HELP!! Not sure what's wrong with my cat!!

Hi, I'm new to this site, I need some insight or tips on what to do about my cat. I've made an appointment for him to visit the vet on Wednesday, but in the meantime I'm worried that something is very wrong with him. I have a gray tabby, he's 16 years old ,small probably between 17-24 lbs. Recently, he's been very quiet, hasn't been eating, and barely drinks his water (which has caused him to lose weight). Today, I let him out of his room and he was wheezing and walking funny downstairs. He was wobbling and fell a couple of times, but caught himself. I'm very concerned being that he's never done this before. Any suggestions, tips, advice, please share.

Thank you

Smokeymylove1 said:

Hi, I'm new to this site, I need some insight or tips on what to do about my cat. I've made an appointment for him to visit the vet on Wednesday, but in the meantime I'm worried that something is very wrong with him. I have a gray tabby, he's 16 years old ,small probably between 17-24 lbs. Recently, he's been very quiet, hasn't been eating, and barely drinks his water (which has caused him to lose weight). Today, I let him out of his room and he was wheezing and walking funny downstairs. He was wobbling and fell a couple of times, but caught himself. I'm very concerned being that he's never done this before. Any suggestions, tips, advice, please share.
Thank you

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Given his age, I would be taking him to the e-vet, or the very least to the vet tomorrow, not Wednesday..... This can be anywhere from a stroke, to heart problems... And you do not want a cat that big not eating - he can go into liver failure very quickly (not sure what you mean "small" a cat in between 17-24 lbs is HUGE).
IMHO, this is something that can't wait to Wednesday, but that's me.

I agree with Carolina, please visit your vet as fast as can be!  

Thanks for the advice, I'm actually not sure how much he weighs. The last time I took him
to the vet was 2 years ago and they told me he's 20lbs and healthy. He looks like he's 12lbs, he looks smaller than normal. I'll try to upload a photo. My finances are kind of tight which is why im taking him in on Wednesday.
Thanks again for the advice

Well, can you go tomorrow and give the vet a check for Wednesday? Is this a vet you have a relationship with?

Definitely try to bring him in ASAP.  Something is very wrong with symptoms like that, trust me.
 

Smokeymylove1 said:

 My finances are kind of tight which is why im taking him in on Wednesday.
 

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it might be too late on Wednesday!

Cats, unlike dogs, can not go without food.  The more the cat weighs the more likely he is to get hepatic lipidosis if he goes without food and that is a fancy word for fatty liver.  That is a serious, life threatening condition and if it is caught in time can be reversed.  At the very least he is dehydrated and needs to see a vet ASAP and I wouldn't wait if it were me given your cats advanced age.  Also remember 2 years in a cats life is very different from ours.  So if the last time your cat was at the vets he was 14 years old in cat years he was 72 and now at 16 in cat years he is 80 years old.that means technically it has been 8 years since his last vet checkup.  That is a long time to go without seeing a vet for a wellness exam.  I take my 12 year old cat every 6 months for a senior blood work panel and a chest x-ray.

I would try very very hard to get him to the vet if not tonight, tomorrow at the latest.

Thanks a lot everyone for the comments. I normally take him to the Banesfield Hospital at Petsmart, but being that I don't go often, I don't have a friendship with anyone who works there. Unfortunately, due to my finances the best I can do is Wednesday, but I'm thinking about getting him pet insurance. If anyone here knows of any good reasonable insurance I would greatly appreciate it. I know I definitely need to take better care of him and will do so in the future from now on.

Thanks again for the comments.

If you can't come up with the money up front, insurance won't help. . .with pet insurance, unlike human insurance, you have to pay the vet right away and the insurance company will reimburse you.

It's admirable that you have plans to take better care of him in the future, but unfortunately, I think he won't have a future if he doesn't see a vet soon . Usually by the time you can tell a cat is sick the illness is pretty advanced, and if you wait too long it'll be too late. Anybody you can borrow money from--a friend, a relative, dollar loan center?

Also, Banfields are known for being fairly expensive. You could probably do better with a vet in private practice. Grab the phone book, find the "veterinarian" section, and start calling around for prices!

Insurers won't take on a geriatric cat.

OrientalSlave said:

Insurers won't take on a geriatric cat.

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not necessarily true... They will not cover their pre-existing conditions, and anything related to them, but they will insure geriatric cats. The problem is that often they already have issues.... For example- I tried to insure Gracie, she could be insured with one company, but nothing related to hyper-thyroid would be covered; she was 13. I decided to not insure her, as anything could be related to that. Had she not have hyper-thyroid, I could insured her with pets best, the insurance co. I have all my cats insured with. They do not have an age limit.
The problem for the OP, is that this will be a pre-existing condition, and no insurance company covers that, for young or old cats.

Apply for care credit, it's very, very easy to get and will definitely help you in this situation!

http://www.carecredit.com/

How is your cat today?

Oh no. This is really sad to hear. 20lbs is a lot of weight for a cat. Our Phoenix hit 22 lbs and we swapped his diet and lessened his food over time to what the vet recommended. He lots a couple of lbs over time. But for a cat this size to be feeling like yours is, not good. As people have told you.

Is there any possible way to find a vet that has pet coverage? We have a vet that offers Wellsfargo health advantage. It pays for your vet bills up front, 6 months no interest on payments. And the payments are $35 a month minimum. Even if you have the money at the time, it is nice to have it covered and only have to make small payments. 

Our secondary vet has weekly coupons in the paper that allows for free vet visits, $20 shots and coupons for spay/neutering. 

Then there is 1 more hope. Pretty much every town should have a health department type vet for low income. I am not saying you ARE low income. But they really help reduce the cost, especially if you're on a paycheck to paycheck.

Don't delay. Do some research and get your baby looked at.

I have to say that everyone here is right, please find a way to get him to the vet asap! Also, 20 lbs. is not healthy for a cat that's heavy! So if he's been losing weight since then and is now down as far as 12 lbs., then it could be anything from diabetes to hyperthyroid, to a stroke as Carolina said, etc. 

Did you see your vet today?

Are there any news about your cat?