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Conference misery::feline_v1

Title:Meower Power is Valuing Differences
Notice:FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY
Moderator:MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO
Created:Sun Feb 09 1986
Last Modified:Tue Jan 11 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5089
Total number of notes:60366

2532.0. "Not necessarily ALWAYS a fur ball..." by GRANPA::CCOLEMAN () Thu Jun 01 1989 15:16

I have just had the worst week of my entire cat-owning life! I
didn't see anything written about it, so I've decided to let you
know "just in case" this happens to YOUR cat!

My cat, Charlie, is a fairly large cat -- about 16 lbs. A week
ago Saturday (May 20) he started throwing up. Of course it's
fur ball time, so I break out the ol' medicine and start giving
him that. Well, there was very little fur in what he threw up,
and after the 3rd day (Monday) I couldn't take it anymore. He
couldn't hold down food. So, off to the vets I went. The vet
examined him, took his temp and said "There's probably a very
large fur ball in there. Give him the medicine twice a day, and
give it about 5 days, and he should be fine". This was 
Wednesday morning. Friday morning, Charlie threw up 3 times, and
no fur balls were to be found. I was LIVID! This time, different
vet (same hospital). I got an appointment after work (this is
Friday, May 26, almost a week later) and when I got home, there
were at least 8 spots on the floor where he threw up. Basically,
he couldn't hold any food in his tummy! 

Speeding to the vets, I got him there, and this vet said that
it isn't fur balls, that there's definitely something that's
making him sick, especially when he had a fever of 104.6! 
 So, my Memorial Day weekend started off terribly --
my baby had to be hospitalized! All vacation plans for the weekend
were cancelled, and most of the time was spent crying, worrying
and waiting by the phone. Here's a brief summary of what happened:

FRIDAY NIGHT: went to take x-rays. Didn't sedate him. Bit vet
              assistant through lead glove. Cat o.k. Vet assistant
              in pain.

SAT MORNING:  went to take x-rays again. Gave him an injection of
              a "martini". He loved the x-rays. 

SAT AFTERN:   x-rays showed inflamed intestines. Vet gave LONG name,
              but basically, it's an allergic reaction to something
              they've digested. Treated him with cortozone, anti-
              biotics. Wouldn't eat.

SUN MORNING:  Still giving him cortozone. Still not eating

MON MORNING:  Still not eating. Intestinal swelling FINALLY going
              down. More cortozone.

TUES MORN:    Injected with valium. (For some reason they say if
              you inject a cat with valium they'll immeidately
              start eating). Charlie ate!

TUES NIGHT:   CHARLIE CAME HOME!

And BOY did he come home! I gave him a little food -- gone. NExt
morning, he tore the kitchen apart looking for food. Left some dry
food out for him and Shanti -- GONE. So now he's making up for it!

MAybe it's JUST a coincidence, but I started feeding Charlie
a few of the different flavors of 9-lives canned in the evening 
(specifically liver and kidney entrees) and soon after that is
when he got sick. To be on the safe side, he WON'T be eating
THAT again!

ANYHOW, to make a long story longer, this is the summary of the
story. It isn't ALWAYS fur balls! The vet said that if I had waited
a few more days (like the first one TOLD me to do) that it would
have been life threatening. So my kitty is back home, safe and sound,
eating us out of house and home, and getting more spoiled than
before!

Needless to say, I'm just TERRIBLY happy that he's home!

Cheryl, Charlie, and Shanti
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
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2532.1STOR06::DALEYThu Jun 01 1989 15:5213
    I am so very glad he is doing well. It made me feel a little better
    because right now I am a wreck over my cat, Francis, whom I had
    to take to the vets this morning. He had a temp of 104, off food
    and water, very lethargic and glassy-eyed. (He is FeLV+).Last
    weekend I heard him coughing and thought it was a furball  and
    gave him the medicine too- but guess it isn't that.  But France
    isn't throwing-up. 
    
    I certainly understand why it was the worst week of your cat-owning
    life. Glad all turned out well for you and Charlie.
    
    Pat
    
2532.2YOSMTE::CORDESBRO_JOThu Jun 01 1989 16:384
    Valium has the side effect of stimulating the appetite.  Glad it
    worked for you and your cat is now safe and healthy at home.
    
    Jo
2532.3Us too!FSHQA1::RWAXMANA Cat Makes a Purrfect FriendThu Jun 01 1989 16:4115
    Pat - there must be a "cat flu" going around!
    
    Nikki started it at my house with coughing, sneezing and runny eyes.
    Now Shelby is sick - same symptoms as Francis; 103 temp., glassy
    (but not runny) eyes, coughing and sneezing.  He is on Clavamox
    pills twice a day (this started Tuesday -- we caught it very early).
    He is eating and drinking but sleeping a lot.  I didn't want to
    go to work this morning!!  If no improvements by tomorrow, back
    to the vet he goes.
    
    I hope Kelsey, Chauncey and T.K. manage to fight this off!!
    
    
    /Roberta
    
2532.4STOR06::DALEYThu Jun 01 1989 16:5113
    Thanks Roberta. I hope it is the flu (can you imagine a person
    saying they HOPE their cat has the flu- but in this case the flu
    sounds better than some other problems he could get). Francis' eyes 
    aren't runny either- so between your note and Cheryl's- I am feeling less
    depressed. I am going to see Dr. Nord this afternoon- I left France
    at the vets as the Dr was in surgery, and I wanted him seen as soon
    as the Dr was available. Do you still go there - or are you at Tufts now
    (seems Tufts is closer to you isn't it)? 
    
    Hope your others don't get the flu. 
                       
    Pat
    
2532.5FSHQA1::RWAXMANA Cat Makes a Purrfect FriendThu Jun 01 1989 17:0730
    Pat, I take all of my cats to the Westboro Animal Hospital.  It
    is closer than Framingham and the Dr.'s are wonderful (handsome,
    too :^) ).  I started Kelsey and Shelby at Framingham with Dr.
    Armstrong -- she gave them their felv and rabies shots and neutered
    them -- then switched to Westboro cause the half-hour drive to
    Framingham is a pain in the neck!
    
    Tufts is very expensive, although top-notch.  I originally called
    them upon moving to Grafton to bring the cats there but they
    recommended Westboro instead and said to use them (Tufts) in dire
    emergencies.
    
    Let me know what the Dr. Nord says about Francis, please.  When
    I took Shelby in Tuesday, all of his symptoms disappeared the minute
    I put him into the carrier.  He acted as if nothing was wrong as
    the Dr. was examining him and I felt like a fool (he had been coughing
    and sneezing repeatedly since 6:00 a.m. that morning!).  They had
    just seen Nikki the week before and figured Shelby was coming down
    with the same thing and prescribed the Clavamox.  As soon as I got
    him home, he was coughing and sneezing again!  Anyway, I would be
    interested to hear Dr. Nord's diagnosis.
    
    Cheryl, my apologies for getting off on this tangent; after, all
    this is *your* note!  I'm glad Charlie is fine and you were able
    to pinpoint the possible cause as the 9-lives cat food.  Thanks
    for posting this warning for us.
    
    
    /Roberta
    
2532.6Could it be the dye?VAXWRK::SKALTSISDebThu Jun 01 1989 17:377
    I wonder if your cats are having allergic reactions to the DYES they
    use in 9-Lives. I know that Panther and Eirene have problems with many
    of the 9-Lives foods, and they have problems with dyes in general.
    Their reaction to the dyes is to vomit, and I've seem Panther actually
    have dry heaves after eating "Ranch Supper".

    Deb
2532.79-lives...no way!FRAGLE::PELUSOThu Jun 01 1989 17:517
    Every time I tried to give Nippa a 9-lives meal, she would barf.  SHe
    had been sick off and on all winter.  THe vet felt it might have been
    some sort of allergic reaction.  I'm glad your kitty is doing much
    better....
    
    m&n
    
2532.8Different Kitties, Different TummiesWITNES::HANNULAWell, you see, I have this cat.......Thu Jun 01 1989 18:003
    Gosh.  If I feed Portia anything EXCEPT 9-Lives, she barfs.
    
    	-Nancy
2532.9CIRCUS::KOLLINGKaren, Sweetie, & Holly; in Calif.Thu Jun 01 1989 21:413
    S&H barf at a nine lives flavor too.  I forget which one, tuna and
    chicken or some such.  So they don't get nine lives any more.
    
2532.109-Lives -- only Morris knows for sure...GRANPA::CCOLEMANWed Jun 14 1989 18:138
    The only "barfing" I saw Charlie do was the Ranch Supper. So he
    doesn't get that anymore. Then, he ate the liver and kidney entrees,
    and NEVER stopped barfing! He's fine with the chicken, beef and
    veal entrees (MUST be the morsels, not ground or flaked!) but not
    the others.
    
    I don't know how Morris does it...
    
2532.11CIRCUS::KOLLINGKaren, Sweetie, & Holly; in Calif.Wed Jun 14 1989 23:243
    I saw a picture of Morris the other day.  He makes Sweetie look
    svelte :-)