha we're all purring for her to feel good soon. aw, poor sweet Natasha. We will purr and pray that she starts feeling better soon. Lily & her mama SignatureIrulan from the stars we come to the stars we return from now until the end of time > FOOD WARNING! This subject of this message may turn you off your food, > so don't read while eating! [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > ============ > http://www.jhedge.com > FOOD WARNING! This subject of this message may turn you off your food, > so don't read while eating! [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > ============ > http://www.jhedge.com Poor baby, bless her little bottom so she doesn't have any more blockages. MLB <snip> > So a few spare purrs for Natasha to feel better soon! (or at least > *eat* something in the next 24 hours or so!) Many feel-better and good-appetite purrs on the way for Natasha. Poor girl, what an ordeal! Your TED sounds very nice. SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) iki (dot) fi Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/ Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki >FOOD WARNING! This subject of this message may turn you off your food, >so don't read while eating! [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] >============ >http://www.jhedge.com I'm sure that thanks to the ...err... expert intervention of your vet (who sound like he knows what he's doing!) Natasha will be back to herself pretty quickly. Her poor digestive tract must be feeling out of sorts after her ordeal! She just needs some time to feel better; then she'll be back to eating as usual, I'm sure. I'm glad it wasn't anything more serious (although left untreated, it would have been, I'm sure). Many purrs on the way for Natasha to feel better soon! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Life without cats would be only marginally worth living." -TC, and the unmercifully, relentlessly, sweet calico kitty, Kenzie. How you behave towards cats here below determines your status in Heaven. - Robert Heinlein Life is very difficult. Once you understand that, life becomes easier. -Buddha Poor Natasha! Hope she is feeling much better. sandra <snip> > So a few spare purrs for Natasha to feel better soon! (or at least > *eat* something in the next 24 hours or so!) Lots of purrs for Natasha, I'm so glad you took her to the vet when you did. I'm sure she'll soon bounce back. SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera) A House is not a home, without a cat. http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk >FOOD WARNING! This subject of this message may turn you off your food, >so don't read while eating! [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] >============ >http://www.jhedge.com Poor baby! Glad she got all cleaned out and is feeling a little better. Purrs that she feel all better soon. Ginger-lyn Home Pages: http://www.moonsummer.com http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats) http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~summer/index.htm (genealogy) http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against Animals in Movies Website) Hope Natasha is better by now, poor thing! purrs, Christine and Oreo, Midnight, Robin & Tucker > FOOD WARNING! This subject of this message may turn you off your food, > so don't read while eating! [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > ============ > http://www.jhedge.com Purrs on the way. Ann Signatureread Sam's blog at http://kittens-3.blogspot.com/ see pictures of Sam at http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ann791/my_photos > FOOD WARNING! This subject of this message may turn you off your food, > so don't read while eating! [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > ============ > http://www.jhedge.com Poor baby!! Hope she is feeling better today, you certainly did the right thing getting her off to the ted, I'm so glad you did; hate to think what could have happened! > FOOD WARNING! This subject of this message may turn you off your food, > so don't read while eating! [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > ============ > http://www.jhedge.com > FOOD WARNING! This subject of this message may turn you off your food, > so don't read while eating! [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > ============ > http://www.jhedge.com Purrs for Natasha to feel better quickly! SignatureSam, closely supervised by Mistletoe Oh, poor baby! Purrs for Natasha are on the way. SignatureHugs, CatNipped See all my masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/ > FOOD WARNING! This subject of this message may turn you off your food, > so don't read while eating! [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > ============ > http://www.jhedge.com > FOOD WARNING! This subject of this message may turn you off your food, > so don't read while eating! [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > bit, she was also having full body contractions every couple minutes > while trying to have a BM but wasn't getting anywhere with that. <snip> > Today Natasha has been pretty much hanging around in her bed, snoozing > off and on. She hasn't had much interest in food, but has been [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > ============ > http://www.jhedge.com Poor Natasha! Lots and lots of calming purrs and gentle hugs, Polonca and Soncek By Monday Natasha was obviously feeling much better and finally back to all her normal activities in all respects - save one. She still hadn't had a BM on her own. I called TED, who said that since her food (feline K/D) was highly digestable and that he'd "cleaned her out pretty good" during our emergency visit on Friday night he thought she just needed a bit more time to "fill up". Just in case I was to keep giving her the Cat Lax (the product he gave me for which all package instructions had to do with dealing with hairballs) every day until she had one (instead of backing off to every 3-4 days). I saw this vet at a social gathering yesterday, and he came over specifically to ask me how she was doing - isn't that nice? So today, one full week later(!) Natasha had her BM! FINALLY! I feel like the parent of a newborn who wants to show their baby's poop off to everyone else <g> Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha ============ http://www.jhedge.com >FOOD WARNING! This subject of this message may turn you off your food, >so don't read while eating! [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] >So a few spare purrs for Natasha to feel better soon! (or at least >*eat* something in the next 24 hours or so!) > By Monday Natasha was obviously feeling much better and finally back > to all her normal activities in all respects - save one. She still [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > like the parent of a newborn who wants to show their baby's poop off > to everyone else <g> LOL! I'm so happy for you both. I remember how happy I was when Frank made a solid poopie last autumn, for the first time in weeks. :oP SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) iki (dot) fi Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/ Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki >> By Monday Natasha was obviously feeling much better and finally back >> to all her normal activities in all respects - save one. She still [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > LOL! I'm so happy for you both. I remember how happy I was when Frank > made a solid poopie last autumn, for the first time in weeks. :oP Add my congratulations to the "pile". MLB > By Monday Natasha was obviously feeling much better and finally back > to all her normal activities in all respects - save one. She still [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > like the parent of a newborn who wants to show their baby's poop off > to everyone else <g> Oh man that is great. No poop is a serious issue and nothing to not be proud of when it happens! > By Monday Natasha was obviously feeling much better and finally back > to all her normal activities in all respects - save one. She still [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha I'm so pleased, thanks for the update. :-) SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera) A House is not a home, without a cat. http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk piggybacking on Adrian's good wishes for Natasha, Lily & her are glad that she is doing much better. We are still purring and praying for her. Lily & her mama SignatureIrulan from the stars we come to the stars we return from now until the end of time >> By Monday Natasha was obviously feeling much better and finally back >> to all her normal activities in all respects - save one. She still [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > I'm so pleased, thanks for the update. :-) > By Monday Natasha was obviously feeling much better and finally back > to all her normal activities in all respects - save one. She still [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > ============ > http://www.jhedge.com What a relief! Best wishes, Polonca and Soncek Yay!! glad your little girl's feeling better! What a nice vet you have! > By Monday Natasha was obviously feeling much better and finally back > to all her normal activities in all respects - save one. She still [quoted text clipped - 61 lines] >>So a few spare purrs for Natasha to feel better soon! (or at least >>*eat* something in the next 24 hours or so!) > So today, one full week later(!) Natasha had her BM! FINALLY! I > feel like the parent of a newborn who wants to show their baby's > poop off to everyone else <g> Yay for kitty poo! Most of us understand why this is a thing to celebrate. Glad she's doing a little better. SignatureCheryl So relieved for you and Natasha! Christine > By Monday Natasha was obviously feeling much better and finally back > to all her normal activities in all respects - save one. She still [quoted text clipped - 61 lines] > >So a few spare purrs for Natasha to feel better soon! (or at least > >*eat* something in the next 24 hours or so!) I just caught this thread. Belated purrs for Natasha. > By Monday Natasha was obviously feeling much better and finally back > to all her normal activities in all respects - save one. She still [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca
|
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.