She’s been recovering well (yay!) and so far seems to be doing better. I’ve been feeding her on my desk. She seems to eat more when I’m nearby than when I’m not. Our checkup with the regular vet went well. She was pleased that Stella’s test results showed similar numbers Read more…
Initally, Stella seemed to be a little better this afternoon. I stayed home with her and she seemed to be walking and trotting around the apartment. Just a little wobbly but not much. I was getting ready to go to the barn to feed (horsesitting), and woke Stella up to Read more…
I have a sinus infection, Isis has EPM, and Ambush and Stella have urinary tract infections (UTIs). Recovery is on its way through… The day after Isis came home from the hospital, Ambush had a sugar crash. He was unaware of anyone or anything that happened to him. A trip Read more…
Today started with a vet visit with Stella for her fluids. She has been so good about it. Surprising, considering that she has limited patience. If something takes longer than five minutes, she will start protesting vigorously. The fluids have made a huge difference for her: the evening after she Read more…
Stella got fluids today — and had some good news! She lost a few ounces last week. Today she was back up to 5 pounds. It’s a gain of one or two ounces, but that’s a lot for a little cat. Stella has been surprisingly good for her fluids. She Read more…
Stella finally seems to be doing better. After two courses of trying to give her Clavamox antibiotic twice per day (and her successfully avoiding it 25% of the time), the vet gave her an injectible antibiotic that lasts for two weeks. The dose is determined by the cat’s weight, so it has the potential to be expensive. At five pounds, Stella’s dose was cheaper than one run of Clavamox.
Every few weeks, Stella quits eating whatever food is offered to her. I’ve been through a lot of dry and wet cat foods trying to find something she likes and is okay for a cat with kidney problems.
She is currently eating two dry foods made by Fromm: Salmon a la Veg and Grain-free Surf and Turf. The Surf and Turf has a higher protein level (which isn’t great for Stella) however, because the dry food does not have grains, Ambush can also eat it. (Unfortunately Ambush prefers the Surf and Turf to his Indigo Moon grain-free dry food.)
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Stella was really good at the vet’s. She seems to have calmed down and knows we’re trying to help her. She’s been quiet in the car and good about getting into her padded carrier. She let Dr. Kipp draw blood without too much fuss for the blood test. While we Read more…
Stella does not have a UTI: lab culture came back negative for anything. Dr Kipp thinks that Stella’s urninating is due to a progression of her kidney failure possibly also some senility. Stella has a follow-up visit tomorrow afternoon at 4:45 to check her blood work (luckily that test is only $25 instead of the $99 for the urine test). The blood work will also help us know if Stella needs to be started on regular subcutaneous fluids.
Pretty soon the question may be not what we can do, but how much do we do, and when do we put her down. Sigh.
Stella has developed a bad habit: if any piles of clothes are left on the bed or within her reach (like the laundry basket), she will pee on them. If the litter box is not clean or does not have enough litter in it, she will pee on my bed. (Mattress covers are worth their weight in gold!)
Two nights in a row, I forgot to buy new litter. The three litter boxes are cleaned once or twice per day. (If I let the boxes go more than 36 hours, Stella lets me know by marking where I sleep on the bed.) Even though the boxes were clean, there wasn’t much litter in them. Stella peed on my bed. I brought home new litter after work the next day and washed the bed clothes.
I know this is part of her growing older and getting persnickety. It’s really frustrating when she does things like this. This peeing is behavioral because I can correct it by making sure the litter boxes are always in pristine shape. (more…)
Stella hates the wet food from the vet (NF kidney prescription diet). Ambush (aka “the Vacuum”) won’t eat it. Stella still didn’t like the Merrick’s Turduken or Granny’s Pot Pie wet food, which both smell marvelous. Ambush and Kiesha were in love with these flavors. Stella couldn’t care less. The Read more…
Last night, Stella did not look good. When we were going to bed, she tried to stand up to position her self next to me. Her rear end didn’t cooperate and she flopped over. She hadn’t eaten much that night and it was definitely showing. Poor kitten. The vet said Read more…
Stella, bless her heart, is not eating most of the food I leave out for her. She prefers dry food over wet food. With her kidney issues, wet food is much better for her. So far, I’ve tried cans and flavors from four or five differnet brands. Stella ate the Read more…
Week before last, Ambush had his vet checkup. We upped his insulin dose to three units twice per day and decided to change the kitty food to something with lower carbs and lower protein (for Stella). My vet suggested that I bring Stella in, especially after mentioning how hard the Read more…