Subcut and breakfast at Tiffany’s

Nowadays I get up at 4am every morning so that I don’t have to rush through the morning routine with the cats before Jayden comes over.

It reminds me of days gone by when I was doing my postgraduate studies. I would get up at 4am while everyone was still asleep to do all my research and writing. At that time, we only had Mac and Bobby and dogs are very obliging, not demanding and parent-pleasing. Mac and Bobby also barely had any medical problems until their old-age so much so that the vets didn’t even know I had dogs!

So, today is subcut day for Bunny and Cleo. I started with Bunny first because he can be done quite easily single-handedly. Then came Cleo. Sigh…itu susah sikit. The moment she knew, she ran off to hide. Now the ground is wet and I don’t want to risk chasing after her or bending down to pull her out of her hiding places, so I let her be. Instead, I started preparing her Renal-N and Amlodipine (meds for high blood) mixed with Cindy’s baby food. Nowadays, she doesn’t lick it by herself anymore so I have to rub the paste onto her mouth. This, I managed to do without problems.

Now, comes the subcut. For two years, I needed another pair of hands to help when it came to Cleo’s subcut, but it’s too early and my other pair of hands was still fast asleep. I’ve attempted to do Cleo’s subcut single-handedly lately and it’s been fairly successful (this means, I managed to complete the 200ml without having to get a tetanus jab for myself).

Today’s Cleo’s subcut was quite disastrous. It started off well, but after 50ml, the disaster began. She was making jerks, struggling and this progressed to clawing and scratching me. I thought the yowling from Cleo would wake the other pair of hands up, but no, it did not. I almost wanted to give up after 100ml, but decided to plod on. I finally managed to complete the 200ml with scratch marks on my neck and several holes in my tshirt. No tetanus jab needed as there are no puncture wounds (the last I checked). Reminder to self: Trim Cleo’s claws…today!

So that’s done.

Now, it’s feeding time.

Bunny needs his Cisapride before meals, but because of the pandemonium with Cleo, I forgot. I later remembered and gave it after his breakfast (still supposed to work, just not as effective).

I try to keep the morning meals as pristine as I can – staple raw diet, if possible, without enticement toppings.

With Ginger, it is impossible to get him to eat raw without toppings, so today it was Coco’s with a bit of Cindy’s baby food as topping. He finished everything. Sometimes, it’s a nightmare guessing which topping he wants.

Good ol’ Tabs – It’s pure Cubgrub for her. I owe her this after confusing her with the canned food yesterday. For Tabs, it’s pure raw food. She’s very obedient and knows what’s good for her.

At Bunny’s Place, it’s not as easy.

Today, I only used Coco’s, Cubgrub and Brit Renal. I was seriously considering adding more Brit Renal to everyone’s meals because Bunny and Cleo have kidney issues. Cow Mau may have too, being already 16 years old and coming from the same genes. Indy has had gastric issues all his life and Brit’s ingredient consists of hydrolysed proteins.

Hydrolyzed protein cat food is food in which the proteins have been broken down to parts that are so small that the body does not recognize them as a threat. Amino acids are linked together with a peptide or amide bond to create proteins. Because a large number of allergies in cats are caused by proteins, a hydrolyzed diet in which proteins are broken down to smaller units can help to reduce and manage allergies in cats. 

Source: https://www.petcubes.com/blogs/hydrolyzed-protein-cat-food/help-cats-with-ibd#:~:text=Hydrolyzed%20protein%20cat%20food%20is,others%20have%20only%202%20links.

Indy’s regurgitation problem is also persistent. I’ve been wondering if it’s because he has problems digesting raw food in the mornings because the stomach is empty throughout the night. Is it easier to digest raw or cooked food? Well, I don’t really know because my raw-feeding friend swears that it’s easier for cats to digest raw food as raw food has natural (un-destroyed) enzymes to help with digestion. A vet who recommends both cooked and raw diets (but never kibble, she says) told me to it is actually easier for cats to digest cooked food. So, I don’t really know and guess I should just play it by ear and see what works for Indy.

So far, Indy likes Brit, the operative word here is “so far”. And “so far” can mean a maximum of 2 days, maybe? I’ll have to keep switching to keep their palates interested in food.

But guess what, Cleo stuck her nose up in the air and totally walked away from the mixture of Brit and Coco’s (her bowl). I quickly offered plain Coco’s and she ate.

Thank you, thank you, Your Highness!

Cleo has her feral instincts intact. She knows her ancestral diet. And yet, I was hoping to convert Cleo to Brit Renal since between Bunny and she, her creatinine level is higher (but so far, has decreased with Renal-N and the thrice-weekly 200ml subcut). But looks like she only wants her raw food, which is also good.

The boys ate the mixture of Coco’s, Cubgrub and Brit. I think Bunny likes Brit….so far.

A word about Bunny’s constipation, though. Yesterday, he had loose stools in the morning so I delayed the Lactulose to afternoon instead of the usual morning dose. Since then, he hasn’t defecated. Sigh… You’ll see why routine is so important for the cats. Just a slight change can cause havoc.

I gave Bunny his usual Gentle Digest and Maximus Ophtal after breakfast followed by his Lactulose (increased dosage for this morning) and the Cisapride (which I forgot earlier, thanks to Cleo and my failing memory). I hope he will defecate soon. Or did I miss spotting it because of the heavy rain yesterday?

Next comes the flavoured water session. This originally was only for Bunny – to get him to drink more water (diluted Cindy’s baby food) and eat his coconut fiber. He has since refused to eat the coconut fiber, so I put the powder into capsules to feed him, then follow with water. The thing about consuming fiber is that it has to be done with enough water. Otherwise, the reverse can happen – constipation.

So okay, the cats’ morning routine is done now. Next, prepare for Jayden’s breakfast, sterilise his toys and pacifier, get all his bibs and towels ready.

Maybe I can even take a morning walk and do some taiji before Jayden comes.

That’s the benefit of getting up at 4am every morning. The only mistake I made this morning was forgetting the Cisapride before breakfast for Bunny. Otherwise, everything went like clockwork. Yay!