So worried...my cat has digestive issues...not sure what to do.

Hi everyone, 

I would appreciate any advice you have about this. I'm so worried about my youngest cat, Aries. He is 3 years old. Here he is sitting on my husband's shoulder (which he loves to do).


Over the past month, he has lost a good deal of weight. He's only 5.5 pounds now. His stomach gurgles constantly. He is eating normally and using his litter box. He does have occasional diarrhea.and vomiting, but not every day. He is as active and lovable as ever and does not seem to be in distress. I know that cats are very good at hiding pain, but he doesn't seem to be acting any differently at all.

We took him to the vet twice in the last few weeks. The vet thought that she felt something in his stomach. She tested his stool (normal) and did an xray (inconclusive - couldn't see any mass in his stomach). She said that the next step would be an MRI, but doesn't know if it will yield any more answers (obviously). It would be at least $500 and we have already spent our vet budget plus a lot more (we have a cat who is being treated for severe anxiety also, and her tests and visits over the last year were expensive).  Of course, I understand why an MRI is at least that much - the machines are expensive! I will be asking about a payment plan, but I've never been able to find a vet who would set one up, so I'm not optimistic. 

The vet gave us chewable prednisolone to give him for the next two weeks. I am slowly changing his diet to a limited ingredient food (Blue Buffalo Basics Fish). Hopefully he will gain some weight back, although I realize weight gain due to the steroids would probably be temporary. 

In my non-vet opinion, it sounds a lot like IBD or a food sensitivity. I don't know if there is a mass in his stomach though, or why if there is it wouldn't have shown on the x-ray. Basically, I would like to know - what would you do if it were your cat? Would you try to see if you could sell your stuff (of which I don't have much) or something to come up with the money for an MRI? Trust me, I'll do anything in my power to make sure my baby Aries gets well, but I want to make sure we don't go totally broke. We are already behind on bills and my husband is currently looking for a job. :-/

EDIT: I just realized this is my first post and I didn't even introduce myself. Sorry :-( I'm new here and looking forward to talking with other people who love cats. I'm from Southwestern PA. 

You didn't say if he also had blood work done.  I have a cat that was finally diagnosed with probable IBD after several years.  He had different symptoms but IBD will present with different symptoms.  The only way to definitively diagnose IBD is with a biopsy which I didn't have done.  Short of that it is a diagnoses of elimination.  My cat's symptoms were refusal to eat, vomiting bile, and constipation so the first thing that was checked for was a foreign body.  Lot's of x-rays and two hospitalizations.  The third vet I took him to also hospitalized him because of fatty liver but she came up with the diagnoses of probable IBD.  He didn't have an MRI but he did have an ultrasound and he is on a permanent small dose of a steroid mainly because he is a dry kibble addict and I can't do much diet wise.  If he has had complete blood work and nothing shows up than I would start treating him for IBD.  Many people have had good luck with a raw diet.  My cat doesn't even like canned food so thats a bridge too far for him.  I would be careful about a diet with a lot of fish that can cause urinary tract problems.

Thanks for your reply!

We haven't had blood work done yet - the vet didn't mention it. I will ask at his follow up visit if it's possible that there are other tests that could/should be performed before an MRI is the only option. The vet did say that it's possible that what she's feeling in his stomach is fecal matter, but she's not sure. As I understand, a biopsy might not even yield conclusive results for IBD in some cases - is that right? Anyway, I had heard some people say that Blue Buffalo Basic helped their IBD cats. If it doesn't help him, I can try a homemade or raw diet. I would have to separate Aries from my other two cats, because I don't think I can afford to do that kind of diet for all 3 of them. But I would figure it out if it helped him. 

IBD is difficult to diagnose even with a biopsy. I would recommend having blood work done though to rule out other things. In the meantime, diet change is something you can do on your own. A novel protein, limited ingredient canned food or raw are your best bets. You are trying to eliminate anything that might be triggering the inflammation. Try to eliminate all grains, fruits, veggies, fish. A protein he has not had before like venison, duck, quail or lamb is your best bet.

My 5 year old ragdoll recently went through a period of vomitting and refusal to eat. For him he it was constant vomitting of hairballs- is your guy throwing up hair.

In my opinion a lot these tests are pretty useless for young cats. I spent $900 on bloodwork and X-rays and was being pushed to do a $500 ultrasound. None of these tests showed anything conclusive and like others have said the only thing that can diagnose IBD is a biopsy. If it was me I would not do the MRI or pay for any more tests but spend my money on food and actual treatment. It is a risk though if he does have something like cancer, but IMO most of these tests are always inconclusive and seem to be a waste of money.

First thing you cannot let him lose anymore weight. Cerenia is a great drug to stop vomiting and they can give you a shot at the vet for it or pills. If he is vomiting hairballs I would really consider getting him shaved. This is what cured my cat and he has not vomitted since he was shaved.

I did a lot of research on natural treatments for ibs/ibd and came across a post on the natural cat care blog on a protocol by a company called vitality science (http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/2...wing-up-healed-in-one-month-not-just-by-food/). It has good reviews so I bought it. Since frank got all better after the shaving I haven't started him on it but I did give it to my dog who had really bad diarrhea and she got all better after the first dose- so it may be something to look into.

As for food I would not give the blue buffalo because fish has been shown to be an irritant for ibs/ibd- actually so has dry food. A novel protein is best. My cat was a dry food addict so I did buy the natures variety limited ingredient in turkey and had great success with using it as a topper for wet food which he is now mostly eating. I also used it to up his calories if he was not eating enough wet. The good thing about the natures variety is that it is very high in calories so it should help him put on weight. The wet food I mainly feed is natures variety pride duck and lamb. This food does have spinach in it but both my cats prefer minced or shredded wet food so they love it and neither have had a reaction to the spinach. I do think raw food is the best for ibs but my picky eater will not touch it yet but I do keep trying.

Oh also price wise I wanted to mention that raw can actually be cheaper than a canned diet and is even cheaper that premium dry. Here is a list comparing commercial raw to other foods and homemade raw would be even cheaper (http://catcentric.org/nutrition-and...y-cat-or-i-can-afford-to-feed-commercial-raw/). If you are one of the lucky ones and your cat will eat it I would for sure give it a try. Not sure if you have already come across this but here is a great website run by a vet on how to make a homemade diet www.catinfo.org

Thanks everyone. I guess I will go with whatever the vet thinks as far as blood work. I can get Nature's Variety raw from a store near my work, so that's probably what I'll end up feeding him. I used to feed my cats Nature's Variety, but then I switched to PetSmart Authority for sensitive stomachs based on some of the reviews and the price. I like the idea of making his food, but I'll have to compare the cost of a homemade diet to a raw diet. I guess I can keep all of these ideas in mind, in  case he does have IBD and rotating his food helps.

I would get blood work if only to rule out other diseases.

My kitty had a wavering appetite about three weeks ago. Doctor did an ultrasound and found mild inflammation. Due to that and arthritis from a trauma injury, she is now on prednisolone.  It seems to be working, at least the appetite stimulant part.

Thankfully, Aries is eating all of his food. We'll see if that helps him gain weight (he only started prednisolone on Monday). That is interesting that the vet was able to see inflammation on an ultrasound. If you don't mind me asking, how much was the ultrasound? I just want to get an idea of how much these tests typically cost so that I can plan accordingly. 

I find it very strange that blood work wasn't done very first thing. Checking the organs and other information from blood work is the first step in any diagnosis of unknown weight loss.

Fish is about the last thing you would want to feed him and you want to get him on a wet (or raw) diet. Avoid grains, fruits and veggies and carrageenan.

But really, blood work needs to be done, including and especially thyroid (t-4 and free t-4)

Hope Aries is okay.

Vet fees vary a lot from area to area, when Patches had his done 2 1/2 years ago it was $267 but that included a needle biopsy on his liver.  It didn't really tell me anything new.  Believe me I know about trying to come up with money for vet bills and with IBD being an elimination diagnoses you can run up some bills.  For myself I think if it's an either/or deal I would get the bloodwork done.  You may still not have a definitive diagnoses but it can rule out problems with his liver, thyroid, kidneys and if they send blood to Texas for a special test the pancreas.  If all that comes back within normal range then I would stop with the diagnostics and treat for IBD.

I second this.

sbdavies said:

Thankfully, Aries is eating all of his food. We'll see if that helps him gain weight (he only started prednisolone on Monday). That is interesting that the vet was able to see inflammation on an ultrasound. If you don't mind me asking, how much was the ultrasound? I just want to get an idea of how much these tests typically cost so that I can plan accordingly. 

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Prednisolone takes 3-5 days to take effect.

I thought seeing the inflammation seemed unusual, too, but I haven't really any background to base that on. The ultrasound was $340, but I've heard figures that are much more. Plus the vet exam fee is $85, so maybe the tests are less because the vet can afford to charge less due to the exam fee?

Are you getting any other side effects from the prednisolone? I thought my kitty was sneezing a lot, but this seems to have subsided.

Oh, almost forgot. The cheapest place I could find prednisolone was by ordering from Dr. Fosters and Smith. Only $.17/pill, so I got 4 months worth of it for $20.

There are several issues you can be dealing with:

You could have inflammatory bowel disease which should respond to prednisolone

You could have a food allergy which may have some response to prednisolone, or it may not.  My cat has to be on super high doses of prednisolone to control his allergy symptoms. You should try a prescription hydrolyzed diet for food allergies to help rule it out.  I don't like Nature's variety- it gave my cat struvite crystals and now I have big vet bills trying to get them dissolved.

You could have a motility problem (this is where the nerves to the stomach/intestine get damaged)  - the cause is unknown at this point. This can cause food to move either really slow or really fast through the GI tract. It isn't uncommon for the stomach to be slow, and the cat to have diarrhea due to an overactive large intestine.  The drug reglan is usually used to improve motility, but may not be recommended if your cat has diarrhea.

You could have gastritis (inflammation of the stomach)

It is also possible your cat does have parasites that were missed on the fecal exam.  Parasites do not always shed consistently.  My cat had coccidia which went away and came back- the vet missed the second diagnosis on fecal smear.

I would test for Fiv/Felv, get another fecal smear, change the diet to a prescription allergy food, get a full CBC and metabolic panel

If this had a sudden onset you could be dealing with a virus which should pass on it's own.

I would not recommend a raw diet.  Right now your cat's immune system is compromised.  He probably has some malnutrition started, and the prednisolone will surpress his immune system.  I'm sure a healthy cat can handle the bacteria in a raw diet, but  it is not a good idea when you have a sick cat! 

If your cat is getting malnurished (which should show up in bloodwork) you should probably add some sort of vitamin/mineral supplement. I would definitely ask your vet about that! Don't just go out and buy something (which might cause allergy issues). 

If he is having diarrhea and vomiting- watch his hydration levels. You can monitor hydration with a skin pinch test.

How many times are you feeding a day? I would switch to canned food, and give several small meals a day.   If there is a motility problem, you want to avoid kibble as that is harder to digest then wet food. 

Make sure to continue the prednisolone. If this is IBD that should help.  BUT if this is a bacterial infection of some kind it can make things worse. 

Denice said:

Vet fees vary a lot from area to area, when Patches had his done 2 1/2 years ago it was $267 but that included a needle biopsy on his liver.  It didn't really tell me anything new.  Believe me I know about trying to come up with money for vet bills and with IBD being an elimination diagnoses you can run up some bills.  For myself I think if it's an either/or deal I would get the bloodwork done.  You may still not have a definitive diagnoses but it can rule out problems with his liver, thyroid, kidneys and if they send blood to Texas for a special test the pancreas.  If all that comes back within normal range then I would stop with the diagnostics and treat for IBD.

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otto said:

I find it very strange that blood work wasn't done very first thing. Checking the organs and other information from blood work is the first step in any diagnosis of unknown weight loss.

Fish is about the last thing you would want to feed him and you want to get him on a wet (or raw) diet. Avoid grains, fruits and veggies and carrageenan.

But really, blood work needs to be done, including and especially thyroid (t-4 and free t-4)

Hope Aries is okay.

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Thanks everyone. I'll ask the vet to do blood work, if only to eliminate some possible causes. I thought it was strange that the vet didn't do blood work already also. My husband took Aries to the vet both times because we could only get appointments while I was at work. I'll be at the next one though, and I'll ask about blood work. They run the tests right away in-house, so we should able to discuss the best diet for him then also if we want to try treating for IBD. I do worry about the potential for infection due to a raw diet, but I understand there are wildly varying opinions on the raw vs. canned issue. 

Raintyger said:

Prednisolone takes 3-5 days to take effect.

I thought seeing the inflammation seemed unusual, too, but I haven't really any background to base that on. The ultrasound was $340, but I've heard figures that are much more. Plus the vet exam fee is $85, so maybe the tests are less because the vet can afford to charge less due to the exam fee?

Are you getting any other side effects from the prednisolone? I thought my kitty was sneezing a lot, but this seems to have subsided.

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Thank goodness, no, there don't seem to be any side effects other than increased appetite and thirst. And he pees more since he's drinking more. But he's as happy and sweet as ever. His bowel movements each day are smallish but firm.

Raintyger said:

Oh, almost forgot. The cheapest place I could find prednisolone was by ordering from Dr. Fosters and Smith. Only $.17/pill, so I got 4 months worth of it for $20.

Click to expand...

Thanks! The vet's price on tuna-flavored prednisolone are very reasonable, so I'll keep getting it there if it works for him. I hope that we don't have to rely too much on steroids because of the potential for organ damage from overuse. But we'll take it one step at a time. 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarah Ann  


There are several issues you can be dealing with:

You could have inflammatory bowel disease which should respond to prednisolone

You could have a food allergy which may have some response to prednisolone, or it may not.  My cat has to be on super high doses of prednisolone to control his allergy symptoms. You should try a prescription hydrolyzed diet for food allergies to help rule it out.  I don't like Nature's variety- it gave my cat struvite crystals and now I have big vet bills trying to get them dissolved.

You could have a motility problem (this is where the nerves to the stomach/intestine get damaged)  - the cause is unknown at this point. This can cause food to move either really slow or really fast through the GI tract. It isn't uncommon for the stomach to be slow, and the cat to have diarrhea due to an overactive large intestine.  The drug reglan is usually used to improve motility, but may not be recommended if your cat has diarrhea.

You could have gastritis (inflammation of the stomach)

It is also possible your cat does have parasites that were missed on the fecal exam.  Parasites do not always shed consistently.  My cat had coccidia which went away and came back- the vet missed the second diagnosis on fecal smear.

I would test for Fiv/Felv, get another fecal smear, change the diet to a prescription allergy food, get a full CBC and metabolic panel

If this had a sudden onset you could be dealing with a virus which should pass on it's own.

I would not recommend a raw diet.  Right now your cat's immune system is compromised.  He probably has some malnutrition started, and the prednisolone will surpress his immune system.  I'm sure a healthy cat can handle the bacteria in a raw diet, but  it is not a good idea when you have a sick cat! 

If your cat is getting malnurished (which should show up in bloodwork) you should probably add some sort of vitamin/mineral supplement. I would definitely ask your vet about that! Don't just go out and buy something (which might cause allergy issues). 

If he is having diarrhea and vomiting- watch his hydration levels. You can monitor hydration with a skin pinch test.

How many times are you feeding a day? I would switch to canned food, and give several small meals a day.   If there is a motility problem, you want to avoid kibble as that is harder to digest then wet food. 

We feed once in the morning and once in the evening. I had tried several small meals a day for a while before, but I couldn't get them to eat most of them, and then my husband and I both worked during the day for a while which made afternoon feeding impossible. He's not having diarrhea right now (he has in the past), and I have been doing the skin pinch test periodically to make sure he's not dehydrated (despite dirty looks from Aries, poor baby). I've been adding some water to the dry food and letting it sit for a minute. Plus in the evening we stir in a little canned food. 

One weird thing is that Aries never used to like having his tummy touched. Now he really likes it when I gently pet it. I can't help but wonder if it feels good because his tummy hurts :-( Hopefully the steroid will help, and then that will rule out a few things. I hope it's not IBD but we'll manage it if it is. I just want him to feel better. Like I said, his behavior isn't much different from normal, but sometimes when he's resting and his stomach is really gurgling I can tell he's a bit uncomfortable.

Sorry, my reply to Sarah Ann didn't come out right. 

We feed once in the morning and once in the evening. I had tried several small meals a day for a while before, but I couldn't get them to eat most of them, and then my husband and I both worked during the day for a while which made afternoon feeding impossible. He's not having diarrhea right now (he has in the past), and I have been doing the skin pinch test periodically to make sure he's not dehydrated (despite dirty looks from Aries, poor baby). I've been adding some water to the dry food and letting it sit for a minute. Plus in the evening we stir in a little canned food. 

One weird thing is that Aries never used to like having his tummy touched. Now he really likes it when I gently pet it. I can't help but wonder if it feels good because his tummy hurts :-( Hopefully the steroid will help, and then that will rule out a few things. I hope it's not IBD but we'll manage it if it is. I just want him to feel better. Like I said, his behavior isn't much different from normal, but sometimes when he's resting and his stomach is really gurgling I can tell he's a bit uncomfortable.

Update: Aries went to the vet yesterday. He gained 1 pound in 2 weeks! He went from 5.5 lbs to 6.5. His stomach isn't gurgling nearly as much as it used to and he hasn't vomited since we switched his food to Blue Basics (it's dry food, but I at least soak it in water before I give it to him. He loves it.) The vet said that the mass in his stomach does not seem as prominent as it was before, so we are going to continue treating with steroids for a little while and go back for a follow up in a few weeks. He's even more energetic than usual right now.

Great to hear that Aries has gained some weight! How did the blood work come out?

My IBS/IBD kitty does very well on Nature's Variety Limited Ingredient Turkey Formula and EVO 95% wet food (although it does have carrageenan in it...boo!). I agree with others that you should watch with the fish. Are you still giving him the Blue Basics Fish? I know they also have a grain-free Turkey formula.