Frustrated and upset about my Big Boy

I'll try to keep this short and please forgive me if I misspell a word and not catch it but I'm typing this through tears.

I have 4 beautiful babies. The youngest, Selene, somehow contracted some fomr of stomach bug. We took her to the vet, they gave her medicine and now she's doing fine although her stool is still a bit watery. But she's eating as she normally would. Oreo aka Big Boy, was the next to get the stomach but (all of the cats got it mind you but it seems that my oldest girl and her baby are doing fine). Big Boy loves to eat but due to a UTI he (as well as the other cats) are on a strict wet food diet only. I give them treats from time to time but that's about it. Because of his strict wet food diet he went from being 23 pounds (!) to 13.5 pounds and looking studly (he knows he's the man). He's always had a healthy appetite and we have to watch what he eats. We knew that he also contracted the bug when he wouldn't eat. Not even treats which are his favorite. We took him in, the vet check him out, and we came home with another medicine prescription. He was doing fine up until yesterday in the morning; he threw up and he doesn't want to eat. I shouldn't say doesn't cause he goes to his bowl and his looks like he wants to dive in but he can't. He didn't eat his breakfast or his late afternoon lunch or his evening dinner. This morning he didn't want to eat again, but he did eat some treats that I gave him. He did drink water after words which he needs to do if he hasn't had any wet food.

I called the vet and told them about what is going on. They want me to bring him in the next day for x-rays to see what's going on in his intestines (almost forgot this part; a week before he got sick he decided to go to town on a clothes line that I had strung up in the bedroom. We told the vet about this and she didn't look to concerned about it). I'm flipping out because the vet says it could be something that has to do with his liver or possibly a growth of some sort blocking him from eating.....something to that effect....I lost it when she said mention liver problems. He's my Big Boy, my oldest and I hoping to any deity out there that they don't find something immensely serious but at this point it could be anything. I'm angry because all of my concerns (and there were many that I didn't want to get into here) that I had voiced to my vet (3 different ones mind you) seem to be addressed but only for the short term. I keep feeling like I'm being milked for money. Instead of taking care of everything in one shot they just keep telling me to bring him in or give me medicine that doesn't seem to work.

My husband and I are not wealthy people. We live paycheck to paycheck. I personally have a lot of debt and I'm trying to pay everything off as much as I possibly can. I was lucky that Care Credit approved me for a card but that tab is starting to quickly grow. I'm just so, absolutely helpless....I wish I could take whatever is bothering him and bring into myself. I don't want him to be sick. I don't want any of my babies to be sick.

I know I have to wait and see what the vet tells me.....I'm sooo scared to find out....I'm scared for my big boy....

There are several people here who have been through this with their cat including myself.  Unfortunately digestive problems in cats are hard to diagnose.  Often it's a process of elimination and then they get diagnosed with probable IBD.  He has been on wet food which is a big plus.  The behavior of going to the bowl like he is going to eat and then walking away is usually a sign of nausea.  He does need to eat though even if it means syringe feeding.  There are several videos on youtube and one here about how to do it.  The main thing is to give the food in the side of the mouth and go slow.  With most wet foods you would probably have to mix a little water in it to make it a consistency so it will go through the syringe.  If a cat goes too long without eating they will develop something called hepatic lipidosis or fatty liver disease.  A cats liver doesn't metabolize fat very well and if the body tries to use their own body fat too fast then they develop fat deposits in their liver.

I know how frustrating and expensive this can get.  Are you taking him to a cat's only vet?  That isn't a sure way of having a good vet but I think the odds are better that way.

I wish I could help, I wish I could give you some advice.  When our cats are sick it is always a horrible nightmare, and when you don't trust or have confidence in your vet that must be unbearable.  I'm sorry, all I can say is I'm thinking of you and am sending you vibes and positive thoughts to support you all  through this.    That it turns out not to be something serious and that your big boy picks up really soon.       

MS