Conference misery::feline_v1

    Hi Barbara,
    
    It is no fun having a problen and not being able to isolate which
    kid or kids is sick.  I do have a suggestion for you.
    
    Stop feeding canned food and stick to dry until the bowel problem
    is gone.  Sometimes canned food will run through a cat at an alarming
    rate.  And try giving your pets a teaspoonful of Mylanta three times
    a day.  It will not hurt the kids that are not sick, a little extra
    calcium, and may just do the trick for the one or more that is having
    difficulty.  Use an eye dropper or liquid medicine dispenser and
    just squirt the stuff into the mouth with the kittys' head tipped
    back a little, no to much or the cat will choke.
    
    They should swallow the stuff right down.  When my girls have to
    take Mylanta they put up a fuss at first and after the second or
    third dose come looking for it!!!
    
    If things are not put right after three days on Mylanta call another
    vet!!! 
    
    Much good luck, also take their temperatures, that may help you
    find the sick cat for vetting!!!  If anyone has an elevated temp,
    get them to the vet right away, don't wait for a home remedy to
    work.
    
    Much good luck,
                                                         
    Feline Helpful
    
    Sue & Panther & Spot
    

    I would switch them onto a bland diet of boiled rice, and maybe
    turkey or chicken meat for a few days, and also try some sort of
    diarrhea medication.  I use Panamycin, which is a yellow liquid
    anti-diarrheal plus intestinal antibiotic.  There are anti-diarrheal
    medications for pets that are available over the counter in pet
    stores, they do not contain any antibiotic, but will slow up the
    diarrhea.  Lambert Kay makes one called Pet Pectilin which I have
    used.  It worked very well.
    
    It is important to stop the diarrhea right away as your cat's bodies
    are losing valuable minerals and electrolytes in the process.  But,
    it is also important to find out what is causing the problem.  If
    you cannot afford to take all three into the vet, try to figure
    out who is sickest and take that one in.  The best way to find out,
    and I know that this isn't what you want to hear, is to isolate
    each one in a separate room with food, litterbox and water.  It
    will soon be evident who has the worst problem.  
    
    Good luck,
    
    Jo

    .1 AND .2
    
    Thanks for answering, both of you.  I left for lunch and came back
    to a MAIL from Nancy DC telling me I had answers.  She's right in
    there pitching, isn't she?
    
    I have a question and another deterrent to isolation.
    
    The question:  I have given them Maalox and Kaopectate (though at
    different times)in their food.  It seemed to work for a day for
    two but then went right back to the same old story.  Could giving
    it to them in their food lose the effectiveness - also it was in
    the wet food.  I can try cutting out the wet food, giving only the
    dry.  I have given them rice with drgreased hamburger, which has
    helped other pets in the past, but they will leave it in their bowl
    until it turns green and probably would kill them quick, before
    they will eat it.  Maybe turkey or chicken with it would help, but
    knowing my babies, I wouldn't want to bet on it.
    
    I keep their water dish fresh with clean water and ice cubes before
    leaving for work in the morning, when I get home at night and before
    bed.  Although they don't appear to drink a lot, it is there for
    them and Pebbles looks as though she would like to jump in for a
    bath sometimes.  
    
    Where do I go for the anti-diarrhea medications?  Is any pet store
    probably going to have it, or the doctor's office?  Is it terribly
    costly?  Probably no more than the human type stuff.  $4.97 for
    a small bottle of Kaopectate the other day.  I almosst had a heart
    attack.
    
    An aside to Jo:
    
    I have so enjoyed reading so many of your entries in the file. 
    Your ventures with your babies and their names etc. have delighted
    me time and time again.  I hope we'll get to converse more often
    now that I have finally broken in with a Note of my own.  Nice to
    hear from you.  
    
    Thanks to both of you for your suggestions.
    
    B

    I forgot -  The deterrent to isolation for the kids is that I have
    a "No-Door 3-room basement apartment with no way to shut them off
    except by putting one in the bathroom and leaving the two others
    out in the house.
    
    Isolating just really isn't possible.  I find it fun to describe
    my apartment by saying that "I either sleep in my lving room, or
    live in my bedroom".  So you can see my problem.  
    
    

    I am glad that you have enjoyed reading my notes, :^}.  
    
    More suggestions, try Gerber Junior Baby Food Meats, turkey or chicken.
    A jar will cost you about $.69.  It won't last long, so it isn't
    the best alternate if money is tight.  A better idea would be to
    buy a chicken, throw it in a pot and cook it, then remove all the
    bones.  I then take the water from the chicken and cook the rice
    in it.  With the chicken flavored water cooking the rice, the cats
    are much more interested in it.
    
    I don't remember how expensive the Pet Pectilin is.  In my town,
    the feed stores all carry it too, and it is a bit less expensive
    there.  I wish you lived closer, I would just give you some Panamycin
    for them.  I am in California, I am assuming you are in the New
    England area.
    
    Another idea.  Shop around for vets.  Call their offices, tell them
    that you have three sick cats and are low on funds and see what
    they say.  First off, some will charge less for the office visit
    than the others.  Second, maybe they would be willing to bill you.
    Third, some vets will only charge the office visit for the first
    cat, and not charge for the second and third (my vet does that for
    me, so whenever anyone has to go in, I check everyone in the house
    for the slightest sniffle and let them tag along too).
    
    Jo

    You must have entered .4 while I was entering .5. Maybe one of the
    breeders in your area could lend you a tokyo cage for a few days.
    Then you could put one in the tokyo cage, one in the bathroom, and
    one in the rest of the house.
    
    A tokyo cage is a portable cage that is about 4 feet high, three
    feet wide and two feet deep.  It has two shelves for climbing and
    resting, and room for litter, water and food.  
    
    Jo

    well, I always use hamburger and rice to to bind up the diarrhea problem,
    but if the cats won't eat it you might try other foods that are normally
    considered binding, like CHEESE (which the cats will probably kill
    for).

    I'd be interested in what you have been feeding them for moist food;
    does it contain LIVER? Liver seems to give my cats loose stools.

    Deb

    
    I've gotten the "Corrective", pink fluid in a bottle from my vets in
    the past when needed.  Vets have it for both cats and dogs, however,
    the one for cats will not contain an antibiotic but will for dogs. 
    This "Corrective" fluid always worked when my pets had developed "the
    runs".
    
    Also, for anyone who's cat is easy to pill (mine are), Kaopectate also
    has the tablet form which is around $4-5 pkg; maybe less at CVS, Brooks
    Discount.  Changing their diet may help too.  Don't know what brand you
    feed but it may be giving one or more of them a bad reaction.
    
    There is also the possibility of their catching a viral infection or
    perhaps you've had sudden changes in weather which affects some animals
    like it does humans.
    
    Just curious, how come ice cubes in their water?  Is it extremely hot
    where you are?
    
    Hope things get under control soon for you and your "kids".
    
    Pat
    

    That is right, cottage cheese would be good too, and so would plain
    yogurt.  Sometimes cats get diarrhea because the necessary bacteria
    in the intestines dies for some reason (they call this sterilized
    bowels and can sometimes happen if a cat is one heavy antibiotics
    for a long time).  Yogurt helps to put back some of that good bacteria.
    I had forgotten about that, thanks for reminding me Deb.
    
    Jo

    Be careful about using Kaopectate tablets.  They are meant for humans
    and the dosage needed by cats is very small.  Buy the childrens strength
    if you decide to do this, the dosage will be calculated by weight.
    You will still need to cut the tablets down to get the correct dosage.
                            
    Jo

    you're welcome, but remember the yogurt must be plain, not flavored or
    else:
    	1. kitty won't touch it
    	2. if by some miracle kitty does eat it, the fruit can act as a
           laxative and cancel out the binding effect.

    Deb

    I read your note after I put my reply in.  I can understand why you
    can't isolate them by shutting them in different rooms if you have a
    3rm. apt.  I'm in the same position.  With such limited living space
    it's also frustrating knowing it also limits how many furfaces I can
    have (especially since they have to be indoor furfaces).
    
    Good luck!
    Pat
    

    Pat - she said "no doors"

    She does have a door on the bathroom.  So, one cat in the bathroom
    perhaps overnight -- if there's a stool in the morning she can tell if
    that cat is affected.  Then cat #2 goes in the next night, and so
    on.  Also, how abouut checking their behinds, they are perhaps messy
    on the cats with the problem.
    

    I printed out all your replies up to and including the newest one
    from Karen (I've also enjoyed reading you, Karen - Nice to meet
    you) and am now headed for home for the weekend.  I'll re-read all
    of you, try a few things and let you know Monday how it seems to
    be going.  
    
    Thank you all so much for your help.  Nance - thanks for the
    encouragement.
    
    See you all Monday.  Have a good weekend.

    Re .11
    
    Deb -  My cats LOVE to lick fruit yogurt containers when I'm done! 
    However, when Barney was young, he liked cantelope.  Weird cats.
    
    Mary
    

    Isis has been known to eat diet jello!

>>>>    Isis has been known to eat diet jello!

Now THAT's wierd!  8^}

Although Nick used to show a deep passion for a friend's hostess twinkies...
I don't think he wanted to eat them, just rub them into his face...makes
you wonder what they are made of, eh?

Back to the subject of the base note:

I have a cat that cannot eat any soft/moist food....she shows the same
symptoms.  If all else fails, try a dry food WITHOUT PRETTY COLORS (I
also have one that seems allergic to dyes in food) and see if that
helps.  You have my sympathy, I've been there with the diarrhea and
a multi-cat household.....not fun at all.

				D

    Hi, Guys!
    
    Well, the weekend seems to have helped put the little devils on
    the right tract.  Diarrhea is almost nonexistent and little gifts
    in the shower stall didn't happen at all.  
    
    Things were so good on only dry food and rice cooked in chicken
    broth with leftover cooked turkey added in, that I thought I'd give
    them a little treat last night and gave them wet food for supper.
    No more Mother Nice Guy for me.  This morning Pebbles went into
    the bathroom, scratched around in the box and then neatly deposited
    her offering on the floor right next to the box.  That was discouraging
    but it was also beginning to look runny again, so I think it's going
    to take a while of only dry and water to wipe it right out their
    systems.
    
    One of you asked the question last week as to whether or not I live
    in an extremely hot area and is that why I give them ice water.
    No - I live in New England - in fact work just down the hill from
    where Nancy DC is.  The way the ice water developed is this.  I
    am a diabetic and therefore ALWAYS (when home) have a huge glass
    of ice water within reach.  I have noticed that if I have fresh
    ice water, and have just freshened the kids' water, they will turn
    their noses up at their water, and come to me to drink my water
    out of the tumbler.  So - it just seemed easier to give them the
    same thing.  They still steal from me, but will also drink their
    own better.  Just something that I know I like, so thought I'd let
    them have their treat too.
    
    I'll let you all know how things go.  And I do thank you for the
    great suggestions.  I know they are helping.
    
    Again, thanks!!!!!
    
    Barbara

    Barbara -
      Don't feed Turkey.  My vet says that Turkey is actually quite
    hard to digest.  stick to the Chicken.  I did the same thing you
    did when Dundee was having his problems.
      Nancy DC
    

    Thanks, Nance!
    
    I only have enough turkey left for a good sandwich for lunch, so
    that should do.  Must be turkey is harder to digest or something.
    
    Thanks again.  Be talkin to you soon.  By the way, the heater is
    not installed.  I'll tell you about it later.
    
    B

    Never heard of the no turkey thing.  I have been feeding it to my
    cats for years without a problem.
    
    Just goes to show you, it's always somethin'...
    
    Jo
    

If the canned food seems to be the problem, have you tried another kind?
I have had nothing but luck with Science Diet(not too expensive because
you feed less and it has to be less expensive than chicken).  
I'm sure others can recommend more brands.

Becky

    re: turkey - There's nothing wrong with feeding turkey to healthy
    cats.  Its just if they're having a GI problem that you want to
    avoid it.  Stick to the boiled hamburger or chicken & rice.
      Nancy

    .13  Yes, I know.  I don't have any doors to shut rooms off either.
    

I live with 4 cats - 2 cats cannot eat ANY kind of canned food...The symptoms
are the same as described.  If the cats stabilize on a QUALITY dried kibble,
why force the issue?  Dry kibble and a supply of fresh water are just fine
to maintain a cats optimum health (according to my vet, anyway).

				Just curious,

				     D