An exhausted Azar after getting home from the vet’s yesterday…
Azar had a second “hospital day” yesterday, after Yolanda couldn’t find anything wrong with him on Monday. She said to give it another 24 hours to see if the injection she gave him helped and to also see if he mangaged to have a bowel movement. At first I thought he was rallying but there was no real improvement overnight, so we went back yesterday for an x-ray and a blood test. Nog came with me on the way there, but he had to leave after the x-ray bit, so after the consultation I was left to find my way home on my own carrying a screaming cat … IN THE RAIN …
At least I was lucky in that I had nice sympathetic taxi drivers both ways. Sometimes they ask me to put the cat cage in the trunk, at which point they get a blast of The Ray™ and realise the folly of their ways. But today, after the initial “hmm, he really doesn’t like going out, does he?” my drivers were very sweet and told me about their own pets, which helped with the stress of listening to the tortured sounds coming from the cat carrier.
And so, the x-ray showed nothing obviously wrong. There was the eensiest bit of ca-ca build up in the colon, but hardly anything at all. And there was no apparent obstruction in the intestines. The lungs and liver looked good. The kidneys looked like they might have something going on, so a blood test was also done and I should get the results today. But Yolanda couldn’t find any reason for Azar’s malaise. He was given an oral laxative and also some “assistance with evacuation” … with very little success as there wasn’t much in there since he hasn’t been eating much. But what did come out was very small and hard, so I’m really hoping it isn’t a kidney problem. Then Yolanda gave him a deep stomach massage, which quite impressed me. After that, there wasn’t much else to do but go home and wait for the blood test results.
This was the first time in a few years that I’d had to carry the cat cage on my own – and those years have not been kind to my lower back, so it was hell. Especially as I have an oversized cage (bought to hold three cats in case I ever needed to get them out of the house in a hurry), so it’s rather awkward to carry. And so after an eternity or two I was back home, up the stairs and gasping for breath in the hallway. Azar immediately headed for the sofa while I immediately raced for a wet towel to rub him down with (he’d peed all over himself in the cage). Then I slapped a whack of BioFreeze on my lower back and settled down into the comfy chair … exhausted.
Meanwhile, plans are still GO for the arrival of Tapita this Friday. He’s already been chipped and last Thursday he was given his first vaccination. This Thursday he’ll be tested for feline leukemia & aids, so at least I’ll know if he’s free of those. And you know what? I think having the kitten here is going to do Azar the world of good. His behaviour has just so been strange and with no apparent physical cause. So maybe it’s a form of depression?
Anyhow, fingers crossed that the blood tests come back showing no kidney problems. I don’t think that either Azar or I can handle any more hospital days…
casa azahar 
Awww, poor little chap. I think you’re right, though, having a new friend about the place will no doubt cheer him up. Roll on Friday!
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I just wish they could TALK and then they could tell us what’s bugging them! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for all of you.
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I wished this a thousand times after my Sunny got sick last summer. The thing about Azar is that he is always very vocal about what he wants. Now that he’s gone silent I actually miss all his demanding mieows. It’s like he’s given up or something, though he still loves cuddling at least, and still purrs when we get into his favourite cuddle position.
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Poor guy….
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I think you need a stroller for the cat cage, if there is such a thing. Some sort of cat dolly on wheels, anyway. That all sounded too hard.
Hope your back feels better. And poor old Azar, too.
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Heh, I guess I could try stuffing him into my little-old-lady shopping cart …
I really just need to invest in a smaller single-cat carrier. Azar doesn’t actually weigh a lot, so if I had a carrier I could hold closer to my body that would help with the lower back strain. Ideally a “snuggly” style carrier would be best, if they even make those.
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Get that blue fangy ball under your back… unless Azar’s batted it under the bed…
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Actually, the blue goo worked a treat (thanks!) and I’m off to yoga class in a bit. I’ve tried Spike out in bed, but I think I’m either not doing it right or need a harder surface (though I have a very firm bed).
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This morning he isn’t eating at all … 😦
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😦
{{{hugs}}}
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Cats and dogs do experience loss, too, and a form of grief when they lose a person or another creature in their world. I’ve seen it in my own animals – and some go off food, laze around, and really don’t do well at all. When my 14 yo springer died, Casey (then about three) just stopped running in agility and got very clingy, did a lot of unpredictable things. And he wasn’t even totally alone (I still had an 8 yo Gordon setter.) But he was missing his springer buddy, and we had a tough couple months figuring that out.
Hope the bloodwork comes back fine.
And yes, btw, they do make soft single cat carriers. Take a look on ebay – they’re much lighter than the hard carriers. I know. I have a crate problem. 😉
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Poor Azar and poor azahar… Can’t be much fun for either of you.
Let’s hope that Tapita can cheer Azar up, or maybe it’s his time to go. You never know with the feline friends.
Last summer I was convinced Tiny cat had just weeks to go, his chest x-rays showed a major congestion and his heart couldn’t even be outlined. He was feverish, coughed a lot and refused to eat. Not even giving him meds made him fight – something which he ALWAYS does. Now he’s fighting with Lynx and Leopardess about treats and chases them both off if he feels like it.
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For the record, you are the only person who could say “maybe it’s his time to go” without totally upsetting me …
And I remember when Tiny Cat was so bad. I hope Azar perks up again when Tapita shows up. I was trying to get them to bring him tonight instead of Friday. Still waiting to hear back.
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Oh az – poor azar, poor you. I bet the weather is really yucky too. The real shit in life always seems to happen when it’s chucking it down with rain outside and there’s a gale blowing. The only thing I can offer is that my old dog (16 next month) has had me absolutely convinced several times that she is breathing her last, only to be up and bouncing (in an old lady kind of way) a day or two later. Cuddles to azar and a big hug to you (( ))
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Thanks guys. He managed a bit of cooked ham this morning, broken into tiny shreds. It’s as if his throat is too sore for him to swallow properly, hence all the licking his chops. Unless that is the “displacement activity” thing I read about earlier.
It now seems like the “constipation” was due to him not eating enough, and not the other way round, that constipation was causing him to not want to eat.
Spoke to Yolanda just now and she said his blood tests came back normal. So no kidney problems (thank goodness!). But that leaves us with no physical cause for this malaise. Unless he’s developed a sore throat, possibly a late after effect from the vaccination. In which case Yolanda is happy to give me some injectable anti-biotics and anti-inflammatories to try. That way I wouldn’t have to bring him back over there, though I’ll have to go myself to pick the stuff up. But we are both just guessing that this is the cause.
Personally? I think it’s emotional. I really think he’s lonely for another cat buddy. His extreme neediness these past couple of months has shown that he has been missing Sunny. He’s never been the only cat in the house before. When he got here there were already two, and then one … I really think he needs feline company to feel well. I just hope he lasts the two more days until Tapita arrives!
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You may very well be right about the emotional thing. When Mike died when we were in Spain, Smokey went into a real downturn which our cat sitter could not figure out and when we got home he was almost dead too, not eating etc. I think he figured there was no point in going on since Mike was dead and we were too (apparently). He has never really recovered from that episode. Maybe I should have gotten him a kitten, I don’t know.
I hope it all works out and Azar recovers and your back does too.
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Sending snibs for you both
xx
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Hug from a busy butt beater!
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I got him to eat a bit more this afternoon, so I don’t think I’ll do the anti-biotic/anti-inflammatory route for the moment. I don’t like the idea of giving him anti-biotics when it’s not even sure he has an infection. And I’ve taken some comfort in the stories about cats rallying when they seemed to have given up the ghost.
I’m still hoping that Azar’s new friend will help pick up his spirits. Tapita’s estimated time of arrival … 5 pm Friday! Azar has just gotta hang on another 42 hours.
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I’ve noticed that Azar will still happily lick malt extract off my fingers. There’s some nutrition in that, right? And some calories? He’s lost half a kilo already and I can feel his spine bones more than I’d like to…
He is also still drinking water and peeing normally. So at least he shouldn’t get dehydrated.
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Hey Az! I’m a bit late in reading. Keeping my fingers crossed that it is just an emotional thing and that a new little friend will be just the trick for Azar!
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Update: Azar seemed to get weaker overnight, which I guess isn’t surprising considering he’s barely eaten in days. So I called Yolanda again and we decided to try the anti-biotic & anti-inflammatory injections. If he doesn’t show any improvement in a day or so the next step will be doing a second bloodtest and an ultrasound. Aack. The main worry is that there is a long weekend coming up (Monday is a holiday) so Yolanda won’t be around for these crucial days, though she said she’d give me the number of an €mergency place she trusts.
Aside from the drugs and syringes she also gave me an Anima Strath liquid supplement made of brewer’s yeast, malt, honey and orange juice and I’m supposed to squirt 2 ml of this stuff “down the hatch” once a day until the bottle is finished. And I was given a tin of high nutrition wet food that can be mixed with a bit of water until it forms into a paste, and also squirt this down the hatch using a fatter syringe. Basically – force feeding.
So far I’ve given Azar the two injections and, with Nog’s help, the liquid supplement. We didn’t even have to wrap him in the towel for the supplement – that’s how weak he is! So hopefully that will help. We’ll try force feeding thing a bit later. Didn’t want to put him through too much at once.
I’m just worried about leaving him on his own this evening, but we both have to work. I’d already rescheduled tonight’s class from Tuesday when I was at the vet’s, and neither of us can afford to lose any income at this point. But I don’t have to go out until 8.00, which gives me about 5 hours to see if Azar’s going to have any sort of nasty reaction to the injections. And I’ll only be gone an hour and a half.
Glad I have my first “Spanglish” class with Mariá Paz this afternoon to help take my mind off things.
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3 hours later update: I can’t believe it. Azar has had two “force-feeding” sessions on top of the meds and the supplement … and he’s suddenly all alert again. Like someone turned on the lights. I’d been reading that after a cat stops eating it becomes a vicious circle because the extra acids, etc make them nauseous so they don’t want to eat, which can eventually damange their stomachs. But as soon as Azar got a few calories and some nutrients back in his system he really perked up.
The best part was while I was in the kitchen making lunch and he actually got up and stole my chair! And then complained (!!!) when I moved him back to the comfy sofa and his blanky. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry from relief, so I did both.
So now he’s sitting here beside me looking very relaxed and decidedly not floppy. I really hope this is going to fix whatever was wrong. And I will never let him go without eating again.
As for force-feeding him … I think he kind of likes it. Nog holds him while I cup the back of his head with one hand and squirt small drops of pablum-like food into his mouth with the other, wiping his chin and kissing his head after each squirt. Nog tells him what a good boy he is and I croon a bunch of luvvy stuff into his ear. I think we’ll be lucky if he ever wants to go back to eating on his own again!
But as Sled pointed out on twitter, he’s going to have “competition for food” tomorrow. Now that he seems to be on the mend I can’t wait for Tapita to arrive. Let’s just hope that this quick recovery really means that Azar is going to be okay now.
What a week!
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Oh, this is excellent news! What a relief!
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Phew…
If he’s like most cats, once he sees a little kitteh nomming away he’ll be charging in to get his share…
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I’m so glad to hear that he is better. So often cats will turn around just like that. So the force feeding worked, and I’m so glad. I’ll bet Tapito will turn the trick.
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Good news!
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This is great news! You had such a nasty week, that I’m seeing this a sign of better things. ::hugs::
Speaking of cats, I seem to have a little hanger-on hanging around my front door. She’s about a year old, very sturdy, healthy, not-starving, but decidedly not taken care of. She reeks. She also meows loudly outside my door, and my cats are getting twitchy. I can’t take her in, so I’m looking into places that might come pick her up, and find her a home. I even called the ex-roomie to see if she knew of a group.
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It’s wonderful to hear Azar is more like himself again! x
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I took this photo of him this morning just before I left for yoga class. Up early and totally IN MY CHAIR.
Thanks again for helping out, Deb.
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Fabulous news az – great to see him being a pest again!
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It’s hard to know what’s going on with Azar. He did rally after I started the force-feeding and medication on Thursday, but now seems to have plateaued. I still have about three days of injections for him (which he takes very well), but it’s very concerning that he still won’t eat by himself. He struggles a little when Nog & I force-feed him, but it seems mostly for show as we don’t even have to wrap him in a towel. So I think he must be hungry and knows that the feeding makes him feel better, but why won’t he feed himself? He’ll still take malt off my finger, and he’s drinking well, but not eating.
Not surprisingly he is much thinner than a week ago, but the saddest part is that he’s lost his spark. I mean, this is a guy who has always taken complete joy in just being, so to see him so listless now is heart-breaking. I did see him “return” for a few minutes yesterday when he started playing with one of Loki’s toys, so maybe it’s a question of time and healing. I just wish I knew what was wrong with him.
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I was thinking about what would make a cat stop eating, but still let the cat drink and accept that malt stuff. All I can come up with is either something with his throat, or maybe his teeth? Could he have a cracked tooth, maybe? Anyway, I hope he’s feeling better soon.
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