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I have a fourteen year old house cat who has been living with us for about four years. About ten days ago, I started chemotherapy. At about the same time, our cat has had loose stools that in most cases never make it to the litter box. The dining room, my bedroom, the living room, yes - but not the litter box.
Other than that, she is eating, drinking, playing, grooming, etc. We've just started her on a "chicken baby food and rice" diet, which this little finnicky feline is eating.
I've started to wonder whether her little problem might be a reaction to the changes in my health status. I'd appreciate hearing about any similar experiences - or any opinions that you might have about this situation.
Cats are carnivores and should not be eating rice, wheat, corn, etc. They do not digest carbs well. Try feeding her a high quality grain free can food. www.Catinfo.org has tons of information on cat nutrition. I hope your baby feels better.
Cats are carnivores and should not be eating rice, wheat, corn, etc. They do not digest carbs well. Try feeding her a high quality grain free can food. www.Catinfo.org has tons of information on cat nutrition. I hope your baby feels better.
Thank you. We're feeding her based on the vets directions. I do hope she feels better soon too.
Charley, is your kitty the kind who gives you occasional affectionate licks, or does she chew on your fingers or clothing? Your perspiration may contain some of the chemo drugs, or at least some of the byproducts that are created as your body metabolizes them, and if she's in the habit of licking or nibbling on you, she may be getting a tiny dose of them herself.
In my experience (and my mom's, for that matter), cats can indeed tune into the health of their owners, but it is usually expressed behaviorally rather than in mimicking the human's symptoms. When my mom was in those first few exhausted days after a chemo treatment, when all she could do was to lie on the sofa, our "time-share kitty" (he lived with us when she was traveling and with her when she was in town) would bring his fuzzy toy over to her and drop it on her chest. She'd summon up the energy to lift one arm and toss it across the room, and he'd launch himself from her chest and dash away to retrieve it, bringing it back to drop on her chest again. They'd keep that routine up for hours, but he'd never, ever play "fetch" with anyone else, or even with her when she was back at full energy. It was as if he knew she needed a really low-key form of interaction with another critter at those times, and he'd provide it, just as long as she needed it.
I hope your little feline soon returns to health. And if she continues with those symptoms, it would be a good thing to get her into the vet, possibly with a stool sample for testing. Good luck, to both of you!
Maybe she has an intestinal bacteria that could benefit from an antibiotic treatment.
I have heard of cats sitting with people who are sick, including a cat that napped on an injured knee and kept it warm thusly. He had never done that kind of thing before and didn't after his owner's knee got better. Kinda cool!
I hope things work out for the best for your family's pet, Charley.
Animals are very sensitive to changes in health, however, that should only cause behavioral changes in them not physical sickness.
A previous poster made note that perhaps your cat was being exposed to some of your chemo. You should explore that with your doctor and vet.
I wish you good luck with your treatment and your feline's as well.
Thank you all for your responses. I'll talk to the oncologist and the vet tomorrow. Her exposure to me has been very limited so I don't think that I've transmitted anything to her - but it's certainly worth asking. Perhaps even the simple act of petting her head (the only real contact) is something that I might have to curtail until the treatments are completed.
Animals are very sensitive to changes in health, however, that should only cause behavioral changes in them not physical sickness.
A previous poster made note that perhaps your cat was being exposed to some of your chemo. You should explore that with your doctor and vet.
I wish you good luck with your treatment and your feline's as well.
I second that.
My cats are very sensitive to my health and if I'm feeling low they'll forgo playing or napping outside in the sun to snuggle up next to me and keep me company. I had a nasty 'flu bug the other week and the accompanying fever had me sweaty enough without furballs adding to the heat factor but they insisted on it, though the back door was open and it was as usually beautiful outside!
I do think cats sense an illness, though I haven't heard of such a physical reaction as your kitty is having. When my son is sick (in bed), my cats, who never sleep anywhere near him, will sleep on his bed. When I am sick, they follow me everywhere (which is usually only from the couch to the bed to the bathroom!) and lay close to me.
Hope everything works out well for you (and kitty!)
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We're feeding her based on the vets directions. I do hope she feels better soon too.
