More Medicine for Josie

It’s timer for a progress report on Josie, I think. The last time I wrote about her, she was vomiting, and a hairball was suspected. She received treatment for it in the form of a laxative/hairball remedy. She likely pooped it out, but she also coughed one up. I know it was hers because I arrived at the scene half a minute after hearing her wretch.

After taking advice, I decided to keep her on a dosage of hairball remedy for, well, forever. That negates the bit in the earlier article when I wrote that her treatment would not be permanent. But on Friday, she threw up a brownish fluid. She had regurgitated food during the previous week, but her stomach has always been sensitive, and I am not worried about the odd upchuck of undigested kernels. When she brought up the clear fluid, I thought she had better stay on the hairball remedy.

I think that it helped initially but another one may have been collecting even as I stopped the treatment. I hope that regular dosing with the goop will prevent hairballs from gathering. The only way I will know is if my Chubs stops throwing up the liquid. That’s assuming it’s a hairball that is causing the problem. I have not ruled out taking Josie to the veterinary. If she throws up some more, despite the hairball treatment, I will do just that.

But for now, she gets three or four mL of goop on Saturdays and a similar amount on Sundays. I chose those days because they are easy to remember and give me more time for doing things than on weekdays.

The goop I am giving her now doesn’t come from a veterinary hospital as the first did. It’s a little less expensive but was recommended by a pet-supply shop worker as having done well by their store-cat. The initial product tasted of fish, so the packaging claimed. According to Josie’s reaction, it tasted of fish that has been lying on a beach for some days. This new product has a ‘malt’ flavour. Now, perhaps if the Great White was an habitué of Pop’s Malt Shop in Riverdale, hanging out with Archie, Jughead and the gang, she would enjoy the simulated malt flavour more than she does. Unfortunately, to judge by results, this product too tastes of fish that has been lying on a beach for some days.

Well, it’s only twice a week, and is a small price to pay for regularity. Josie is well into middle age now - she’s eleven - and has experienced few health problems. Of my cats, she and Renn have had good luck in that regard over the years. I hope this is as serious as any treatment for ailments get with her, as I don’t want to give her any more medicine. Still, if I must, I’m sure modern veterinary science can come up with plenty of other flavours that taste of fish that has been lying on a beach for some days.