I feel so stupid...

gingersmom

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Just got back from taking Ferris to the vets. Which by itself, was quite the adventure. I did get scratched up a bit on my left hand, but I've had worse.

First, the capture: Ferris was SO terrified by just being put into the carrier that he peed all over himself inside of it, and yowl? Oh, he ripped me a new one, alright. Told me exactly what he thought, his pupils as wide as they were the day I first brought him home, scared poopless little feral kitten.

I felt so bad!
But I kept talking to him, all the way there, and he kept trembling, all the way there. His pupils did get smaller, though, and I took that as a good sign. Not a peep out of him from my front stairs until we got home and back to the front stairs, which was when he started ripping me a new one again.


Sooooooo...we went to the vet, and here's why I feel stupid: They said that the swelling in his lower belly is nothing but a fatty mass of tissue (??) and that it is not uncommon for some cats to have that. Not exactly spay sway, but similar. And that he's just fine - good temp, good weight (10.1 pounds!) and they clipped his nails for me.


He is now hiding somewhere in the house, and I fully expect him to mostly ignore me for the next two weeks. I'm going to get some chicken baby food for him tonight to try and make friends again.

Regarding his loose stool, they did NO tests, and had me buy this "low-residue" prescription food made by IAMS/Eukenuba (sp) which I am NOT impressed with, looking at it's ingredients, but it is supposed to be made for easier absorbtion in the intestines.

Also, they were unconcerned that he has pooped little pellets last night, as they said they felt no blockages.

I told them I'll try the script food, but that I'm going to see if I can't find something better elsewhere. In the dry, the 1st ingredient is chicken by-product meal, 2nd is corn meal, 3rd is corn grits (hello???) Maybe I should just give him chicken guts and cornbread?


To give this to him means Ginger has to eat it too. They said keep giving him the Bene Bac, and they also said that some cats just have runny poop issues all their lives.

Now this is vet # 3 in less than 2 years, and I'm runnning out of vet options - I'm not thrilled with the visit today, especially not after all I went through (all FERRIS went through) to get him there. No fecal test, nothing but an ab palp and temperature taking.

Anyone care to comment on this? If it IS nothing but a fatty mass, then fine, but honestly, I would have expected them to at least run a poop test, especially since he's had stool issues for two months now!
 

mooficat

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Miss Moofs had one of these fatty pad deposits - it was like a flat disc under her coat on her side near her tum about the size of a small maderin orange, but flat - it disappeared as suddenly as it came.....so maybe Ferris has the same thing - how big is his lump ?
So about his stool problem, did you ask them to do the tests ? what did they say? Our vet would test anything, well it means they are getting money, as long as it was something that was a continued problem -anyways, sorry rambling -
I´m not sure about poop but all my 3 cats have various poop styles nearly every week, BUT they do go out and eat grass and Pepsi catches & eats wild things, so that obviously has an affect on her poop.
I agree and sympathise with you
its a real stressful activity getting kits to the vets for all concerned, so you do expect that everything gets a look over once they are there ! All I can think is that your vet didnt 'get' that you thought it was important enough
and I sometimes think that as long as they are pooping vets are fairly relaxed about it.
 

xxtashaxx

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im not sure if this is the same thing , but the stray who we brought in has a few *soft lumps* under his belly , my vet told me that they were just fatty tissue but to keep an eye on them , like if they get bigger or if he seems to be in pain with them. they did no other test apart from feel them.
i would have expected them to do a poo sample, due to the fact the amount of time its been going on.
yet when my sister took her kitten to the vets due to him having an upset stomach every other week , they did no test on him either just told her to change to iams for sentive stomachs( which she refused to ) as she has seen the animal testing thing on that. so she just gave boiled chicken and sometimes boiled cod. 4 small meals a day then gradually weened him back on to his own food , and touch wood for the last month his been ok.
 
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gingersmom

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Originally Posted by mooficat

Miss Moofs had one of these fatty pad deposits - it was like a flat disc under her coat on her side near her tum about the size of a small maderin orange, but flat - it disappeared as suddenly as it came.....so maybe Ferris has the same thing - how big is his lump ?
I could cup it in the palm of my hand, to me it felt like a sac of fluid, solid yet very squishy. Not the same thing as a fatty non-cancerous tumor that a friend of mine's dog had on his side. Harmless, looked like he had a rounded sponge under his skin.

Ferris' felt like it had a little weight to it. But I guess I have to defer to the expert, the vet?


Originally Posted by mooficat

So about his stool problem, did you ask them to do the tests ? what did they say?
I didn't ask outright - I think I was too dumbfounded by her really blase attitude about him being totally fine. I really should have asked, but I was also totally thrilled that he got all his nails trimmed.
I think that and the dumbfoundedness was what distracted me. Stupid, stupid...

Originally Posted by mooficat

All I can think is that your vet didnt 'get' that you thought it was important enough
and I sometimes think that as long as they are pooping vets are fairly relaxed about it.
I think maybe you are exactly right here. Well, at least now I have a carrier I know I can get Ferris into, even if he hates it. And his nails are trimmed and he's not dying and all I have to do is spend lots of money on special food, LOL...I'll count my blessings.

Anyone have any "easy on the intestines" food recommendations?
 
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gingersmom

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Originally Posted by XxtashaxX

yet when my sister took her kitten to the vets due to him having an upset stomach every other week , they did no test on him either just told her to change to iams for sentive stomachs( which she refused to ) as she has seen the animal testing thing on that. so she just gave boiled chicken and sometimes boiled cod. 4 small meals a day then gradually weened him back on to his own food , and touch wood for the last month his been ok.
There is just no way on earth I could feed him like that - I work 9 hours a day. I'd have to rehome him if he needed that kind of care.


I think the food they told me to switch to is probably the very same that they recommended to your sister.
 

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If you don't mind me asking, what are you currently feeding Ginger & Ferris...dry food, wet food, & treats included?
 
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gingersmom

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

If you don't mind me asking, what are you currently feeding Ginger & Ferris...dry food, wet food, & treats included?
Dry food is mainly Nutro, Meow Mix for wet (Ginger is extremely finicky and Ferris will eat hers before she'll eat his, so giving him difference food doesn't really work - he eats what she eats.) Treats are mostly Whiskas crunchy, but Ferris will eat almost ANYTHING. Including plastic bags.


The loose stools started shortly after I started giving Ferris the Flower Essences, just around New Year's, but stopping those for a short while made no difference, so I started giving them to him again, as the essences DID make a big difference in his demeanor.
 
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gingersmom

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Actually, thinking about it...even the Meow Mix is better quality food than the prescription stuff. It would almost be like feeding him nothing but the Whiskas treats for food.

Bleah - what it is with vets not "getting" good nutrition? I mean, if it is a food allergy, isn't corn one of the most likely culprits?

I don't know...
I'm just glad that I don't have to be all worried. Tonight, anyway. I'm going to keep a close eye on this boy.

He keeps peeking out at me from across the room, he looks all sad, like I betrayed him again. Maybe it's because he peed all over himself.

Any tips on what I should use to clean out the carrier and the blanket he peed on? I don't want him to think that it's a funny-looking litterbox.
 

swampwitch

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That sounds like an awful experience. Poor terrified Ferris!

Maybe you could call the vet and tell them you are bringing in a stool sample for testing? I'm sure Ferris will come around soon - they really do know when we are trying to help them.

Take care of those scratches!

p.s. I've always used Bac-Out to get rid of cat pee. I used to get it at Whole Foods.

http://www.bi-o-kleen.com/general.htm
 

jcat

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I'm relieved to hear that it's not an intestinal blockage or FIP. I was only being half-facetious when I mentioned "sudden-onset spay sway" in your other thread. I do "vet runs" for our local shelter, and have experienced the sudden growth of a "jelly belly" practically over night in recently neutered male cats several times. Maybe the sudden drop in hormones is also causing Ferris's "unusual poops"?
 
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gingersmom

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Originally Posted by jcat

I'm relieved to hear that it's not an intestinal blockage or FIP. I was only being half-facetious when I mentioned "sudden-onset spay sway" in your other thread. I do "vet runs" for our local shelter, and have experienced the sudden growth of a "jelly belly" practically over night in recently neutered male cats several times. Maybe the sudden drop in hormones is also causing Ferris's "unusual poops"?
I dunno - he was spayed on October 27th, and his runny poops started around New Year's .... hmmm, roughly 8 weeks after neuter... fatty belly is a recent development. Could be officially just "jelly-belly!"


Thanks for your post, it is a relief to hear of this from someone else.


Ferris has a pot belly, yet he's still lanky and growing.
Thay's my funny little boy!
 

xxtashaxx

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we had a scare at the vets about 2 months ago , my little one has a pot belly , she is 9 months old . she had been spayed at 6 months old , and they really thought she had FIP i cried , but they came back all clear , and they cant find anything wrong with her , her poo is normal and everything , shes still like it now
 

epona

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I'm a bit puzzled by your vets response, at least they should have spent more time talking to you and explaining, if they thought it was nothing to worry about. Many cats do get fat deposited around the lower abdomen in a kind of pouch, often referred to as a 'spay sway' (although it is not due to spaying). It's a layer of fat to protect the delicate and vulnerable intestines if they get into a fight and get bitten there, if a bite goes into the abdomen the fat gives some protection against intestinal perforation, and prevents prolific bleeding. A lot of animals that routinely fight their own kind for mates or territory have loose skin (like a cat's scruff) around the neck or fat deposits (like a spay sway) on the lower abdomen. Even humans (including all but the under-nourished) have a thicker layer of sub-cutaneous fat over the abdomen to protect against injury to the internal organs.

If you're still worried, try to google some pictures of adult male sphynx cats as a comparison - because they are hairless, the fat deposit on the lower abdomen and between the hind legs is obvious on mature adults. If what you feel on Ferris is different than the normal 'saggy tummy fat pouch' that you see in those pictures, then it's time for a second medical opinion.
 

momofmany

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Originally Posted by GingersMom

Any tips on what I should use to clean out the carrier and the blanket he peed on? I don't want him to think that it's a funny-looking litterbox.
Poor little Ferris!! I'm glad it wasn't serious and sorry, I have no advice on other foods.

My Oscar is the carrier pooper. I always put puppy pads when I have them or newspapers when I don't into the carrier when we go to the vets. Once home, I'll bleach out the carrier, rinse the heck out of it then leave it open in the sun for a few days to dry it all out. Wash the blanket in laundry detergent plus something like oxi-clean.
 

strange_wings

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I sort of figured it was just belly fat, but didn't want to say anything on the other post. Better safe than sorry, afterall.


My Sho has quite a bit of fat down there, it's a good handful and sort of looks like a big fat roll when he sits back on his butt. He's a lazy cat that prefers to sleep instead of play, so it's isn't very surprising he'd have that. He's also been to two different vets since he's developed that fat and neither have shown any concern, the only comment was from his last visit with the new vet, she said "My, you're a big boy aren't you?"


Tomas started to get a little one last month, he eats like a pig and takes a lot of naps with Sho, so again I didn't worry. He's also had two vet visit since, vet's shown no concerned over it.
 
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