We got Bootsie about four years ago from a friend who was moving and could not take care of him anymore. He was a 3rd floor indoor apartment cat, and I think he was mistreated. He loves being able to go outside and hunt and stuff, he has always been a very active tom cat with a lot of personality. We have taken very good care of him to the point that anytime this friend came to our house, Bootsie would hide and would not come out.
But near the end of October he began acting strange. He came home one morning with a runny nose, and he was drooling all over the place. He would not eat or drink, would not even open his mouth. He did not appear to have been in any kind of fight, he had no wounds or tender spots. He didn't mind if you touched his jaw or face, but he wouldn't open up.
We took him to the vet, they gave him fluids to keep him from getting dehydrated and antibiotics. We took him back a few days later for more fluids and antibiotics. For his third visit a few days after that, they sedated him so that they could open his mouth to see if he had something stuck in there or something. They said that his tongue was raw. They didn't know if it was an infection that caused it, or if he had gotten into something or what. They gave him more fluids and antibiotics. They said that it was more important that he stay hydrated, and that he would start eating soon because his tongue was healing up.
Since then, he has gotten better, but his recovery has plateaued. He has started eating some, he tries to eat hard food, but he doesn't really chew it up. We give him a variety of wet food, tuna, and soft treats that he doesn't have to chew up. We give him water through a syringe, we fill it up and squirt it in his mouth. He does not use his tongue at all. He does not clean himself, and his behavior is strange. He just sits and stares off into space, he just now started meowing again. He will run up to anything that falls on the floor and try to eat it, usually without success. We have two other cats, and all three are trained to do their "business" outside, we do not have a litter box. Bootsie was litter box trained when we got him but quickly grew accustomed to going outside. But recently he has adopted the practice of peeing in the water bowl, even though we have started letting him go out again.
The changes in him have been significant. He is not the same cat that was even six months ago. Because he didn't eat for nearly three weeks, he lost a good amount of weight, and he has not regained much. He sleeps very little, he doesn't try to jump up on the chairs or anything.
We are not rich people, we can not afford to take him to the vet every week for fifty dollar treatments and medications. The other two cats are not showing any of the same symptoms, they are both healthy.
I am wondering if anyone has had similar experiences or ideas of what this could be. The vets don't seem to have any idea what is going on with him. I have tried to do research on my own, but I am not an expert and have not had much luck. He is eating and drinking, but he seems to be just surviving rather than living. We don't want to have to put him down, but I don't want to make him live this way forever.
But near the end of October he began acting strange. He came home one morning with a runny nose, and he was drooling all over the place. He would not eat or drink, would not even open his mouth. He did not appear to have been in any kind of fight, he had no wounds or tender spots. He didn't mind if you touched his jaw or face, but he wouldn't open up.
We took him to the vet, they gave him fluids to keep him from getting dehydrated and antibiotics. We took him back a few days later for more fluids and antibiotics. For his third visit a few days after that, they sedated him so that they could open his mouth to see if he had something stuck in there or something. They said that his tongue was raw. They didn't know if it was an infection that caused it, or if he had gotten into something or what. They gave him more fluids and antibiotics. They said that it was more important that he stay hydrated, and that he would start eating soon because his tongue was healing up.
Since then, he has gotten better, but his recovery has plateaued. He has started eating some, he tries to eat hard food, but he doesn't really chew it up. We give him a variety of wet food, tuna, and soft treats that he doesn't have to chew up. We give him water through a syringe, we fill it up and squirt it in his mouth. He does not use his tongue at all. He does not clean himself, and his behavior is strange. He just sits and stares off into space, he just now started meowing again. He will run up to anything that falls on the floor and try to eat it, usually without success. We have two other cats, and all three are trained to do their "business" outside, we do not have a litter box. Bootsie was litter box trained when we got him but quickly grew accustomed to going outside. But recently he has adopted the practice of peeing in the water bowl, even though we have started letting him go out again.
The changes in him have been significant. He is not the same cat that was even six months ago. Because he didn't eat for nearly three weeks, he lost a good amount of weight, and he has not regained much. He sleeps very little, he doesn't try to jump up on the chairs or anything.
We are not rich people, we can not afford to take him to the vet every week for fifty dollar treatments and medications. The other two cats are not showing any of the same symptoms, they are both healthy.
I am wondering if anyone has had similar experiences or ideas of what this could be. The vets don't seem to have any idea what is going on with him. I have tried to do research on my own, but I am not an expert and have not had much luck. He is eating and drinking, but he seems to be just surviving rather than living. We don't want to have to put him down, but I don't want to make him live this way forever.
