great ideas from everyone! thanks for the ones i'd have forgotten... re: fluids, tho, i've never heard of a critter who was harmed by fluids, and sometimes they make all the difference in the world--seeming to give the cat much-needed strength to fight things on their own. to me, this is one of those things i have learned to ALWAYS have in the house, just in case. i have given cats fluids at the first sign of punkiness (yeah, great clinical diagnosis, huh?), and they've never gone further into whatever might have been brewing... as i said, tho, it took a while to LEARN to make sure i always had fluids on hand..... if your vet wants to charge you a paw and tail for them, if you have an MD/DO friend who is sympathetic, have them write you a scrip for a bag of fluids that you can fill at a pharmacy--should be considerably less expensive. (i pay $19.20 for a box of fluids, which is either 10 or 12 1000ml bags..... so that's what the VET is paying.....) when not in emergency mode, check out rescues (or sanctuaries if there are any around) to see if they order fluids in bulk and could sell them to you....
and tho the books say that cats don't like fruit or fruit-flavored things, i've found that--like with many things--there are numerous cases where the cats had apparently NOT read that page.... i know of many who seem to like raspberry and citrus (supposedly a major dislike) and cherry-flavored liquid meds.... if you know that a cat isn't lactose-intolerant (i've actually only had one through the years who was), i think half-and-half was suggested in "the natural cat," as an acceptable in-a-pinch additive/treat to give them. kitten milk replacement is something i've often given to suplement a starving cat--without the problems of lactose tolerance. my vets have always told me that when it came to a starving cat, regardless of the cause, it it's not toxic and they'll eat it, let them.... things that you wouldn't want to give on a long-term basis have always been approved by my vets when the issue was getting enough into them to survive.... (tapioca pudding, cheeses, stinky disgusting cheap cat food....) good luck! -- MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892
