Please help my cat!!!

jayla

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Hello,
I have an 11year old orange tabby named Mingda who suddenly has difficulty walking and is very lethargic. He was jumping on the counter just a couple of days ago, but seemed to lose his strength overnight. I took him to the vet for a blood and urine test, and they did not find anything irregular. What do you think might be wrong with him- maybe a neural problem, stroke, or infection of some sort? All the vet said was that I have to "wait and see." He still has a good appetite, and everything else appears normal. Thank you so much for your help.
 

yayi

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By difficulty walking, do you mean limping? It could be a sprain and he may be in pain.
 

zoeysmom

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If blood and urine didn't show anything, he needs to get x-rays of the back half of his body to make sure all bones are in tact (a tail fracture could affect use of legs) and that there's no blockage (I've even heard of a bowel blockage causing rear leg weakness). I also wonder what they tested when they did the blood workup. Did they just do the basics, or did they do a complete workup?

It's a good sign that your cat is still eating, but leg weakness/lethargy could be a symptom of many different things from an infection, to a broken bone, diabetes, vitamin deficiency, etc. I would not take a "wait and see" approach, as your vet suggests. If your vet isn't willing to figure out the problem, I would find another vet.

that it's nothing serious with Mingda and that he recovers soon!
 

shanynne

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Originally Posted by zoeysmom

If blood and urine didn't show anything, he needs to get x-rays of the back half of his body to make sure all bones are in tact (a tail fracture could affect use of legs) and that there's no blockage (I've even heard of a bowel blockage causing rear leg weakness). I also wonder what they tested when they did the blood workup. Did they just do the basics, or did they do a complete workup?

It's a good sign that your cat is still eating, but leg weakness/lethargy could be a symptom of many different things from an infection, to a broken bone, diabetes, vitamin deficiency, etc. I would not take a "wait and see" approach, as your vet suggests. If your vet isn't willing to figure out the problem, I would find another vet.

that it's nothing serious with Mingda and that he recovers soon!
I completely agree! Hope your dear Mingda recovers soon also!
 

yourlovingcat

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I was thinking about the diabetes also. Have you happened to notice if your cat is urinating more? The symptoms you describe reminds me of one of my cats that lost its battle to that disease. Has there been any change in the quality of their fur? I am glad that you took your cat to the vet, and that you recognized changes in your cats behavior (I had just run an article on this on my blog), but your vet may need to run additional tests. I hope that it is nothing serious.
 
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jayla

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The vet took x-rays today, and they show a build-up of liquid in his abdomen. The doctor said it is probably either Feline Infectious Peritonitis- for which there is no cure- or liver or intestinal tract cancer. The problem is, the liquid is blocking the x-ray's ability to see into the abdomen, so he said that using ultrasound is the only way to know for sure... however, this costs $600 and I definitely don't have the funds to cover this, since I'm a college student who is already struggling to pay for rent, tuition, books, etc. I'll have the results for the FIP test tomorrow, but after that, I really don't know what to do. If it turns out to be liver or intestinal tract cancer, are there any meds I can give him? Do any of you have experience with homeopathic remedies?
 

cloud_shade

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What FIP test did they run? Talk to the vet about what the possible meanings are of the results--the test usually referred to as the FIP test actually tests for Feline Enteric Corona Virus, which is common in cats. FIP is a mutated form of FECV. If that is the test that was run, the results may not be useful either way, depending on what was tested. A blood test is less accurate than a tissue sample or sample of the fluid that has collected.
 

farleyv

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is Chylous Peritonium. That is a build up of lymph fluid in the abdomen. I lost my cat Spot to that in February. Very uncommon in cats I am told. Sending wishes for you and your kitty
 
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