4/19 Foster Cat Kitty AMPS 298

Yesterday's condo: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=12359

When I got up this morning, my very round cat Honey (named because she has honey-colored patches) was sitting in the very round sink having a quiet conversation with Kitty, who was in her bed in the bathtub. Kitty looked less than thrilled with her gentle visitor, but at least she wasn't growling.

I gave her 0.1 units. She still have no interest in food. Is there any reason why I shouldn't give her some Mirtazipine?

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty PMPS 298

Maybe they were discussing something they both have strong opinions about.. how to turn around the economic crisis perhaps!

Subject line should be AMPS instead of PMPS.

I hope this itty bitty dose is enough to help Kitty clear the bounce a lil quicker.. she seems to have a really rough time clearing those.. and then once she does drops crazy low (or maybe our timing is just really crappy heheh).

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty PMPS 298

Oh that is some very nice progress there with the visiting kitty =) Maybe Honey was trying to explain to Kitty that she doesn't need to be so afraid.

 

Honey might have been saying "I want those three dishes of food you haven't even touched!" Or maybe they were trading stories about shelter life, since Honey and her kids, Winston and Katie, were plucked from the jaws of death by a rescue group in NC. Dawn, I imagine cats would have a very simple solution for the economy: "You're hungry. Go catch something and eat the whole thing."

 

:lol: Kitty is not much spoiled is she? Three plates of food :lol:

 

you might want to check with your vet. when alex became sick last month with liver disease and having a renal crisis... i was very surprised my vet was reluctant to prescribe mirtz or cypro. i was having an awful time getting food into her. he didn't want to put her on an appetite stimulant if it wasn't absolutely necessary because he said they're hard on the liver. granted, alex had known liver disease, but it did give me pause for thought when i recalled how frequently it seems to be used. however, it may be perfectly fine in an otherwise healthy cat. your vet will know...

 

Interesting. I'm a firm believer in trusting your gut and if *your* gut says to think twice about it Jill, then I certainly think it's worth paying attention to. Does the same apply to the Forti-flora type stimulants you can buy online etc. or only the prescription? (I'm guessing the script but want to be sure)

 

i may be wrong, but i don't think fortiflora is considered an appetite stimulant. my understanding is fortiflora is a nutritional supplement containing active cultures, most often used for kitties with diarrhea. however, many of us have sprinkled it on food as an enticement to get kitty to eat because most kitties seem to love it! three out of four of mine will run right to the food bowl when they know it's there. it works! lol!

 

Ahhh, ok! Thank you for the clarification... (that word was difficult to type because I was watching Echo sort of *melt* off of my lap, on purpose, into the cubby beneath my desk. It was the cutest thing... sorry ) I think I do remember seeing it mentioned as a supplement somewhere, now that you say that. I just see it used more often to stir up appetites than anything else, I guess.

I was just mentioning in another thread that Tugger is not usually one to refuse to eat, even when he's ill, the reason he's so fat is that he thinks everything is a reason to eat! Mom walks into the kitchen? Oh good, snacktime! Doorbell rang? Yay! Snacktime! Someone else eating? Ohno, gotta get my share! ohmygod_smile

I'm thinking I'll get some Forti-flora to have on hand though, the other cats do sometimes refuse to eat so options are always good to have!

 

Nova from time to time gets a dose or two of mirtazapine (1/4 of a pill, every 3 days).. not as a casual thing by any means.. usually around the time that "feeding tube" starts coming up in discussions.. (she's had food issues most of her time with me.. 5+ years).. we do blood work on her pretty often (every 3 or 6 months depending) to make sure her inside bits are all working right..

I get pretty worked up about resorting to it..but her doctor says that it's actually frequently used during various treatments requiring hospital stays (either because of treatments or because cats just love to be picky when they are mad at being at the vet).. But yeah you'd want to have blood work done before hand.. or have had it done relatively recently..

 

Kitty had all the blood tests in the shelter, and everything was perfect except for her blood glucose level. She hasn't been to my vet, but I do know who her old vet is, and maybe I'll call him and ask. Things like appetite stimulants really scare me, but it's even scarier that she's not eating. She was a dry food kitty in her old home, and maybe that's part of the problem here, although she was eating four cans of FF a day when she first arrived.

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty 304~+2.5 and Ketones!

I just tested her, and the meter was flashing KETONES. Little Gray never had ketones, and I have no idea what to do.

I left a message for the vet.

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty AMPS 298; Ketones ~+2.5

You took her blood and it said ketones? I'm not familiar with the meter you are using so I am not a lot of help there that's for sure..

What I do know, is ketones are serious business.. anything above a trace amount means get in the car and go to the vet now.. I have no idea what # value trace is though. Worth editing your initial post and picking the 911 flag for this I think.

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty AMPS 298; Ketones ~+2.5

Are you using the Precision Xtra meter to test for ketones in her blood? Or is your glucometer just reminding you that you should test for ketones. My OTU says to test for ketones when the BG reaches a certain level.
Do you have Ketone test strips that you can test the ketones in the urine with?

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty AMPS 298; Ketones ~+2.5

missy, some of the newer human meters will flash "ketones" after a certain number. for instance, the relion ultima will flash the word ketones if the number is over 300. it doesn't necessarily mean kitty has ketones. it's more of a warning... you're at risk for throwing ketones.
check the booklet that came with your meter. if you no longer have it, you should be able to find it online.

check her urine for ketones if you can...

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty AMPS 298; Ketones ~+2.5

i have a ReliOn Ultima meter. It doesn't say anything about ketones on the box or in the manual. Maybe the message was just a reminder.

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty AMPS 298; Ketones ~+2.5

Kitty has tested higher before.. any chance it might have done that previously and you just didn't happen to see it?

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty AMPS 298; Ketones ~+2.5

i have a relion ultima manual in front of me. check page 35.
the word "ketones" is followed by a question mark.

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty AMPS 298; Ketones ~+2.5

It hasn't done that before, or maybe I just didn't notice. I don't see how I could have missed it though. Thanks... I feel better. I was shifting into panic mode again.

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty AMPS 298; Ketones ~+2.5

Yes that is a possibility.
When I was using the Relion Ultima if the number was high it would flash
Ketones to remind you to test for them.
Have you checked for Ketones in her urine.

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty AMPS 298; Ketones ~+2.5

Egads.. put me into panic mode that's for sure.. how about you get a urine test today so that we can all relax hmmm? If you don't have the ketones strips.. they are avail at the pharmacy for pretty cheap.. like $10 or something..

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty AMPS 298; Ketones ~+2.5

Missy did those ketone strips I sent you ever arrive?

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty AMPS 298; Ketones ~+2.5

I have the ketone strips (thank you!) I'll test her today.

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty AMPS 298; Ketones ~+2.5

Oh good! I hope there are none present and the meter was just reminding you to check for them.

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty AMPS 298; Ketones ~+2.5

Wow, that gave me a start. Nothing like seeing the word ketones to make you move fast.
Relief.

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty AMPS 298; Ketones ~+2.5

I saw the ketones in the subject line and started reading very fast. (You might want to remove that from the subject line.)

FortiFlora is a probiotic. I've used it when one of the cats had diarrhea problems. My vet would refer to it as "kitty crack" given how so many cats really like the stuff. A small sprinkle as an enticement should be fine. You can use an entire packet for liquipoo problems. I'd be more conservative with doling the stuff out for a cat who's GI system was working fine. It's available on Amazon or through PetfoodDirect. Just make sure you order the variety for cats.

 

Re: 4/19 Foster Cat Kitty 269@+10 PMPS 292

Sorry about the ketones scare. This Kitty keeps leading me into unfamiliar territory. Her old vet returned my call and said he couldn't possibly recommend any kind of medicine for a cat he hadn't seen recently. Makes sense... So I read up on all the scary possible side effects of mirtazapine, took a deep breath and gave her some because she has to eat. She ate a tiny bit of FF smothered in grated Parmesan cheese.

She's made a couple of forays beyond the bathroom tonight. Unfortunately, the terrible Trista was inside when Kitty made her second trip through the kitchen. Now Trista's sleeping on my desk with one eye open, and Kitty's back in the bathtub with more food smothered in more grated cheese.