[Gudewife]

Ok, this may seem like a strange question:

After switching Assumpta over to wet food recently (Ok, she still gets a tablespoon or two of dry at night, but she's gone from Hills Hairball light to Wellness canned and occasional dry), I've noticed that her eyes and nose are moister than usual, and that she's not snoring nearly as much as before. She's always had those little crusty things that formed in the inner corner of her eyes (vet said that they weren't really anything to worry about, so long as they weren't bothering her eyes, so I've just kept them cleaned off and she's been fine)...those have disappered completely, but have been replaced by a dampness instead. Her nose seems to be moister, as well, even wet occasionally, but all these new secretions appear to be very thin and watery, not goopy, foul-looking, smelly, or scary-looking.

Several years ago, she had conjunctivitis in her right eye, and whenever she gets a cold, it always seems to be worse in her right eye and nostril (as was her eye gunk), and that is also the case now...her right eye and nostril seem to have more discharge than the right, but it is all thin and colorless and doesn't seem to be causing her any problems. Also, it's not continual, and seems to be noticable in the late morning/early afternoon.

I'm not sure if I should be concerned or not. :? I mean, I've been patholigical about not bringing home germs from the shelter where I volunteer (to the point of leaving my shoes in the trunk and coming in through the cellar and leaving my clothes there in the washer before I jump in the shower, all before touching the cat)...but it's not inconceivable that she could have a cold, I suppose (last month was very stressful for her). But it honestly seems like she's better hydrated and her nose and eyes are just running instead of building up dry gunk. She's urinating lots more than she was on dry food, and her stool looks very moist and much smaller in bulk. Her coat looks much silkier, and her dandruff has been going away, too. She doesn't seem as hungry and restless as she always was on just dry food, and usually doesn't even quite finish 6 oz/day (she's just shy of 12 pounds)...which is a little strange, since she's always wolfed her food like she'd never eat again. It's hard to tell if she's off her feed or just feeling fuller/more satisfied, but she acts like a cat who's had enough to eat.

Confused...any ideas? I'd rather spare her any unnecessary vet trips, because they stress her out so badly, but I certainly don't want to delay if there might be a problem.

 

[drjean]

Probably nothing to worry about. Cats have their own respiratory viruses, many live right there in the respiratory tract and don't flare up until there is some kind of stress. Given the kind of week that Assumpta has had, it's not surprising she might have a little symptom episode!

If the discharges become thick, or you notice redness around the inner eyelid, or of course if she has more symptoms like lethargy or loss of appetite, then it would be time for a vet checkup.

I always felt so sorry for kitties brought to me when they were sick -- it's like, "Gee, you feel lousy, so here, let me TAKE YOU TO THE VET!" Yikes! It's a wonder they ever recover!! :wink:

Cheers,
Dr. Jean

 

[Gudewife]

Thanks, drjean! It really does seem like she's just an all-around moister cat on wet food...but she HAS had a heck of a rough month/six weeks, with the dog moving in (and out a month later because of her unhappiness...dog, BTW, is doing great next door ). She's still happy to play, and has spent tonight chasing moths, jumping up and down on grocery bags, and snoozing on the ironing board (when she's actually feeling sick, she almost always stays as low to the ground as possible and doesn't play or create a ruckus).

I just played with her and fed her a tablespoon of the Wellness dry food as her midnight snack, and she snorked it right up, so I think that if she's feeling badly, it's not by much. Really, unusual moistness is the only thing I'm noticing, and I am Madame Paranoid Cat Owner...The vet's office staff always chuckles when we show up with a bagged "hairball of enormous size," jar of unusual cat poop, or (most recently) a baggie full of fur from two 10-minute groomings so they could see how much she was shedding. We are apparently the biggest catgeeks in the Western Hemisphere, but last time I was there, the vet said she'd much rather have catgeek owners who kept such a close eye on their pets, even if they are occasionally overprotective nerds. :lol: Catgeeks are cool 8)

 

[catobsessed4]

I always felt so sorry for kitties brought to me when they were sick -- it's like, "Gee, you feel lousy, so here, let me TAKE YOU TO THE VET!" Yikes! It's a wonder they ever recover!! :wink:

I know it would make my kitties sicker!! :lol:

 

[queen of the nile]

I noticed on wet food that my cats produced a lot more urine and the feces was more moist. It sounds normal to me. I've found my kitties also beg less now that they are on the wet food, because it seems to be more filling. Also, I found with the dry food, that my kitties just ate when they were bored. I think wet food just doesn't have as many flavour-enhancers and so cats aren't as inclined to scarf it down.