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Dominique seems to be recovering slowly--very slowly--from her trauma & from her recent heart news. Today she drank quite a good bit--I'd say at least 2-4 ounces of water. I can't really tell if she ate anything, as her dry food seems about the same, but if she just ate a few it would be hard to tell. She did use the litter box, which I think is also a good sign. But she does spend almost all her time on the bed now. She came downstairs when we were home this morning three times, and drank water from the sink all three times. And she supervised my DH's shower this morning. But when I opened the window for her to look out of, & put her in the windowsill, she did sit there for a minute & smelled the air, but got down pretty quickly. I am hoping when the vet sees her Friday he will tell me if this will be her new behavior or if she is just recovering.
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Denise & Dominique

Hi Denise,

I am so sorry for all that you have been going through with Dominique. I know firsthand how scary all this has been for you, and I'm sending Glow your way.

Enalapril is an excellent drug and works very well in cats. It helps to bring down blood pressure and is often used in cats with heart failure. In some cases, it can even affect the size of the heart as time goes on. It can cause depression, which might explain why Dominique has been quiet.

It's good that Dominique is drinking some, but it's also very important to get her eating something. Otherwise, she may be at high risk for fatty liver disease on top of everything else. I would try strained meat baby foods, with no onion added. Often baby food will jump start a cat's appetite. If she won't eat the baby food, try anything else that you can think of. Cheese, lunchmeats, tuna, anything that may entice Dominique to eat is fine. Perhaps her dry food just isn't appealing to her at this time when she isn't feeling well.

Please ask your vet if Dominique is at high risk for developing blood clots. If so, she might need a very small dose of aspirin to minimize the risk.

Many cats with heart disease do well for a long time. There are several drugs available to help them and they are usually tolerated well. I sincerely hope that your baby is one of these cats.

Please let us know how the appointment goes on Friday. I will keep Dominique in my thoughts and prayers.

Regards,
PHKitkat

>>Many cats with heart disease do well for a long time. There are several drugs available to help them and they are usually tolerated well. I sincerely hope that your baby is one of these cats.
>>
>>Please let us know how the appointment goes on Friday. I will keep Dominique in my thoughts and prayers.

Hi,

I am still worried about the eating, and in fact last night tried the roast beef & roast turkey lunchmeat from the deli to stimulate her. She kind of looked at them, like, I think I'm supposed to eat this, but....I also have to worry because she had crystals in her urine in the spring, so she is on Science Hill c/d, both wet & dry. I will get her a little jar of baby food though, this morning & try that. Thanks for telling me about the depression, I never thought about that.

Thank you for your kind thoughts & prayers.

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Denise & Dominique

Try Gerber's lamb.

Eddie got that as a kitten when he had some problems, and I still give it to both of them as a once a week treat. They love it.

A few weeks ago I made a mistake and bought ham. They just looked at it and walked away.

Carol

>>>>Many cats with heart disease do well for a long time. There are several drugs available to help them and they are usually tolerated well. I sincerely hope that your baby is one of these cats.
>>>>
>>>>Please let us know how the appointment goes on Friday. I will keep Dominique in my thoughts and prayers.
>>
>>Hi,
>>
>>I am still worried about the eating, and in fact last night tried the roast beef & roast turkey lunchmeat from the deli to stimulate her. She kind of looked at them, like, I think I'm supposed to eat this, but....I also have to worry because she had crystals in her urine in the spring, so she is on Science Hill c/d, both wet & dry. I will get her a little jar of baby food though, this morning & try that. Thanks for telling me about the depression, I never thought about that.
>>
>>Thank you for your kind thoughts & prayers.
>>
>>
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>> Denise & Dominique

Well, I tried to get her to lick up the baby food (got the chicken one & the turkey one), & she walked away. So then I literally forced about an espresso spoon's worth into her mouth. She wasn't too happy with me, but on the other hand she did use her box today & was sitting on the living room chair when I came home to check on her. I called the vet & he said give her anything she wanted, try Fancy Feast or treats, just to get her started up again, even though she can't eat that stuff any more because of the crystals. We tried to give her that tonight, & she just stalked away.
Arghh, it's frustrating to have a stubborn cat!! Tomorrow she goes back to the vet.....will advise.
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Denise & Dominique

Hi Denise,

GLOW for Dominique from me, too.

When you check in with the vet, ask for a food syringe. Also, ask about an appetite stimulant. You can usually add a bit of water to the baby food and squirt it in with the syringe or even puree some of the canned c/d with water to get it in. The food syringe is much easier to use than trying to force feed with a spoon or your fingers.

In trying different things to entice her, remember a cat relies more on smell than taste to lure them in. I've found that sometimes a few drops of bacon fat or tuna water will encourage them to try eating.

Hope all goes well and keep us posted.

>>Dominique seems to be recovering slowly--very slowly--from her trauma & from her recent heart news.

Today Dominique went back to the vet for follow up. The vet checked her blood pressure, & gave us an appetite stimulant for her. We have to take her off the Enalapril for a week, so we can get her eating again, because if she won't eat.....The vet also was giving her a shot to give her a little bit of hydration. She has to go back next Friday. We have to watch her breathing carefully.
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Denise & Dominique

I'm so sorry to hear all that you've been going through...(my internet has been down for a few days so I know I'm a little late on the uptake)...

positive energy coming your way from all of us here...I don't have any other suggestions other than what has already been mentioned...

Stay strong...and keep us posted...
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Lisa, owned by Bentley,Alastair, Finster, & Trysta (greyhound)

I came home to check on Dominique at around noon and again at 3. Both times she came downstairs to greet me, with loud, purry meows. She ate, which is excellent news. Since she ate and had already taken her dose of enalapril this morning before the doctor's visit, we are checking to see if she should now remain on the enalapril and still take the appetite stimulant twice a day. She was very chatty, and since when cats purr they appear to be breathing heavily, I was watching her very carefully. She is still moving slowly, but she is moving.....

For me, the concern is that I can't really tell if she's uncomfortable, or feeling better or feeling worse. I just don't want her to be uncomfortable or frightened. Keep sending those positive thoughts--I think they are helping!
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Denise & Dominique