Slightly OT- Poor kitty

kteague · Post by **kteague** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 3:46 am

Lately I've noticed that my cat breathes rather noisily and I've joked that she snores. Last evening she was lying next to my chair and she made an odd noise - a wheezing moaning sound that stopped abruptly. I looked at her and she wasn't breathing - her side didn't move, and continued to not move, and I thought, "Oh, crap, she just died!" (Just lost a dog a few months ago so I was quick to think that.) As I jumped up in a panic, she kinda twitched and started breathing again. Daggone, I think my cat has sleep apnea! As much as cats sleep, think how hard that must be on their system!

Here's an observation - this cat I call the greedy one. She is significantly larger than her sister, although she's not noticably overweight. She always acts like she is starving and wolfs her food down then within minutes is begging to eat again.

It makes me feel a little sad for her, since I know how bad she must feel. Poor kitty.

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 3:57 am

Hiya, glad you brought the issue up. I don't think there's any version of Cpap out there yet for animals, but I would take your kitty to the vet in any case because of the way she eats (Chinese food syndrome... hungry immediately after eating ). Cats are prone to diabetes, and that can also go along with related metabolic and/or cardiac/respiratory problems, so why not get her checked out?

6PtStar · Post by **6PtStar** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:57 am

My cat has diabetes and is not overweight at all. We have to give him Insulin shots twice a day. So far I have not noticed him having apneas.

Jerry

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:40 am

I got a canvas bag, a handful of rocks, and a river that will cure whatever ails your kitty.

Just teasing.....

Hey, see if you can strap the kitty down and shove a mask on it, and then take a picture of the resulting mayhem, including your bloody wounds, and then post it here. Better yet, get someone to video tape you doing it, and post it on YouTube. You'll be famous!

I'm sorry.... I can't help it. You keep feeding me straight lines...

For what it's worth - Nearly every single one of my "Live" friends (as differentiated from you, my "virtual" friends) is a terribly sensitive cat and dog and chicken parent who has gone WAY BEYOND just daily insulin shots for their poor animals. The faithful caretaker to the blind, toothless dachsund who is scared of his own poop comes strongly to mind...

I suspect this is my personal hell for being so mean and crabby. Clearly I didn't learn my lesson last incarnation.

LOL,
B.

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:44 am

[quote="Anonymous"]I got a canvas bag, a handful of rocks, and a river that will cure whatever ails your kitty.

Just teasing.....

Hey, see if you can strap the kitty down and shove a mask on it, and then take a picture of the resulting mayhem, including your bloody wounds, and then post it here. Better yet, get someone to video tape you doing it, and post it on YouTube. You'll be famous!

I'm sorry.... I can't help it. You keep feeding me straight lines...

For what it's worth - Nearly every single one of my "Live" friends (as differentiated from you, my "virtual" friends) is a terribly sensitive cat and dog and chicken parent who has gone WAY BEYOND just daily insulin shots for their poor animals. The faithful caretaker to the blind, toothless dachsund who is scared of his own poop comes strongly to mind...

I suspect this is my personal hell for being so mean and crabby. Clearly I didn't learn my lesson last incarnation.

LOL,
B.

kteague · Post by **kteague** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:50 am

Wow, wouldn't it be something if my cat had OSA and diabetes - we'd be twins. Maybe they could study my cat instead of lab rats on the relationship. If she turns out to be diabetic, we'd have a real problem. These cats were wild when I got them. They are now affectionate and love me - on their terms only, and that doesn't include holding them. Now, I could probably get oral meds down her - in her food. LOL

This is the same cat I'm convinced ate some of that bad cat food last year. Her sister will starve rather than eat something she doen't like, but not her. She hid out in the back of a large storage closet for 3 days and when she came out she had no hair on the lower half of the body. (I read that's a sign of kidney failure.) She went straight to the kitchen and ate and drank and has been ok every since.

If diabetes is the same in animals. she really doesn't drink any more than to be expected. Guess it's time to move the "trick box" into the bedroom for her to get used to, then one day I'll drop her in it real quick. She can spot a cat carrier a mile away, but a familiar box tricks her every time.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:53 am

What do you use for a "trick box"? And do you hide food in it?

My BFF is open to all suggestions. Her "Siamese Flying Monkey" is hard to contain for roadtrips.

LOL,
B.

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:04 am

I'd stick Vagasil in her ear, cured our old lab of an ear infection where a thousand spent on vet bills did nothing

WearyOne · Post by **WearyOne** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:15 am

Have to be careful, though, if you have the same medical problem as your cat---especially if it involved you both taking the same pills. Someone posted on a thyroid board I frequent that one very sleepy morning, she accidentally switched the Synthroid--she took her cat's pill, and gave her pill to the cat! She was terrified that the larger dose would end up killing the cat. Happy ending, though, as her cat was fine.

My cat makes "breathing noises," too, sometimes. Sounds like light snoring to me, but I've never noticed her not breathing.

Pam

kteague · Post by **kteague** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:21 am

I must have been typing while Snoredog and Babette were typing.

I've got a friend who (too eagerly) offered to make that river trip for me when I needed to find them a home but couldn't - didn't have the heart. I got that tender heart from my Dad. Even though our cats were farm cats, he was emotional when one of them would die. He loved each one.

I did rescue these, and spent a fortune on the sister years ago when she ate a metallic covered rubber band off a Christmas gift and got a twisted bowel. By the time they were able to make a diagnosis, I'd sunk so much money in her I felt I had to keep going with the surgery. In retrospect, I'm glad I did because she's had a normal life since. I said after her surgery I would probably never even start down that path again.

If they are suffering from something reasonably treatable, I will find a way to get them treated, but otherwise I have to find the courage to have them euthanized (no rivers). I had one of those friend, Babs. Her poor cat had at least 4 major surgeries trying to save him for just a little longer when she knew the results would be temporary and he'd have a horrific recovery each time. Everyone has to find their own limits with their pets. I love mine, but I have pretty limited inclinations toward life preserving efforts.

Could be because after I pay my mandatory living expenses, I have $12 left each month for gas, personal items, and cat supplies. We can see that doesn't add up. In that respect a trip to the river might seem overdue, but I think I've found my balance.

P.S. Babs, I just start with the box long enough before so it seems like a part of the room and they start playing in it. I may use some food for the final lure.

I don't mind the cat humor - if you knew what I went thru to catch them when I moved 3 times you'd know I can appreciate those thoughts.

SleepyNoMore · Post by **SleepyNoMore** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:35 am

Awww, Bless her heart! I think my soon to be 12 year old (this month) Heidi girl has sleep apnea as well, it's so sad... !

Insomniyak · Post by **Insomniyak** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:23 am

Snoredog wrote:I'd stick Vagasil in her ear, cured our old lab of an ear infection where a thousand spent on vet bills did nothing

I understand this is normal with labs or any other dogs with floppy ears. I have to use that rinse one a week on my labs and sometimes all this crap comes flying out of their ears. The vagasil makes sense because dogs actually do get yeast infections in their ears.

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:55 am

Anonymous wrote:I got a canvas bag, a handful of rocks, and a river that will cure whatever ails your kitty.

Next time you may come back as the cat, that's not allowed up on the kitchen table...... Jim

6PtStar · Post by **6PtStar** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:48 pm

kteague, we used to have the problem of getting ours into the cat carrier to take him to the vet. Vet suggested using a pillow slip. Put the cat in it and tie around the neck with the head out. Not near as hard on them. Rides a lot calmer and easier to get them in than a cat carrier.

Jerry

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 5:41 pm

If you put the cat into the carrier rear end first, it's much easier (and wear gloves!).

Mask

Slightly OT- Poor kitty

Slightly OT- Poor kitty

OSA and diabetes

Kitty Humor