<p>Yes, he’s a doxie …so he’s a hound. When he was a puppy, I took him to my son’s school for the very first time (son was on a field trip and I was there waiting for him to return). Sammy ran down the hall, right to son’s classroom, and stopped right at my son’s desk. Amazing!</p>
<p>I will definitely do the sticky neck check. Mittens has been sipping chicken broth, so eyes are looking better…maybe less dehydrated now. </p>
<p>*I don’t know what Mittens usual behavior is, but if one of my cats didn’t show up for even one meal *</p>
<p>That’s why I first noticed a problem. The cats always come running when they smell coffee brewing, because they know they’re getting fed right after that! LOL</p>
<p>But, I couldn’t find her. Finally, it dawned on me to have Sammy find her. LOL</p>
<p>Glassy eyes is definitely a sign that the poor kitty is dehydrated. Do not let the cat drink “human” chicken soup - salt is deadly for cats. Make him some chicken “soup” by boilng chicken in water, no salt, no spices. it is a good thing that your kitty at least drinks something. Hopefully the vet will be able to figure out the source of your kitty’s problems. Here is a tip that saved us at least $500 when our newlyadopyed kitten got so ill we thought it would die. H took the cat to the vet. Dr Melissa looked at the poor critter and said, “Kitty has some sort of an infection; it could be viral or bacterial. We can run some tests to figure out what it is, unfortunatelty, the tests are expensive, and if it is a virus, there is no treatment” (the kitten was already tested for FIV and FELV) H said, “so if it is bacterial, what are the treatment options?” Turned out, good old amoxycillin was the drug of choice, and it cost only 40 bucks for the chicken-flavored formulation. H said, “Since there is nothing to be gained from learning that this is a viral thingy, how about we simply try the antibiotic and see if the cat gets better?” surely enough, the cat recovered, and is now wrecking my house together with her older “sister”. :)</p>
<p>A reminder to all cat lovers: salt is very bad for your cat, and onions can be deadly. Vets advise against giving your cat baby food because baby foods are made with a pinch of onion powder (it is not listed on the ingredients list, but it is still there in the amounts that can cause damage to your kitty). Please be careful when giving your pets human foods. Salmon “soup” made of salmon and water is OK.</p>
<ol>
<li>Cats with kidney issues or stones are prescribed food that is saltier because that makes them drink more. Royal Canin SO, for example, is saltier. So it’s not that cats must avoid salt but that some foods are not good for them.</li>
<li>Baby food is often prescribed - or recommended - by vets to hide pills. I have to say only an idiot would give a cat one of those baby food dinners. Vets tell you to buy the pure lamb or chicken jars. </li>
<li>The symptoms suggest kidney problems. It’s likely not a completely blocked urinary tract because the cat would be dead by now. (You can feel if the bladder is full because it is obvious, like a balloon down at that end between the hind legs.) Lots of kidney issues are treatable. Main thing is to get to the vet.</li>
</ol>
<p>You can check the mouth yourself. Cats hide unbelievably painful things but a cyst should be obvious. You might also check the area above the tail for a cyst; cats get nipped there and the bite can get infected. That requires draining and antibiotics.</p>
<p>Yay to MOfWC! I hope poor Mittens gets better soon - antibiotics should clear out this infection. Give him lots of TLC in addition to the salmon soup :)</p>
<p>Oh dear! Watch out, mom2collegekids, he might get used to cooked to order food and the other little luxuries I am so happy he is on the road to recovery!</p>
<p>I’m just so happy that he’s better. All my pets (2 dogs, 2 cats) are 7 years old, so I know that they are entering their “senior year” (if they’re not already there.) I’m a big softie when it comes to animals. I cry at those animal abuse commercials they’re showing on TV. What crazy and insane person hurts pets (or children or anything!).</p>
<p>Just wondering: are the antibiotics in liquid form or pills? My 7 y/o has never been sick before, but I remember as a child my mom having to try to force feed our cat a pill and it was not a pretty situation.</p>
<p>Every cat is different about pills. We had a Siamese who was so bad about pills that our vet - after insisting we must be doing it wrong - had to call in a tech and use forceps. We switched her to solutions that we mixed with lamb baby food. I had a really big cat with a really big mouth that you could toss a garbage can lid in. Most are in between. </p>
<p>Liquids have their issues because the cat can push it back out with the tongue and you may then need a bunch of towels to keep you and the cat clean. One of our animals while very sick had to go through this and he looked hydrophobic with foam on his muzzle. The mess got disgusting but he was on a lot of meds and this was necessary. He has to go on pills every now and then and he doesn’t like it but it mostly goes down. </p>
<p>You have to assume a few pills will be rejected but you get the hang of it. My experience is that a really good grip on the four legs that can hurt you is mandatory while it really helps to have a second person do the actual deed by firmly taking the cat’s mouth, opening it and tossing in the pill. </p>
<p>Oddly, I’ve had much better luck pilling the strays we’ve brought in than any of the long-term pets. The strays seem to surrender to care for a while but then when you keep them they reassert their “uh-uh, no way” natural behavior.</p>
I am so happy he is on the road to recovery!</p>