Belle is at the vet for the day :(

Here's an explanation of what's been happening with Belle.

When I took her to the vet, I really hoped that it would be simple and we'd be on our way. Just a bug or a halrball, or something easily treated.

However, the vet wasn't sure what was going on and was concerned that she's lost over a pound since her checkup last month so wanted to take some blood and xrays, etc. Which means Belle has to stay at the vet for the day, possibly longer depending on what they find out. I'm still crossing my fingers that everything turns out relatively normal and Belle can come home tonight. She doesn't SEEM all that sick, which made it harder to leave her there. I gave her some cuddles before leaving her. I need to get some last minute shopping done and stuff, but I think I'll just stick around the house today waiting for them to call.

She mentioned wanting to do a specific test for pancreatitis. Really, she's getting blood taken, and we have insurance, so I don't particularly care if the test is done...but pancreatitis wasn't on my radar at all. Aside from this little episode, Belle appears to be a pretty healthy cat. She does have a bit of a sensitive tummy and has vomited on occasion, but I think the only reason my mentions of that stuck out in her file is that there is not much else there. She will vomit almost immediately if she sneaks a little sip of milk from a glass, but other than that, we can go weeks, even months without any vomiting.

I'm REALLY hoping this is simple. I was already planning to visit another vet in the area to see the facilities and chat with them about changing the cats over to them. I still think I'll go ahead with that. I just don't trust the vets where I'm at - I can't explain why, because they've never really given me any reason to doubt them, but I feel less and less comfortable there everytime I go.

Originally Posted by zoeysmom

She will vomit almost immediately if she sneaks a little sip of milk from a glass, but other than that, we can go weeks, even months without any vomiting.

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Actually, that's quite normal for most cats...as kittens, they produce the enzyme lactase which is necessary to digest lactose. As they age, they lose this and so become lactose intolerant, resulting in gastric upset and/or diarrhea. If drinking milk seems to be the cause of the vast majority of the vomiting, this may well be the reason.

I just don't trust the vets where I'm at - I can't explain why, because they've never really given me any reason to doubt them, but I feel less and less comfortable there everytime I go.

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I'd be listening to that "gut instinct" if I were in your shoes. If something doesn't "feel" right, it probably isn't!

Originally Posted by White Shadow

Actually, that's quite normal for most cats...as kittens, they produce the enzyme lactase which is necessary to digest lactose. As they age, they lose this and so become lactose intolerant, resulting in gastric upset and/or diarrhea. If drinking milk seems to be the cause of the vast majority of the vomiting, this may well be the reason.

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Actually I know this about milk. Her current vomiting has nothing to do with milk, or any type of food as far as I can tell. I was just saying that "vomiting" has been noted in her file before, as I have mentioned it a bit when they've had their checkups (not as a concern, just as a point of interest). I feel that the vet sees vomiting as a recurring problem because of this....which doesn't really seem to be the case to me.

If you don't trust your vet, if something is telling you to leave, then you should leave. Don't wait.

The vet just called.

The good news is that all her bloodwork and xrays came back pretty normal.

The bad news is that she has to have a sleepover at the vets office. The vet is concerned because she's not a very big cat to start off with, and she doesn't want her to get anymore dehydrated or lose more weight. So, she's going to be on IV fluids and get some anti-nausea shots. Hopefully, she starts eating by tomorrow so that she can come home.

Oh thats good news. IT is so hard waiting. I am waiting on my cat Arthur. His bloods were good but he is loosing wt.

Just got a call from the vet.

I called this morning and apparently she did well overnight. They held off on giving her any food until this morning and I guess she "dove" right into it. However, I if I know Belle, she dove into it and then lost interest after a few nibbles, as she often does.

It was looking like she'd be able to come home.

However, when the vet just called, she said that there was what looked like a little bit of frothy spit-up in her cage and that she's only eaten about a 1/4 of a can of food. She'd like her to stay another night, just in case. While I understand the rationale (it's going into a holiday and they are closed Friday - Sunday), I want to bring her home. They said she's quite grumpy and doesn't like people visiting her. That sounds like Belle...she's very sweet to us, but she's not big on new situations, places, or people. I hate thinking of her holed up in a cage with no one who she loves to give her pets and cuddles.

They said I could come visit if I want, but also warned that, for some cats, it does more harm than good for the owner to come visit. So, I'm not really sure what to do....

In other news, Delilah seems to be completely unphased by the absence of her littermate. I think she likes being an only child.

Also, as I suspected, Belle's pancreatitis test came back normal...vet just suspects a bit of inflammatory bowel going on.

Lots of for Belle, and that she can home home tomorrow.

Awww... poor Belle...
Belle, get all better soon so you can come home for your mommy...
I am glad the tests came back normal, and that it is not pancreatitis... Some busy times with inflamed bowels here at TCS... My Bugsy, your Belle, FarleyV's Arthur... We need to purr, pray extra hard and send tons of vibes so everybody get all better quickly! No fun!!!

Get well sweetie Belle

Oh sweet Belle. Im sorry she can't come home yet, but better to be safe than have troubles when there is no vet! These things always happen around holidays it seems.

I just posted about Arthurs results. I don't know if anything there applies to you, but you never know.

Keep us posted, and Belle come on and get home!!

I just picked Belle up from the vet. I could hear her in the back when I was talking to the vet. Haha...she was none to happy to be there, you could tell!

The transistion back home is going to be a bit of a challenge, I think. Delilah is hissing her little heart out, as I expected she would. Poor girl LOVED being an only child. She's usually my little magnet, but she was extra sticky to me over the last couple of days. She was also much more vocal than usual. I don't think she missed her sister at all. I should take bets on how long she keeps up the meany-act for...she's pretty good at it!

Belle hasn't eaten or drank anything yet (at home), nor has she used the litterbox (it concerns me a bit that she didn't poop the whole time she was at the vet's and I don't know when she last pooped before she went). I didn't expect her to do any of those things right away, but hopefully at some point in the day, she does. For now, she's hunkered herself down in one of the little houses of the cat tree...which, I don't think she's ever done in the past..at least not since she was 6 months old! Funny how after being stuck in a cage for 48 hours, she finds the smallest little hole she can fit into. You can tell she's tired, so while I'd like to cuddle, I'm going to leave her be for now.

They sent her home with two meds - metro something that tastes gross, and another pepto-bismol like medicine that coats the digestive tract. They are still in the car (couldn't carry everything), but I'll write the real names down. I don't really think they have the darndest clue why Belle wasn't feeling well, but they are sticking to their inflammatory bowel story. They also sent me home with a case of I/D and I picked up a small bag of the kibble as well. Not sure how I'm going to work the feeding issue, as in the past they've both eaten the same food and been free-fed...I'll just have to figure it out as we go.

Thanks to anyone who has been following this thread, and those who have commented. Having many people in my life who are all "a cat's just a cat", it's nice to know that there are people out there who would have done the same thing, no matter what the cost.

Edit: Drugs are Metronidazole and Sulcrate.

I am glad she is home

AThats great Belle is home. What a comfort and relief for you. So, did you get any kind of information as to a diagnosis?

I hope she gets back to her old self. Good to just let her alone to get used to everything again.

Continued vibes for you two!

Well, Belle's been home for a full day and I don't THINK she's eaten anything - unless it was in the middle of the night. I have a literal kitty buffet going on in my kitchen - 2 types of wet food (little amounts put out several times a day), 2 types of dry, and at times, a plate or two of food mixed with water. She will smell them, but just turns up her nose and walks away.

She's not quite as loud as normal, but she's fairly active and social, as long as we don't bug her (meds, food).

Speaking of meds, what a nightmare. She absolutely HATED the metro, foaming at the mouth and making little gremlin sounds as I tried to get it in. I thought the Sulcrate would be better as it smelled significantly less gross, but she just spit it out (will be trying with the smaller syringe tomorrow as it is easier to get into her mouth).

So, basically, I'm not feeling great about Belle's progress so far. Last year, Delilah's Christmas present to me was me waking up at 3am to her eating after a couple days of not eating. Hopefully Belle does something similar for me this year!