Saturday, June 29, 2019

An update on Hedy



I have been willing to share more of Hedy on my facebook page recently because she is starting to look more like a cat and less like a fur covered skeleton. Even so many people have commented that she looks very skinny so I thought I would do an update post on her so you all know where she stands.

I don't remember the exact weight Hedy came to me at but I believe it was in the low 9lb region. She arrived at the beginning of April and didn't give birth for three weeks.

Hedy when she showed up
 I had to check twice that this wasn't Butters.
Three weeks later after giving birth


She arrived with a URI and some stress shedding. After a few trips to the vet, she started doing well and we had a fairly uneventful pregnancy by April's standard. I know we had some food issues, but once we got her URI settled she seemed to eat well and I don't remember any major issues with diarrhea at the start.

After the kittens were a few weeks old, Hedy started losing weight quite dramatically. She was eating but she had horrific diarrhea. I swear for every ounce of food she ate she produced three of "nacho cheese" looking diarrhea. She was filling up two litter boxes in twelve hours. We tried several different dewormers and had her in the vet multiple times trying to figure out what was going on. I tried offering her raw food and she didn't want it.

Skinny Hedy
After the third round of "well, I have no idea", we tried premium foods. One day I walked into the kitten room and the stool odor was incredibly strong and almost fruity smelling. I looked at the food she loved and that she licked up the gravy first of and saw it was full of potato starch. It was then I decided to remove the dry food and any food that has plant-based ingredients in it; wouldn't you know it.. nacho cheese turned into toothpaste.

So, I fed her only fancy feast kitten food as that was the only food I had in the house that didn't have rice or potato or other plant-based ingredients. She ate it because I gave her no other option. She wasn't a huge fan but she ate enough that it should have put weight on her despite nursing five kittens. Her weight slowly fell down to under six pounds.

eating well and losing weight
the only good use of the phrase "Calories in / Calories out" 
At that point, I freaked and tried raw again. This time she ate it with gusto. she would eat two or three times what she would eat of canned (where she put it I have NO idea) and slowly the weight started to creep back on.  She didn't poop for three days - which is pretty normal for a raw fed cat. I had no idea if she was gaining weight because she was holding in stool or if the raw was doing its job.

Hedy hiding from the kittens
Finally, poop showed up and while it was not the typical dry raw fed poop, it showed me that the weight gain was her own and things were finally FINALLY going in the right direction. Even at six and a half pounds, you could almost see the bumps on her bones through her fur.

Slowly, all too slowly, weight came back on. She started looking a bit better. The fur that remained on her back (since she lost most of what was on her flank) started feeling softer. Something is still not right because she never developed that bone dry poop that comes from eating raw. She might need more medical support she might just need more time on a carb-free diet, I'm not sure.

I am out of here! - Hedy

But she is leaving me today. We are going to neuter her and see if the hormones running through her body is adding to the problem. Since she has started hissing and biting the ears of kittens she has shown she is ready to move on so she will stay with the rescue until a home is found for her. She has been spending most of her time up on the cabinet where the kittens can't reach, only coming down occasionally to use the box or lick the back of the head of a distressed kitten.


The kittens are still with me and will be until they reach weight to be neutered. Agate is there (she is such a little bruiser) but the rest of them need a little finishing. I wish I could keep them at least a couple more weeks because there is so much more for them to learn in their family unit. If I had my way I'd keep them until they are 16 weeks.. they are still super cute at that age and I think it makes for better adult cats, but I get that people want their kittens, and since I have people who are chewing their fingers off waiting for them, I won't fib and keep them longer than is necessary.


20 comments:

  1. Sounds like a good plan for Hedy. Those momma cats can give you heartburn

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  2. I hope Hedy continues to do well and she gets adopted quickly. I will miss her and so will her babies. Have a great life, Hedy,and thank you for being such a good mommy.

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  3. Judith7:22 PM

    Thank you so much for all of the encouraging updates! I wanted to know more, but hate bugging people, so I really appreciate that you took the time to let everyone know.

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    1. Asking me about kittens is never bugging me. It is greatly appreciated. I think people get sick and tired of hearing from me, especially when my page views drop and I get few comments..

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  4. I had no idea poor Hedy got so skinny! I hope she gets a wonderful forever home after all this.

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  5. Sounds like you are on the right track with Hedy and spaying her will help. Hope she finds a wonderful home. The kittens probably pulled her down some.

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  6. We wish the best for Hedy. She deserves a wonderful home.

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  7. I hope Hedy has a full recovery from whatever has been ailing her. I know that when Smokey started an all-raw diet, it was like night and day. She looked skinny like Hedy until my human changed her diet. I'm hoping the same for this lovely girl.

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  8. We hope Hedy gets better when she's in another home. The kittens probably stress her too???? Idk. All the best Hedy.

    Emma and Buster

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  9. Oh dear, we sure hope Hedy gets better. The poor thing was so skinny!

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  10. We are purring and praying for Hedy. Glad things seem to be moving in the right direction, and hope the spaying will help!

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  11. We're glad Hedy is feeling better. We hope she finds a good forever home after her spaying. Purrs

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  12. Purrs for Hedy! We hope she continues to eat well and is able to find a furever home.

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  13. I am glad Hedy is doing better with the raw. I will be praying her spay goes well and she can get her forever home.XO

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  14. We hope that Hedy continues to gain weight and that her new fosters will feed her raw food. It's great that you have cared for Hedy and the babies all of this time.

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  15. Aww, sweet Hedy. We hope she continues to put on weight and that her new fosters will keep up feeding her what she needs. Thank you so much for working so hard with her and her kittens!

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  16. I'm glad she has you to keep trying for her.

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  17. Bon Voyage, Hedy! We hope to here about you again, someday.

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  18. I wish Hedy the very best. I hope she has a quick journey back to good health and finds a wonderful home. Many thanks to you to Connie for taking such good care of Hedy and her babies. I know the kittens are in a good home and getting good socialization and being taken care of well. I understand why you would want to keep them longer because they have still much to learn but four of them are going in pairs and they will learn from each other. Slate is going to a home with a big sister and needs the opportunity to learn from her new home. I appreciate all you do for your kittens and would recommend you to all that adopting one of your kittens would equal a good experience. Thank you.

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  19. Poor Hedy. I bet she was terrified knowing something wasn't right but not knowing what was happening to her. I'm so thankful she was with you - because you have the talent and knowledge to give her the absolute best care. I hope she only gets better - though I know these things are often measured in battles and not wars.

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