Conference misery::feline_v1

    I can't tell if you put the flea collar back on between when she
    was better on Sunday afternoon and when she got worse again his
    morning.  I would certainly take it off, as sick animals are less
    able to tolerate chemicals than well animals.  I don't have much
    confidence in your vet from what you've said;  I would be worried
    enough to bring her in to see a good vet at this point.  Certainly
    it's better to find out what's going on than worry.  (I wonder if
    she could be reacting to Lightning's collar?)
    

    p.s. please let us know what's happening.
    

    Sandi,
    
    Don't fool around with this.  Get her to another vet.  This vet
    doesn't sound too promising.  He may be wonderful with dogs, but
    maybe not as good on cats.  
    
    RE: .1  Karen
    I was wondering if she might be reacting to Lightening's collar,
    too.
    
    Keep us posted, PLEASE!!
    
    Holly
    

      Well, my Ruby had larangitis once. He was hoarse, had trouble
    swollowing, it was just like when a person gets it. It didn't last
    very long though. 
      His purr sounded real rough, and coons have thunderous purrs to
    begin with. It wasn't bad, though. It didn't last long. That was
    a few years ago, I dont' even remember if he took an antibiotic
    or not.
                                 Denise

    Smurf had a very weak meow when he a some kind of tracheal virus
    which was diagnosed by my vet by trying to force a cough.  When
    the cough was elicited he was put on antibiotics.  Also, once when\
    Smurf had a furr ball problem as he has a hard time coughing them
    up the meow is very raspy and it sounds like he has something "there".
    Make sure you call a vet to check it out ASAP.   It may or may not
    be serious but better to be safe.
        
    Cathy

    update on DejaVu (poor baby).
    
    I just called the Vets office and set up an appointment for her.
    It won't be until Friday morning thou.  With my crazy hours there
    was nothing else available. 
    
    If she gets worse, I will definitely bring her in as an emergency,
    no matter what my work schedule is.
    
    I haven't put the collar back on her since Saturday.  She hasn't
    really been playing with Lightning so I don't think it is Lightning's
    collar.
    
    Could she be allergic to Thunder???
    
    Thanks gang, for the info.  I definitely wiil keep you informed.
    
    Sandi (Lightning's, DejaVu's & Thunder's mom)
    
    

    
    My mum's cat Max had larengitis (sp?) about a year ago - sounds like
    Dejavu has the same symptoms but my mum's cat has never worn a collar
    and nor has her other cat Monty so I don't think it's an allergy
    to a collar.
    
    He was treated with an injection and a course of antibiotic tablets
    and got better after about a week. (sorry can't remember the name
    of the tablets).
    
    Let us know how you get on at the vet's
    
    Sharon
    

    Last night I got home around 9:30 and the babies were VERY hungry.
    DejaVu spoke to me in a somewhat NORMAL voice.  It was low, but
    it was there.  An hour later, she was back to being raspy and 
    hoarse.  I was going to cancel the Vet's appointment, but now I'm
    not.  Even if she gets her voice back, I still want her checked
    out.  She is definitely feeling OK except for her voice.
    
    Sandi (Lightning's, DejaVu's & Thunder's mom)
    
    P.S.. I gave a her a BIG HUG for getting her voice back but I was
          premature.
    
    

    OK here goes.
    
    I brought DejaVu to the Vet this morning.  She of course talked
    to me in the car.  She really couldn't understand why I was
    bringing her to the doctor.  Her voice kept going from normal
    to raspy and back.
    
    Everything checked out OK except she was running a slight temperature.
    No swollen glands, no cough, no fuzzy eyes, no weight loss, nothing
    except slight temperature.
    
    She gave me some antibiotics for DejaVu to take for seven days.
    This ought to be interesting.  I have never had to give a pill to
    a cat.  A dog yes, but not a cat.
    
    She was so mad at me for taking her to the Vet that when I fed her
    afterwards she refused to eat.  BRAT !!!!  When I left the house
    thou, I did see her eating so I guess I am forgiven (I hope).
    
    Sandi (Lightning's, DejaVu's & Thunder's mom)
    
    

    So glad to hear that she seems to just have a slight cold.  Somewhere
    in this file there must be helpful suggestions for "pilling" a cat.
    Let us know how things go. S&H say hello.  (I just learned how to
    "pill" last year;  Holly fights to the end.)
    

    For pilling a cat, try seeing if the cat will just eat the pill
    first.  Portia was taking lots of pills when we first got her -
    all I did was drop the pill on the floor with afew Bonkers or Pouncers,
    and she would gobble it right up.  Watch carefully though so that
    they don't try to bury the pill under the carpet though!  As for
    the other methods, I have no idea how!

method 1:

Crush pill, include in small wad of cream cheese or moist food - cat eats it,
your hand survives...

method 2:

Wrap kitty from neck down firmly in bath towel.  Sit down, holding tube
shaped package under one are, pry mouth open with one hand, inject pill
well down throat (poke back over hump in tongue with small finger) and
watch for REAL swallow....only drawback is possible gnawed fingers....

Other methods are variations on method 2 - there is even a plastic injector
thingy that helps - but the towel is required.  If at all possible, get
a cat that will eat anything and therefore will snarf those pills up - or
get pills that can be crushed and hidden in goodies.

     I tuck S or H under my left arm and we sit in a corduroy bean bag
    chair, with the cat between me and the chair, so they have no
    "purchase" for their feet, due to the softness of the chair.  I
    restrain the body between my arm and torso, and hold the head from
    behind with my left hand, with the thumb on one side and the other
    fingers on the other side.  Push down on the lower front teeth with
    the right hand, then put the left thumb and left fingers in between
    the top and bottom teeth to hold the mouth open.  meanwhile, you
    have been holding the pill in your right hand -- pop it as far back
    in the mouth as possible, definitely over the "tongue hump".  hold
    the mouth closed and gently stroke the throat.  Wait until you are
    sure the pill has been swallowed.  I find that the plastic dispenser
    gizmos for pills seem to frighten S&H and aren't much help, so I
    don't use them.
    

    Thanks guys....
    
    I have been sitting on the stairs between the `formal' parlour and
    the family room holding Deja with one arm, hand, knee, body, etc.
    I then get her mouth open and `pop' the pill in.  I rub her throat
    and then give her a BIG hug.  I do this right after supper so that
    she has something else in her tummy (like humans).  
    
    She has gotten her voice back but has now learned what to do for
    `extra attention'.
    
    Sandi
    

    I got a panicky phone call Friday morning before the long weekend
    right before I left to come in to work from the owner of The Infamous
    Nugget, the 10-year-old ex-tomcat I take care of whenever my friend
    is away on business or on vacation for more than a couple of days.
    Nugget is an indoor/outdoot cat (yes, I know, but he isn't my cat
    - he was a feral cat who "adopted" my friend several years ago),
    and is getting old (for an outdoor cat - he is the same age as my
    two "kittens", but he is mostly scar tissue and has trouble reaching
    around far enough to wash his own spine - John has to brush the
    knots out of his fur for him).  Nugget had apparently gotten a puncture
    wound a few days before, and was on the way to the vet to have it
    shaved and the adscess drained, and to get a bunch of twice-a-day
    antibiotic pills.  Now, John was going away over the long weekend,
    so the panichky phone call was, would I be willing to drop in twice
    a day and feed Nugget his pill? (And put a hot wet washrag on his
    draining abscess, as it turned out.)  This didn't work out at all
    badly, as it turned out.  Nugget likes me anyhow (which is why John
    always tries to get me to look after the kitty when he is away).
    To "pill" Nugget, I sit down next to the bottle of little orange
    pills, scoop up the cat when he comes by to see why I haven't opened
    him some kitty-food yet, and tuck him under my left arm (I'm
    right-handed) while patting him with the right hand.  Then I open
    the bill bottle and get a pill for him.  Then, while holding him
    under my arm, I tip his head back (he gives me an unhappy look at
    about this time) and stick my first finger into the side of his
    mouth between the front and back toothy areas, so that Nugget opens
    his mouth, and drop the pill down his throat.  Then I hold his jaw
    shut and run his chin (which he LOVES) until I feel him swallow.
     Then I make him open his mouth again just to make sure that the
    pill has been swallowed.  After a few more pats (and his hot compress,
    which he likes, anyways), Nugget is all set.
    
    To be honest, he is a much easier cat to get to swallow a pill than
    either of mine are, especially Nebula, who hates to have her head
    held tipped up like that (JFCL is more used to it - she has a very
    tight tear duct on her right eye, so I have to wash the corner of
    her eye out for her every day or two, so she is used to being held
    that way).
    
    On the other hand, Nugget, the little "Houdini", had managed to
    escape (apparently out the closed-but-not-latched cellar hatchway)
    the first timne I appeared to feed him his orange pill - he was
    supposed to be kept inside for 10 days!  I sealed the place up good
    - he was still inside all the other times I showed up there over
    the long weekend!

    Having gone through the pain of pilling the Siamese that I grew
    up with, I started Sy off by pilling him with vitamens when he was
    10 weeks old.  It really helps, because now, whenever Sy must have
    a pill for some reason or another, I just take him into the bathroom,
    I sit down and hold him in my lap, upside down, stroke his throat
    (he always knows what will happen), open his mouth and pop the pill
    in, then rub throat again.  Always works.
    
    Linda
    

    Another update on DejaVu.
    
    She is back to being herself (almost).  She is still listless and
    I was starting to really get worried about maybe she had something
    else that the Vet hadn't noticed.  I was thinking about taking her
    back for more tests.  Now I know I don't have to.
    
    It's the heat.....I know because she (and Thunder) have been waking
    me up at 5:00 A.M. running around playing and jumping up on the
    bed so I can play too.  I'm ready to STRANGLE them but it is nice
    to know that DejaVu is OK.
    
    Sandi
    
    

    Just got a chance to read this and was wondering, Sandi, if you
    have electric fans or air conditioner(s) running in your home? 
    With the heat wave we had last week my fans (one in each room) were
    running constantly and my 3 cats didn't know where to go to get
    comfortable.  My youngest neutered male, D.P. Gremlin, started sneezing
    constantly it seemed and he had trouble holding down his food too.
    I took him to my Vet and he had a slight temp. but his lungs, eyes,
    and even his nose were clear.  He was listless (not himself at all
    - usually into something all the time  :-)  
    
    I have him on a liquid antibiotic as well as Prednisone (sp.?).
    He HATES medicine but takes it like a trooper for me anyway; even
    the Prednisone pill (just before bedtime).  He is now able to keep
    his food down, but he is still sneezing and listless.  He has lost
    about a pound but we (the Vet and I) don't know if this is due to
    the recent stress of moving to another apt.  Being the youngest,
    this is his first move.
    
    After giving him his liquid medication this a.m. before leaving
    for work, D.P. was sleeping on top of the kitty gym.  It was raining
    when I left so I didn't leave fans nor my air conditioner running.
    
    Hope he gets back to his mischievious self soon  ;-)
    
    Pat
    

    
    re: .18
    
    Thats funny that you should mention your cat having a cold of sorts.
    
    When I got home yesterday T.K. was snuffling and had dried mucus
    coming out of one nostril.  I cleaned him up with a wet paper
    towel (which T.K. was none too pleased about) and afterwards
    he seemed fine.  I'm going to have to watch him for the next few
    days to make sure he feels better.  The temp is set at 85 during
    the day and 78 when I am home so it really isn't cold.  I don't
    know why he would be seeming to get a cold now!!  He spent the
    winter in a condo no warmer that 65!!  (I like it cool).
    
    	Karen

    Hmm.  The last few days I, too, have noticed a few of the
    kids with a little congestion (Pashenka, Katenka, Nikki).
    It was so slight, that the more I watched for signs and
    symptoms, the less I found!  I only have a fan on, but
    between that and the heat and humidity, hmmm.

Although the fans cool off the air, they also stir up mold spoors, dust,
and pollen which can aggrivate allergies....this happens to me all the
time.  I still use the fans as I need to cool off the house, but I'm
prepared for additional allergy reactions....this sounds like what may
be happening to your kittens.  If the symptoms go away when it rains
and you don't use the fans, its a certain bet.

    re: 21
    
    Now I know why I have an aversion to to fans!  I really don't
    like at all.  I have allergies and am always very uncomfortable
    when fans are on - I have to be really dripping before I'll
    drag one out.  Interesting, maybe that's why 2 or 3 of the
    kids are sort of snufflie.  hmm   Thanks!

    I do have a fan which I only run when I am home.  I don't have air
    conditioning because I can't breathe in it.
    
    I still think it was the flea collar because she has been fine since
    I took it off her.  I am going to put it back on when I am on vacation
    so that I can watch her reaction.  Let you know what happens when
    I get back from vacation.
    
    Sandi