? Update civvie question

We have a 16+ year old former barn kitty, now deck and mudroom kitty that has spent the last 2 winters in the house with us. As soon as the weather gets warm she wants out and doesn't want back in until the first cold hits. Last summer I noticed that sometimes she was sitting funny, it looked like her back was humped up. She also sleeps upright a lot with her nose almost touching the ground. She goes off her food for a couple of days at a time quite often. I read and saw pictures somewhere on here about sausage (I think that's what it was called) positions that cats take on when suffering from too much acid...I can't find the post now, but I remember thinking "that's how Roo sleeps". I also read about giving pepcid ac for acid. She's off her food again and sitting up with her nose almost touching the ground. I'd like to try the pepcid and see if it helps. She's very, very tiny maybe 7 pounds (I've got a scale coming on Tuesday) Does anyone have any suggestions.

 

Hi Liz,

I think it's the meatloaf position you're thinking of. Have a look at the pictures at the link below (from ibdkitties.net). It shows 2 normal meatloafs, plus images of nausea and pain meatloaf positions.

Comfy and Uncomfy Meatloaf Positions (with pictures)

Given Roo's age, I'd suggest getting Roo evaluated by a vet for CKD and pancreatitis, or possibly IBD. At minimum, I'd suggest switching her to a low phosphorus food and not letting her fast too long between meals. Famotidine can help with excess stomach acid. So can slippery elm bark. There is good info at the following link (at Tanya's Site - great for info on all manner of cat health matters, not just CKD):

Nausea Symptoms and Treatments

How is Roo's appetite?


Mogs
.

 

Hi Mogs,
Yes that's it, meatloaf lol, those are the pics I was looking at. She sometimes sleeps in the nauseated meatloaf position. Usually her appetite is good, she eats well but has always been tiny. She will however go a couple of days every so often when she just doesn't eat much, right now being one of those times and I noticed she was sitting/sleeping in that funny position so I wondered if acid could be causing it. She doesn't throw up, her poop is normal, pees normal, she's very active. Thank you for the link I will go explore further.

 

Btw, what is considered low phosphorus and what are some examples of brands? I've got FF, Friskies, Sheba and YA in the house for all the kitties.

 

With what you describe about her waxing and waning appetite, I think it would be a good idea to get the vet to do a blood work-up for her - including kidney panel and Spec fPL. If you know what you're dealing with and get the right treatments in place, it could make little Roo feel more comfortable.

Seeing as it's intermittent, it might be worth keeping a little journal for Roo where you log what you feed her and how severe her symptoms are each day. It might help you to spot patterns and thereby identify any foods that might irritate her system.

Don't know about US foods phosphorus-wise (I'm in the UK). Dr Pierson has a food list that includes phosphorus content at catinfo.org which might help you. Alternatively you could post a thread on Feline Health asking for low phos food recommendations from other members.


Mogs
.

 

Thanks again Mogs. She already has an appointment on Thursday for her ears (possible yeast or bacterial infection) I'll get them to do a blood panel as well. Will do the journal too, great idea!

 

http://catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPhosphorus9-22-12.pdf
Also see:
http://www.felinecrf.org/which_foods.htm

 

Be sure to let us know how Roo gets on, Liz.


Mogs

EDITED TO ADD:

Link to info about Slippery Elm Bark (from Tanya's Site. If the link doesn't work straight away wait a while and try again; sometimes the TS server glitches.)

.

 

Roo's blood work is excellent! Everything in normal range. So that brings me back to an acid/nausea problem. Mentioned acid to the Vet a couple of times and she made no comment. I'm going to try raising her food dish, and the next time she stops eating I'll give her slippery elm bark first and if that doesn't help then will try pepcid ac. Hopefully that will do the trick. I've learned so much on here. I don't know what I would have done without this forum.

 

Just got the heads-up about Roo on your other thread, Liz. Great news about her test results!

The meatloafing could just be due to excess stomach acid on days that her appetite is a bit off. It might be worth keeping a little journal for Roo with food and behaviour notes. It might help you spot a pattern of what might be triggering the appetite off days.

Another tip, BTW, is to warm food slightly to make food more palatable. (I give it 10 seconds at 20% power in the microwave just to take the 'chill' off Saoirse's grub when her appetite's a bit sluggish.) Sprinkling a crumbled freeze-dried protein treat over food is another good trick, as is sleepy eating (put food in dish or on saucer, gently wake cat, stick dish straight under cat's nose).


Mogs
.

 

Thanks Mogs, I will try all your suggestions. You're the greatest!