Worried About Senior Cat

hi there. my male cat, jimi, is 15. since the beginning of the year he has been to the vet four times for vomiting and weight loss. he has a history of C. Diff, but this year each time blood has been drawn, all the chemistry is normal and so are his stool samples. the only evidence that anything is wrong is some colitis that showed on his x-ray. he was put on prednisone for that. he is still having spells of vomiting. lately, he wants to eat, but hardly eats when i put food down. i've tried all kinds of foods. he gets nutrimalt everyday to help with hairballs. his litterbox, drinking and play habits are normal. he is not withdrawn. am i being paranoid? could it be he is just old and finicky? i'm just so worried about him. he's going back to the vet this week. any thoughts will be much appreciated. sorry this post is so long. ---rebecca

body language. You say his habits are normal and he plays and uses the litter box. That tells me he is feeling ok. So, until you can get a better opinion, I would take comfort in that. But hopefully the vet can determine if you are being paranoid. But, we all get that way with our fur kids!

thanks, farley. i feel a little better about him today. it's just that i have had such a rough year, i really don't know what i would do if something were seriously wrong with my boy. well, one more trip to vet and we'll see what she says. thanks again

Hi. I just want to be clear on some things.

Your kitty has had blood work to check organ function, including thyroid? Red and white blood cell count? A urinalysis to rule out diabetes?

A cat who wants to eat, but doesn't can often mean nausea. Ask your vet about putting him on a 1/4 of a 10 mg pepcid ac tablet daily. there is also an anti nausea shot, reglan, that can be tried.

Perhaps he has developed a food allergy. Special food with no known allergens can be fed. If his condition improves, then next step would be to start ruling out which allergens.

Every day is really too often to be giving hairball remedy. Does your vet know you are dosing with this daily?

Look at the ingredients of the remedy you are using. What is in it? Certain ingredients can cause unique problems. cod liver oil can cause toxic amounts of vitamins A and D and zinc. Mineral oil can cause deficiencies in these vitamins and other nutrients.

It is very important to give hairball remedy on an empty stomach at least an hour before a meal. this is because hairball remedies interfere with nutrient absorption.

I recommend you discuss cutting back on the hairball remedy with your vet. It must be done slowly because a body becomes dependent on these things, and constipation problems can result if done too quickly.

And finally, if, after four visits you have received no answers I recommend a second opinion. I suggest asking your vet for a referral to a veterinary internal medicine specialist.

Please keep us updated on your beloved Jimi.

otto,

i am giving the hairball treatment on the advice of my vet. thanks for your suggestions. i will be sure to discuss them with the vet this week. jimi has been doing really well for a few days...eating better and not throwing up.

oh, and to answer your question abt the blood tests - yes, the vet tested everything - all his organs are textbook. no sign of glucose probs or thyroid malfunction.

what are some common allergens i should look for in food?

thanks for the update! Glad Jimi seems a bit better.

Ask aobut the blood calcium levels, too. (I don't want to be scaring you, but you want to know as much as you can right? Elevated blood Ca can mean the presence of cancer. It might NOT, but it might, is all. An elvated blood Ca would likely make your vet want to do an x-ray and ultrasound or two.

Things cats are most often allergic to in commercial cat foods are chicken, turkey, beef, fish, and many different grains.

please keep us updated!