Something is wrong with Garfunkel :(

I'm getting very frightened that something is wrong with Garfunkel.  He is very lethargic, doesn't really want to get up from where he's sitting, walking slowly if he does get up.  I can entice him to play if he doesn't have to move around to do it but he won't get up to chase something which he would normally go nuts for.  (Last night when I really started realizing he was not normal, I resorted to his favorite toy - my necklace.  I know I shouldn't be reinforcing his desire to play with it but I wanted to see if he would come after it.  He would bat it if I put it over his head but didn't want to chase it if I held it away from him to come get - whereas normally if I'm bending down and it's swinging, he will run from clear across the house to get it.  Keep in mind he's a 10-month old kitten with a reputation for being wild and crazy.)

He barely ate his wet meal last night, he stopped about a third of the way through.  He's always been my slowest eater, so that wasn't too weird at first, but he didn't finish the meal at all, which has never happened.  He ate a little more once I added some kibble on top, but Joni finished the rest for him, about half.  I gave them a dry snack around 1am this morning but didn't watch them eat it so I'm not sure if he ate much.  (I'm getting ready to feed them now and I will watch him.)   He kept trying to cover the plate, lol.  It could have been he just didn't care for the flavor, Duck and Chicken, but I fed that a few nights ago and he ate it fine.

The other thing is that while I was cleaning the litterbox last night, he went into the closet where I keep it and pooped on the floor!!!!!!!!    He knows it's only a few minutes for me to clean the litterbox but he wouldn't or couldn't wait and he pooped!  It was normal, formed and all that, but I couldn't believe he did that!

I may be overreacting but I'm so worried.  My mischief man who wreaks havoc on anything he can touch, not chasing his favorite toy from a few feet away?  Plus the not eating and the pooping combined... I'm supposed to move them to the new house in a few hours, and now I'm worried that I shouldn't!!!!  They have a check-up appointment at the vet tomorrow, at 3pm... should I wait that long?  Should I go today?  Do you think I shouldn't move them yet and wait until after he's seen the vet?  Sorry for being a little dramatic but they've had such a drama-free kittenhood, I've felt so lucky that no one has had any issues, and now that we might have one I'm not prepared and I'm freaking out!

If you are worried, I'd call the vet and ask them if you can get an appointment today. explain your concerns

Draco said:

If you are worried, I'd call the vet and ask them if you can get an appointment today. explain your concerns

Click to expand...

I called, they wouldn't see him as they are booked up.  I hate their vet but I'm stuck there on a wellness plan until May.  I have care credit so I could go to an e-vet I guess but I'm not sure it's serious enough.  He ate about 2/3 of his dry meal just now but left the rest... it's just really unlike him, he is so food-obsessed normally.  I'm probably overreacting.  I wish he could talk so I could figure out (a) if something's wrong and (b) how serious it is or how badly he feels, if there is something wrong.

Is he stressed about this moving thing? 

aeevr said:

Is he stressed about this moving thing? 

Click to expand...

He could be, but I doubt it.  He's never really been stressed about anything.  

I decided to just calm down, since he's eating and going to the bathroom, and move them today, and go to the vet tomorrow as planned. 

Lethargy can be so many things.  Some minor but some very major.  I hope ;you can have him seen and all is well and it is one of the minor things.

Many vibes coming your way.

If you have care credit, start calling around for another vet who can see you today.

Since he doesn't have diarrhea and isn't vomiting, I think you're doing the right thing. e-vets aren't always the greatest anyway. Sorry you don' t like your vet, but as he IS eating and going to the bathroom... he's probably just fighting off a bug. We had the same thing with Tuxie last month. Of course the day we saw the vet, he ate like normal that evening, and was running around the place like normal the next day.

for Garfunkel - and the move!

I hope he's just nervous about the move. Feel better Garfunkel!

Thanks everyone... everything went fine today.  We're in the new house and he's hiding under the bed, but so is everyone else    They'll go to the vet tomorrow at 3pm and I'll ask them to check him out thoroughly to make sure everything is okay.

parsleysage said:

Thanks everyone... everything went fine today.  We're in the new house and he's hiding under the bed, but so is everyone else 

  They'll go to the vet tomorrow at 3pm and I'll ask them to check him out thoroughly to make sure everything is okay.

Click to expand...

I just made a move with my two dogs and Leiki (the cat). They were all fine as things were being packed up, but the day before we moved they knew something was up. Fynn was a little off, but he doesn't like change much, Sadie, who normally just takes everything in stride and has been through two moves with me puked, had diarrhea, no appetite and was a bit lethargic the day before and the day after we moved, and Leiki, who we expected to hide for days was the first out and exploring, she settled in first. 

Here's hoping it's just moving or a bug that's gotten to him and nothing too serious. 

we're at the vet and my poor baby has a fever of 105. hard to type on my iPhone so will update more later. please send vibes for my sweetheart. 

Oh, no. for him!

oh dear.....prayers going up for your boy!

All right, we are home... I am really hoping I'm making the right choices, this is my first time caring for a sick cat.  Please let me know if you think I should do something differently.

So, the vet said that the fever reading was probably higher and not exactly accurate for a number of reasons - one, the excitement of the vet; two, the stress of moving; and three, a cat with a very high fever will likely not eat, and Garfunkel ate fine yesterday & today, including some kibble the vet gave him earlier.  So I am not quite as worried as I was, but when you hear your cat's temperature is 105, and then the vet says, "Well at 106 it can cause brain damage" - you get a little bit frightened!  She's not sure what's going on, but she said it is likely a respiratory infection or, less likely, the beginnings of a UTI caused by the stress of moving.  

She wanted to give him Clavamox but since she didn't have a diagnosis and he seems better from two days ago, I wanted to wait it out and give him a chance to settle in from moving (they've been here less than 24 hours), relax, get some rest, and then see.  So I'm taking him back Sunday.  I asked her why she would prescribe antibiotics if she thought it was a virus, and she said there is often a secondary bacterial infection behind the virus.  I want to do whatever I need to to keep Garfunkel healthy, but I really couldn't see putting him on an antibiotic without a clear reason, especially since he's already improved, appetite-wise, from the first signs of his illness two days ago.  I hope this was a wise choice.  I'm so unsure.  I don't see any reason to suspect a UTI, I was actually in the bathroom at the same time as him this morning and heard him urinate, and it sounded fine, a nice strong stream LOL, and he was in and out of the box in about a minute as usual.  But she said they can develop very quickly, within 12 hours or so, so I'm staying in tonight on pee duty to make sure he doesn't start to go in and out several times, or strain or cry in the box.  She said that would be an emergency, so I'm thankful for the care credit.

Appetite-wise he seems fine, just to be on double-guard against a possible UTI I'm putting him on all wet for a few days (hoping they'll all be on all wet within a month or so anyway), I got some Wellness that I am going to give just to him.  I free-fed him some when we got home, with some warm water mixed in, and he ate about a third a 5.5oz can, maybe a little more.  That is about meal-sized so I took that as good news.  

Hopefully I am making the right choices in taking care of him.  I'm sure 10 years, a few more cats, and hopefully a bunch of foster cats from now I'll look back and laugh at how unsure I was, but I guess your first time taking care of a sick cat is always scary.  I'm thankful to have you guys, your advice, and your comforting words!  

Oh, everything else about their visit was happy news: their fecals were fine, they got dewormed, nobody has fleas or mites, and they both scored 3 ("ideal") on the body condition test, so I feel like a dummy   for being concerned about their weight, WHICH, is 11 pounds 13 ounces for Garfunkel, and 12 pounds on the nose for Simon -   my big boys!!!  They're only 10 months and the vet said they won't get any taller because their long bones are set at around 9 months, but that they could continue to fill out until 24 months, woah!  Hoping to get my Funk back to normal, and then we'll be a happy healthy family again!

Given you discussed all of this with your vet, I see absolutely nothing wrong with these choices!

for Garfunkel!

Maybe you can his temp at home?

I use an ear thermometer to check my kitty's temps.  We purchased a medium quality (not the cheapest, but not the most expensive either) several years ago and it's come in quite handy at times.  To help with the stress, you can get a feliway plug in (or Comfort Zone w/ feliway).  Watch his litter box habits and if you see him in & out of the box frequently or if he appears to be straining, then contact the vet to be sure he doesn't have a urinary tract infection.  Otherwise, keep an eye on his eating habits, litter box habits, and his play habits.  If you notice a change in those, then I would contact the vet for the meds.

The patient is up!  He's been pretty perky since about 8pm or so.  After he ate his Wellness turkey earlier he slept for about three hours, but came to investigate what I was eating when I had dinner at about 8pm.  Since he got up then, he's been up and walking around the new rooms (there are only three!  ).  He ate another meal, almost a third of a 5.5 oz can - it was only about 4 hours since his last full meal so the fact that he left some didn't bother me.  Then he slept a bit more, but was grooming himself before he went to sleep, a good sign.  He's up now and hanging with Simon.  He's been in the litterbox and everything seemed kosher, so I don't think it's a UTI and on top of that I think his fever is down.  I don't have an ear thermometer nor can I afford one at the moment so I can't take his temp but I will continue to watch his condition tomorrow.  He'll go back either way on Sunday at 11:40am just to make sure everything's okay.