help pleeeeaaase

[andrea meyers]

hi=i'm andrea-kind of new here. and i am WORRIED.
my cat elizabeth is about 6 or so yrs old -i adopted her now about 3 mo ago. she was very thin and a mess. i got rid of her mats and brushed her hair til she was able to groom..and she did start eating about 3/4 wet food a day (she is a relatively small cat)-
dry food: i don't know how much she gets-she swallows the small round nuggets (purina pro plan) and often i find them thrown up whole when i wake up or come home. (i am not out long usually) she needs a dental-never likely had one. i had to cancel last one due to an ear infection (she has those small bluish polyps in hear ear canal-and so wax builds up. she then has to take these drop antibio's for a week. she seems ok ear-wise now-and i am waiting for a dental. i worry too-cause she dose have mild heart disease. my last beloved cat died during a dental (she had mild hcm-no kidney trouble at all-but after dental-her kidneys went into failure and other bad things..it still hurts so bad) i am so protective of elizabeth. i must get her a dental soon tho. asap. i can't wait. i hope this is "why" she throws up her dry food(???) i know stress may be part of it...i am also pretty ill-on/off ill. i have mild crohns and bad infalm. joint disease. i am on high level narcotics-it messed me up-i am now i process of switching things around-also on many hi level immune supp. etc. so i have been stressed about this and about other things too. i try my best to act normal-or to be happy--so elizabeth--well-ikow she senses-even if i try to hide stress-she knows. i kow this. i need to be w her. so i work from home more now til this hopefully in time-we will both be ok.-or better. i am more worried ab. her than me.
Q: please-does anyones cat have a finicky diet and not eat a lot? also-does your cat throw up whole dry food (small round pieces) please-i need help-or any advice..
andrea

[tbt]

Yeah, I have a female who is thin, and I will occassionally find whole food pieces thrown up in a pile. She will nibble at the wet food, but migrates to the dry I leave out and nibbles that. I find she often throws up when "upset," (she is very high strung,) and have noticed that when she needs a dental, she tends to throw up a bit more. Perhaps the bad tooth is upsetting her stomach. Just a guess. She has bad teeth and gums, and will most likely end up without any as she ages. She is also 6 years old, and has had 3 removed to date. I think she has another bad tooth and we will be making an appointment very soon. Mine also has a condition called "fatty heart," where fat has accumulated around her heart, and she has a minor murmur. When I had her scanned at age 3, she did not show any HCM, but I think she may have a mild case by now. She is not overly active, pretty passive and low-key most of the time. I too am scared when I take her in, because it's so stressful for her. But the bad teeth can lead to worse heath conditions.

As far as her diet, have you noticed whether her stools are ok? Or if her tummy is sensitive to the touch? The reason I ask is because I have another cat, male, who is grain intolerant. He cannot digest grains, and was in a pretty sorry condition when I adopted him. Lots of loose stools, bad coat and skin, bloated tender belly. I gradually switched all three of mine over to a grain-free diet and he blossomed. As far as my thin female, she still occassionally throws up, but her health seems better. I think mine just has a nervous tummy and the occassional bad tooth will cause increased stomach upset.

You are doing the right thing with the dental. Just be sure to get the pre-op blood work done to ensure all the organs are ok. I wish you the best of luck with your little treasure.

Tracy.

[andrea meyers]

tracy-oh god-thank you SO much.
no tender tummy at touch. nor bloated. she actually plays and is quite active:)-i do woory about her heart cuz as said my last baby ultimately died cause of some "error" in dental" procedure. i was -i died inside elsa-my last baby-her and i..were so bonded..u have no idea. god..i am still 1/2 dead. but i love elizabeth-so live. but wprry.
i will keep in mind food change. 1st step: dental.and for me: try HARD to lower worry/stress.
elizabeth has a (leak?) (heart)-but right now is so mild and no meds r needed yet. what you wrote was so similar to what elizabeth is goig thru..and what elsa went thru. i just..i love her ..please.be ok baby. it is hard. on another site someone tried to adopt 2v dogs-but each adoption:300$. i know donarions are needed--but i HATE this. it will likely LOWER adoption rates. i got so so upset with this. donations are sooo important. and we all try in out own way to do what we can..that is why i am on this group and others. i'd lose hope otherwise..or feel such cynical feelings about humans. i mean--how can anyone even THINK of abuse??? in any way-other people "pets"-but tht word-i hate it-i do NOT have a pet--i have a friendv who i love and care for as like a child. and i try my best to "hear" her.
so many things crush my heart. this-gropsand helping -need to do more tho-is the only thing that gave me my hope back: helping-and also seeing how there r SOOOO many like us who care and FIGHT. it helps. but i still die inside due to ..so many horrid people. i will never forgive an abusive person..but i do-however-believe in education..so maybe less abuse will occur...i hope. and scanning adoptors. but the starys..wild babies..i worry, elsa was a stray. i know..she had ..well...in the end-i truly believe she let go of her past. even to the DUMB dental killed her-and she only livec til 10--got her at ab 2 or so. sorry,..just-i appreciate the reply. i just..i am scared..but she MUST hv dntl-and i ope it hlps w eating..if not-try othr things. never give up
andrea
hug

[Michael William Shea]

I doubt it was from the dental cleaning that killed your cat. It was due to the anthesia that killed your kitty, as well as the disease from peridontal disease, that affects your cats organs. I am not sure why your cat would be throwing up because of bad teeth, that would certainly cause your cat pain, decrease the cats appetite and then the infection can spread. As far as vomiting, I would doubt it is because of the teeth but because of the choice of food and most likely an allergy to it.

[andrea meyers]

yes. i agree re dental not killing my last cats kidneys-but rather both the dental disease and anesthesia. it still makes me afraid for elizabeth. i obviously am getting her a dental. there is no question on that. i am just worrying because she has many similar troubles that elsa had-and i am trying to work w my vet to not have a repeat. i am scared-but would never not have her get treated because of that.
i am talking w my vet about food allergies. first we have to deal w the dental.
thank you for your straight-out good points. esp. re the vomiting. she eats mostly wet food. some mention grain-free diets -are there dry foods w/o grain?or should i take away her dry? i feel she does digest some..and needs more than (?) just going to see how dental goes then deal with the allergy or whateveerr else. could be causing this.

[Michael William Shea]

I suggest giving the cat mostly canned food, because it contains moisture as obviously dry cat food doesn't. A lot of different vets and people might argue this point, I believe that the dry food can scrape a bit of the plaque off, especially between the teeth. I give both canned and dry. I give 1/3 can in the morning and 1/3 at 6 and a just a tiny small handful at night, probably like ten pieces or so.
It could certainly be allergies, sometimes it can take a long time for the allergies to appear. I don't believe in fillers such as grains. I think they are hard to digest and totally unnecessary. Grains such as oats, and rice fine, the companies are trying to hide corn and wheat products in the foods with different names. That is why I trust organic, I know through medical testing that it is 100% organic and they do not add anything to it, it is healthier.
I also do not blame you in worrying about your animals, I have had both cats nearly die this year, and I do worry about them. I do know that what they are eating is 100% good for them, I know they are getting what they need, but make sure the minerals are not too high, by asking your vet.

[Jenny Wilkie]

I agree with the wet food - when my family's cat Murphy had kidney disease (she ultimately died from kidney failure in 2006), we were advised to feed her the wet food so she could absorb some liquid. My mom even added water and made "gravy" so she'd get extra liquid. And I've heard from several vets that cats weren't made to process grains - they're carnivores - and that food with high amounts of grains and fillers can cause an upset stomach. Our cat Jesse, who died this past Tuesday, had been having a lot of trouble with the foods with high grain/filler content a few years ago, as soon as he was switched to a more pure meat/protein food, he seemed to be fine. That's my experience, i guess. I'm no expert and don't claim to be! LOL
So long story later, I totally agree with you Michael!!

[andrea meyers]

i agree with michael too..he really almost has the words of a vet.
i feed elizabeth almost ALL WET. luckily-she loves water as well..so as for not getting enough hydration..i am not worried.
just stopping over to say i also agree..with you michael..etc

[andrea meyers]

i have gotten a bit behind here. reading this..and then other posts today. some really hurt me..must read tho..together..we must continue to try. i just hate hate hate how people throw away their own babies..how??? and abuse. neglect.
sorry..not why i am writing..
i am just not sure if i replied here.
your advice is taken-and i write down all that i can from each persons reply that i feel will help.
i just mainly wanted to say how very sorry i am about 2 of your babies nearly dying. are they ok now? i hold you and them in my heart ..

[andrea meyers]

actually-the more i think on this-you are right. while she is getting a bit finicky with various wet foods (is it better to keep her on fewer wet varieties instead of what i do now: give her a variety so she won't get "bored" and lose interest in the few wet food plan?
thing is-she is still eating wet food..throwing up the dry..whole-likely eating to fast and /or other reasons..most likely allergy.
i just thank you for your reply-it made sense.
if it were solely her teeth the outcome would be a bit different-even w the wet food.
as for my last beloved baby-i already knew it wasn't the "dental"-i just meant the whole thing of it-the dental disease/-and obviously the anesthesia. i also think the pain meds played a role (she had a stroke after pain meds were given. but-as for the kidneys-which were fine beforehand (had full blood work taken a day or 2 before the dental-and her kidneys were fine. so the dental disease-whatever it was that caused the teeth to come loose deep in the gum (it was not stomatitis)(not sure -peridontal disease? don't know enough about that -is that when the tooth /gum area becomes diseased-or is it a full dental problem? i will read on it)-still-fine kidney values before dental...which led me to think about the anesthesia. it is not an issue of blame it is an issue of--she was sick. i know that. i just need to protect elizabeth now. tho i do not and won't know if she has a similar dental "disease" that elsa had -more of a gum and cavity problem) elizabeth-when i adopted her-had bad bad tartar. i do not know any more than that..i hope she won't have as serious a dental situation that elsa had. i just worry about the dental also because of her heart. yes..she will have the pre-blood done during dental. and other precautions. i just thought you made a lot of good sense on this-and so ..thank you.

[K.Novey]

My oldest cat is very finicky in both good and bad ways. If he gets a hold of dry food is pretty much a guarantee he'll throw it up. He also has a very sensitive stomach so a special diet for him, also recently he was diagnosed with CRF so his diet is even more special.

All I can say is new environment, changes in diet, dental, it could be many things but in my experience throwing up whole food is eating too fast or too much (plus allergies). Hope that this helps in some way.

K

[andrea meyers]

yes. YES! it ALL helps.. and i will do all i can-and hearing advice of various sorts helps SO much.
i thank you.
i am so sorry about your kitty w crf...thatis...hard.....i..know. ;;9
i am just glad your kitty has love (you) it is a big thong ..i try to tell myself that to lower my intese worry=stress...stress not good for my love elizabeth..so i try. need her to get ths denyal soon. no hospital near me..and ultimatly-vets r good ther (where ela had a bad dental due mess up. she had hcm--i spoke out all i could-and they knew i was a worrier..but she still..:(
but i cant let elizabeth-who also has heart ills tonot hvea ental.i am just...TERRIFIED..but ok..no stress..i try..
im hug you ad your kitty. crf is hard--but..oh god..at least our babies know they are loved--and sooo much ore. it is a big thing.
andrea

[andrea meyers]

i don't think it is thyroid. my 1st cat was hyperthyroid.
i guess i don't see where you are getting thyroid DISEASE out of what i wrote of her problems. i will mention to my vet about having her t-3/4 tested (think we already have-and she was fine-had all major bloodtests done after adopting her) she is not losing weight. she is gaining. i got her when she was practically starving. since:L she has gained. she gets enough wet food i guess. and maybe some dry does get thru her. i wrote this post when i was in a very scared state of mind. i still am worried-but am clearer. i believe the dental comes first. then work w my vet on diet. and whether she needs hypoallergenic food or-if i just continue w the wet-which goes ok-and give her hypo all. dry. dental first tho as that is most serious on the list. i had her scheduled earlier (like not long after i adopted her) but then she had the ear infection. i would in no way have her teth done til that cleared due to the ear canal being close to mouth area-and her worst teeth being in the way back. thanks for your advice. i do know the thyroid has to be checked once a cat hits maybe 6-7. but disease? i think i just wrote this wrong. she has not been losing weight. my sisters cat dies from what you mention-so i do know about it. it -oh..any disease is bad..but i know that is not what she has. thanks :) sorry about your cat tho :(