Cat FLU? Multi-cat house...NEED ADVICE, please

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Melissa&Paul-Kyle

Melissa&Paul-Kyle

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I have 9 3/4 cats, including my diabetic Paul-kyle who is OTJ for the last few weeks. BG this AM was 79, so good to go.

DebraAnne, 20+, CRF, epileptic; phenobarb, subQ as needed
SuzeAnne, 20+, CRF; subQ as needed
Timothy, 19+, recent herpes outbreak (eyes); inj. Baytril, Lysine, just finished Aceclaver
Abigail, 16+, recent herpes outbreak (eyes); Lysine, just finished Aceclaver
Paul-Kyle, 14 +/-, diabetic OTJ
Polly, 13+/-
Tansy, 13+/-
Linner, 13+/-
Aztec, 13+/-
Ezra, 8 +/-

**might be worth noting that I just lost a 17 +/- yr old, Jennifur, last week. She was severe, end stage CRF, stopped eating, progressed into infection from her nose and continued to fail. She went peacefully last Thursday with help from friend/animal care professional here at home. Her blood work showed nothing out of the ordinary for a geriatric CRF.

early Last week my 2 oldest CRF girls, DebraAnne and SuzeAnne, Timothy and my 3/4 cat Ezra did not want to eat, there was liquipoo galore in the boxes and pukes all over. I gave them all fluids for a few days and some liqui tinic. The next day I feed them cat food soup, the day after all appetites were back, liqui poo gone.

I scrubbed boxes and re filled with clean litter.

Now starting Saturday night DebraAnne didn't want food again- gave fluids and cat treats she ate quickly.

Sunday, DebraAnne still not eating and now neither is SuzeAnne. Came home in PM to mass pukage in cat room and liqui poo in boxes again. Ezra that was down last week , Tansy, SuzeAnne and DebraAnne not eating last night, Paul-Kyle eating tentatively.

Today- SIX (Suze, Deb, Paul-Kyle, Polly, Tansy, Linner) of my 10 cats are not eating, some puking, liqui-poo in boxes, etc, etc....I think DebraAnnes is CRF related- she IS licking from soup I offered her, gave fluids and liquitinic, but the others are just not feeling good.

Timothy, Abigail, Aztec ate well this AM...Ezra ate tentatively.

Everyone else is laying around, punking, not eating- clearly not feeling well with the expressions on their faces. I am giving fluids where needed, liqui tinic to anyone that has missed more than two meals (except Paul- too much sugar! and he has only missed this AM) and Nutrical to anyone on the rebound but not eating well yet.

I think it is a bug just passing through, looks like is is 48 hour thing? but they are clearly miserable. Is there anything I can give them to slow the runs, settle the pukes and help them feel a little better, faster?

Once I see that we are clearing this, I will scrub all boxes, floors, dishes, cat trees, etc, in case we are re-infecting somehow...

In the meantime, what can I do to help the miserable looking ones get through this easier?

Thanks for your suggestions.
 
You don't think you might have gotten a bad batch of food do you? But, then again, when these viruses hit multi cat households, they whiz through really fast. I have been in the same boat years ago, when I had nine cats. I thought I was going to go bonkers! So, I know how hard it is to see them suffer.

Do you have any Diarsanyl nutritional paste? If you could only get some of that, it really helped my Woodee when he had diarrhea bad after his surgery in 2007. Here are a couple links:

http://www.entirelypets.com/diarsanylpaste.html?gclid=CO7HsvfvrK4CFYeK4AodCAu8TA

http://www.petsupplies4less.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=29232

Otherwise, if you don't have that, I would be careful on giving too much Nutrical, as that still has the oily base, that may bother their stomachs.

If you have any Buprenex, maybe give small doses of that to the worst cases. I think that would help them be in less pain. But, remember, I am NOT a VET, so I am just suggesting things I have done in the past with my cats.

Can you call your vet today and ask for suggestions?

Good luck, Melissa!
 
What are you feeding???

What, if any possible exposures may have occured to pesticides, home cleaning agents, etc.?

At this point, I think a vet consult is a very good idea - you may need to get everyone on something, or set up isolation areas (yes, even if they've all been exposed, to reduce re-infection), etc. and a vet may be able to guide you.

Do you have FortiFlora? The ones that just finished Acyclovir (I think that's what you meant) may need some good bacteria to replace what was killed off by the antibiotic. Use small doses, in case it causes problems (sometimes, it can, possibly by encouraging binging)

Check hydration levels - are the gums tacky/sticky? Does the scruff stay tented up if you gently pull it up? Any that are dehydrated may need fluids; do discuss this with the vet, in case there are any specific precautions that need to be observed for particular cats.
 
I had an epidemic of URIs in my multi-cat household once. Everyone was sneezing, had runny [green] noses, felt miserable. Just like a kindergarden classroom it spread throughout. I don't remember the Rx from the vet, but I do remember breaking them up into separate rooms, all the scrubbing afterward. They sneezed EVERYWHERE! But we managed to get on top of it. Only one had any fallout from the epidemic. Because everyone had glassy, watery eyes, I missed that Peaches (my 22# big boy) who had an eye ulcer.

Good luck with your group - hope everyone is feeling well soon.

LU-ANN
 
I've been through this twice ...... last spring was the worst with an outbreak of calici. I took the worst one into the vet and got flagyl for everyone.

Fortiflora helped a lot...not only did it entice them to eat but it helped with the runny poos, cat milk for some who wanted it, BBF and what ever else you can get them to eat. You already seem to be on top of the fluid thing ......

After a few days the younger/stronger ones started to improve but I thought I would go crazy trying to take care of everyone.....

Sending you loads of hugs and healing prayers for all your babies.
 
thank you for your replies- very helpful!

Not food- been through that, not pesticides- I don't have ANY chemicals in my house or outside.

Only dehydrated ones are the CRF and I am giving fluids.

I like the paste idea that jean suggested, but I cannot find it local. Need something *now*, you know.

The Fortiflora sounds overwhelmingly helpful and I will get right on that, thanks. Hoping someone local has it so I don't have to wait online delivery.

I just feel so bad that they feel so bad. Poor critters.

Thanks very much for everyones feedback!
 
dian and wheezer said:
what about a good yogurt for some good bacteria to start out with??
Click to expand...

Again - do small amounts at first if you try this- some cats react poorly to milk products, regardles of the pre-digestion from the lactobacilli in yogurt!
 
I wondered about yogurt- I have that on hand. The good Greek stuff without additives, sugars or flavors.

I also have encapsulated probiotics- just the probiotics, no additves again. I could sprinkle some and put on their tongue or load small amount in syringe with water to put in mouth as they are not eating.

Thanks again. Good ideas. Something has to work, it is getting VERY stinky in here, I am out of paper towels, every bath towel and blanket in the house is soiled or in washer anf frankly, I am getting ready to join them in the puck-age if something doesn't slow down soon! Sheesh!

BTW- it is nice weather here today so I sent my well cats outside to the cat enclosure for some fresh air and speration...hopefully that will help.

Thanks again,

Melissa
 
I have no advice but am sending lots and lots of healing vibes your way - poor babies - and poor you - that many sick kitties is a LOT to deal with.

Hope they're all feeling well soon and that it was indeed just a bug going through.

Emmy & Dude (& Mittsi too)
 
My first thought would be a food contaminant- especially with the puking and diarrhea. I would try a bland diet for the next few days along with probiotics which will hopefully settle all tummies down.
 
Melissa&Paul-Kyle said:
I have 9 3/4 cats, including my diabetic Paul-kyle who is OTJ for the last few weeks. BG this AM was 79, so good to go.
Click to expand...

Well, amongst all this icky poo and throwing up, at least there is some good news to read about here!!

Paul-Kyle off the juice after being diabetic for four years! Congrats Melissa and PK! :)

I hope all the kitties get well soon Melissa. I had to deal with just one sick kitty a while back (my son's cat while he was on vacation) and it was a mess. I can't imagine going through it with 9 3/4 kitties!
 
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