So much to tell... First of all, our little love had another pretty great night. She is still super angry when she gets her fluids, but thats such a great sign that her fight is there where it should be. Potty is going well. Eating is perfect. Breathing (when not mad) is fantastic. Lets go back to the whole food debacle. As many of you know, shes been exclusively eating Natural Planet Organics turkey canned for the last couple of years. Much to our chagrin, the company had production issues, and weve been waiting for it to start again. The company makes a chicken canned, but Clovy has rejected it many times. Thanks to so many of you, we have a hoarded stash on which shes been living. Sadly, the stash has been dwindling, and weve been searching for a replacement. This far, every other turkey food has failed. So we keep trying. Late last week, on a whim, I ordered a case of the Natural Planet organic chicken. I figured wed tried most everything else, so it wouldnt hurt to try it again. But even before it arrived, her health took a major dive. As I was syringe feeding her, it was taking longer and longer. She was obviously hungry, but she kept having breathing problems during meals. Shed get frustrated and quit trying. Id have to take breaks, and her feeding was taking in excess of an hour. Finally, things started to work themselves out in my head. When she had a hard time breathing, shed stick her nose in the air to make a clearer path of air travel. So, her easiest breathing was in that position. So, in theory, thatd be the best position for her to eat. But how do you feed watered-down canned food to a cat with her nose in the air? You dont. But then it was like getting smacked in the face when it hit me. Dont water down the food! Dont add the pumpkin! While were at it, lets try the chicken! I just took the food from the can and put it through the strainer. Then I put it, straight, on the top third of a tablespoon and held it up for her like a lollypop. I think that even she was shocked at how well it worked and how much easier she could eat!! She licked it clean! Yes, she still needs little breaks between spoons. But instead of eating an ounce over an hour, tonight she ate 2 ounces in about five minutes!!! As weve been doing this, Ive been supplementing with sub-q fluids. Its another trial and error to see how much she needs and how often. In theory, because her food lists a 78% moisture content, she could do okay with just the water from that. But, as shes on the mend, Im not taking a chance of her trying dehydrated again. The question many have is: WHAT HAPPENED to cause this horrific decline?!? The answer is simple: we dont know. We never know. All we can do is work with her and figure out what she needs. Is she back to normal? No. But I believe shes getting there. I dont expect she will be okay until we get the food and water worked out. But...we have a lot for which to be thankful and to be optimistic (cautiously). And there is no greater gift than seeing obvious improvement in my previous girl. I am so grateful that shes here and happy. Sorry for the novel. I just wanted everyone to know whats happened and the direction in which we are going. Thanks to each and every one of you for your love and continuing support. We couldnt do it without you.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 01:11:35 +0000
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