We have rescued a really pathetic Lynx point siamese over the weekend.

This cat was so dehydrated, everyone at the spca and emergency clinic thought her was neutered. He is emmaciated and probably not far from death without quick intervention.

We got ahold of him late saturday,and after a bath (he was full of grease and smelled like he had been living with a chain smoker in a 10x10 room)-his fur is really matted (he is shorthaired) and after the bath (he seemed worse from bathing) he took a long time to dry and he's still matted. He screams and growls at the slightest touch or interference. We gave him some fluids and he ate ravenously.

Late that same night I checked on him, he had vomitted hairballs (no surprise because her was "grooming" himself dry) and about 4 piles of really soft stool (inside and outside of the litterbox). On closer inspection, I counted no less than 10 -2" (5-6cm) tapeworm segments. I cleaned him up and gave him a commercial dewormer.

The next morning was much the same (I have never seen such an infestation). He was still eating (and continued to eat all day Sunday) and his thirst slowly increased throughout the day. His stool also increased throughout the day becoming more frequent, softer and runnier. He continued to eat.

I like to sit on these guys for a while before deciding if they need any remedy, but towards Sunday night, I was desperate to try and relieve his diarrhea. After considering phos, ars and puls and I decided to go with the phos -however it was evident this morning that it simply wasn't what he needed. I think ars and puls are still good candidates for him, but I'm having a really hard time deciding which one.

His symptoms right now are as follows:
* no appetite
* force fed him a small amount , he had diarrhea 5 minutes later
*diarrhea is now almost yellow and very runny with moderate smell
* he doesn't always make it to the litterbox, suggesting the urge is somewhat uncontrollable
* urine scanty (probably due to dehydration)
* prefers to lie with all 4's tucked under, head somewhat hanging
* can not bear any touch
* violent outbursts
*body is extremely cold, everywhere and he does not resist when I cover him up
* wants to be alone, tries to get out of his kennel and head for seclusion
* mouth is cold, and clammy
* ear flaps, scabbed, coat matted and dry
*emaciated, with abdomin increasingly extending (I thought originally from food, but since has stopped eating)
*skin is purpleish-blue (somewhat normal pigment for a light cat)
* no more worm segments (probably due to deworming)
* his general colour is pale, but his nose is somewhat yellow

I have to say I am more inclined to give him ars (especially because it is not clear to me, about what he has been given while at the spca; he was vaccinated, dewormed for roundworm and possible given an internal flea pesticide -I'm concerned about all the toxins his liver has had to process); although aftereffects of worms and yellow stool fit puls.

I will check back later, hopefully someone might be able clear things a bit for me.

sulfur LM1.
if you need to*, you can dose more frequently than daily, as needed, succussing in between.

Anna, I feel so inadequate! Please explain what you saw in my description that affirmed Sulph to you. I will dose him asap. Thanks so much for responding! He has been eating some dry food throughout the day, he is still having liquid yellow stool. Will let you know how he is tomorrow.

Hello k,

There are a few things that stand out for Sulphur.
Tapeworm discharged with stool.
Ascarides pass with the stool.
Dirty, unkempt appearance. Matted hair.
Aggravated from bathing.
Ravenous appetite. (initially)
Emaciated, big-bellied.
Irritable humor; readily thrown into a passion, and always introverted.
Dejected, indifferent to others.
Entire lack of appetite.

The chilliness doesn't counterindicate Sulphur. This would be expected in a sick animal if the Vital powers are low. And Sulphur has many chilly sensations in its pathogenesis.

Would you consider the diarrhoea a normal reaction to the various worming medicines etc he's been given? I wouldn't be in such a hurry to check the diarrhoea especially when you see it as pathway for elimination. Is it possible to take kitty's temperature after dosing? I know, awkward given the circumstances, it's just that this can be a good measure of the effectiveness of a remedy when the patient is unable to tell you how they feel. Sulphur seems well-indicated. Hopefully Anna will give her insights.

All the best,
Chris

Thanks Chris for the explaination, I'm sure I need alot more practice and study before these things become clear to me. Although sulphur had come up minimally, nothing about it made it stand out to me as the remedy of choice. Usually I think of fevers, heat and discharges with sulph.

However I am very glad to report that it has had a good effect on the cat. Within an 1 hour of dosing him, he became ravenously hungry again, and although I didn't take his temperature (he's such a crab, and I'm already having difficulties giving him fluids, nevermind shoving a thermometer where the sun don't shine!)his body felt warm for the 1st time since he came in.

A couple of hours after that, he had another "cow pie", but it was in his litter box.

This morning, his temperature was OK, but he didn't want to eat again. There were 3 "cow pies" in the litterbox (no more incontinance)and he was pretty grumpy again, so I did give a second dose of the sulphur LM1. I won't be able to check on him again until tonight, so hopefully he will do OK.

I didn't give him fluids this morning, because he drank most of his water last night and had another pee (nice to see the kidneys working; he was so dehydrated coming in that he did not urinate for the 1st 36 hours we had him!)

I wouldn't be overly concerned about the diarrhea, if it didn't dehydrate and weaken him. I seriously have never seen an infestation like this in all the years I've been rescuing these guys. The amount of tapeworms, attaching their "suckers" to his intestinal tract, I am sure have completely damaged the lining and I would expect that it will be sometime yet before I can expect a "normal" BM. However if we can get the frequency down (thereby, allowing food to actually get absorbed slightly) his improvement will definitly be forthcoming. He seems to like the raw food, so the raw bone should help firm things up or at least slow down digestion.

If he indeed did injest all the medications I suspect he did, those could very well be a problem in itself. Most of the dewormers and pesticides are processed through the liver.

I will post any new developements.

PS I really hope that I am not going to get bombarded with suggestions of IV fluids again; the Vet's have given this guy up for dead and couldn't even find the decency to give him sub-Q fluids in the 48 hours that they were "Caring" for him!

[ 12. November 2002, 16:54: Message edited by: kkrista ]

Dear K,

So glad that someone was able to help you find the right remedy for your poor cat. I'm glad the cat is responding and improving.

One cat lover to another, I'm concerned about you feeding this sick cat raw beef or chicken, and I'm sure you aren't even thinking of raw pork. Cats naturally enjoy raw food (after all what do they eat in the wild?) but your cat is very weak now and his defenses are down. Raw beef and chicken have bacteria and/or worm parasites (there are many humans in the U.S. who have gotten worm parasites from undercooked beef and the majority who are infested don't know they have them!). My veterinarian recommends the diet taught in the book "The New Natural Cat", except he advises that the meat be cooked because of the bacteria/parasite risks (my vet thinks raw mice meat would probably be okay). The book gives recipes to make homemade catfood instead of using commercial catfood. This diet results in a healthy cat with shiny coat, no dandruff, etc. Hope this info is helpful.

PS - If you or someone else has information that cats can safely eat raw chicken and beef without risk of becoming sick from bacteria and/or parasites, please let me know!

[ 13. November 2002, 08:16: Message edited by: Hatwoman ]

Dear Hatwoman,

Thanks for posting! I am, however very dedicated to the feeding principles I follow.

Vets on average in North America take about 8 hours on nutitional care when studying, quite frankly they know next to nothing and are more than happy to allow the major food giants who make money off the poor suspecting pet owner to supply them with nutrional information.

Cats are carnivores. The digective tract of a carnivor is EXTREMELY unhospitable to ANY living organism. Therefore samonella, e-coli etc will be dead before they even hit the stomach. If some get through, it still doesn't matter because the food will be processed and wastes expelled from the body before a vet can spell "nutrition". I feed about 4 dogs and 20 cats daily -I have a new shipment of grade A chicken shipped to me every week, not once in 3 years have I ever had a sick animal. In fact I've weaned kittens directly onto RAW food and that is the only time I have had kittens that didn't need deworming. (I would also add that I myself, have never been sick from handling the food either -but then I ate dirt as a child)

This particular cat is sick, part of his problem is anemia -he needs protien and iron right now. Another problem is the diarrhea, for which there is no better food antidote like raw chicken bone. Cooked diets have grains (have you ever seen a cat grazing in a corn field?), they add bonemeal (may as well give them poison). It's the "vet recommended" diets that are responsible for the health problems of felines today like diabetes, heart failure, kidney failure and the ever-present "Immune" related illnesses. And as you may have guessed, I'm pretty tired cleaning up the mess! I don't mean to sound like I'm picking on vets, but quite frankly the ones that can actually think for themself or have any common sense are really very few and far between!

CAT UPDATE:
Not sure the sulph is having much effect (although its quite noticable that his body feels warmer about 1/2 hr after dosing)
Diarrhea has changed from Yellow to thin, watery brown
Last night it was slightly reddish in colour and I noticed one distinct blob of sickly (anemic -looking) blood.
Appetite is waning, will not touch anything but dry kibble (about 1/4 c/day)
Thirst is good
Urinating
A little less "loud" about being touched, although his "handling" threshold is very short
Still giving fluids
I have dosed Sulphur LM1 in the following
dose 1, 12 hours later, dose 2, 24 hours later dose 3
Upon check this morning, very pale membranes (anemic)
Not vomit or nausea that I can tell
Diarrhea less frequent but consistant with lesser food intake.

[ 13. November 2002, 21:37: Message edited by: kkrista ]

Dear K,

Thanks for the great info on raw food nutrition for pets. I'd like to feed my two cats your diet if they are able to fend off parasites like you described. Please advise me where I can find the proper raw food diet for them. "The New Natural Cat" book recommends adding vegetables like chopped carrots, etc. to raw food, which doesn't seem like something cats would eat in the wild (never saw one digging up carrots in a garden!).

Don't worry that your impression of vets regarding their understanding of nutrition is unfairly negative. Same can be said for the vast majority of medical doctors. Nutrition is very important in nourishing our immune system and fending off disease.

Perhaps your cat has had enough sulphur and the remedy should be stopped so that it can continue its curative effect without "proving" the remedy. Please don't do this though until you've asked a homeopath about this as I am not one and may be incorrect about this effect on your cat.

God bless you and your cat!

[ 14. November 2002, 02:19: Message edited by: Hatwoman ]

krista,
continue with sulfur in the following way:

morning - make up the dose from the bottle in the glass as usual and give the morning dose as usual.
DO NOT DISCARD THAT GLASS OF WATER.
in the evening, give that glass of water a good stir and give him a second dose from it - only then discard it.
same procedure next day etc.

Thanks Anna, unfortunately I'm reading this after I have already dosed him this morning, and I've already dicarded the glass. This was dose 4 this morning (3 left), I will start your recommendations tomorrow morning and split the last 3.

His lack of appetite concerns me, although he is eating (just not enough). He did eat his raw meal last night, but just kibble this morning. He has started to urinate on his blankets (not unusual for a Tom, I wouldn't consider this behavior as incontenance).

He had 2 liquid BM's (one overnight and one in the morning), same watery, brown. The BM from overnight, again had a slight reddish tinge; although this morning it was a little more yellow again.

His body still feels tense and ridgid, perhaps he's really sore and thats why he yowls and makes a fuss when I pick him up or touch him (although he was a little more "mellow" about his fluids this morning).

I think thats it for today's update.

Hatwoman: I don't really follow any strict diet as such. I did initially start by following BARF diet, however I've since stopped feeding so many vegetables (most diets include veggies for vitamins, minerals and fiber)-debateable whether or not they need it, but its good filler (preferable to grains) to keep the expense down.