Chelsea,
First, you probably know this already, and hopefully you have a vet that
would let you know if you didn't, but you shouldn't vaccinate any animal
that is showing symptoms of illness. Being lethargic, not eating and
vomiting are definitely indications that something is wrong. The fact
that she seemed to recover from her surgery and then started acting sick
doesn't necessarily mean the two are not connected. It's possible that
she caught some sort of bug when she was stressed from her surgery and
she is now trying to fight it. Call your vet and tell him/her what is
going on. You don't want to wait and watch with felv kitties. She may
need antibiotics. Can you tell if she has a fever? It's also not a
good idea to let her go without food for too long, cats can develop
fatty liver disease when they fast.
Prednisone and prednisolone are steroids and yes, they sometimes improve
appetite but they also suppress immune response so they aren't used for
that alone. They're prescription medications and your vet would have to
deem them appropriate. They are sometimes used for IBD symptoms,
(which can include vomiting), but they aren't the first thing that
should be tried to stop vomiting either. If you want something to
stimulate her appetite ask your vet for transdermal Cyproheptadine that
you can rub on the inside of her ear.
As far as the litter box problem goes... You say she peed on the side.
Do you think she was in the box and her bottom half was hanging over, or
she avoided the box and just went near it? What sort of litter are you
using? Maybe a softer type of litter would work better for her.
Perhaps a larger box would take care of the problem. You could try a
covered box and then the urine would just hit the side of the box. Did
this problem start with her symptom of being lethargic? Do you have any
other reason to suspect urinary trouble? Has she been eating and
drinking excessively? Does she seem to have trouble passing urine?
There has been a lot of discussion on quality food on the list, how to
read labels etc. Science diet and Fancy Feast are a little better than
meow mix, but they're not great foods either. My kids like Innova EVO
dry food, but the better wet foods like Wellness and Merrick make them
turn their little kitty noses up in disgust. They'll eat Innova canned
and they liked Triumph. Read the labels and look for natural
ingredients without "by products" and protein "meals". Grains aren't
something that cats process easily either, (corn is esp useless).
Putting my IBD kitty on a homemade raw diet saved her life. She's now
on a homemade cooked turkey diet and doing very well.
I wish you all the best in working through Tsunade's problems. Please
stop thinking about the possibility of her not coming with you when you
move. She probably already feels like a second class citizen having to
live on the porch. If she is felv pos, she may not be around in a
year. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, and maybe I'm being too sensitive
here, but some of what you say makes me feel like you consider her a bit
of a bother to you. I'm probably way off base, but if I'm picking up
feelings like that from your emails, she might be too. I'm sure you
love her, you wouldn't be on this list if you didn't. Just be sure that
she can have no doubt of it! I am firmly convinced that kitties that
are showered with love and understanding have a much better chance at
regaining health and sustaining it.
Let us know how she's doing,
Nina
