Chucky, the Cat Bomb

I just love this boy!

Lots of box tops around our house!

WARNING!  TALK ABOUT CAT BATHROOM HABITS AHEAD!

Chucky is not using the litter box anymore for #2.  This is why we have been to the holistic vet, since the 'regular' veterinarian's do not seem to have a handle on it.  However, the holistic vitamins and even a chiropractic adjustment have not changed this fact.  Because he's not constipated nor has diarrhea, we really aren't even sure if he HAS Irritable Bowel; we've just been giving him the meds for it because at one time they worked.

The Hubby and I feel that Chuck is actually AFRAID to go poops.  He holds it and holds it, until he cannot anymore, which is why it's like a cat bomb when he finally 'let's go'.  Often, he's asleep somewhere, and he wakes up in a panic...because he has to 'go' RIGHT NOW!  His recent procedure is this: he poops right where he was napping, then races around as if the demons of h*ll are chasing him, and he leaves a little trail in his wake.  He'll finally settle in a corner or a window sill, breathing hard and looking scared. Chuck is very unhappy when this happens.

For awhile, he would only do this ON SOFT CLOTH, meaning the bed or any towel/blanket.  Lately, he manages to only dirty a box, or the hardwood floor.  This makes cleanup easier, however we are clueless now how to help him return to the litter box.  Is this a behavioral issue, or is he in some kind of pain or discomfort?  We could put diapers on him, and it may come to that.  We have also tried Zoloft, in the hopes he would settle down a bit, but have no positive results.  For about 15 minutes every other day, Chuck goes off like a cat bomb; at ALL other times he is his usual, loving and luscious self.

A long time ago, we kept Chuck inside a large room, with his own litter box, bed, etc.  He went crazy (peed and pooped everywhere!) after a couple of days and we scuttled that experiment. I've even talked to three animal psychics; their information did not help us either.  There is no specific time of day that the bomb explodes, so locking him in a room overnight won't mean anything.  We added a new litter box, and cleaned and sanitized all of them, and filled all with new litter.  He uses them for #1, after all!

It's a puzzlement.

P.S. Angel is eating almost at 100% again, thank goodness!  When I set down the two food bowls this morning, both Angel and Chuck got to eating immediately.  The Hubby made fun of me, saying out loud, "Fat cats make Mama happy!"  Go ahead, joke all you want, but having a cat bomb and a non-eating cat at the same time was testing my ability to keep it together!  Plus having our old veterinarian shut me down yesterday, did not help my mood.

Laundry List

The veterinarian says:

1) The left side of Chuck's heart is enlarged, and he has thickening heart muscle,
2) Possible bladder infection: waiting for culture results,
3) One kidney (cannot remember which side) has two parts, which isn't normal but it appears to be functioning okay right now; to be monitored,
4) No sign of Irritable Bowel Disease; no thickening of intestine walls.

Therefore, Chuck is now on four medicines: blood thinner, a diuretic to pull water away from his heart, and something else...I really cannot remember!  The fourth is the anti-inflammatory for his intestines, which has been working for the past few weeks.  Hopefully, we can drop that last medicine by working on different foods.

HOWEVER, the vet recommended some stupid prescription-only food, that we all know is crap.  I've looked over the ingredients, and the venison-and-green-pea canned stuff we feed Angel and Chuck has better stuff than the prescription, so I was a bit dismayed by that.  I think I'll return the six cans they sold me, and work this angle on my own.

Before ultrasounds

After ultrasounds

Yay, back home!

Belly shaved!

Chuck is behaving normally;  Angel is hissing at Chuck.  The two hour visit at the vet this morning wore me out a bit...well, a lot, so I'm going to post this then relax by reading a book.  I am sure I'll learn a lot more about Chuck's conditions in the coming weeks, and we'll monitor and adjust and do what we can to keep him in the best possible health.  Chuck did not sing the song of his people on both car rides, there and back...he HOLLERED instead!  It was pouring rain, and the road in front of the vet's office is torn to pieces for construction.  But we made it; I'm glad we did, and we will all look to the future.

PTU Trip for Chuck

Chucky, before the storm

The hubby called me at the office yesterday, told me that Chuck was sick and not acting right.  Plus, every orifice on the cat was leaking something.  Made an appointment with the vet, and I drove back home. Chuck easily went into the PTU, so we knew he really wasn't feeling well.

Blood work came back normal, although they are running a T4 blood test to make sure Chuck's thyroid is okay.  If it's not thyroid, then it's Irritable Bowel Disease, and the hubby is at the vet's office now, picking up anti-inflammatory medicine.  We already have anti-diarrhea and anti-vomit, plus Zoloft (for the cat, although the peeps need some...)

Today, Chuck ate a bit, and drank some water.  The hubby has gotten over the horror that he witnessed yesterday morning when coming in from his errands: Chuck had apparently tried to run away from his poopy rear end, and ended up loosing his lunch and emptying his bladder in places that were NOT the litter box.  Good thing we have hardwood floors!   (Oops, sorry if too graphic!)

Angel, however, is hissing up a storm at Chuck and at me, because I too smell of the vet's office.  She does this EVERY time we take one or the other to the vet; it should pass in a day or so.  However, the look in Chuck's face is enough to break one's heart, since they've been together since in utero.  We have tried every trick in the book, to lessen her reaction but nothing really works, except time.