Jimmy Needs Prozac Adjustment

Once again, after about a month with the increased Prozac (I'm assuming because Prozac can cause aggression), Jimmy is once again attacking his sisters. Never sure of the cause but something happens in his head and he gets angry and attacks. This isn't just swiping and hissing but a full on attack. Fur flies, cats cry, and when two are fighting, they all get involved. And it happens in a flash. So, I will dial down the Prozac-this time to .18-and see if he improves. Problem is, with the lower dose, he then begins to have accidents which we've seen since about September (the last one being 11/26 when he went against a window.) Maybe I'll try a week of a low dose and a week of a high dose and alternate. I could tell a change was coming, though. He has always had these maniac/depressive mood swings when on Prozac. He would spend a couple weeks very happy and then begin to slow down and not be active or involved, and would seem lethargic and disinterested in his environment. So, I would adjust the Prozac. Since September, the depressive mood swing has led to attacks against his sisters (because those are the cats he's near) and going out of the box.

Echos Necessary Before All Surgeries to Detect Heart Health and Avoid Problems

When writing up a medical history list of Bette for the cardio visit, I came across her 2013 dental surgery record. It was written for her and Cooper's dental surgery record which they both had had the same day. I realized in reviewing it that I had not taken either Cooper or Bette to the cardio for a scan prior to surgery. I believe it was because at the time Myrna was so sick, and we were spending so much on her care, and now were faced with $1000 for two dental surgeries, that spending another $600 for cardio echos was going to be out of reach. And yet I wished that I had spent that money.

Cooper had had an echo summer of 2012 and was fine. He had dental surgery a year later in 2013 and afterwards, began to slowly exhibit symptoms of being ill but symptoms I attributed to his reoccurring hypercalcemia (high calcium rate) which we had battled the year before and which had not returned. Blood tests didn't show anything other than a minor increase in calcium. Months later, March of 2014, after another dental surgery, he did not bounce back and we took him to the vet two days later, only to discover he had CHF. We rushed him off to the cardio. He would be on heart meds March-July and die of CHF in July.

If I had taken him to the cardio in June 2013, we may have caught early signs of heart disease. And certainly, he had heart disease by March 2014 which an echo would have caught and we could have avoided dental surgery and the onset of that first CHF-even if the outcome would have been the same in the end.

From now on, every cat gets an echo before surgery.

Bette Davis Visits Cardiologist for a Checkup

Bette Davis yesterday, finally had a cardio check-up with the famous Dr. D that was Myrna's vet cardio. She was the last one Dr. D had not yet met. Bette passed with flying colors: no issues, and she was well behaved.

Going to the vet cardio's office brings back mixed feelings. First, apprehension over what will be found-the same feeling I had when I took Myrna. Then, memories of being there so many times over the six years with Myrna when she was seeing the cardio, coupled with that feeling of "I should be back in three months which was the routine with Myrna but that routine no longer exists." Then sadness because that building houses the ER where she died.

Assuming no one gets sick, I won't return to the cardio's for a few months. Late next summer, Katharine and Roxy will return for annual check-ups: Katharine has a heart murmur and Roxy has an anomaly that needs monitoring.

Despite the mixed memories and feelings, it is always great to see the staff and chat with Dr. D about her life and family; and talk to Julie, the much respected, talented vet tech who worked with Myrna and me for so many years. She recently and unexpectedly lost a pet dog to cancer. She brought him in for a scan; cancer was discovered in the stomach; and she put him down that day. But there was also joy-her son is now two and she showed me photos and a video.

Jimmy Stewart Update Urine and Frucotsamine

Jimmy update: doing well this week on .19 Prozac (up from .17.) The Solequin calming treats may have helped so we'll get more. Urine is free of bacteria, glucose, and crystals which is good. Fructosamine test for blood sugar was in the normal range at 208-although it could be lower. Kidney values-normal but ticking up. Need to keep an eye on him; hydrate more (albumin shows dehydration); and maybe some light kidney support vitamins if I can sneak them into his food.

Jimmy Accident Out of Box

Tuesday, Jimmy went out of the box against the living room window. Yes-the window, window sill, under the window to the foam insulation, behind that to the screen and sill on the outside; down the wall, under the baseboards, through the cracks between floor boards, down the chest, under the legs, etc. It took an hour to clean with my husband doing the outside work and me cleaning up the mess inside. And we both cleaned and moved the chest (in place because you don't want to inadvertently spread urine.)

Last week, he went against the wall at the top of the landing, a favorite place of Myrna's. That was easy. This was beyond difficult.

After wiping up the urine, I used cleanser, then bleach on the wood, window, screens, floor, chest, etc. Where it might actually bleach out color, I used sparingly. But the wood interior sill wouldn't stop smelling so I kept soaking it in bleach. Finally, I used a wet paste of baking soda and have left it soaking for a few days. I'll eventually wipe it up and vac and sweep and let it dry and make sure the smell is gone.

He has had accidents a few times this summer but on pads around litter boxes for the most part, nothing this horrifying since his issues first began in 2010. When he first began urinating out of the box in 2010, we tried everything-new boxes, new litter, calming sprays, changing placement of boxes, adding boxes, monitoring his use of and the time it took for him to go; monitoring behavioral cues; using behavioral training techniques; finally adding Prozac to the mix. We've titrated up Prozac as needed as time went by, all with success. He began to be normal by 2013, and only had one or two accidents against litter pads in the last two years. Then this summer he went about four times, and has gone three times since fall including this week. That's about seven accidents in six months, more than in the last three years put together.

I took him to the vet yesterday for blood work of CBC/chem panel and fructosamine to test his sugar levels as he is pre-diabetic (discovered a couple years ago.) If there is too much sugar in the urine, the bladder fills quickly and the body wants to "dump" it as soon as possible, and the cat feels it must go immediately. (And if there are reasons why they choose a certain site, it's difficult to discern as to why they chose that spot other than it might be cool or comforting-if they have a UTI for example. But why a window?) The CBC/chem panel shows some dehydration and some ticking up of kidney values. Those can be related but typically seen only in extreme cases of dehydration and a decline in electrolytes. And there are none. And his SDMA kidney value test was normal. We will get the fructosamine results in a few days.

Meanwhile, we are trying a calming treat solliquin the vet suggested. We add it to his food. http://www.solliquin.com/

The vet also suggested we increase the Prozac. We had in August but by late September, he began showing signs of anger management issues and fighting with his sisters (psychotropics can increase anger as well as increase feelings of happiness.) We decreased the dose. He was fine. But now he's had two accidents. We increased it again to .19 from .17. She suggested we get it over 2.0 and if he gets angry, increase dose to see if he becomes less angry.

What is difficult is that we started from zero in 2010 and built a successful approach that included training, boxes, litter, paying close attention to cues, and meds. There is no other successful med other than Prozac, that if Prozac stops working, there is nothing more effective. In fact, most other meds are less effective for controlling anxiety and litter box use. It was working. But if it is no longer working, and we have done all there is, what more do we do to solve the problem?

Pray of course. Increase Prozac if possible. Clean more thoroughly (the house is clean but I have not washed walls and baseboards in months and probably should since Roxanne has been running around the house and is no longer confined-not that she's had an accident but to make the place smell more neutral.)

I'll ask the vet about any concerns regarding his kidney values. May need to pay attention there. And he needs a urine test and he did not have a bladder on Friday.

Roxanne Visits Cardio-Has Changes in Left Vent but Not Yet HCM

Roxanne saw the cardiologist yesterday just because that's what we do. Glad we did. She shows signs of changes in the left vent. No signs of heart disease but those changes often become HCM. The cardio said it could go either way. But no stress or too hot or too cold or too humid environments. And no steroid medications. And she will need annual cardio visits. We found with Cooper that heart disease can suddenly emerge from one year to the next-one year he was fine; the next he was not.

She gets car sick, though, and vomited and had diarrhea in the crate on the way there. But while there, she was very calm. She sat quietly for the exam; her heart beat was steady, not racing due to being in a new place.

No meds are recommended at this time since the heart rate is steady and there are no other signs of actual heart disease. The walls of the heart are not seriously thickened; there's no congestion; etc. She described the walls to be as appearing to be uneven.

So, we will keep an eye on her.

Here are the vet's notes:

"There was no evidence of serious cardiac disease during today's echocardiogram. The only questionable abnormality that was found is that the wall of Roxanne's left ventricle are slightly thickened. This may be completely normal for Roxanne or it could be an early indicator of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). There is no need for any type of treatment at this time. She is not considered to be at risk for congestive heart failure or blood clot formation. I advise rechecking her echocardiogram in 1 year. If progressive changes in the heart are seen at that time, Roxanne will be diagnosed with HCM and we will consider beginning cardiac medications. If there is no change in her echocardiogram, we will consider these measurements to be normal for Roxanne."

Dealing with Cat Aggression, New Cat, and Cat Fights

In our house of cats: Katharine can't be around Baby because she attacks Baby. Jimmy can't be around Roxy for very long and unsupervised because he attacks Roxy. The girls and Roxy get along fine as long as the sisters don't try to get too close. If they do, then Roxy growls and hisses. So, you can imagine that we have spent the last few weeks closing off cats from cats. This has lead to the main set of "kittens" (siblings) being closed off from us and main parts of the house for long periods of time while Roxy has access to those areas. You can imagine that the siblings began to feel isolated even though we saw them every day, for hours at a time, in other parts of the house. An explosion of cat fury occurred Wednesday night when Jimmy and Bette got into a fight and then Katharine and Elizabeth joined in. It was as if just because one was upset and making loud growling and hissing noises, that the others also became upset and had to join in the fray. Jimmy was so upset, making such painful sounding noises, that we separated all of them, watched him for awhile to make sure he wasn't injured; then administered Buprenex to calm him down. (His Prozac is once a day and in the a.m. so I felt confident that it was out of his system enough that there would not be an adverse reaction.) He calmed down and we took the three sisters upstairs to bed with us, putting them in the guest room and not in our room with Baby.

The next day, I reread my links on aggression and discovered that I had likely, inadvertently, created the situation because their "territory" had been diminished and needs to increase; and that they needed behavioral training and more of our attention.

The plan now is to allow the cats to mingle upstairs more and in the regular living quarters more while also playing musical doors: Baby and Rox can be upstairs, or Baby and the siblings and Roxy, but not Roxy and Jimmy and not Katharine with Baby. But then Baby is closed off when fed. The siblings, especially Jimmy, can have the living room in the a.m. and Roxy can stay in the dining room or come into the kitchen while Jimmy is closed off from her until they are fed. The girls and Roxy can mingle in the living room but not Roxy with Jimmy unless supervised and only for a few minutes until someone begins growling; then Jimmy is moved out and redirected. Etc. No cat is punished or yelled at but is simply told (usually Jimmy) "Be a good boy" and then we gently nudge him in a different direction.

And Jimmy loves to play with mice but can't if Katharine is in the room because she takes the mouse away. So, Jimmy gets a play area without Katharine so that he can play with his mouse.

See? Musical doors and cats. One does what one needs to do regardless of effort required. Or how silly it sounds when you try to explain it. But so far, it's working.

Roxanne Tries Prozac

Roxanne goes today for the final distemper/rabies shots. It's been a month since her first set. She is receiving a set of them as if she had never had them since no one was able to find if she ever did receive them as a kitten.

We also have been giving her Prozac (compounded into a liquid given by mouth) last three weeks. We began with .1ml for a week but that proved to be too much because it led to urine retention-inability to urinate normally and only going every 12 or so hours. I could feel the bladder was enlarged. And she seemed hyper. I then gave her .07 which seemed to work better for her. It took the edge off from her anxiety and she was no longer crying at the windows or doors every second to go out. She was also able to urinate more normally and did not seem to have an enlarged bladder/urine retention. Now, she is taking .09. I'm titrating up based on what I believe are symptoms of anxiety while also making sure the increase does not interfere with her bladder.

An issue we had with Prozac being too bitter and making her foam at the mouth. Jimmy is on the same formula but does not have any issues with it. We had the pharmacy remake it and they also used Bitter Stop. While less bitter, even this made her foam. So, I now syringe up some liquid pet food after I syringe the Prozac. I also dip the syringe into the cat food, coating the outside of the syringe, making it more palatable. It leads to less foaming. I have to do the right steps: give her the good tasting immune therapy liquid via syringe first, saving some for last. Then I give the Prozac, quickly followed by the immune liquid. It decreases the foaming by 90%. We may have it made next time with a different paste, much like how the antibiotic was made. Or we can use a transdermal-cream you put on the cat's ear. But I can't titrate the med once it is transdermal. So, we'll see how this goes.

Roxanne Tries Prozac

Roxanne goes today for the final distemper/rabies shots. It's been a month since her first set. She is receiving a set of them as if she had never had them since no one was able to find if she ever did receive them as a kitten.

We also have been giving her Prozac (compounded into a liquid given by mouth) this past month. We began with .1ml for a week but that proved to be too much because it led to urine retention-inability to urinate normally and only going every 12 or so hours. I could feel the bladder was enlarged. And she seemed hyper. I then gave her .07 which seemed to work better for her. It took the edge off from her anxiety and she was no longer crying at the windows or doors every second to go out. She was also able to urinate more normally and did not seem to have an enlarged bladder/urine retention. Now, she is taking .09. I'm titrating up based on what I believe are symptoms of anxiety while also making sure the increase does not interfere with her bladder.

An issue we had with Prozac being too bitter and making her foam at the mouth. Jimmy is on the same formula but does not have any issues with it. We had the pharmacy remake it and they also used Bitter Stop. While less bitter, even this made her foam. So, I now syringe up some liquid pet food after I syringe the Prozac. I also dip the syringe into the cat food, coating the outside of the syringe, making it more palatable. It leads to less foaming. I have to do the right steps: give her the good tasting immune therapy liquid via syringe first, saving some for last. Then I give the Prozac, quickly followed by the immune liquid. It decreases the foaming by 90%. We may have it made next time with a different paste, much like how the antibiotic was made. Or we can use a transdermal-cream you put on the cat's ear. But I can't titrate the med once it is transdermal. So, we'll see how this goes.

It Takes a Momentary Breakdown to Understand What Is Needed for the New Cat

When Roxy cries and begs to go out, she is aggressive and insistent about it. And if she believes she does not have my attention, she pulls all of my papers on my desk apart. And if she needs to go to the bathroom but does not want to use the litter box, it takes a lot of coaxing to get her to use it. Even then, she may not settle down because OUT is all she wants. We have tried fast and furious play time and treats and food and petting to distract her, all of which are only momentary distractions. And if we keep her in one day, and she seems calm about it, the next day, she will demand to go out as if her life depended upon it.

This brings us to last night. Yesterday, she was in the house all day. She had free range of the house and mixed well with our other cats. But she cried and cried last night to go out and I thought, sure, why not. It's not too late. She will go out; I will call her back in 15-20 minutes; she will come back, etc.  All summer long she has worn a pink collar with a bell that someone put on her. Yesterday, I attached to the collar, a tag with her name and our address. I let her out and called her back after 15 minutes, and nothing. She never came back. A few minutes later, I heard the collar jingle and I called out to her but she never returned. An hour and a half after I let her outside, she finally returned home. No collar; a scratch on her nose; and a very wet and runny eye. I brought her in, wiped her eye, cleaned the scratch with Duoxo medicated pads (for pets) and cried.

That was my momentary breakdown. I cried out of fear for her life. I cried because I was upset that the new tag was gone. I cried because she may be hurt or sick and need to see the vet. I cried because I realized she was unhappy with us because we keep her inside.  I cried because I don't know how to let her out safely and let her be happy. I cried because I was afraid she was bringing in fleas and disease that could infect the other cats. I cried because I did not have any answers, only questions, and a lot of fear.

This momentary breakdown, fueled by fear, has happened before. I cried like this when Jimmy originally was not using the litter box in 2010-2011 and often during that long struggle with him before drugs, behavior techniques, and prayer brought the problem under control. (Prayer brought my fear under control, as well.)  I cried like this in the first two months that we had our first cat, Baby, when she would not stop crying to go out, also; when she would also not use her litter box. (Part of the problem was solved with spaying; the rest with behavior training.)

Momentary breakdowns fueled by fear and frustration, when everything you try to solve a problem isn't working, will happen with cats that have illnesses or difficulties and issues.  It's that moment when we are overwhelmed and give up and say I don't know what to do. Nothing works.  It's when I said she needs a better home, a loving home, a home with a fenced in yard she can't leave, a home where someone can let her come and go every hour.  But how can we give up on her and be the third home she has had in three years? If we give her to the Humane Society, how will we know they will give someone her particular information to meet her particular needs? How do we know anyone would do better by her?

Today I read a local story about a man who dumped his puppy on the side of the road. The dog ran after the truck until it couldn't run anymore. For three days, it waited by the side of the road where it was dumped and for three days locals tried to capture the dog. Finally, someone did capture the dog and took the dog home to join their family.  I knew then we couldn't be those people who dump Roxy and hope someone else figures out what she needs.  When I woke this morning, that's when I realized that I had been here before-with Baby and Jimmy-at this place full of doubt, fear, and lack of answers. I found the answers then, and I knew I could again.

Did I want a sixth cat after Myrna died? No. Was the house better off with only five? Yes. If in May when we first met her, and if I had thought Roxy was a stray, would I have taken her to the Humane Society? Yes. But first she had a home; then the owner didn't really take care of her; then she got sick; and then...then it was up to me to solve her problems.

We've taken her in and we are the ones who have accepted responsibility for her care. We must also accept responsibility for her safety. If she had been seriously injured or killed last night, I would not have said "Oh, well. Comes with going out, which is what she wanted."  I would have felt responsible and saddened by my lack of resolve.

We will keep her inside because she will be safer.  We will keep her inside because she will be healthier.  Maybe she needs Prozac to ease her anxieties.  Maybe she can learn to leash walk outside. Maybe we can build a pen even if that still would be too confining for her.  Maybe this will take a lot of time and work.

I never had a breakdown regarding Myrna's illness. Cried yes on occassion. For long periods, no, and more out of sadness but not fear or for a lack of answers.  I think it's because everything with her happened in increments so I had time to find answers. And most of her care was based on meds which were the answer I needed.

So, cry if you need to; have that momentary breakdown but stop after 15 minutes.  Don't give up on your cat. The easy answer is to give up. The hard one is to go forward and find the answers and be the best solution your cat needs.

Roxy and Our House of Cats-A Slow Introduction of the New Cat to Our Home

So, Rox and the cats are getting along well. They've begun slowly mixing this week. She toured the house with us and mixed with the cats earlier in the week. We were worried about Jimmy because he kept hissing and following her. But today, doors are opened downstairs and all the cats are mingling freely all day. There has been slight hissing but nothing so far that has blown out of control. Jimmy did insist on sharing an opened window with Rox but she disagreed and hissed, swiped, and then moved to a new window. (Jimmy stared her down and said "I'm not leaving.") The only one still segregated is Baby because she's been upstairs for a year now, rarely venturing downstairs even though all the doors upstairs are opened. The only door closed is the one between the hallway and living room so that Katharine can't get upstairs (because Baby and Katharine fight all the time.)

My only concern: Roxy has been very anxious this week and demanding to go out more and for longer periods of time. And when out, she disappears for hours, even when called. It's been hard keeping her in because she gets into all of my desk papers, causes a commotion to get my attention to let her out or because it's a nervous tic. Or she goes to the door and paws and cries frantically. At one point yesterday, I gave up and let her out, at which point she ran off and didn't come back for two hours.

So, I've decided she may need medication to help ease any anxiety. I can't imagine letting her out in winter and she is supposed to get over bartonella by staying in and being flea free (even though she's on Revolution, she can still pick up flea mess.) Starting today, I'm giving her a small 1/8 ish or less dose of Valium twice a day. I tried this before earlier in the summer, during a storm. Too little, and she's fine and at ease. Too much, and she's frantic. Today, 1/8 or less was enough to seemingly put her at ease. She needs to be comfortable enough to use the litter box-which is one reason she frantically wants outside. And comfortable enough that she doesn't feel confined; and comfortable enough to become used to her confinement.

Today, it's raining so, while she may want out, I can point and say-"But it's raining. No going out today."

Inflatable Pet Collars at Pet Stores-May Be Easier Than Cone Collars

Inflatable collars for pets at Petco (I'm sure other places and online.) skip the hard to handle cone and try these next time your cat needs one.

Roxanne Gets More Updated Shots; Needs More Later; Gingivitis Linked to Bartonella

September 2, 2016

Roxanne saw the vet for her leukemia and rabies shot. She is responding well to antibiotics for bartonella. So well, that the slight gingivitis the vet thought was due to lack of brushing of the teeth, has all but disappeared. Bartonella causes the appearance of gingivitis by causing the gums to swell. That the gums have decreased, means that her swollen gums were a sign of bartonella and not gingivitis. She returns in a month for a second leukemia and distemper shot to replicate the series she would have received as a kitten because we do not have any vaccination records for her. Next year, she'll get all three again (rabies, leukemia, distemper); then the following year distemper will be every three years. And as long as she goes outside, she will need an annual leukemia shot along with annual rabies. And since I've not heard back in two weeks from her so called owner, even after I informed her that Rox had bartonella and tapeworms and needed meds, I decided to microchip Rox. At least this way, her vet is listed and my contact information is listed.

Roxanne Gets One Year Distemper Nasal Drops

Roxanne

Update on Roxanne: Rox will receive Azithromax antibiotic to fight bartonella (cat scratch fever.) The med is a once a day, oral liquid, antibiotic used to fight bartonella-cat scratch fever-and other illnesses. Ordered it from Wedgewood Pharmacy (mail order in NJ) and paid extra for next day, and it arrived today. She is expected to need only one course of a 21 day regime. Rox does not have a fever but since she seems run down, she only received the distemper Wednesday, the rabies and leukemia will be next week. The distemper the vet used is a nasal drop. She chose that because it's a one year vaccine. Since we do not know what vaccines she had as a kitten or when was the last distemper, a one year is safer than a three year. Next year, she will receive a three year distemper. And the added benefit is that the drops help fight upper respiratory disease/issues such as her conjunctivitis.

Roxanne Has Feline Bartonella-Cat Scratch Fever Illness

Roxanne, the neighborhood cat who we take care of, who sort of lives with us, has Bartonella-cat scratch fever illness. What is that? Not sure, even after reading about it. It comes from being infected with fleas, from getting flea feces on the cat and the cat ingesting it when it cleans its fur. It causes a range of illnesses/symptoms/complications from fever to sores on eyes, nose, mouth, in the mouth, etc.  You can see some horrible examples at this link.  http://www.natvetlab.com/PDF/catownerbrochure.pdf

It can be transferred to other pets and to humans from the cat.

Treatment is one or two antibiotics for six weeks. I read a study that recommended two antibiotics:
https://cvm.ncsu.edu/…/…/2016/05/Treatment_Bartonellosis.pdf

Our vet only uses Azithromax.   https://www.vetinfo.com/zithromax-for-cats.html

I'll have to ask why. After antibiotics, she'll be tested again, which is about two months from now.

Yes, the others could get it from any infected fleas she's dropped or flea feces she's dropped. Luckily, we had her separated for awhile and I've cleaned. But still... I'll have three of them tested next month when they get their annual shots.

This is another example of why cats need regular flea and tick treatment each month.

Further note on bartonella: it can cause severe gingivitis in cats. What you may think is gingivitis caused by plaque and that a cat is in need of dental cleaning, can actually turn out to be bartonella. The vet should be able to tell the difference because all the gums in the entire mouth will be severely swollen. The cat will still need a test for bartonella but if the gingivitis clears up with an antibiotic treatment, then you know the severity is due to bartonella and not gum disease.

Update Calci Virus Vaccine and Distemper Vaccine

Corrections regarding vaccines: I was wrong. It's not that our vet doesn't recommend the calci virus vaccine. She may have said "We don't do that", or "We don't do a separate vaccine". The calci virus vaccine is included WITH the distemper vaccine they use. Your cat should get the calci virus vaccine IF your vet does not include it in the distemper vaccine. So, ask your vet what they use.

Vaccines for Cats, Blood Test for Feline Diseases-Difference Between Indoor and Outdoor Cat Needs

So, Roxanne, the cat that's not ours but needs our help, is so far, disease free. Still waiting on bartonella test (cat scratch fever) and she should be retested for one of them in a month or so just to make sure she wasn't infected before the blood test or between yesterday and the vaccine. This discussion of which vaccines are necessary for an outdoor cat, which ones the vet recommends vs. what vet websites list; testing for which disease; which disease does/does not get a vaccine, does/does not have a test, etc. is so new! And confusing. I thought HCM was confusing. Our indoor cats received a series of vaccines as kittens and annually the rabies and tri-annually the distemper. But what to get, test, and be aware of for Roxanne is what is new. (And she's responding well to her antibiotic eye drops to cure the conjunctivitis.)

When you have an outdoor cat there's much more to worry about than if you kept it indoors. An indoor cat needs flea/tick monthly med (we use Revolution) to prevent fleas from causing infection/infestations/tape worms; and to prevent mosquitos and heartworm; distemper 3yrs, and rabies annually (there is a three year but our vet doesn't recommend it.) An outdoor cat needs all of that and the feline leukemia (FELV) vaccine which is NOT the same as panaleukemia (distemper.) There is the FIV (HIV vax) that our vet doesn't recommend because it causes a positive test result and may lead someone to put a cat down (if you no longer owned the cat or it got lost.) There's the feline viral rhinotracheitis (herpes virus vax) which our vet doesn't recommend because most cats get the virus and how it affects them may change over time; it's not deadly but can make them very ill (which we've experienced.) There's FCV-(calcivirus) a severe and possibly deadly disease, a vaccine which our vet doesn't recommend (and I'll have to ask why and if necessary for outdoor cats). It could be that many of these are given by vets to kittens and that many adult cats do not need the annual boosters.

You should test an outdoor cat for all of these illnesses. Blood tests can be had for FELV, FIV, and bartonella. A cbc/chem panel test will show signs of an illness, allowing the vet to combine symptoms with blood test results to determine what is the cause and treatment.

Concerns about vaccines are that many have been linked to injection site sarcomas. This is why injection protocol calls for certain vaccines to be injected in certain areas of the body always, and never in a different spot each time the cat receives an injection (front leg for distemper, for example-I think. Don't quote me.) This way, if a sarcoma develops, the vet knows which injection caused it and can report it to the manufacturer, vet journals, whatever else they do with the information. Always check with your vet to make sure they follow a protocol.

Cat Vaccination Guide | Catster

Feline vaccines are easily the most contentious subject in veterinary medicine. So we consulted with Catster vet Dr. Eric Barchas, DVM to find the simplest vaccination guide veterinarians can agree on. According to Dr. Barchas, all cats –…

CATSTER.COM|BY ADMIN

Visiting Cat Conjunctivitis, Herpes, and Tapeworms-Using Profender

8/16/16

Rox has tape worms. Vet gave Profender, a med that goes on the back of the neck like flea treatment. Has herpes conjunctivitis in the eye and now receives antibiotic eye drops twice a day, for two weeks. Was tested for major diseases Bartonella, FLP, FLV, etc. and Cbc/Chem panel. Her other vet faxed over records: she hasn't had shots since 2014. (Owner said she was up to date.)

8/17/16

Rox is recovering well and responding well to eye drops. So far, blood work is normal, no heartworms. Waiting on infection test results. She does need to have her teeth brushed and eventually cleaned. We'll begin brushing after eye drops are done. So far, no adverse side effects from Profender (Google and you'll find a history of issues.)

Visiting Cat Has Conjunctivitis

This little girl, Roxanne, has been making herself at home lately. We had her confined to one back room but two weeks ago, began letting her into the living room for short periods but not when our cats were in the room (thank goodness for all of the doors.) However, she either caught a virus outside or inside because she's not well. She had watery eyes Sunday; and watery eyes (no discharge) but slightly blood shot in one eye Monday. Watery eyes can mean a fever. Sunday through today I gave her lysine in case it's the herpes virus. And last night and this a.m. I gave her some Buprenex (a pain and fever reducer, anti-inflammatory agent.) I couldn't get her an appointment yesterday at any of the vets we use nor her own (her owner gave me the info) but she has one today with our vet. She didn't appear sick enough for the ER (no diarrhea or vomiting.) Either she caught one and brought it in, or caught a virus from our cats (they have the herpes virus although it's mostly dormant.) If she caught it from our cats, that means the virus can be picked up indirectly through humans (we hold or pet her and our cats) or furniture or cat bedding-anything our cats have lain on that she came into contact. That's not how it's suppose to passed on. It shouldn't be through bedding that a cat hasn't touched in a few hours. It's supposed to be through shared litter boxes, and food and water bowls, or grooming/cat fights. She's not come into direct contact with our cats nor their litter boxes nor food bowls. We also don't share syringes with her and she has her own bottle of immune liquid. So, we will see how many tests she has today and what they confirm.

I don't know what this means. I'm worried about our cats becoming contaminated with her herpes virus even if they have a dormant version that on occasion, has made Katharine or Jimmy sick (the only two in the last few years to be continually affected.) There's always a concern she has brought something even worse or deadly into the house which is why we've always kept her separated from the others, we always wash our hands, and we never share syringes for water and immune therapy liquid. 

Let's see how today goes. I'm hoping her vet will tell our vet what shots and tests she has had. We will test her for everything today and get any further shots in the future when she's better. And I'll have to ask the vet if our cats now need other shots. Typically-if you have a cat when it's a kitten-a kitten gets all sorts of shots and boosters against FLV, FIP, leukemia, etc. If a cat is an indoor cat, it only needs distemper and rabies going forward as an adult. If you don't know if your adult cat has had any of those shots, you should get them for the adult cat if it's going out. So, we will see.

Of course, our HCM cats may only need rabies and distemper and should be indoor cats. And our HCM cats may not be able to get even those two vaccines if they are not doing well because their bodies and immune systems are already compromised (Myrna stopped receiving hers in 2013 because the cardio ruled against it when Myrna was having a difficult summer, a difficulty that would increase over time. So, it was never a good time to get them. But luckily, she never got sick from distemper.)

I'll let you know more later after the vet visit.

Signs of Feline Heart Disease May Be Lymphoma

Signs of heart disease could actually be lymphoma/cancer. 
Open mouth breathing
Cough
Loss of appetite (anorexia)
Weight loss

There are additional symptoms for gastro or skeletal related lymphoma such as vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss-symptoms which can also be related to heart disease/medication complications. I think only blood work would show if the white blood cell count is off and an ultrasound would find any mass in the body. But I found it interesting that symptoms can point to heart disease but not be heart disease. I'm sure an echo and xrays would likely show no signs of lung congestion or heart disease.

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  Lymphoma in Cats | petMD
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  Lymphoma in Cats | petMD
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  Lymphoma in Cats | petMD
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  See more at PETMD.COM

Bats-They Are NOT Cat Toys

(Facebook 8/12/16)

Read this morning on the neighborhood Facebook page a post by a cat owner who said her cat's been chasing and killing (biting) bats that keep getting into her house through whatever access points they have. She wanted to know what to do with the bat issue. She made light of the fact the cat was attacking the bats ("felt sorry for the bat"). WHAT?????!!!!! Cats should NOT bite, eat, chase, play with or touch bats. Even with an annual rabies shot, cats that have come into contact with a bat must get further rabies treatment because they can still get rabies (same with dogs. I don't know why but that's what vets recommend.) The bat should be tested by the local health dept. (whatever process your county or state has set up) for rabies. And then your house needs to be sealed off from bats and the bats chased out by a competent critter control company (they should be able to chase them out as well as seal off all points.) Bats and our pets (and houses) don't mix. It's not safe. Take all precautions.

Diuretics Needed to Fight Congestion-Increase As Needed

Remember to fight congestion, your HCM cat needs a daily dose of lasix even if CHF-congestive heart failure-hasn't yet occurred. It might and it's better to be ahead than behind. If your cat is becoming more and more congested despite lasix, that means you must increase the amount per dose and the number of doses per day. Diuretics work best when given over a course of a day instead of all at once. Too much at once and it puts a load on the kidneys to do the diuresis process. Too much at once, and it will leave the body soon and leave the body without diuretic coverage for the rest of the day. Depending on your schedule, 2-3 times a day is good for an average HCM cat; 4 times a day for cats fighting constant congestion. Don't forget the kidney support-potassium each day for cats on a diuretic. Vitamins E, C, COQ10, and iron for those on higher doses and especially for cats taking Torsemide. Torsemide depletes the body of needed electrolytes and is tough on the kidneys. The kidneys need kidney support for the diuresis process. More info is in the Med notes here in Facebook and the Med tab at the blog.