Hi Wendy,
Thanks for writing. The vet said that the herbal tincture was actually meant to help with the congestion and that I should dilute it if it was making him sick. So I've just given that to him, we'll see if he can keep it down. I'll give that to him in smaller doses more frequently to see if it can help.
I admit that I read in the cat veterinary handbook that said that Robitussin was the only decongestant that would be okay and I gave him a couple of doses. Now that I know that the tincture was meant to do that, I'm switching back.
The vet was adamant that I not put him in either a shelter or even a vet's office while I'm gone. He feels strongly that the stress of that situation would far outweigh staying in his comfort zone.
The vet was adamant that I not put him in either a shelter or even a vet's office while I'm gone. He feels strongly that the stress of that situation would far outweigh staying in his comfort zone.
He isn't worried about the appetite diminishing. He said that the antibiotic can do that and that as long as he's alert, acting like himself, the temp is down, and he still shows interest in the food, if brief, that he will be okay.
He made me feel better in general and with leaving him, but if things turn worse, you're right, I will feel so bad personally, but also for my boyfriend to have been put through that.
I'll call the airline now and see what it will cost. I think that the fee will be more like $130, but comparatively it might be worth it.
He licked the liver shake off of my finger, but wasn't interested in the plate of it that I put down for him.
Leslie
From: wendy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Satch is coughing
Hi Leslie,
I wish Satch were doing better for you. I know you
are frustrated. Several people here have said that
you can use people expectorants with kitties but I
don't know any more than that. Maybe someone will
post more, or you can call and ask your vet. Also,
there may be info. on it in the sick kitty manual that
I sent out. Either way, I would double check with my
vet before I used anything OTC. How much food do you
think Satch is actually getting down each day? You
shouldn't let him go long without getting enough
nutrition. I am not sure how much he actually needs
per day; I think that info. is in the sick kitty
manual as well. Your vet can give you canned A/D to
syringe feed him. It's VERY smooth and mixed with a
little water is great for syringe feeding. Good luck
with the liver shake. I hope he likes it. None of
mine will eat it unfortunately. Syringe feeding isn't
hard. I hold my kitties like a baby with their heads
up a little higher than their body and syringe the
food in very slowly, so they don't gag, into the side
of their mouths. Can you take the kitty to St. Louis
with you? Unless he starts eating soon, I would not
leave him. You can cancel plane tickets and use them
again usually for a $50 cancellation fee that you
don't pay until you rebook the flight. If you leave
and Satch dies, you will probably feel guilty forever,
being the loving human that you are. If you can't
take Satch with you, I'm sure your grandmother will
understand delaying your trip a couple of weeks. As
sweet as your boyfriend is, if Satch is attached to
you, he may not do well while you are gone. Please
keep us posted Leslie.
:)
Wendy
__________________________________________________
Message: 4
Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 09:52:42 -0700 (PDT)
From: wendy < [EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Satch is coughing
To: [email protected]
Message-ID: < [EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
If you do board your kitty, make sure that the vet is
a good one. I had a nightmare experience with leaving
my cat at the vet's and if I hadn't gone to pick him
up, he would have died. They did NOT syringe feed
him, NOR give him any IV fluids, even after I had
asked them to. I complained to the Texas Vet. Board
to no avail. That board is currently being revamped
to get rid of the good ol' boy system they've had for
years to protect one another. Sorry to scare you, but
I just don't think that the vet can care for our
babies as well as we can (short of surgery), and they
sure don't love them like we do.
:)
Wendy
