Mr. Peeps meowed at the back door yesterday afternoon- too weak to push through the kitty door.
Chris let him out. He sat on the porch for awhile then headed off.
Chris had to go back to work....Mr. Peeps did not come home last night.
I have checked his spots around the house...and under the porches...down by the river...he has taken himself somewhere else.
In the past two weeks he has continued to weaken and not eat much and I knew his time was near this past week.
I have to admit that I feel very bad about not being with him...but I can assure you that he would not have wanted to be kept indoors and he was most content doing his own thing...it was probably best I was not there to bother his death process.
He will be greatly missed as he was a very friendly, loving kitty, who always wanted to be near you on his terms. His most amazing feat was his ability to jump from a sitting position directly in front of you, to your chest and then to your shoulders without ever once scratching you. He also loved to sleep on top of you, your highest spot was his perch.
Mr. Peeps was picked - scratch that - he picked us up at the local pound. He had been living there for well over 6 months. He had been left abandoned (along with another cat who I believe had been adopted) in an apartment. He came home with us back in 2005 and he was never happier than when we moved to the country house (aside from the ride there) where he could hunt and stay outside until he wanted to come in.
We will miss his happy voice around the house.
Texture by NinianLif
brought in a mouse (fresh dead) - at this point it had been a number of days since I had been successful in feeding Mr. Peeps. I decided to offer him her mouse (she doesn't eat them yet) - he ravenously attacked and ate the mouse!!!
.I kept him inside last night as he is refusing food and loosing much weight.
It's very cold at night and I was hoping he would have a bit more of an appetite in the afternoon.
Nope.
He woke me up howling at the kitty door.
I got some cloths on and decided I would go for a Mr. Peeps walk with him.
I seriously think he was running away from home!!! He headed straight out the door and lic-kitty split down the driveway (not a normal turn of events for him) - He is so anemic that he is pretty weak so he wasn't going far fast. He reached the bridge and sat down. He decided he was done with his "look bitty, don't lock me in anymore" bit and turned around and headed back to his river.
soooo,
Peeps has hit a wall this past week.
His appetite has dropped off dramatically.
He has even taken to refusing his most loved quail.
Peeps has always hunted, even though I don't find him eating his catch often, I'm sure that he does just fine.
Tonight, Bramble brought in a dead mouse. Mr. Peeps hasn't eaten anything in well over 24 hours. I decided (as he often would steel from Jester early on) that I would offer him her 'gift' after she was done.
It worked. She is happy to have brought in the mouse and he was, dare I say, excited to eat...the entire thing. I may be onto something here.
At any rate, at least he had a small meal and all thanks goes to the evil black cat Blackberry Bramble.
and his sore ears....
He has something going on with his ears-I believe ear mites are the culprit - he believes he HATES me now.
His hair received most of the mineral oil....not his ear canal.
Which makes me think of an email I just received the other day....
How to give a cat a pill
(and if you don't believe this....I dare you to try it)
1. Sit on sofa. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your elbow as though you were going to give a bottle to a baby. Talk softly to it.
2. With right hand, position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. (be patient) As cat opens mouth pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow. Drop pill into mouth. Let go of cat, noticing the direction it runs.
3. Pick the pill up off the floor and go get the cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process. Sit on floor in kitchen, wrap arm around cat as before, drop pill in mouth. Let go of cat, noticing the direction it runs.
4. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away. Scoot across floor to pick up pill, and go find the cat. Bring it back into the kitchen. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten. Drop pill into mouth.
5. Pry claws from back legs out of your arm. Go get the cat, pick up half-dissolved pill from floor and drop it into garbage can.
6. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of closet. Call spouse from backyard. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.
7. Retrieve cat from curtain rod, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered Doulton figures from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.
8. Get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.
9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.
10. Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with rubber band.
11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Throw T-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.
12. Call fire department to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take another pill from foil wrap.
13. Tie cat's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed, force cat's mouth open with small spanner. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour one cup of water down throat to wash pill down.
14. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call at furniture shop on way home to order new table.
15. Get last pill from bottle. Go into bathroom and get a fluffy towel. Stay in the bathroom with the cat, and close the door.
16. Sit on bathroom floor, wrap towel around kitty, leaving only his head exposed. Cradle kitty in the crook of your arm, and pick up pill off of counter.
17. Retrieve cat from top of shower door (you didn't know that cats can jump 5 feet straight up in the air, did you?), and wrap towel around it a little tighter, making sure its paws can't come out this time. With fingers at either side of its jaw, pry it open and pop pill into mouth. Quickly close mouth (his, not yours).
18. Sit on floor with cat in your lap, stroking it under the chin and talking gently to it for at least a half hour, while the pill dissolves.
19. Unwrap towel, open bathroom door. Wash off scratches in warm soapy water, comb your hair, and go find something to occupy your time for 7-1/2 hours.
20. Arrange for SPCA to get cat and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.
AND of course
How To Give A Dog A Pill.....
1. Wrap it in bacon.
2. Toss it in the air.
Well....
Mr. Peeps has been doing amazingly well. He is eating on his own twice a day with no special effort on my part.
He is taking his vitamin B12 by himself and he is hanging around, coming and going inside/outside by himself- without coaxing.
His hydration level remains stable and I'm only giving fluids very infrequently, so as to ease his anxiety on the issue.
I gave him antibiotics once a day for 10 days. This seems to have helped his tooth infection which I believe was really holding him back from being as healthy as he could be.
This picture is what I come home to every morning at 2am. He comes in and sits staring at me along with Bramble.
He is a much happier cat this past two weeks...without all the fussing and poking and prodding.
This is our decision.
He is happy.
When it's time it will be time.
In the mean time here is some good reading
----------------
Now playing: The Verve - Make It Till Monday
via FoxyTunes
even warm...he hates this
Peeps is taking a bit of a dive yesterday/today.
He has been smacking his lips a bit and didn't really have an appetite for about 24hrs.
He ate a bit this afternoon, ground chicken, catnip tea, colostrum & a bit of ground beef. He didn't eat with gusto though.
After a fluid treatment he went outside and hung out for awhile. Later on when I was feeding the others, he came over on his own and he ate an entire quail-bone and all. At one point he put a tiny quail leg on the right side of his mouth, he growled- I think he hurt his tooth?? He moved it to the left and went ahead and finished up his meal.
All in all he felt like this today.
we have a plan...now we just need to trust it through.
----------------
Now playing: Tom Waits - Hold On
via FoxyTunes
If your cat is eating a low protein diet, this ratio is likely to be in the region of 10:1 or 12:1 (e.g. if creatinine is US 4, BUN is likely to be around 40-48). Since BUN is affected by dietary intake, if your cat is eating a higher protein diet, this ratio will be higher, with 18:1 or 20:1 not unusual (e.g. if creatinine is US 4, BUN will be around 80-96)."
5- what natural options are there for potassium supplements?
6- TCO2 levels = metabolic acidosis? treatments?
10 fluid ounces (0.3l) of water
2 tbsps powdered glucose (available from chemists)
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of bicarbonate of soda
Mr Peeps has been doing really well the past 5 days or so. The weather has been decent for a few days, although it's creeping up on hot again. He is feeling less bony along the back bone and he never burps anymore when you pick him up. He also enjoys being touched and held again-often comes to us for this contact. He has also been coming to afternoon dinner on his own (without me calling him) and will always come when I call him for his early morning meal. His drinking and bathroom habits are pretty much the same, drinks a lot, pees a lot.
Yesterday morning when I came home from work I was exhausted and had a headache that I had been fighting all night. Mr. Peeps was not in the yard, so I figured he was in his usual riverbed spot across the river under this tree that has washed out around the roots, making an awesome little hut of sorts. This is where he has been every single night for the past week-it goes like this...I call him, he takes his sweet time coming home. Well, I was going to skip waking him up and head right to bed (some mom I am eh?) - I head upstairs, cozy up to my book, The Lost Continent, and wish for sleep to come really fast so my headache will go away.
No such luck. I hear a manly meow of Mr. Peeps. It sounds like he is in the house - hmmm, he never comes inside, at least not the past few months. I listen again, maybe it's just my guilty conscience?? But alas, it was in fact Mr. Peeps. He was heading upstairs, meowing, telling me he would eat if I would just get up and heat him up something (it was pretty cold out) - so I did. He ate like a champ and then went into his bedroom and I made sure he had a nice cozy little hut to sleep in.
He and I (and everyone else who sleeps the day shift around our house) slept until about noon-ish. When I went in to give him his afternoon check and fluids before he goes out for the day, he hops down and heads directly (with some speed) to the kitty box which is less than 2 feet away from him (in his room) - it was like I reminded him he had to pee when I came into the room.
I don't know why, but I checked his little bed spot...it was wet, I thought just a tiny bit then I realized it was pretty wet all around the area he had been laying. sigh
The other thing I notice was that he has thick, sticky saliva today-his breath did not smell as awful as it has the past few days, but his saliva was different. I'm certain that his one tooth - the tooth that got him to the vet, is causing him issues - probably more than the CRF is at this stage of the game. Tooth decay will grossly affect his ability and desire to eat and do nothing to help his kidney failure....I plan to ask the vet if there is a way for them to evaluate this tooth without using anesthesia.
I am off to research incontinence with regard to CRF, his diet, herbal remedies and vitamins that he has been getting the past week or so.
He otherwise seems happier and healthier than he did 2 weeks ago. I'm pretty sure he has put on some weight even---
We will have to see how the vet visit goes...
I almost don't want to subject him to a car ride he is doing so well - I may just give them a call and see what they say.
----------------
Now playing: Aaron Sutcliffe - Happiness Is a Warm Gun
via FoxyTunes
This bowl was full
Contents:
1 whole Quail breast
1 tbsp Bogie mix from www.feedthis.com/
2 tbsp Catnip tea
Pinch of fresh egg shell
Pinch of Taurine powder
Pinch of probiotics
& Ground beef, raw with some warm juices
it's a recipe that works....
he is content and full, always a bit cold (even when warmed fluids) after his sub-q treatment.
we lay on the bed together until he quits shivering and then he goes outside into the warm sunshine - nice weather today & yesterday.
Mr. Peeps is living in the spare bedroom at night and doing very well the past three days.
Fluids = 3 days on, 1 day off. 2 days on, 1 day off this week
Actually it is good news but any chance I get to plug Modest Mouse...
-- Modest Mouse
Two days running now (on a new - let's just calmly approach this plan) and things are looking good.
Eating well and moved inside.
The plan:
Meal one (early evening) - ground beef, raw, mixed with pinch of slippery elm, pinch of eggshell powder, pinch of Probiotics, pinch of Taurine powder and juice from small portion of cooked beef (for flavor)
Meal two (early morning) - ground beef, raw, mixed with 2 tbsp catnip tea infusion, pinch of Probiotics, pinch of Taurine powder and juice from small portion of cooked beef (for flavor)
After meal two -= one B12 shot tablet (melts in your mouth), every other day (1,000mcg)
Feeding away from other animals = concentration on eating.
Housing:
Moved in to spare bedroom of house during extreme temperature outside -otherwise free to roam outdoors.
Keep kitten Bramble and other threats away be giving him a safe, quiet place to be old ;-)
Fluids:
Warm them prior to use...be setting in warm water in sink
Current run = 3 days of 100-150ml, 1 day off
Vet check up on Sept 5th, 2:30pm
Today is another good day
I cracked three eggs for the dogs today and rinsed the shells, baked in the oven at 350F for about 8 minutes and then ground up into eggshell powder-
Feline Diet For Kidney Problems
3/4 pound (1 1/2 cups) ground chicken (with skin) or turkey
4 cups cooked white rice, enriched
4 eggs
2 tablespoons cold-pressed safflower,soy,or corn oil
3 teaspoons Animal Essentials Calcium (or a scant 2 teaspoons eggshell powder)
1/4 teaspoon iodized salt
1 teaspoon parsley (a natural diuretic, optional)
5,000 IU vitamin A
2,000 milligrams vitamin C (1/2 teaspoon sodium ascorbate)
taurine and other cat vitamins (about 5 days worth-we want to add at least 250 mg taurine to this recipe amount)
50 milligram level B-complex (or 5-10 milligrams per day)
Note : you may have check around to get vitamins- they are almost always avail from your vet, but I wouldn't switch around supplements, or types or forms of say calcium, in the case of a kidney friendly diet...
Mix everything together in a large bowl. Serve raw if the cat will accept it. otherwise, mix all but the vitamins together, bake about twenty minutes in a moderate oven, and then wait until it cools to mix in the vitamins. Your cat may have a poor appetite, so to some extent you will need to cater to him to keep him alive. Occasionally, substitute 1 to 3 teaspoons of liver for part of the meat. Be sure to provide plenty of fresh, pure (bottled or filtered) at all times. Also encourage drinking by providing meat or fish broth warm once or twice a day.
Feed as much as your cat will eat-this makes 5-6 days worth of food for the average cat.
I am mixing much smaller batches and have substituted a few ingredients
August 13th 2008
BUN = 114
[15-34 mg/dL]
Creatinine = 6.1
[.8-2.3mg/dL]
Creatine kinase (CK) = 573
[64-440 U/L]
Phosphorus = 10.2
[3-7 mg/dL]
TCO2/Bicarbonate = 11
[13-25mg/dL]
Cholesterol = 245
[82-218mg/dL]
Calcium = 10.2
[8.2-118mg/dhl]
RBC = 5.41
[6-10 million/uL]
HGB = 8.2
9.5-15 g/dL]
HCT = 26.4
[29-45%]
MCV = 49
[41-58 fL]
MCH = 15.2
[11-17.5 pg]
Neutrophil SEG = 84
[35-75%]
Lymphocytes = 8
[20-55%]
(non-regenerative anemia)
----------------
Listening to: Burial - Archangel
via FoxyTunes
For the past three years we have been feeding an all raw diet to our cats and dogs.
I'm very glad that I had switched them over, I'm sure that this has helped Mr. Peeps with regard to his kidney failure. My guess is that he would have went downhill much faster if he had been on a dry kibble diet.
This is a shot from back in April 2006 - skip ahead to August 2008. Mr. Peeps is not eating well and seems to be loosing weight slowly.
He has had his teeth cleaned in the past and I noticed that his breath smelled foul. One of his upper molars had a bit of plaque and I ASSUMED this was his issue. I finally got him into the vet to have the tooth pulled if necessary.
The vet examines him and says his tooth is fine, just a bit of plaque, no pain, no gum issues, but if I want them to clean it/pull it they can get a better look under anesthesia. Sure, why not, I don't want him getting sicker with an infection of his teeth/jaw bone.
The vet says, well, since he's only about 10 years old we'll just do a small blood work up...I say, wait, he's more like 15-18 years old maybe- we just don't know. Oh, he looks like he's only about 8 the vet says. Anyway, he stays overnight at the vet to await blood work results (it's better than driving him home).
The next morning is when we get the news that he is in Chronic Renal Failure.
Here comes the issue of feeding.
I'm informed that he needs to be on a low protein diet, taught how to administer subcutaneous fluids at home, handed some information from online and we set up a follow up appointment in 3 weeks.
I dive into reading about diet change. Man there is a lot I didn't pay attention to in school!!!
On August 13th when he came home, his very first meal consisted of cooked white rice, canned pumpkin and ground chicken bogie-very little bogie. He eats a tiny bit then wanders off to be left alone
By the next day, he is eating only very little. Chris (AKA The Man) gets him to eat some quail.
Two days later he is refusing to eat any of his normal diet (except quail) - I need to find something else - we only get so many quail per month. I bring in some ground turkey-not the best choice but it's a start, and some ground beef (70% lean)
I don't normally feed beef to the cats and the dogs only ever get meat bones or freezer clean out beef. Turns out he LOVES ground beef. But, alas that wasn't going to last but a day....
I now (4 days after diagnosis and 2 sub-q treatments) notice that he burbs when you pick him up and he is licking his lips a lot, his breath smells again (it did not at the vet) - I remembered reading about slippery elm for stomach/appetite in cats.
Day 5 - gets me to the local CO-OP to buy some slippery elm. I mix two of the capsules/powder in with his ground beef- he eats good - mind you this is no easy feat - I have to roll the meat into perfectly round, tiny balls and toss them to him, ensuring that everyone else keeps their distance. Oh yeah, the really good part is....it's 2am!!!! (when I get off of work) but it's cool outside - all the cats have a better appetite when it's cool and it's been pretty hot around here.
By the next day his appetite is better- I'm still feeding him by hand.
I have mixed in a weak infusion of dandelion with his afternoon meal. I did this with much trepidation...as dandelion is very acidic and actually causes bile. I figured it couldn't hurt to trust and try to help is appetite out. This along with the slippery elm seems to have really helped. He is now eating twice a day, still drinking A LOT of water from his watering spot.
I only used dandelion for two days. I used slippery elm since August 20th. So, for five days he
got slippery elm mixed in with his ground beef. Since August 23rd he has been eating twice a day and eating a decent amount.
His burbs have subsided and he is licking his lips (sign of anemia) less. His appetite has increased to the point that he comes for food at the afternoon dinner and when I get home in the morning. He is also eating quail again...but nothing else.
For more on RAW diets visit:
BARF World
or our supplier
Feed This, Inc.
If we only had known...or paid closer attention.
This is near when the first signs of a problem began to appear. Of course this is all looking back and putting it all together.
All the animals insist on drinking from standing water around our house- who am I to disagree? We top/overflow this fish ponds on a regular/daily basis so the water is fairly fresh, so to speak. They also have fresh, clean water in the house and around the outside of the house - but you will more often than not find them rushing to the fish ponds for a drink.
This is a shot from May 2007. Thinking back, this activity of his caught my eye (thus the photo) - I never gave it a second thought-other than he must have been thirsty.
He would drink (still is) for long periods of time....I should have thought to wonder why as all our animals are raw from Feed This, Inc. Usually cats don't drink much water, especially when they are on a raw diet.
Turns out this is the #1 sign that your kitty is having some issues with their kidney function. I'll be chalking this (and much more) up to "now I know."
My plan is to offer up some experience (as I gather it) and information to any of you who may be going through this too.
Other symptoms to watch for:
* Excessive urination
* Increased thirst
* Nausea and gagging
* Licking lips
* Grinding or cracking sound in jaw
* Vomiting (both clear/foamy liquid and food)
* Drooling
* Dehydration
* Hunching over the water bowl
* Stomach irritation (uremic gastritis)
* Constipation
* Loss of appetite
* Weight loss
* Muscle wasting
* Emaciation
* Poor hair coat
* Halitosis (ammonia smell)
* Lethargy
* Sensitivity to sound
* Eating litter
* Weakness
* Depression
* Oral ulcers
* Detached retinae
* Convulsion, low temperature, coma (end-stage)
Information from: Feline CRF Information Center
Additional, detailed list of symptoms can be found on Tanya's Feline Chronic Renal Failure Centre
1. If the cat has recently urinated on the carpet, first absorb as much of the cat urine as possible using paper towels or an old towel. Place clean paper towels over the cat urine area and tread on them so as to absorb as much of the urine as possible. Repeat with dry towels until no more moisture can be absorbed.
If the cat urine has dried and you are not sure where the soiled area is you can use a black light (pictured above) to detect it. In a darkened room the black light will pick up urine and other stains. Hand held black lights can be purchased for
2. Next, wet the area with a solution of 50% white vinegar and 50% water. Make sure you use enough of the solution to penetrate the fibers deep down. Allow it to dry. You can assist drying by blotting with paper towels as described above. A fan can also be used to assist drying. If you own a wet and dry vacuum extractor use that to remove excess moisture.The acidity of the vinegar will neutralize the ammonia in the cat urine.
3. Apply a liberal amount of baking soda over the affected area and drizzle it with a quarter of a cup of hydrogen peroxide mixed with a teaspoon of dishwashing detergent. Work it in with a scrubbing brush or your fingers (be sure to wear rubber gloves) to dissolve the baking soda and work it down into the carpet. Allow it to dry. Then vacuum.
The vinegar will neutralize the ammonia and hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizer capable of killing bacteria which cause the urine smells. Baking soda is a well known deodorizer which absorbs odors. Sprinkle it on your carpet monthly then vacuum up to keep your carpet smelling fresh all the time.
Important. Never use ammonia or ammonia-based products on the carpet. One of the ingredients of urine is ammonia and your cat may well be encouraged to re-offend in the same area if it detects the smell of ammonia. Many household cleaner cleaners contain ammonia so be sure to read the label.
You may have to repeat the above process a few times for heavily soiled areas.
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