Bringing Duncan to the vet...

Hi everyone,

I'm bringing Duncan to the vet today. I can't figure out what is going on with him. He just doesn't seem to be "right". I am so frustrated because there isn't anything concrete to go by. I noticed for the first time about 5 days ago that he didn't seem to be following me around as much as he normally does. Nothing seemed terribly wrong...just that he wasn't as active as he normally seemed. In the past few days this is what I have observed:

*He sleeps...a lot.

*Seems uncomfortable. He doesn't walk if he doesn't have to, it seems. It looks like he is having some discomfort walking, esp. in his back legs. It is like he holds his back legs closer together than what is normal to him.

*Seems that he isn't urinating as much. I have observed him urinate on Sunday afternoon. He didn't strain, although he didn't seem to urinate very much.

*His eyes don't seem "right".

*He seems to frequently reposition himself. Laying down seems to be most comfortable with him.

*He isn't playing with Jellybean.

As I have more than one cat, it is difficult for me to tell if he is having normal bowel movements or urinating normally. I think that there is less to clean up over the past few days. I suspect he isn't going as he normally does. His food is also downstairs, so I cannot tell if he is eating much. I do notice that he is rarely going downstairs, as he is almost always sleeping. I am bringing Duncan to the vet this morning. Everything is just so vague. I just have a feeling something isn't right. Does anybody have ANY ideas? Sorry this is so long, but, I am just worried.

Cindy W.

Sounds like it could be lots of things.. its good that you're taking him to the vet, please keep us posted!

Well, seems to me there are exactly two things that are clear: [1] he's not himself, [2] he's probably not comfortable -- which makes one more thing clear: that you're absolutely right to get him to the vet. Keep us posted, and we'll all keep our fingers crossed for the boy.

It is good that you are intune with him to know when he is acting off- have you taken his temp recently? Good luck with him, it could be just about anything your vet should be able to tell you.

Hello again everyone,

Well...where to begin? I brought Duncan into the vet this morning after I posted my original note.

My vet checked Duncan over. He found that Duncan had an elevated temperature. When checking Duncan's temperature, he noted that Duncan's anal glands were the size of grapes! Duncan was very uncomfortable back there, and the vet expressed them. He said they were so full that when he expressed them, the fluid almost just shot out of them. He also did a urinalysis. Duncan's urine was cloudy. The results of the UA indicated a UTI. He was given a shot of an antibiotic and will need to be on amoxicillin orally for a week or two. But...this is where the story gets very scary. Duncan had an extremely high billirubin level in his urine. This in turn made our vet concerned...so, he drew blood and did a CBC and a profile. These results will be in tomorrow a.m. I will be calling our vet tomorrow morning at 8:30am to find out what is next.

My vet's initial thoughts are that Duncan was distressed from the infection and fever and has quit eating for a period of time. I suspect this might be true, as Duncan has only been laying around and rarely has went downstairs where his food bowl is. With me having two and sometimes three cats in my house, it is difficult to determine how much food is being eaten by which cat. The vet said that if Duncan hasn't been eating, a hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) could develop quite rapidly. Right now, we are just waiting for the blood work to come back to determine which course of treatment is indicated.

For now, Duncan is home. Our vet said that we need to isolate Duncan for the purpose of being able to monitor his intake of food and water, as well as monitoring his output. My daughter, Alida, is doing this for me tonight, as I am typing this letter from work. I am completely preoccupied with thoughts of Duncan. She loves Duncan to pieces and will do an excellent job of monitoring him. The vet suggested that I get some wet food that perhaps might be more enticing for him.

I called my husband Scott at home just now and he said that Duncan started eating immediately after getting home. He said that Duncan seems very sore on his back end and isn't walking too comfortably.

I hope everyone that reads this will learn something that I am learning the hard way. Don't hesitate and wait to take your cat to the vet when he doesn't seem "right". I feel so guilty now for not taking him in sooner. In my gut, I KNEW he wasn't right, but, I just couldn't put my finger on it. Cats hide their pain and discomfort. Duncan's symptoms were just so vague. I am glad I didn't wait any longer than I did.

I am scared about what Duncan's bloodwork will show tomorrow. I asked the vet how much I needed to worry at this point. He said we need to be cautious and concerned and to make sure he eats and we will deal with things tomorrow when we know what we are in fact dealing with.

Please send all your wonderful kitty vibes Duncan's way...

Very sad that I didn't help Duncan sooner...Cindy W.

I am so glad you got him in and got things taken care of I will be sending good thoughts your way.

Oh poor baby.. sending good vibes your way that the bloodwork turns out ok.

~~~~~Sending good vibes from Kansas City area for Duncan~~~~~~

*Sending many good vibes Duncan's way*

Poor guy, that sounds excruciating for him It's great that you noticed he "wasn't right" and got help, good luck with the medication and let us know how things go once the results are back. I'll be sending get-well vibes to Duncan.

~~ Sending good vibes to Duncan. ~~

Bless you for being in tune with your furbaby. I am sending you positive thoughts for Duncan.

Poor Duncan!! I am glad you caught it in time. I know what you mean about feeling guilty about not getting him there sooner. I just had a similar experience with my Charlie. It was so scary. Chester,Charlie, and I are sending many good wishes your way!

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your kind thoughts and words. I am so upset about Duncan, it is beyond words.

My vet got the results of the CBC and Profile. Luckily, all of Duncan's blood work came back within normal limits. His liver function tests, kidney function, electrolytes were within normal range. My vet was somewhat suprised at this, as he was expecting to find elevated liver functions. This is good news. He is not quite sure why the elevated bilirubin. Could be a false positive, but, to make sure, we will be repeating the UA on Friday and Duncan will be re-examined again at that point.

For now, a tenative diagnosis is an acute viral infection with a secondary bacterial infection (UTI). This is only tenative, however. If it is a viral infection, the vet thought that it should run its course in 5-10 days. If this isn't it, other things will need to be looked into, such as pancreatitis, etc.

For now, we have been given instruction to continue to isolate Duncan until Friday, in order to accurately monitor his intake and output. We are offering him canned wet food along with his dry food and fresh water. Duncan does not have a very good appetite. He is hardly moving around at all. I have been hand-feeding him with a fairly good response. He is urinating fine, but, as of yet, has not had a bowel movement. I made a chart that Alida and I are recording everything onto to give to our vet on Friday.

I am hoping and praying that Duncan will turn around and start feeling better. It is so hard to look at him, and see how miserable he is feeling. I picked him up to cuddle with him earlier today and he cried in pain. I feel so bad wishing there was more I could do. For now, we continue on the antibiotics as well. I am hoping for improvement soon. I'll keep everyone here posted on how Duncan is doing and the results of Fridays urinalysis and re-exam.

Cindy W.---->thanking you for your kind thoughts and wishes for Duncan's recovery.

I'm glad to hear Duncan's test results came back normal. I hope his appetite comes back... I know when I'm not feeling well, I tend to skip eating. Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in soon.

Sending positive thoughts to Duncan.

(((more good vibes to duncan))) I'm sure he will start feeling better soon. I know it must be so hard to see your baby like that

Hi again everyone,
Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to let you know how Duncan is doing. He has completely recovered! I returned him to the vet for a repeat UA and his bilirubin was completely normal. Duncan remains on the Amoxi-drops until they are gone. He has almost completed his medications now. He is back to his old self and feeling fine. What a relief...I was so worried about him. At some points last week, I was beginning to wonder if he was going to get better. The vet still believes that he had some type of viral infection, and then got a secondary bacterial infection. I'm just glad he is better and that my other two kitties didn't get sick.

If your cats/kittens don't seem "right" and in your gut, you feel something is amiss, don't hesitate to bring them in to be seen by the vet. Duncan showed me just how well he could hide being ill. I believe he was sick for awhile before it really was obvious to me.

Wishing you and your kitties well! Again, thanks for the kind thoughts when Duncan wasn't doing well. I appreciated them

Cindy W.