Ollies Mama
Member Since 2023
hi all,
Ollie is a 13y, 7 month long haired domestic. Vet says he has a mix of Maine Coon and Ragdoll somewhere because of his handsome looks and chilled disposition. He was a rescue I found in a plastic bag on the side of the road, at 3 months old, with his sister. Despite his history, he is very, very calm. Very very affectionate, can't be close enough, likes to be the little spoon in bed every night, eats all raw diet. The diet is a successful strategy to give him solid poo instead of explosive painful diarrhoea and retain weight. He was 4.2 kgs pre-raw, and he is now 6.1kgs raw diet.
Environmental: Ollie and I relocated from South Australia to Queensland (a distance of 2418kms) for work in July 2022. Prior to that, we lived with my daughter, another cat, Ace (who died at 18), and three female golden retrievers, Rosie, Ruby and Zoe. Ace and Ollie love the golden girls.
Stress Ollie has experienced: Flying in cargo on an aeroplane to new state, relocation, moving house x 2, weather changes, being shaved for the tropical weather, being trial-kennelled for 1 week in October 2022, when I went on a conference as a trial to being kennelled for 4 weeks when I had a family commitment back in Adelaide. March - April, 2023. The kennel managed his insulin strictly while I was away. They were passionate about this, and heard my anxiety about leaving him.
Pre-diagnosis symptoms: Weeing outside the litterbox, straining to pee, over-eating, vocal.
Vet: We arrived in new town July 2022 and I supported a quiet, stable settlement to assist in transition. No visitors, that kind of thing. We dont even have a TV. It's just me and Ollie. He peed outside of the litter box almost immediately which I accepted due to the move, but when I saw him straining, I took him to Vet.
October 2022 - Vet ruled out and stones with palpitation of stomach, said if he doesn't wee overnight, to bring him back. He did wee, so I didn't go back.
No reports of anything weird at the kennel for a week in October.
Outside of wee continued - i put it down to transitioning and his age.
6 March - dx with diabetes after I witnessed excessive eating, and excessive thirst, and alot of wee, still outside of the box. Tried different litter, box heights, styles to mitigate this without success. Now I understand he simply couldn't hold it. Using Caninsula, 1UC, every 12 hours, 6 am, and 6 pm, without issue. I give it to him while he's eating and he's none-the-wiser.
10 March - 17 April - kennel. This wasn't easy to do, I was very upset, and asked for regular pictures and reports on how he was travelling. I had to fly to Adelaide during this time to house-sit the three goldens while my daughter went on an overseas trip.
17-April - 5 May - Returns home with me. Relocated to new house as rental sold while I was away. Still peeing outside of box, compliant on insulin, eating like a horse, loving, affectionate self, tried different litters, different boxes, two upstairs, one downstairs.
6 May - woke up to vomit through the house, pale pink watery poo on edge of tray and on tiles in the house, and a very lethargic cat. Immediately rushed him to Vet at 8 am.
He was hospitalised at the Vet from 6th May until 9th May. After bloods and urine are completed, Vet suggests probably pancreatitis with a risk of triaditis, complicated by diabetes. No ketones present. He is treated with anti-nausea, antibiotics, vitamins, fluid and I packed his insulin. His visit was compromised as he didn't eat at all, even when he was through all of those bags of fluid.
9th May - they sent him home, in the hopes that a calm environment (opposed to stressful, scent-heavy vet environment) might help him relax and eat. I picked him up 430 pm and took him home. I was instructed that he required no pain relief on d'c, and if he didn't eat at 6pm, he doesn't get insulin. I tried repeatedly from 5pm until 7 am to slip little smudges of chicken, or pate on his cheek. He had about a teaspoon in total over 6+ hours, instead shaking the food out of his mouth. I was instructed to call in the morning with outcome. It was a long night.
Upon arriving home, He collapsed as soon as I lifted him out of his carrier. He had urinated in the carrier (he does this every single time he's in it). His back legs especially split, like a starfish. I put him on different surfaces thinking weakness and tiles don't mix - didn't matter, he was flattened on the rug.
Wanting to help him calm down (with the sole goal of eating)I held him close for about three hours. He nuzzled in, as he's an affectionate cat, at the best of times. I slept with him on the sofa all night. At 4 am, he indicated toilet, pee'd a bit on the sofa, before I lifted him to his tray nearby. I held him up while he pee'd, then gently lowered him, again, he cannot weight bare and he sat hard against the litter - something he would typically avoid. He didn't eat or drink despite my attempts.
6 am - no insulin on vet's recommendation.
At 7 am, i rang the vet, explaining all this, they said 'maybe he's relapsed' and bring him in.
At 8 am, at the vet, he defecated in the carrier again, and did a big wee. Thankfully the poo was normal, and not that pink (bile-coloured) poo. He was taken out the back and new bloods done. This, the vet surgeon said would be a good measure of if their treatment for pancreatitis was impactful, or not. Suggesting that would be a decision for me to make after they got the bloods. We also discussed feeding tube, which I consented for.
3pm, Vet calls. New bloods have shocked them, Ollie's actually recovering from the pancreatic illness, his GC is 6, and all of his clinical markers show improvement. They are now perplexed why this cat is so sick, and ask to do an ultrasound (at their cost) to examine if he has a pancreatic tumour, and will give him Anti-nausea, mirtazapine, and fluids. They are refraining from Insulin because his numbers are so great. The vet will call back once the ultrasound is done. They've also agreed to email the blood work, and I will upload it upon receipt.
Now i'm here, having purchased a Blood Glucose Plus Ketone Monitoring System (LifeSmart brand), sticks for blood and ketones, syringes and more on the hope that he is discharged back into my eager arms. I am reading the material available too.
So that's me and Ollie - right now, currently. Props to Bron for introducing me to the Forum and her gracious assistance,
Cath and Ollie.
Ollie is a 13y, 7 month long haired domestic. Vet says he has a mix of Maine Coon and Ragdoll somewhere because of his handsome looks and chilled disposition. He was a rescue I found in a plastic bag on the side of the road, at 3 months old, with his sister. Despite his history, he is very, very calm. Very very affectionate, can't be close enough, likes to be the little spoon in bed every night, eats all raw diet. The diet is a successful strategy to give him solid poo instead of explosive painful diarrhoea and retain weight. He was 4.2 kgs pre-raw, and he is now 6.1kgs raw diet.
Environmental: Ollie and I relocated from South Australia to Queensland (a distance of 2418kms) for work in July 2022. Prior to that, we lived with my daughter, another cat, Ace (who died at 18), and three female golden retrievers, Rosie, Ruby and Zoe. Ace and Ollie love the golden girls.
Stress Ollie has experienced: Flying in cargo on an aeroplane to new state, relocation, moving house x 2, weather changes, being shaved for the tropical weather, being trial-kennelled for 1 week in October 2022, when I went on a conference as a trial to being kennelled for 4 weeks when I had a family commitment back in Adelaide. March - April, 2023. The kennel managed his insulin strictly while I was away. They were passionate about this, and heard my anxiety about leaving him.
Pre-diagnosis symptoms: Weeing outside the litterbox, straining to pee, over-eating, vocal.
Vet: We arrived in new town July 2022 and I supported a quiet, stable settlement to assist in transition. No visitors, that kind of thing. We dont even have a TV. It's just me and Ollie. He peed outside of the litter box almost immediately which I accepted due to the move, but when I saw him straining, I took him to Vet.
October 2022 - Vet ruled out and stones with palpitation of stomach, said if he doesn't wee overnight, to bring him back. He did wee, so I didn't go back.
No reports of anything weird at the kennel for a week in October.
Outside of wee continued - i put it down to transitioning and his age.
6 March - dx with diabetes after I witnessed excessive eating, and excessive thirst, and alot of wee, still outside of the box. Tried different litter, box heights, styles to mitigate this without success. Now I understand he simply couldn't hold it. Using Caninsula, 1UC, every 12 hours, 6 am, and 6 pm, without issue. I give it to him while he's eating and he's none-the-wiser.
10 March - 17 April - kennel. This wasn't easy to do, I was very upset, and asked for regular pictures and reports on how he was travelling. I had to fly to Adelaide during this time to house-sit the three goldens while my daughter went on an overseas trip.
17-April - 5 May - Returns home with me. Relocated to new house as rental sold while I was away. Still peeing outside of box, compliant on insulin, eating like a horse, loving, affectionate self, tried different litters, different boxes, two upstairs, one downstairs.
6 May - woke up to vomit through the house, pale pink watery poo on edge of tray and on tiles in the house, and a very lethargic cat. Immediately rushed him to Vet at 8 am.
He was hospitalised at the Vet from 6th May until 9th May. After bloods and urine are completed, Vet suggests probably pancreatitis with a risk of triaditis, complicated by diabetes. No ketones present. He is treated with anti-nausea, antibiotics, vitamins, fluid and I packed his insulin. His visit was compromised as he didn't eat at all, even when he was through all of those bags of fluid.
9th May - they sent him home, in the hopes that a calm environment (opposed to stressful, scent-heavy vet environment) might help him relax and eat. I picked him up 430 pm and took him home. I was instructed that he required no pain relief on d'c, and if he didn't eat at 6pm, he doesn't get insulin. I tried repeatedly from 5pm until 7 am to slip little smudges of chicken, or pate on his cheek. He had about a teaspoon in total over 6+ hours, instead shaking the food out of his mouth. I was instructed to call in the morning with outcome. It was a long night.
Upon arriving home, He collapsed as soon as I lifted him out of his carrier. He had urinated in the carrier (he does this every single time he's in it). His back legs especially split, like a starfish. I put him on different surfaces thinking weakness and tiles don't mix - didn't matter, he was flattened on the rug.
Wanting to help him calm down (with the sole goal of eating)I held him close for about three hours. He nuzzled in, as he's an affectionate cat, at the best of times. I slept with him on the sofa all night. At 4 am, he indicated toilet, pee'd a bit on the sofa, before I lifted him to his tray nearby. I held him up while he pee'd, then gently lowered him, again, he cannot weight bare and he sat hard against the litter - something he would typically avoid. He didn't eat or drink despite my attempts.
6 am - no insulin on vet's recommendation.
At 7 am, i rang the vet, explaining all this, they said 'maybe he's relapsed' and bring him in.
At 8 am, at the vet, he defecated in the carrier again, and did a big wee. Thankfully the poo was normal, and not that pink (bile-coloured) poo. He was taken out the back and new bloods done. This, the vet surgeon said would be a good measure of if their treatment for pancreatitis was impactful, or not. Suggesting that would be a decision for me to make after they got the bloods. We also discussed feeding tube, which I consented for.
3pm, Vet calls. New bloods have shocked them, Ollie's actually recovering from the pancreatic illness, his GC is 6, and all of his clinical markers show improvement. They are now perplexed why this cat is so sick, and ask to do an ultrasound (at their cost) to examine if he has a pancreatic tumour, and will give him Anti-nausea, mirtazapine, and fluids. They are refraining from Insulin because his numbers are so great. The vet will call back once the ultrasound is done. They've also agreed to email the blood work, and I will upload it upon receipt.
Now i'm here, having purchased a Blood Glucose Plus Ketone Monitoring System (LifeSmart brand), sticks for blood and ketones, syringes and more on the hope that he is discharged back into my eager arms. I am reading the material available too.
So that's me and Ollie - right now, currently. Props to Bron for introducing me to the Forum and her gracious assistance,
Cath and Ollie.
Last edited:
You're in great hands with Bron!
. His ears are also waxy from the vet, so he's not happy with me touching them, grumbling at me.
