# poor Tabitha << update & pics added 8/30



## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

When I moved from NY to Quebec in October I had to find new homes for several of my cats. Some are staying with friends who technically "adopted" them, but with the agreement that if I can find a place that will allow me to have more than the three that I have now, I can have them back. 

It has been going ok, but I got an email from my mom tonight: "Irene just called me about Tabitha. I dont know if you know, but we have all tried to keep her. We couldnt because she and our cats just didnt get along, and it wasnt fair to any of them, her included. Irene took her from us and tried, but she is having a problem too, and she has alot more than we do right now. So, since you told me way back when you first moved that someday you wanted to try to take her back, I thought I would ask you if you still want her and if there is any way you can take her now. Otherwise, I will have to find someone that will...and that would probably mean SPCA. Just let me know, ok? Thanks."


Poor Tabitha is almost 9 years old, and that makes her hard to find a home for. I am sure that if she goes to the shelter she will spend the rest of her life in a little cage, and that would be really sad because she is a really sweet, loveable cat. 

My roommate is going to ask the landlord if we can have one more, but he wants to wait until the end of the month when he renews his lease - the landlord has said that he is happy to have us as tenants, and since he did allow us to have Melina, Tyrael and Martell we're hoping that one more won't be a problem. Going from 3 to 4 seems like a lot smaller deal than going from 0 to 3, to me... 

So please send some positive vibes our way... I would be really happy to be able to get Tabby back, and it looks like it might be doable... so any positive thoughts, prayers and crossed fingers you could spare would sure be appreciated!!!


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## gunterkat (Aug 19, 2006)

Fingers crossed for you and Tabitha.
:cat


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## waiandchris (Jan 17, 2007)

Looking into those beautiful eyes tells me that she will be reunited with you at the end of the month. :love2 

Best wishes,
Christina

PS. Take this picture with you when you talk again with your landlord. It will melt his heart.


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

man, talk about hoping against hope. If the landlord says no I just don't know what I will do. Let's hope that it's true that "what goes around comes around." I would love to be reunited with my sweet girl.


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

I am really trying not to get discouraged, at least until we get an answer... but this is a hard situation to be in. I never would have left ANY of them if I had a choice, and the thought of "losing" her twice is almost more than I can stand.


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## DesnBaby (Apr 18, 2004)

I hope you will get her!


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## dmcwlvssr (Apr 24, 2005)

Paws crossed, sending hugs and prayers


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## zippy96444 (Mar 7, 2006)

I hope he says yes! Does he count your cats? Would he notice one more? :lol:


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Good thought going out to get Tabitha back to you....


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## Lisa 216 (Oct 25, 2004)

Aww, she's just too cute to say no to!! Wishing you all the best luck for a happy reunion with Tabitha


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## Kobster (Feb 1, 2007)

I lived in a complex for three years with two cats, three pets total, over the limit, but we were otherwise such great tenants they never said anything about it (though they knew exactly how many cats we hard, hard to miss, they all sat in the window at once) I hope your landlord is as nice as ours was about it. Good luck! Paws crossed here!


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

HE SAID YES!!!


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

:yellbounce :wiggle :smiles :2kitties arty


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)




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## waiandchris (Jan 17, 2007)

Bake that landlord a batch of chocolate chip cookies!!!! (Hold the catnip :lol: )

We are so thrilled for you and kitty!


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

I'm debating between cookies and banana bread.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Make banana bread with chocolate chips! Someone at my job does that and it's WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so happy for you!


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Chocolate chips IN Banana Bread :?: I never heard of it. Do you add ice cream and call it banana split bread? :wink: 

I'm thinking about making peanut butter, chocolate fudge!

Whoops! I'm off topic.  fftopic


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

I'm so excited. I can't wait for Tabby to get here. She needs to be vaccinated for rabies (again) and then she'll be coming up to stay with me. I haven't seen her since October 23rd, I can't wait to hug her again!


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

I'm so happy for you! It must have been hard to give up Tabitha for even a short time! You should give the landlord the cookies and eat the cake at the coming home party! YAY!


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## DesnBaby (Apr 18, 2004)

What great news!


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## gunterkat (Aug 19, 2006)

:thumb :jump :wiggle :smiles arty :crazy 
rcat


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

Well, I got Tabitha back last Sunday, and she looked awful!

She was overweight at about 11.5 pounds when she went to live at her "new" home. I took her to the vet tonight and she weighed 13.1 pounds.

She has not been eating more than a bite of food twice a day, and she drinks a little bit here and there but that's all. Her coat is oily and she has bad dandruff. What concerned me the most is that she is not eating, but she is also not losing weight. 

I made the appointment this morning and took her in to the vet tonight at 5pm. During the checkup the vet palpated her abdomen and she cried the whole time they were doing it. They couldn't figure out if it was because she just didn't like it or because something was wrong. 

When they tried to draw blood from her, they couldn't get it to work because she is dehydrated... so they stabbed her in the neck about 10 times but couldn't hit the vein. They tried her back leg (inside the hip) and got just a little bit of blood, but it was soooo slow and they couldn't get enough to run the tests... so they tried her front leg a bunch of times and finally got a vein there... drawing the blood literally took about 15 minutes! They can't even run all of the tests on her because the blood didn't come out fast enough, so it started to coagulate, and apparently certain tests can't be run under those conditions.  

They decided that they were going to have to keep her there until they can get a urine sample from her... they said that it can take up to 36 hours in a dehydrated cat. They are going to give her subcutaneous fluids after they get the urine sample (they can't do it beforehand because it will dilute the sample) and then they are going to call me when I can go and pick her up.

The blood results should be back on Friday. 

I really don't have any experience with this, and I am very worried. I don't have the first idea of what could be causing the problems, and that makes me really nervous. 

I hope that she is going to be okay.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Your poor baby!  What were they doing? Just stuffing her full of dry food?

I know you'll keep us posted - fingers and paws crossed here.


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

I'm so sorry to hear this! I hope she recovers soon. Poor thing!! Hopefully the fluids will make her feel better and she'll start eating again. 

Just wondering...why did it take so long for you to get her back. I saw your post about her was back in Feb. - what happened?


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

I lost my job last year and had to sell my house and then moved from NY to Canada to stay with a friend while I got back on my feet. I have filed paperwork with immigration to stay in Canada, but it takes a very long time to process, and until it is approved (about another 8 months or so) I can not leave Canada and be guaranteed re-entry. 

I had to wait for the people she was staying with to get her rabies vaccine updated, and then about another month for my parents to get a free weekend to drive her up to me... so she arrived on July 1st. At first I thought that she was just stressed from the changes (and she gets really car sick, so the 4 hour drive didn't do her any good) but after watching her for about a week I came to the conclusion that something else was wrong and got her right in to see the vet.


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## Lisa 216 (Oct 25, 2004)

Oh my gosh...I'm sorry to hear that Tabby isn't well  What an unwelcome surprise. Poor girl  I hope she's feeling better soon. Headbutts to Tabby from my girls.


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## gunterkat (Aug 19, 2006)

Prayers, treats, trills, and scritches for poor Tabby. 

She has endured many hardships.


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## Leazie (Apr 14, 2007)

I hope that Tabby feels better soon. Why would they wait to give her fluids if she's so dehydrated?


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## Mom of 4 (Jul 29, 2006)

I would be concerned about blood results coming from blood draws such as you described. I would not be surprised if everything came back abnormal.
Hopefully they have thought about it and decided to redraw the blood work when she is better hydrated.


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

thanks guys... I am really hoping that this is something simple and easy to correct. I've dealt with lots of ailments in my rescue cats, but I had never seen anything like this before. I don't even have the first clue what the problem could be.


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

Aw, Morea. Good luck. I'll be thinking of you guys!


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

I'll be thinking of you both, and hoping all will be well!


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

I appreciate it everybody! I can't stop thinking about her alone in a cage at the vet's office... she has to be so sad and confused right now.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Hope Tabby is feeling better soon!


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## waiandchris (Jan 17, 2007)

Sending thoughts your way. Please keep us posted. Will they let you see her at the vet's office or would that be too tough on her?

Warm wishes -Christina and Gigi


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## DesnBaby (Apr 18, 2004)

Poor baby, I hope everything will be alright


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

Poor peanut.  Hope the tests come out O.K. and she's feeling better soon.


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## fbodgrl (May 10, 2004)

{hugs}

I hope the tests come back OK.


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

thanks everybody! She's had a rough year. Thank you for thinking of her!


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

she still hasn't urinated, so they have to keep her overnight again.

They gave her a choice of foods to look over, and they said that she chose "Hills TD dry food" and seems to be eating that.

I looked up the TD formula, and that is for dental disease. She does not have dental disease. 

I don't want her eating dry food, I want her eating canned food. Why would you feed dry food to a dehydrated cat? They are not going to give her fluids until she urinates... wouldn't it be better to give her wet food to encourage her to go?! 

On top of that, Hills TD is preserved with BHA and BHT!!! 

Here's the full list of ingredients, according to the Hills website: 
Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Powdered Cellulose 10% (source of fiber), Pork Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Chicken Liver Flavor, Calcium Sulfate, Soybean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, DL-Methionine, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphophate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), preserved with BHT and BHA, Calcium Carbonate, Iodized Salt, Taurine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Beta-Carotene. 

Ugh, this is maddening.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

You'll both be in my thoughts and prayers.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

I'm praying for both of you.


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

morea said:


> she still hasn't urinated, so they have to keep her overnight again.
> 
> They gave her a choice of foods to look over, and they said that she chose "Hills TD dry food" and seems to be eating that.
> 
> ...


Morea, SAY something you are totally in the right. And, um, pardon my ignorance but doesn't it take water to make urine?? I she drinks or gets sub-q she may urinate. :roll: Most importantly if she's dehydrated and they aren't giving her fluids, that's cruel! Why would any vet do that. It's been a while too, 2 days now right? I would take her out of there fast unless they change a few things. I agree about the dry/canned food thing too, but I see that in a lot of vets offices EVEN with dehydrated kitties :roll: . They think their Hills crap is the best stuff so even if she doesn't have dental disease they probably think it's still the best stuff for her to eat. Why don't you bring in her food from home (do you know what she was eating at your friends house?) and tell them this is what she's used to and you want her eating that....


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

What an ordeal!!! 

I spoke to the vet today. FIRST she told me that Tabitha's urinalysis showed oxylate crystals.. but it turned out that she was looking at the old test results for Martell. 

Tabitha has urinated a few times but that she has been laying in her litter box and absorbing most of the urine, so they haven't been able to get enough to test. They put her in a cage with a plastic mesh bottom or something - I had a hard time understanding because the vet's first language is french and mine is english - and think that they can get a sample that way. So the jury is still out on the urinalysis.

The blood work all came back PERFECTLY NORMAL. The vet said that this was excellent news. I don't know if the results could possibly be accurate considering the way the blood was drawn... it makes me wonder if it should be retested. 

Trust me, I have definitely spoken up about the Hills prescription diets - more than once! The vet tried to tell me that they are absolutely wonderful, and that her practice prescribes them for MANY cats... that those cats have never had any problems with the BHA/BHT or loads of carbs in the foods, and that these diets are very highly rated by her practice and "the general community of veterinarians as a whole". 

I told her that while I am not a veterinarian, I do study feline nutrition and that I am not comfortable feeding those foods because my research has taught me otherwise, but she would not listen to me. I felt like I was like beating my head against the wall. 

She told me that "THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WET FOOD AND DRY FOOD IS THAT WET FOOD HAS WATER IN IT." My God, I knew that I was in trouble when those words came out of her mouth. 8O 

She told me that I if I was concerned about Tabitha's water intake I could add water to the dry food. 



catnutrition.org said:


> How about if I soak the dry food in water until it’s completely soft to change the texture and then add raw to that to trick my cat into eating the new food?
> 
> Please, please don’t do that. Please. Dry food, when moistened, is essentially transformed into “bacterial soup.” The bacteria load is extremely high in dry food. Add water to the mix, and you’ve just created an ideal environment for fungi and bacteria to multiply. When you moisten dry food, for example, you make it possible to quickly grow fungi in the food resulting in vomitoxin, aflatoxin, and mycotoxin production. Vomitoxin is a toxic substance produced by mold that can (and has) contaminated wheat used in dry pet foods resulting in serious illness and even death.


What?!









She told me that they tried to feed Tabitha wet food and she wouldn't touch it. They also apparently tried to feed her 5 different kinds of dry food, and that she would only eat the Hills TD, and that she seems to like that. 

Then she tried to scare me into taking the Hills TD by reminding me that if Tabitha WON'T eat, she is highly likely to develop fatty liver disease, which could make her so sick that she would die. 

I feel like I am just pounding my head against the wall. I have just spent $200 that I don't have on vet bills only to be told that the only thing wrong with this cat is that she is a picky eater, and that I should feed her a junky brand of food to correct this. 

What in the heck do I do?!


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## melysion (Mar 12, 2007)

oh heck.

Morea, is there a possibility of taking Tabitha to another vet surgery? I don't like the sound of this one at all.

Just something to consider regarding hills. I think the ingredients are awful - and in this case I dont know why they are insisting your girl is fed on dry - but in my boys case, Hills i/d wet is the one thing that is currently keeping his colitis at bay. The fact that he doesnt want to eat it is irrelevant here. The way i've rationalised having to give my cat Hills is that is is doing him good and (hopefully) and that its short term only. Anyway - just 'food for thought'.

I hope Tabitha gets better soon. And keep fighting them on the dry food!


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## dmcwlvssr (Apr 24, 2005)

Poor Baby! Sending prayers & Giant hugs!


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

ok, ok... the vet that I LIKE at the practice finally got back last night. I called and left a message that I needed to talk to him, and he called back.

He said that they got a urine sample for Tabitha and that it came back normal. 

He said that the blood work results came back normal, and were reliable.

He said that the only reason they would have requested an xray was if she had not started eating or urinating and also could not find a cause for it, but since she was doing both, they didn't need to consider it.

They gave her some fluids and she perked up a LOT. She actually ate some food, and she even played a little bit when she got home. She seems a lot better, just having received the fluids. 

The vet believes that the whole thing was caused by stress or other psychological problems. 

He said that I obviously need to watch her to make sure she is eating and drinking and going to the bathroom, and that hopefully everything will be fine.

The only thing that irritated me THIS time was that they billed me another $100 which was NOT quoted before hand. :?


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## gunterkat (Aug 19, 2006)

I'm glad Tabby is doing better. 
Shame about the extra $100, though :?


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

thanks! I am definitely relieved that she is home and on the mend!

I'm not trying to be petty - I am glad she seems better, and I don't mind paying the vet for taking care of her... it's just another shoddy business practice on their part... they know that they would be charging for the fluids and boarding and the other nickel-and-dime stuff, but they didn't include it in the estimate.

And then they wouldn't go and get Tabitha from the back room to let me see her until the credit card went through. :roll:


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## gunterkat (Aug 19, 2006)

OMG! Holding Tabitha hostage? I never had a vet do that. It was always they released my kitty to me first, then we went to the front desk and I paid.

What would they have done if the credit card company computers were down and the credit card didn't go through? 8O


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

That would not have been pretty... but I wasn't leaving without her, either way.


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

So how is she doing now with you? Is she eating the wet food and drinking? I hope she will pick up in the next few days and be back to her former healthy self


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

she still won't touch wet food. I am going to try to transition her gradually.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

I'm so glad you have her back. They really are worth everything they put us through, aren't they? :luv


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

marie73 said:


> I'm so glad you have her back. They really are worth everything they put us through, aren't they? :luv


It's so funny, Cinderella in your signature seems to be thinking : "YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN!" :lol:


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Purrfectly said!


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## camel24j (Jan 12, 2007)

i hate to say it but it is so hard to find really nice vets that are willing to listen. when i worked at the spca none of the animals there like the hill junk and when i got simba my newfy puppy the vets tried to get me to feed him hills yuck they gave me a sample bag i think to keep pushing the issue so i just put a piece in front of all 4 dogs and none of my dogs would even touch it i got a good lol on that and throw it all away and the next time i went to the vet i told them and they looked stumped lol all the vets i meet think hills food is the only thing any animal should eat. 


and to sound nuts i wounder how much money vets get to push that food.

i am so glad she is home. has she ate any of the food you have offered yet?


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## DesnBaby (Apr 18, 2004)

I'm so glad she is home. I hope she eats the new food!


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

Hmm, she wasn't eating and she wasn't urinating at one point....
They give her fluids (which for some reason they chose to withhold) and then she perks up and is eating again!! :roll: DUH!! Um, dehydration will cause them not to urinate and have a lack of appetite.

I'm so glad your regular vet is back and that jerk is not treating her anymore. Fingers crossed that she continues to improve. She probably was just stressed out and dehydrated from her travels.


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

Well, she's still not really eating... she will only take a bite or two of food twice a day. I've taken to (essentally) "force feeding" her about 2 tablespoons of wet twice a day to make sure that she eats SOMETHING. I've tried a few different brands of food, and a few different flavors, too. 

She has lost some weight, but not enough to be concerned that it's a problem. I am not sure how she can be so BIG when she doesn't eat very much. Since all of her tests came back normal I'm operating under the assumption that it's just her metabolism. 

Anyway, here are a few recent pictures. She doesn't look thrilled in these because she hates the camera, but she is settling in. She purrs a lot and sleeps in my bed with me. She has lost some of the body fat she had when she arrived, her coat is softer and virtually dandruff free, and she seems to be doing well, other than the lack of appetite.

So without further ado, here's Tabitha:


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## Leazie (Apr 14, 2007)

Aww, she's beautiful.


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## gunterkat (Aug 19, 2006)

Hi, gorgeous Tabitha! Glad you made it home, and you're well :luv !


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Its a happy ending. She will come around as soon as she realizes she is truely back with her mom and she is feeling safe again. Im so pleased that you are back together again. You can tell Tabitha is a sweet pie! What a face!


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## AddFran (Jul 10, 2004)

She is really beautiful. I love the pic of her where she is sitting like Ollie. 
I hope she starts eating more. If she's only getting those 2 tablespoons, she needs to get a lot more. Whether she appears to be losing weight or not, that is not enough for her system to keep going. Good luck and force feed her that food if that's what it takes!! Poor girl!


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Her coat is just shining! She's very pretty. I do hope she starts eating soon. Nutrical is very nourishing for cats who aren't eating. Of course, she doesn't look undernoushed at all!


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

She's so pretty and her eyes are such a vivid green!
She looks like a darker version of my Malibu
h


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## Nini (May 6, 2007)

How beautiful! I love her twisted ear and the white markings (and the irritated expression on her face, hehe)...


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## DesnBaby (Apr 18, 2004)

Glad Tabitha is home, what a cute baby!  I hope she eats something soon.  Have you tried Fancy Feast and Wellness? Usually cats eat those. Wellness is better though.


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

I have not tried fancy feast, but it's possible that it would get her eating again and then I could switch her back onto a better food. I'll have to give it a shot.

The odd thing is, Tabby has NEVER been much of an eater. Somehow she has always seemed to only want a few bites of food, and then she wanders off. 

I thought that she might have had a thyroid problem or diabetes or SOMETHING, but the vet says that anything that is wrong with her is psychological rather than physical.

It's so cute to watch her sit on the sofa - she thinks she's a person:










Thanks for the kind words, everybody!


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## Janice (Jan 12, 2007)

Fingers and toes crossed for sweet Tabitha !!


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## CataholicsAnonymous (Dec 4, 2006)

Move over, Toby, you have some serious competition! Tabitha has that certain "something" ----- I love her "wise" eyes.


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## Bizcat (Sep 1, 2007)

Hope Tabitha's doing well. Best Wishes!


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## Debbie of SD (Apr 14, 2007)

I'm so happy that things worked out and you could have your kitty with you again.


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## Leazie (Apr 14, 2007)

Love the picture of her sitting on the couch.


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## morea (Feb 8, 2005)

thanks! It's a riot to watch her sit like that! :lol:


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## melysion (Mar 12, 2007)

CataholicsAnonymous said:


> Move over, Toby, you have some serious competition! Tabitha has that certain "something" ----- I love her "wise" eyes.


Poor Toby. He is devastated! Absolutely distraught!     

:lol:

Tabitha is a lovely girl. My mother had a cat called the same name years ago - she was a stunner too!

She looks all cuddly


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