Prednisolone for cats

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 6:57 pm

My poopy cat had another flair and is back on prednisolone. The taper was too quick and her D returned. It was a half tab twice a day for three days then a half a tab for another three days then was supposed to go to a half tab every other day for three days and thats it. She made it to the once a day and now I'm continuing on that until I can get her in next week for visit. I was supposed to up it to twice a day but never did because she was having good poops. Today she pooped on my floor but it was three dehydrated, light as a feather turds. Holy cow, they were stinky! Surprising because there was no moisture.

Not sure why she didn't use one of the three litter boxes in the basement but she didn't. Is it possible the dose is now too strong and I should go to one every other day til I see the vet? I have to give her a pill in the morning before I leave for work which is begore the vet's office opens so I can't call and ask for an answer. My Mona may not walk on two legs but she is one of us (sad to say).

I feed her Blue Buffalo canned and dry food. I've been cutting back on the amount of wet food I've been feeding her and the dry is always out. Not sure if I should stop rotating flavors- could that make a difference? I don't like limiting the wet food but do notice her drinking water often.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I don't want the D to come back but don't want her to suffer through constipation either. Feline or person- it can't be comfortable. She's been on the meds since July 22nd.

On a positive note- my floors have never been cleaner!

whenever there's an accident I feel the need to sanitize every room in the house (when she has D, she is a runner).

It would be funny if it were someone else.

Post by **tex** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 7:58 pm

Deb,

I'm certainly no vet, but it sure sounds as though she might be getting more prednisolone than she needs. I don't understand the odor though (if her scats are dehydrated). I'm assuming that she's eating GF, but something is apparently not digesting very well. Prednisolone might not be the optimum treatment for her issues.

Tex

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Tue Aug 04, 2015 4:00 am

Thanks Tex,

I think I will try every other day and pray the D doesn't return. She has always had unbelievably stinky poop even when normal. The vet even commented on it when I saved a sample. A couple years ago she went through three different drugs (most to rule out parasites, etc.) with no sucess. The predisolone is what stopped the D after two very miserable months. It will be interesting to hear his thoughts. Who would have thought I would get a cat with as many issues as me. She is a sweetheart though.

Blueberry · Post by **Blueberry** » Tue Aug 04, 2015 5:24 pm

Sorry about the stomach troubles your cat is experiencing. I have a cat that suffered from severe D for awhile. Different medications the Vet suggested were tried but nothing helped, sadly. In the end I bought a number of different foods for her to try and eat, hoping some of them wouldn't cause the explosive D. Everything from standard store made foods, to paleo cat feed were tried. In the end to my surprise only one food worked for her, Natural Choice, Duck and Potato formula. I don't know why. I remember looking at the ingredients listings of the different foods in detail, but nothing stood out as being different from the other foods. She can eat tuna too. She's a bit spoiled with that - a scoop of dry duck potato pellets and a of tuna a day. She also enjoys munching on grasses.

Lilja · Post by **Lilja** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 5:25 am

I dont' know much about cats and digestion, but one thing - and maybe this is common knowledge among cat owners? - is that cats should not drink milk. I was surprised to hear this, because I've always thought that cats loved milk, and could drink it.

Lilia

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 5:53 pm

Blueberry- It doesn't seem right that their tummies would be so sensitive to the grain free products. They sure don't have those issues in the wild! I thought about switching brands but even that can be tricky. i'm just not willing to to do the food mix right now and gradually switching over- to experiment could bring on another flair. It seems duck may be comparable to most MCers turkey as a safe food.

Lilia, I think most cats would be very willing to drink milk. It's kind of like how I used to be very willing to chance a bit of chocolate even though the soy would give me a stomache ache every time. I finally smartened up.

I've done every other day now for the past three days and the constipation seems better but all that can change in a blink of an eye. I have a week to go before the vet visit but I don't suspect there will be any great revelations. Some cats are more prone to D and I have one of them. She truley seems embarrassed by the D and the but washings but she's a trooper. It's a good thing she has a unique personality- a big ham. If it were my other cat, I don't know if I would make it. She gets violent when confined (holding for a wash). Pets are just like kids with their personalities.

Fingers crossed the taper goes well.

aquilegia · Post by **aquilegia** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 12:35 pm

Have you asked your vet about Vitamin B12 injections? That is what worked for my cat. The vet tried probiotics, a special diet, antibiotics, etc. but only the Vitamin B12 worked.

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 5:19 pm

Thanks for the suggestion- I can't remember if he ever brought it up since it's been a couple years since we had issues. I will bring it up. I guess my four legged friend and I have tge same issues.

aquilegia · Post by **aquilegia** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 6:48 am

I developed MC a few months after I adopted a cat who had inflammatory bowel disease. I did not know he had it until after I brought him home. I have often wondered if there is a link there. Perhaps IBD can be transmiited from pets to humans.

I would like to know if anyone else on the forum has had the same experience.

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 7:14 am

It sure is interesting. I don't think IBDs are catchy. I like to think of it as God put this cat in my care because I understand. Most people would not put up with this kind of issue nor pay the extra money for grain free foods and vet visits. I'm sure she would have been dumped off somewhere or taken to the Humane Society long ago. I know she is a sweet cat and needs my help trying to manage her problem. I don't like it either and find it a bit stressful but she is my responsibility and I couldn't live with the thought of getting rid of her not knowing what her future woukd be like in someone else's hands. I could do without the poop and disinfecting but we certainly have a bond.

Yesterday she peed in a cardboard box I had in the kitchen for them to play in. She then pooped (normal) on a blanket on my leather couch. Very frustrating. I think she is afraid to go in the basement for some reason. There are three litter boxes down there and I clean them all at least twice a day. I will have to try feeding her down there (not near the boxes) so she starts to make a good association again. I have also given her zip ties (a favorite play toy) when we go down there. This happened once before when we bought a new dehumidifier. The new noise of the fan scared her and she would just linger at tbe top of the stairs- afraid to go down.

It's hard to tell if it's IBD related now or something frightening her. She is the bully of my other two cats so it's odd to see her so skiddish. We drove up to our cabin last night and the cats get loaded up and come too. I was a bit nervous but she seems to make a point of "going" in the litterbox when I'm in the bathroom so I can see. It like she is saying "look mom, I'm being good." There is only one box up north kept in the bathroom and again with that one- I clean it as soon as one of them uses it so it's always fresh. Hopefully when we go home on Sunday whatever fear she had will have been forgotten. It will be nice to put my rugs back down, open up the doors to all my rooms, and uncover my furniture that I have protected just in case (much easier to wash a covering than actual furniture).

aquilegia · Post by **aquilegia** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 7:30 am

My vet told me that they associate the litter box with pain so they avoid it.

Post by **tex** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 8:11 am

Deb,

This may not be an acceptable option, but have you considered putting a litterbox in the bathroom at home, or in some other room, or in every room if necessary, to see if she will use it, rather than trying to force her to go down to the basement?

Tex

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 8:36 am

Definitely! The hard part is retraining them that it's ok. They are very clean and particular animals so they want to use the box but when health issues pop up it throws a monkey wrench in the works.

I have one cat who doesn't squat when she pees and it's a jet stream that comes shooting out. I struggled for a long time with her missing the box. She would stand in the box but most would end up on the floor. I ended up buying 18 gallon totes and ditching the lid and cutting and entry into it so it would face the long way. It solved my problem. I have both clear and colored totes and would recommend the clear ones. Sometimes they harass each other in the box which has the potential to create more issues. The clear allow them to see what's coming at them.

As a pet owner and professional poop watcher I have learned the habits of all three cats and know their preferences, who pees in which box and where, and what each cat's poop looks like. Who knew being a pet owner could be so complicated. My pooper cat enjoys the praise I give her when she comes out of the box and I suspect she likes to use the litterbox when I'm present because I help her to cover it up (then remove it). My cats have me trained well.

This morning I was using the bathroom and she waited for me to finish as she sat in front of the litterbox. She waited for me to remove the poop that was in it before she would go in and pee.

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 8:46 am

Yes I have. Any time she has a flare I have moved one up into the bathroom. We have a pretty small house so anything on the first floor is obstructive but necessary. I've also moved it around to different locations just in case the bathroom itself is associated as a punishment room. That is where we lock her in in times of D. Tile floor is much easier to clean than hardwood gloors and laminate flooring and we can't trust her to roam free when we go to work. We only had to do it one day this time around but it still is heartbreaking.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Post by **tex** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 8:47 am

Deb,

I could be wrong, but I believe all that clearly qualifies you as a bona fide cat whisperer.

Tex