Cammie's Week

Last week was a difficult one in the household, as Cammie was ill again. I believe it was caused by her theft of some of Renn’s soft-food. For years, Cammie has enjoyed Fancy Feast’s ocean whitefish variety, and for almost as long, I have suspected that shrimp had been the catalyst for her episodes of sickness. Lately, I have been considering that fish in general has been the cause, and so I have taken away her ocean whitefish. She still likes it, however, and, when I served some to Renn, I think she ate it. (Renn does not always finish off his rations right away. They sometimes sit in front of him for a while and, though it would be unusual for the princess to approach another cat close enough to eat his food, it is what I think happened.)

In any case, she developed the usual symptoms: vomiting her food, followed by vomiting on an empty stomach. I tried slippery elm again, but it hasn’t worked on her for some time, so Friday morning, I took her to the veterinary hospital. There she was given an injection of Cerenia, to ease her stomach, and another of the ant-acid famotidine. She was also given fluids, as she was dehydrated.

Cammie’s recovery this time was, mercifully, rapid. Upon our return from the hospital, I put her in the bathroom, for ease of monitoring, and visited her during my lunch-break. There was no vomit. I gave her some Recovery-and-water by syringe and, when I returned about three o’clock, found that she had kept it down, so I gave her more. Though she didn’t eat anything that evening, she was already feeling a renewed interest in food, and ate on her own the next day. This constituted a swift recovery compared to previous times. While I am pleased with this, it suggests a difference in this episode, a difference for which I cannot account.

But as of this morning, the princess continues well. Yesterday caused me worry, as she was quite lazy and spent the day in the heated cat-bed. While she often spends much time there, she did not get up to eat or use the litter-box until the evening. But it may be that fatigue from the prior week was catching up to her. I am especially vigilant with her, and am anxious that I may find when I go home that she has been sick again. However, I can only watch her day by day, being particularly careful regarding her nutrition. Her dish is unique, and I use a separate spoon to apportion her soft-food. Hopefully, my precautions will be enough to keep her illness from recurring.