Caesar is not eating, looks sickly and thin, unkempt coat

goholistic

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I guess it's my turn to have multiple cats with multiple issues.

Caesar is not eating, he looks awfully sickly and thin, and his coat is greasy and unkempt. He is also standing funny and walking with a limp tail. I dropped him off at the vet this morning (along with Boo for his issues). I had given him mirtazapine earlier this week, which helped, but as soon as it wore off, he was back to not eating. In the past, mirt would help "kick start" his appetite and then he'd be fine. Yesterday I gave him some Pepcid and Cerenia (anti-nausea), and that had no affect on him. So I knew it was serious enough to take him in. He's due for a check-up, anyway.

Caesar has a history of going 24-36 hours without eating on occasion. He usually perks back up on his own. The last time I had to take him in for a serious case of this was in July 2012. It was bad enough that I had to assist-feed him for a week. He had elevated calcium (including ionized calcium), elevated total protein, elevated globulin, low platelet count.  The doc at the time (who is no longer at the practice) was thinking he may have lymphoma or multiple myeloma (bone marrow cancer). Recheck in 2 weeks showed continued elevated calcium (although it did go down a little) and a slightly elevated urea nitrogen, but everything else was back within range. He had another appointment in November 2012, and his blood work looked fine.

So here we are again...over a year later. They are going to send the blood work out (rather than in-house) so that they can get broader range of results. If he's got elevated calcium again, I think we're going to have to take a closer look at that. My poor Caesar. I felt bad just dropping him off at the vet, but at least Boo is with him.

 

scarlett 001

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Sorry to read that you have another issue on your plate to deal with. It does get trying. I guess that as far as human health care goes, people can talk to doctors so issues can get pinpointed more efficiently, eliminating the ordeal with our pets of trying to figure out a diagnosis with vague symptoms and no obvious diagnostics showing things. Hopefully it is something simple this time. How old is Caear?
 
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peaches08

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Geez, I'm sorry GoHolistic. You sure have a lot on you right now.

I guess hyperparathyroidism was ruled out?
 
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goholistic

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Sorry to read that you have another issue on your plate to deal with. It does get trying. I guess that as far as human health care goes, people can talk to doctors so issues can get pinpointed more efficiently, eliminating the ordeal with our pets of trying to figure out a diagnosis with vague symptoms and no obvious diagnostics showing things. Hopefully it is something simple this time. How old is Caear?
If pets could talk and tell us what is bothering them it would be a heck of a lot easier! Caesar is estimated to be 12 years old, but it wouldn't surprise me if he is a younger cat in bad health and that is making him seem older than he is. I adopted both him and Sebastian in 2010.
Geez, I'm sorry GoHolistic. You sure have a lot on you right now.

I guess hyperparathyroidism was ruled out?
I had to look this up. Definitely possible. Symptoms fit. It appears as there is no specific test for it. If Caesar is having chronic calcium imbalances, I guess we'll need to figure out what's causing this (cancer, CRF), and if something like hyperparathyroidism and hypercalcemia are a secondary condition or idiopathic.
 

peaches08

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Well, if it is an endocrine problem they would test for the hormones involved. CRF would include elevated creatinine I'd think. In any case, hypercalcemia is dangerous regardless of the cause. I'll be keeping y'all in my thoughts.
 

vball91

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Geez, I'm sorry GoHolistic. You sure have a lot on you right now.
 
 I have no advice to offer but just wanted to offer my sympathies that you have another sick kitty. Lots of 
for Caesar and many 
 for you. We're here for you.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Geez, I'm sorry GoHolistic. You sure have a lot on you right now.
 
 I have no advice to offer but just wanted to offer my sympathies that you have another sick kitty. Lots of 
for Caesar and many 
 for you. We're here for you.
for both of those quotes.  I couldn't believe it when I read the subject line
 

catwoman707

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So sorry you are going through this.

His symptoms don't sound so good, a few biggies here, named in the thread title. Believe it or not, even over the not eating, looking sickly and thin, it's the greasy/unkept coat that alerts me the most.

Obviously several reasons for a cat to not eat and lose weight, many of which can be treated, but the coat condition sets off a big red flag for me.

Sorry for my candidness, I have a way of calling things the way I see them though, I guess it's the large number of cats and kittens I have dealt with in rescue, but in no way am I ever lacking the sensitivity of your position and feelings, and it takes an awful lot for me to lose hope.

Sending many, many positive vibes and hugs your way.

Please let us know what the vet has to say as soon as you know.

 
 
 
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goholistic

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Thanks for the vibes everyone.

I have always said that it wouldn't surprise me if Caesar has cancer.  
  It is horrible to say and makes me very sad, but Caesar has had issues since the day I brought him home. He's my "little man", I love him, and I will do what I can for him. Of course, there's always hope that this is something we can treat, but if not, I won't be completely caught off guard. I am his world. He lives to be my shadow. And I hope this gives him the strength to beat whatever this is. 
 

scarlett 001

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Re the greasy coat. Two of my senior cats have had greasy coats for quite a while now (long enough that if it was cancer that initiated the greasy coats, it would have showed up a long time ago). They have recently been diagnosed with serious issues (pancreatitis/bile duct issues etc). that may be related to the greasy coasts, but so far these health issues are so far manageable although certainly not great things. Murchie cat is just a cat that produces a lot of skin oils - he has a greasy tail that we have issues managing and a greasy coat, and these things showed up as he started to age quite a few years ago but were not related to any major health issues during all of that time.
 

catwoman707

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Scarlett 001 regarding the greasy coat, while there are plenty of exceptions, this is often times caused by a lack of grooming, and in cats, as clean as they are about themselves, the lack of grooming tells me they are feeling that bad. More than the norm. If they lose the interest in keeping themselves clean, sometimes/alot of time they are feeling more than lightweight sick.

Just my observations.
 

cprcheetah

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Oh no!  What is it with multiple cat household problems right now?  Sending vibes that you will get answers from the bloodwork.  DeeJay's coat is really greasy right now and I know it's not from lack of cleaning as that's all she does all day long LOL. 
 

ldg

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Oh no, I am so sorry!!!! :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs:

A friend was having strange symptoms for several YEARS. Blood work finally pointed to hyperparathyroidism (elevated calcium levels). The definitive diagnosis was a barium .... MRI? Ultrasound? CT Scan? Something where the barium contrast was needed. They found the growth on the parathroid glands, and they were removed. In fact, the surgery was Friday, so we'll see... :cross:

Apparently "just" an ultrasound might be able to find the problem, and the solution is the surgery to remove the glands:

http://www.vetinfo.com/primary-hyperparathyroidism-cats.html

:vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes:
 
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goholistic

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Update on Caesar. I have good news and bad news.

Bad news: Caesar has lost over a pound and is now 7 lbs. 
  This is very concerning. He has a UTI (not crystals) and we're waiting for the culture to come back to determine what kind of bacteria it is (?) so that the appropriate antibiotic can be prescribed. Until then, I've been giving him a little bit of sub-q fluids at home (okayed by vet). Caesar gave me ZERO signs that he has a UTI and the doc said that "silent" UTIs can go on for a long time. Part of me hopes that this is the only thing wrong and he'll start feeling better and eating more once we clear this up. Right now, he needs mirtazapine to keep him eating. If the UTI progressed to a more serious state, could this have affected his eating this much? 
  Of course, I won't deny the reality that he could still have something else going on.

Good news: His blood work looked pretty good. His WBC count was a little elevated, but she thinks this is a combination of stress and his UTI. His kidney and liver values all looked good (whew!). She said he is concentrating his urine really well for a cat his age (forgot to ask her what this means). His calcium was the high end of normal, but within range is definitely good (he's had hypercalcemia in the past).

So...I was actually surprised on two things: 1) that he has a UTI totally unbeknownst to me, and 2) his blood work looked pretty good.
 

vball91

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I think that's actually good news all around. The UTI could definitely be the cause of his not eating. It just goes to show how amazing cats are at hiding pain. He must be feeling unwell, but to show no signs of it? Wow. Many vibes for Boo for the culture to come back soon so that he can start getting some antibiotics and feel better soon. I'm with you in really hoping that's all it is.

As for the concentration of urine, the vet just meant that this is another sign that his kidneys are functioning well. Cats with kidney issues have trouble concentrating their urine, so it will show up as very dilute on tests.
 

catwoman707

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I was just as suprised as you are if this is the case with him, no signs???...who'da thought.

I found this article titled The Silent Killer

Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) are common in both male and female felines. However, it’s more frequent in male cats. Most owners have no idea their kitty is suffering until it’s too late, because cats are very good at hiding signs of pain and discomfort. A feline UTI can lead to the blockage and complete obstruction of the urinary tract leading to permanent damage or death.

The cause of UTI can be any of the following or a combination of them. A cat with an unclean litter box, that causes the cat to hold their bladder, diet with high levels of magnesium causing stones, stress, and or age of the cat. Luckily there are signs that an owner can watch for to make sure their cat is UTI free. If your cat is urinating outside their litter box in places such as sinks, bathtubs, tile flooring, crying during urination, redness or irritation of bladder area, inactivity, or excessive licking of bladder area.

If an owner believes their cats has an infection they should bring their cat into the veterinarian clinic right away. A veterinarian will give antibiotics to the cat once a UTI is conformed. Once a cat gets a UTI the chances of them getting it again in the future increases. Future prevention can be done with diet or supplements for the cat. Other options can be discussed with your veterinarian

And this one, interesting statement that it is uncommon for a cat to get a uti with no underlying med problem.....hmm....

Most feline UTIs are associated with some underlying medical problem or anatomical defect, such as feline leukemia virus (FeLV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), polyps, bladder or kidney stones, etc. Simple bacterial ascension without any predisposing condition is uncommon in cats, although it can happen. Elevated urine pH from any cause creates a bladder environment that is primed for bacterial overgrowth. Cats with diabetes mellitus often have persistent or recurrent UTIs, because elevated levels of glucose in their blood and urine also creates a ripe environment for bacterial proliferation. Some cats have “idiopathic” UTIs, which means that the cause of their infection is unknown. Certain allergies (also called immune-mediated hypersensitivities) can contribute to bladder irritation, inflammation and infection. An emerging and unfortunate cause of recurrent UTIs is bacteria resistance to antibiotic drugs.
 

feralvr

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:( about the one pound of weight loss but think it is very good that you found out about the UTI and probably caught it early!! They are so tricky to notice unless it has gotten really bad with the frequent trips and small amounts. So some good news with that blood work!!! WB count being elevated would mean infection - such as that UTI. You are doing what you can at this point to keep him comfortable and feeling good AND feeling all of that LOVE!!!!! :heart: I do hope he begins to feel better too, very soon. :cross: :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Yes, all in all, sounds like the news of more good than bad.  Hoping he gets the right antibioitic soon and starts feeling better
 
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