Friday, October 10, 2014

First Renn, Now Kola


More than a week ago, Renn went to the hospital to treat whatever was making him think he had to wet, when he really didn’t. When he came home the next day, he was much better. He did, however, bring home a cold. I am certain that he caught it at the hospital, where all the sick animals are. The cold expressed itself almost entirely in sneezing; long series of sneezes, in fact. But his appetite was good and he even played.

My big boy’s cold left him swiftly; where it went was into Kola.

First Kola developed a cough, a kind of choking bark that resembled somewhat an attempt to dislodge something in his throat. I was worried that he too might have to see a doctor, but this phase passed, and developed into a genuine cold.

When I came home yesterday and opened the parlour door to release my foster-cat, he did not leap out with a cry, jubilant at being free. He did not seem excited at all. He remained where he lay, on the heated towels of the parlour’s couch. I knew something was amiss then.

The floofy one started sneezing last night. Like Renn, his sneezes come in gaggles, one after the other. Unfortunately, unlike his roommate, Kola has a stuffed nose that forces him to breathe through his mouth. He cannot smell, so he will not eat. I’m not sure if he has drunk from his water-bowl, either; he certainly has not asked me to run the bathroom tap for him, lately one of his favourite pastimes.


This is a more serious illness than Renn’s, and I will be watching Kola carefully over the weekend, a long one due to Thanksgiving Day on Monday. I may have to apply the syringe to Kola, just to put some food into him. I hope that won’t be necessary, as it is unpleasant for any cat, even if it is done expertly, and since this would be my first attempt at feeding the floofy one, my actions would not qualify as expert.

I am not otherwise too concerned, since I am sure this is a cold, and it will pass. But how quickly, I cannot say. The failure to eat and drink is my greatest fear. In any case, Kola will be spending the next day or two close to his parlour, no doubt on his warm towels. He doesn’t seem to believe in the adage of misery loving company, so I will let him be, to rest and recover.

17 comments:

  1. Oh John, I know what you mean about failure to eat and drink bringing stress to the owner. I'm so sorry Kola is feeling low. I hope you see a big improvement sometime today. It upsets me so much to see a cat ill. Sending a hug, Deb

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  2. Oh, poor guy. He looks like he sure appreciates that warm bed, though.

    I can only add to what I'm sure will be a ton of best wishes and positive thoughts that he'll be 100% again soon.

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  3. Oh, poor Kola! He has Nicki and Derry's purrs -- they were so sick with whatever bug Nicki picked up early last Feb, when he came back from that vet appointment. I'd never seen cats so stuffed up that they had to breathe through their mouths; it's scary. Would Kola be okay if you shut him up in the bathroom with you and ran the hot shower? I did that for about 2 weeks, give or take, for the boys, one after the other. It seemed to help short-term. Luckily they both love to be brushed, so I did that to keep them occupied. But it was little sleep for me, as I was up every 2 - 3 hours, every night, with them. I hope sweet Kola recovers more quickly!

    P.S. I'd say add Lysine powder to their (canned) food every day, but that only helps for the Herpes virus. It's worth doing for that (or giving the Lysine treats daily). I'm trying PetAlive's FCV (FVC?) Protect right now, for kitty colds. Some of their products seem to work for the boys, others don't. The UTI-Free for Derry has been a godsend for the past few years, and I'll see how this anti-virus homeopathic med does for Nicki.

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  4. We sure hope dear Kola feels better soon. He might need an antihistamine to help dry up the nose a bit. We all send our best purrs and prayers to that sweetie. We use UTI Free to for me Brian.

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  5. Poor dear beautiful boy. We've included him strait away in our prayers. Do your best to keep his nares open. If you see any mucus in them gently take a tissue and with fingers on other side of the nose slide the tissue forward off the tip of his nose. My Hillary has chronic sinus problems and her upper airways become quickly infected. You may have to clear his nose every hour or more. I've given her benedryl 6.25 mg ( one half of a 12.5 mg child's tablet) on my vets orders but this was for her chronic sinus issue not a cold. The reason that he isn't eating is because he's using his mouth to breathe and when he has food in his mouth he can't breath. If you attempt to feed him he may react by trying to spit the food out. We see that same issue of anorexia in people with breathing difficulty. Perhapse you could try him on Gerber chicken baby food. It would be easy for him to lick and swallow quickly so as not to interfere with his breathing. Not a lot of effort required. It also has a lot of moisture.
    It's so upsetting to know Kola, with the almost zen like aura of calm about him, is poorly. Please send him our special love and kisses.

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    1. There hasn't been any mucus that I can see, but it is in his nose somewhere. He's just not interested in food right now, though I intend to buy some baby food to try on him. As of Saturday morning, he has drunk some water on his own, and there is some general improvement. Thank you and everyone for advice given about any of my cats' issues when they have them. I am grateful for it.

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  6. We're sorry Kola isn't feeling well. We purr that he is better soon.

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  7. We are sure purring for dear Kola and we are hoping he is better very very soon.

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  8. I am sorry Kola is feeling unwell. He is such a gentle looking boy and I am sad to see him looking under par. I hope his cold soon eases and he looks for food again. My best wishes are sent for him.

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  9. Oh dear, sending lots of loves and purrs for Kola, he has a special place in our hearts here. Please keep us updated. Looks like you have lots of suggestions so I hope something helps.
    Marty and Mom

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  10. We are hoping Kola feels better soon. Poor little kitty. Happy to hear Renn is better. From Eileen and Jessica

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  11. We hope Kola is feeling better.
    Wishes for a happy Thanksgiving.

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  12. Poor Kola! I hope he is feeling better. My Silas used to catch colds more easily than the others and something we did for him was put Vick's Vapor Rub in hot water and steam him under a towel (with the bowl and one of us as he wouldn't stay on his own). The side benefit was we didn't get ill either.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  13. I am so sorry to hear this! Chloe Jo has`chronic respiratory issues, so my heart goes out to Kola. He is blessed to have you caring for him. We hope he feels better quickly, and that no one else gets sick. Thank you for your support of Chloe Jo. Hug.
    *New follower!

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  14. Oh Kola, sorry I missed that you are sick. Hope you are better by now.Sending lots and lots of purrs. Have a great Tuesday.

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  15. Oh dear! I do hope Kola is better now!! I am purring hard for you!! xx

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  16. It's heartbreaking. I am going backward so I know he is on the upswing thank goodness.

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