Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Mona's greatest pleasure in life is canned kitten food. She's been losing weight so the vet said to give her anything she wants to eat so Mona chose the kitten food. What Mona wants, Mona gets. 
We don't know why Mona is losing weight. It's not her kidneys or thyroid - all blood and urine tests are good. Her heart rate is rapid and she has no cough. Our concern of course is cancer. 
She won't have x-rays or scans because if something is found we can't do anything anyway. Well, she might be able to have chemotherapy but the vet said chemo isn't usually helpful. Also, Mona is now 14 years old - she's officially a geriatric and is still gorgeous.
Although her lungs sound good, Mona's snore has become louder and I hear a rattle in her purr - she now purrs like a lioness when she eats and gets brushed.
Mona got cancer and had her leg amputated 6 years ago. She has taken on this challenge of being a tripawd, redecorated the house, established her beds in 4 rooms plus on the deck. This summer she has made friends with two neighbourhood cats.
Although we all know we will lose our pets much too soon, I'll try to put my energy and feelings into loving Mona and taking delight in her delights. Sadness can wait.
Hugs to all,
Kerren, Tripawd Kitty Mona and brother Eli 
Ohhhh Kerren, I'll be honest: I saw your post title and worried. So I gave that title time to percolate in my brain, and came back to it now. It's what I feared. Agggh! Can it really be that she has some kind of serious health situation that is impacting her weight? I sure hope not! Maybe it's the weather? Is it hot where you are? Will she not eat when it's warm? I hope it's something simple like that. She is a one-of-a-kind Trikitty with her own game plan. Hopefully this is just a fluke!
I also know that you are on top of Mona's health, her number one advocate. There's no doubt in my mind that you've investigated your suspicions, covered all your bases and your plan sounds spot-on, just perfect for your sweet ol' gal. She is so lucky to have you.
Ok, like you, I'll hold off on any tears welling up in my heart. Now is not the time. Today, tomorrow, and always, we celebrate your pawesome kitty! Please give her some extra scritches from us and keep us posted on how she is doing OK?
Lots of headed your way.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Well Mona, of dropping weight is what you needed to do to get your way and get kitty food, then you go for it girl!!!!
Yes Kerren, sadness can wait....and hopefully for a long time too!! In Mona's world there is nothing sad going on and that's all that matters.
Ya. know, with all the normal tests checking out, lungs sound okay, this may just be part of "old kitty or dog syndrome ". Old age or not, the weight loss, the "lioness" sounds, whatever it is, it's not interfering with her happiness. I know she isn't really, really, really old, but being a tripawd all these GLORIOUS bonus years can count towards a quicker aging process.
Losing muscle mass and getting kind of "boney" happens. Everything about her though tells you she's feel good.
And make no mistake about it, your love and care and devotion have helped Mona thrive as a tripawd and kick all statistics to the curb! And shall con6 to do so!!
You know we jave to see vide or pictures of Mona delighting in her kitty food. Yeah, you know that.
Extra love and hugs❤
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
OH Kerren, We HATE reading Mona is losing weight & this is on the radar. It could be so many things and not sneaky C good to see they ruled out thyroid and kidneys. Labs & urine are good!
I like this site for info; she goes into much more than kidneys & it is a bit of mind boggle. Scroll down to weight loss http://www.feli.....ndex.htm#W for many causes other than c.
We know it could be C, but so hoping for other treatable causes. I am praying the kitten food might be all Miss Mona needs and her way of getting it;) Whatever Mona wants whenever she wants, don't forget fresh tunas steaks as a treat!
I know you don't want to do scans, Xrays, or chemo. I will mention the x-rays because the beauty with cats is you damn near get the entire cat in one. Purrkins does not get sedated for his. It may worth a ponder, and It may shed some light and direct you in the future.
Garfield, our senior cat, had unexplained weight loss and never had cancer. We took him to MSU, and they did test after test. He was 14 at the time. They never got to the bottom of what the cause was. The last thing they wanted to try was exploratory surgery, and we said no way. They sent us home with prednisolone & B-12 shots it gave Garfield a new lease on life; he never did gain much weight back but maintained. He ate whatever and whenever he wished! Garfield did great for years on pred with (regular bloodwork); it may be an option.
We hope the kitten food proves to be all Mona's needs and prayers it has nothing to do with sneaky C! As always, keep following Miss Mona's lead and continue to give that girl whatever she chooses, and best of luck keeping Eli out of it!
BIG DITTO SALLY
"And make no mistake about it, your love and care and devotion have helped Mona thrive as a tripawd and kick all statistics to the curb! And shall con6 to do so!!"
Loads of love & massive hugs!
Scratches to Eli & special smooch to Miss Mona
Holly & Purrkins💝💝💝
Thanks for your sweet words "Jerry", Sally and Holly and pet friends.
I decided to sit with this news for a few days while I feed Mona every few hours. Mona saw the locum but I will phone her regular vet next week. Thanks Holly, I will have a look at that website so can prepare with additional questions. I was wondering about prednisolone so will ask about that too.
She's very happy to eat and also expects lots of brushing. Her strength is good - she still races up the stairs, jumps up to places she wants to sleep and she still runs away when I try to take a video. I was trying to make a video of her eating with the ipad but she runs when ever she sees it. Odd... she hates facetime and runs when she hears her name come out of a gadget. So Sally, I'm determined to get a video of her eating her kitten food and will try to do it on a phone.
I think her rattle is quieter and am now wondering if the wildfire smoke is affecting her. Maybe it's wishful thinking but I will monitor her.
Mona is loving all of your hugs and smooches Thanks for sending some to Eli too - he's good at reminding me he needs attention too.
Oh gosh that wildfire smoke could totally be doing something! Maybe that's it? I hope it's something that simple. She sounds so normal otherwise from what you are describing.
Aww Eli, you have lots of love coming from this furmily, you're such a good big brother.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh boy, I'm sorry im late. I cannot believe i missed this!!!
The air quality (or lack of) could definitely cause some of her discomfort. Oh geez Kerren, I'm sorry this is happening.
Im actually really happy it's not her kidneys, and I'm tickled that kitten food is her fancy. Whatever it takes, right?
I do agree with less invasive tests like xrays if it won't freak her out. But we all have to make that line in the sand as to how far we will go. You've given her the life of a princess. Whatever you choose, you know her best.
Sending you lots of love. I pray this is just a minor setback and recovery back in to your normal life.
Big hugs and much love
Jackie and Huck❤❤❤❤❤
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
Thanks Jackie and Huck!
The vet tech phoned me today to see how Mona is doing. She's eating about 160 gr (5.8 oz) of the canned food a day which looks like a good amount for a 8.8 pound cat (she's at 7.5 pounds now). I know how to reduce weight in a cat but have never had to increase it before.
I told the vet tech that I was researching a bit over the weekend and have been thinking about prednisolone but want to formulate my questions to ask the vet next week. I'd like to know if it's possible to find something that Mona may have that can show up in an x-ray that we can resolve with medication. I think I was a bit stunned the other day and believe the vet thought not because she has no other signs of asthma or pneumonia for example. I really felt the vet was leaning towards cancer because of the way she was delivering the news or her suspicions.
I'm open to any ideas or suggestions!
Meanwhile, Mona has been rolling in the sun, licking up her delicious wet food and enjoying her brushing. What more could a kitty cat want! A car ride!!
Hugs to all,
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona, and brother Eli
p.s. Our air quality is currently 3-low risk moving up to 4-moderate risk. It has been bothering my eyes so maybe it bothers Mona? I'll ask.
That's so nice of the clinic to call you and check on her, I love it when vet practices do that. Her appetite is a really good sign that whatever this is, it may not be something as bad as that c-word. Here's a thought: I was talking with Stacy last night about B12 deficiency in dogs. I'm wondering if that's a potential issue for Mona? Check it out:
https://www.ani.....of-the-gut
Did you know that vitamin B12 (also called cobalamin) is crucial for your cat’s health? But if your cat suffers from a chronic digestive disorder like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or pancreatitis, their body may have trouble absorbing or retaining enough of this nutrient. In a sick cat, symptoms such as lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation may be partly due to B12 deficiency.
Sorry about the icky air quality!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
This is exactly what I am battling with Fuzz.. well that and his cancer is back (lungs and now new sarcoma on side). The biggest concern was his weightloss at his one year oncology check. He lost over a pound in the one year since his amputation. For quite some time I have resorted to purchasing gobs of different food on Chewy (thankful for their guarantee and customer service) both canned and dry and rotating to entice him to eat. I have purchased kitten food for him for some time.. he likes the fancy feast kitten. I am putting together an order now and looking for highest calorie and protein foods I can find.. I found a dry food (Firstmate and Dr. Elsey's clean protein) having significant higher calories and protein than some of what I am feeding..I am also adding in some kitten/mom first foods mousse in this next order. I give him lots of treats and people food too. Last night I made pork chops and Fuzz ate several cat sized pieces. I don't know how long I will have with my little guy so at this point keeping him fed and happy is my #1 priority. My back up plan will be to try an appetite stimulant if I see him snubbing food any time soon. I have continued to give the mushroom and nutrient supplements but he is sometimes finicky with those. I might even add a high calorie gel nutirient that I see where they can lick it off paws. At this point anything goes for Fuzz including the weekly nuggets from Wendy's. I think at last weigh in .. Fuzz was down to around 8 lbs too.. which is so hard because he used to be a stout and fluffy cat in his prime before the cancer..Good luck and at least know many are thinking of you and Mona!
Fuzz, like Mona, thinks losing some weight is the best thing ever! They get to try yummy foods that they never knew existed...Wendy's. Pork chops...maybe mashed potatoes with gravy. next.
Lots of love to Fauzz and Mona too❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Mona says hi to Fuzz, Sally and gang!
Thanks for some food suggestions for Mona. She weighed 9.48 pounds in January and weighs 7.8 pounds today. This is up a bit since two weeks ago. I don't think Mona has ever weighed much over 10 pounds.
Mona has been eating Royal Canin Kitten food supplemented with Fancy Feast salmon in gravy. Mona licks her food, which takes her forever to eat , so the wetter food seems to work best for her. I will try the kitten/mom first foods mousse Fuzz gets in his next order.
As Sally requested, here is a video of Mona eating:
ab_channel=KerrenShalanski
I appreciate knowing Fuzz is hanging in there enjoying all of his delectable delights. I'm enjoying feeding Mona every 2-3 hours, even at 1:00 and 4:00 am.
The things Mona enjoys the most: sleeping outside, sunshine, wet food, being brushed, stroked and massaged. Here are a few videos:
ab_channel=KerrenShalanski
ab_channel=KerrenShalanski
ab_channel=KerrenShalanski
The problem with giving Mona her regular brushing is that she purrs too hard which seems to make her gag/cough so I can only do a bit at a time. The stroking and massaging seems to work better for her - not as exciting but still feels good!
ab_channel=KerrenShalanski
Kerren, Mona, Eli
Awww this just made my day! I'm so glad you made those videos and shared them, it's a real treat to see Mona getting spoiled and enjoying life. She's such a gentle eater too. Maybe I should try eating that slowly too, I hear it's good for ya 😉
So it sounds like the feeding schedule is putting some meat on her petite frame? What a great mom you are to keep that round-the-clock cafe open!
Give her some extra scritches from us. She looks so smoochable 
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
These are so adorable! Yes, she is still a happy kitty isn't she? I am glad she is still eating and thriving. Even a little bit of weight gain is fantastic, she is such a little peanut to begin with!
I have been wondering about Mr. October too! When I flipped over my calendar to October I smiled ear to ear 🙂
My cats still go wild over the delectables, senior formula. I have actually gotten to touch my feral kitten that I will be trapping soon to have spayed and rabies shot, etc. The Delectables I get on Chewy too, and they are not expensive at all. I found them when Huck had his surgery and he and Oscar think its the best treat.
Hugs to all of you Chin scratches to all kitties!
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
I'm taking Mona back to her regular vet for an xray tomorrow. A couple of weeks ago Mona saw a locum, not her regular vet. I felt a bit numb with the information provided by the vet but had more questions. I'm afraid I'm missing doing something that could give Mona some relief and hoped to talk to her regular vet Robin. Unfortunately, Robin got a terrible cold and had to have a Covid test (not a rapid one, the real one that is more accurate) so she hasn't been in the clinic until today.
So I'm feeling much more energized because Robin will keep Mona at the clinic longer so she has more time to assess her. For example, the locum vet said Mona's heart rate was extremely high. I forgot that Robin always finds Mona's heart rate is high initially so she just spends time letting Mona relax and her rate comes down. Whatever Robin finds I'll more confident because she knows Mona so well.
I'll let you know what I learn tomorrow.
Hugs to all,
Kerren, Tripawd Kitty Mona
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