Friday, May 1, 2020

Raleigh Rolls Along

Raleigh’s health continues to be a puzzle to me. His appetite comes and goes, without consistency. Yesterday morning, he wanted no food at all, and I had to force his Prednisolone tablets into him. Later that day, he ate well, and this morning, he wanted enough food to put his medicine into.

I spoke with his doctor yesterday; I asked if Raleigh’s Prednisolone dosage, recently increased, might have something to do with his inappetence. The veterinary agreed it might, and we decided to reduce his Prednisolone to the previous level: one tablet in the morning and half a tablet in the late afternoon or evening (depending on when he eats dinner.) As long as it controls his stomatitis, the lowest possible amount is the most desirable. Though Raleigh has not been constipated - at least not to the same degree - since last week, I thought about dosing him with laxative, of which the doctor also approved. I will talk with her again on Monday.

It is not just Raleigh’s apathy toward food that concerns me; it is the degree of apathy. Some days, he will want to eat, other days not at all; then again, he may want food but only a small amount. He is inconsistent. As well, he has little interest in playing. Yet he is responsive to other things. He enjoys being petted and having his chest rubbed; our together-time after snacks in the evening continue. He also still likes smelling the fresh air, and looking outside. And I am hearing his purr now; it is stronger and more open.

This may all be a long-lasting infection of some sort, due to his FIV. The doctor noted no fever when Raleigh was at the hospital, but that was two weeks ago already. The Peach had been sneezing (tiny eruptions that sound like a human saying “phht”; fifteen or twenty of them in a row), and his eye is now running a bit more than it has been. What medicine can find has been found, so there is no point to another doctor’s appointment. I will watch and listen, and try to understand what the little fellow is trying to tell me. Perhaps he and I can discover something that has been overlooked.


17 comments:

  1. Sending Raleigh lots of love and purrs. We hope this is resolved soon. ♥

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  2. Cats are masters at hiding illness, so it's hard to know when they are not feeling well. We send good wishes and love to Raleigh, and we hope he's feeling better soon.

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  3. We all send him our love. He looks pretty content there. :)

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  4. You do look all happy on your chair mr Raleigh. Purrs to you.

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  5. Just a thought. Raleigh has a long term health condition, and as you know, I also have a long term incurable condition. I know they are both obviously different, but some days for no apparent reason I have no interest in food, yet another day I could eat a horse and chase the rider. I wonder if it could be the same for Raleigh.

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    1. I've considered that, as reluctant as I was to do so; it was one of the reasons I had the doctor take x-rays of Raleigh. Through pictures and physical examination, she found nothing in Raleigh that would lead in that direction. It is, however, an on-going worry of mine, and will continue to look for signs, both on my own and with veterinary assistance.

      Thank you for thinking of that. I hope that you are, yourself, feeling as good as possible, and continue to feel so.

      (By the way, 'eat a horse and chase the rider' had me laughing. I've never heard the second part of the phrase.)

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  6. Purrs from all of us too. Sometime kitties are so hard to understand, especially at feeding time.

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  7. Raleigh, you have all of us here wrapped completely around your sweet paw, not that you intended that. I join everyone else in wishing and hoping for a reversal of these symptoms as quickly as you can make a delicate tiny sneeze! This is Katie, and Mom.

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  8. I always thought prednisone increased appetite so I would have that the more pred, the better appetite. I hope he starts eating better.

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  9. I know about dealing with aging cats. It is never quite the same with each. One stares at spot on the floor, one pees everywhere, one one hides.

    It is good to make notes of the slightest change in behavior. Vets need to know. Sometimes it tells them things that we would never connect.

    Skeeter died gradually over 6 months, LC died overnight, Iza had 3 weeks of uncertain behavior and one day it was suddenly obvious.

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  10. Poor Raleigh, I am hoping that you feel more cat like soon. You look
    tired and a bit worn out, but comfy on that chair. Maybe you and John
    will find the answer to your mystery.

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  11. John, may I suggest L-lysine for Raleigh? It's good for respiratory health. If he's got a low-grade something, it may boost his immune system.
    Then again, maybe he's a picky eater. The PO'M and CB will eat almost anything I put in their bowls, but Sweetie and Manny take delicate licks then walk away...and we spend all kinds of time trying to coax them back.

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  12. Another thought. BFF excites The Mews. I'm conflicted a bit about tuna, (well I feed them rabbit. whitefish, and poultry but it all comes from some living creatures). They eat it, I'm happy. It's not like they are going to go vegan.

    But try BFF.

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    1. Thank you. That's a brand I haven't tried yet.

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  13. John, on an entirely different subject, thanks to my parents, I have an above-average vocabulary. So, I must ask, wherever did you come across the word 'inappetence'? You got me on that one!

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    1. I think I may have heard it from one of my cats' veterinaries. There's nothing like finding the right word for a whole phrase.

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  14. Our Rumpy is on a maintenance dose of Prenisolone but less that Raleigh at only 2.5mg every 3-4 days. He has gained weight with it but is a big cat who is very active so not a worry. FIV may be masking something and we wish him well.

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