Greetings, have a new cat, have tons of questions

Hello All,

I'm new (as of 3:26pm on 5/30!) to your site but have been haunting it searching for answers to my cat issues.

The story: About 8 months ago, I was coming home from getting coffee and a small kitten-sized cat came off the street, started meowing and rubbing on my leg.  I'm ridiculously allergic to cats, but I spent a few minutes petting him and when I got up to keep walking, he followed me.  He was tiny, frail, bony but of amazing disposition.  He followed me into my apartment.  I grew up without animals in the house and so I figured I shouldn't keep him so I called the Humane Society to have him picked up.  In the next few hours we bonded, he plopped onto my bed and we cuddled together.  I was instantly smitten.  I called the HS to cancel the pickup, dubbed my new cat Rockwell, and went to the store to pick up something to serve as the litter box, litter and cat food.

I've been super diligent about feeding him and making sure he was up on his shots.  I took him to the vet the first moment I could to get him fixed, get him shots.  And holy smokes are first appointments expensive.  I figured, I didn't have a lot going on in my life and could take the financial hit.  Well before the first vet visit, I noticed that Rockwell would throw up.  In fact he'd go through major bouts of hurling for a few days then bounce back, and the cycle would repeat itself.

The vet suspected he had a tapeworm, which I named Norman before promptly killing it with medicine.  The vomiting would get worse then better.  Finally the vet put him on kitty prednisone with Flagyl (the latter to help with the diarrhea and leaky butt symptoms that also appeared).  The vet ran bloodwork and saw that his white blood cell count is very high, which may indicate an infection (he was on an antibiotic).

8 months later, Rockwell's temperament never changed, he's been an absolute joy to have.  He also doesn't make my allergies go bonkers like most cats do.  He doesn't claw, hiss or bite, greets me at the door when I come home and loves spending time on my lap, or curling up to me to take naps (my new favorite hobby).  I bought a ton of toys for him (which he's shown little to no interest in, and a scratching post, which he's never used.  He doesn't scratch anything, doesn't show any interest in yarn, or eating things he shouldn't (that I've seen) and isn't the most courageous of animals.  I've never seen him on the counter and never seen him angry (thank goodness).

While personality-wise he's amazing, his health isn't.  He still vomits from daily to every couple days.  Most of the time it's when I'm sleeping, which isn't a great way to wake up to and I'm wondering if it is stress.  He's vomited a myriad of interesting colors/liquids, ranging from frothy saliva stuff, to bile-colored stuff, hairballs to food.  The prednisone doesn't seem to be helping much.

The diet: I bought several types of dry foods before bordering on giving up on it since Rockwell doesn't seem to like most of them.  I settled on Origen 6-Fish dry food, which is expensive but he goes through it so slowly that I don't mind taking the financial hit, but the wet cat food is whatever I find on sale at Safeway or other grocery stores.  He gets one tin in the morning and another in the evening.

While monitoring him on meds, I've noticed that his vomiting has gone from crazy amounts over the course of 4-5 days to vomiting about once or twice a day (usually in 3 vomit sessions one-after-another).  It's almost always in the early morning hours and while I'm at work.  The ones that happen while I'm at work I think is from not being there in time to feed him, but the early morning (3-4 am) sessions are things that I can't really seem to peg down.

Current medications: He is on kitty prednisone (tapering slowly) and pepcid AC.  The latter is definitely helping getting him to eat (which breaks my heart when I watch him eyeing his food but not eating it), but the prednisone doesn't.  Periodically when he looks dehydrated, I give him unflavored pedialyte.

Questions:
This is my first pet and an animal that literally came off the streets so there are a ton of questions.

1) He's super thin, and I can feel rib cage and his back haunches jut out.  Regardless of how much he eats he always looks emaciated.  The last time I weighed him, he clocked in at 6.3 lbs.  Are some cats just...super thin?  Should I be concerned that he isn't gaining weight?  Should I do things to fatten him up?

2) Vomiting.  I know it's not normal but my cat seems to hork up about once a day.  Should I give him more pedialyte?  He begs for human food all the time (and my partner always suggests giving him some, but I've decided wholeheartedly 'NO.').  I'm assuming human food regardless of how delicious it is, is not great for him.

3) He doesn't play.  Like ever.  His energy levels never seem high enough for him to do so.  I've seen him interact with the toys on rare occasions but he gets bored of them fast.  The laser pointer was fun for about 15 minutes and he's never shown interest ever again.

4) His butt hole looks weird.  I know that sounds crass but it does.  I've seen cat butts to compare and his looks slightly enflamed, and opened.  The antibiotics definitely helped but it still isn't great.

5) If he hides suddenly should I be worried?  I know that cats need space at times but I wanted to confirm that this isn't indicative of something greater.

6) Rockwell is SUPER vocal.  I've never seen a cat that meows as much as he does.  Is this normal? 
Anyway, I think that about does it.  If you have any answers or suggestions I'd totally appreciate them.

All the best,

R.

Welcome!

Rockwell is beautiful, and sounds so sweet!

I don't have experience with pukey cats, but it sounds like you got him off to a great start. Some cats tend to the thinner side, but if you can get some more fat and/or muscle onto him, in his case it wouldn't hurt. Has your vet mentioned anything specific to his weight? I'm thinking if there's a way to get the vomiting under control, which hopefully other people can help with, he may eat his food more voraciously and potentially have more energy to spare with playing.

Some cats don't dig fancy or typical toys. Our cats' favourite toy is a dried up piece of black licorice, lol. They love to chase it, and it's small enough to bat. The smell might have something to do with the intrigue, but our younger one tried to pick it up to carry it away and promptly spat it out because the taste seems offputting (and I agree, I think it's gross too). Second to that are straws, some woven straws that are storebought, and some of those big chunkers they use for bubble tea. You could try smaller toys with catnip in them, so he bats them around but follows them to get another whiff or lick of catnip - if he likes catnip.

Does his bum look inflamed all the time? When our cat was struggling with constipation, his bum looked so swollen and painful but the vet didn't comment on it at all when we took him in - to a varying degree, it can be normal, or you might just catch him after a rough poop.

It's hard to gauge what sudden is in terms of hiding. It's a bit iffy with his vomiting problem, because if he ends up gagging or hacking and it takes a lot out of him, it may hit him afterwards and he'll want to retreat. Some hiding is just to hide because he feels like it, some could be playing like he wants you to come find him.

I adore vocal cats. One of our cats only meows to beg for food or attention, but the other just LOVES talking to us so she'll just wander around the apartment meowing. There are also some breeds that are known for being very vocal, and they pretty much do it just to talk to us.

Thank you, Pinkdagger for the swift response!

I've bought several types of catnip which didn't work, and valerian didn't either.  I was hoping to be filled with hours of entertainment.  The vet said it was probably parasites that was making him so thin, and he's been through 2 rounds of flagyl.  Thankfully he's amazingly easy to pill and give meds to.  When I first got him, his bum looked bizarrely enflamed.  Since the second round of flagyl his bum looks less enflamed, but still red, slightly opened (which is weird).  He has tracked poo by sitting on surfaces which is gross.  Really gross. 

Rockwell isn't a particularly fast or ravenous eater.  He often immediately attacks the gravy, then may take a few bites here and there, then leave it unattended for a couple minutes.  Since the pepcid ac, he's been eating a lot more, though still vomiting in the evening (regardless of the time I give him the pepcid ac).  When I return home from work, the vomit I see looks fresh, like he had done it within the hour.

He doesn't mind being wrapped up in a towel, picked up, carried around the apartment, or smothered with affection.  Usually when he's done with me, he'll go off to a corner and zonk out.  He almost always immediately joins me when I lay down on the sofa, curls up and falls asleep with his head on my arm, so he has me well trained.

I'm trying to be the best cat parent possible, though at times the experiences seem unbelievably harrowing.  My partner adores the cat (not a cat person at all), and everyone who has been brought over to the apartment has been greeted by Rockwell by meowing, face rubbing and he is well loved.

Rockwell is a very lucky kitty that someone wonderful came along to give him a loving home. 

You really don't know how long Rockwell has been out wondering around trying to survive.  There is no doubt he is grateful you came along and rescued him and undoubtedly he has made substantial progress in recovering from his ordeal and that takes time.  My sister had a rescue cat (Willie) that was very thin and long.  He was rescued as a tiny kitten and he remained long and thin to the day he passed away at 15 years.  Cats come in all shapes and sizes.  Having said that, there are other issues that could prevent him from gaining weight but you certainly seem to be doing the best to build him up.  Definitely keep in touch with the vet when you need to but give Rockwell some time also.

Hiding is not uncommon for cats and they do it for any number of reasons.  They'll hide if they are not feeling the best, if they are sad, if they just want their own space, and numerous other kitty reasons.  Once again, he may have been on his own trying to survive for some time.  Every now and again when I look at my watch my Pepper do something that is a little different, I often wonder if this is what he had to do when he was out there on his own.  Of course, just thinking of that breaks my heart and I have to pick him up and snuggle him even though I have had him for 10 years.  I don't believe they ever forget.  Let him have his time in hiding but quietly ensure you know where he is so you can check on him if he hides for long periods of time.

The vomiting could be so many different things.  If it continues, I would keep talking with the vet to see if you could narrow a cause down.  If you are able to monitor it, see if there is a correlation between his vomiting and something else like meal times, after grooming himself, certain loud noises etc.  That would help the vet determine possible cause also.

There are different schools of thought on the human food for cats.  My thought is 90% no for the simple reason is that they will come back time and time and time again and if you want a meal in peace, forget it.  Also, there may be additives in people food that are not good for cats.  The only time I will give my kitties people food is at Christmas and they will get a little bit of turkey or if I have fresh fish, I will let them have a small amount (teaspoon between the two of them).

There are so many different cat foods out there, some of which are junk and others which are excellent.  Every cat is different and their digestion and stomach are different.  You will need to research them a little.  If you go to the pet store to buy your cat food, when you ask for their suggestions, make sure you ask them why they recommend it (and "because it is good for your kitty" is not the right answer).  Some of the foods I have used that have worked for my cats over the years are Weruva, Wysong, Wellness, Natural Balance, Go, Blue Buffalo and Call of the Wild.  These are all wet foods.  For dry foods, I have used Now, Science Diet Metabolic, and Royal Canin.  Once again, they worked for me and I went on line to check them out to see reviews and content.

I really can't comment on Rockwell's butt but the Vet should be able to treat that.

Some kitties talk a lot and some don't.  I have a little girl who is half Russian blue and she has more sounds than I have ever heard.  She can bark like a puppy or sound like the tiniest little kitten and more sounds in between the two and she knows how to make use of her voice...over and over and over....   Pepper talks if he thinks there is food anywhere nearby.  I love to hear them speak and you learn what meows mean different things.

You and Rockwell will have many wonderful times together and the two of you will just make each others day.  Don't forget, cats are smart and he knows you stepped up to the plate to help and love him and he won't forget that.  You said that you are trying to be the best cat parent you can be, well, to me, it sounds like you are already there by doing your best for him.  God Bless!

Congratulations on your new(ish) buddy!  I'm so glad he found you, and that you decided to give him a home, even though you were allergic.

Now, as far as his apparent lack of energy, excessive meowing,  daily vomiting, and possibly even his rear end.  In my mind, I think they could all be related to his food.  Many, many cats are cannot tolerate  grains...specifically corn and/or wheat.  If you are feeding him canned foods that are on sale at the grocery store, and particularly ones that have gravy, you may inadvertently be feeding him something that, even though is nutritionally complete for cats, is not really what many of us consider "appropriate" for cats.  Don't get me wrong...there ARE foods sold at the Grocery Store that are corn and wheat free (I'll refer to these as "low carb").  Fancy Feast CLASSICS (if you are in the USA)  fall into that category.  But only the CLASSICS.  Not the Grilled or the Gravy's or the Roasted, etc, if you get my meaning.  Sheba PATE.  Again, NOT the Cuts, nor the Gravy's. 

Perhaps this article will help you out:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/what-makes-the-best-canned-cat-food

Anyway, since he is vomiting daily, I suspect he isn't absorbing all the nutrients he should, therefore is hungry, which would account for the excessive meowing, not to mention lack of energy (and thinness). 

Have you thought about adding a probiotic to his wet food?  This could also help if he has digestive issues.  Many folks give their cats probiotics, and many of us give them human probiotics.  Here are a couple of the ones we use:    OR     

When do you feed him?  The throwing up of clearish fluids normally IS because of too much stomach acid, which the Pepcid should help with, but if he eats meals frequently enough, he  might not need that.  My old girl has that issue, so I try to give her a meal right before bedtime, then I give her a quick snack as soon as I roll out of bed.  Just a piece of freeze dried chicken or something to tide her over until I'm awake enough to dish out breakfast for everyone

As to feeding him human food, NOT table scraps, BUT while you are preparing your meals, if you wanted to see if he likes raw meat, certainly try cutting off a piece of uncooked chicken or beef or whatever you are having (maybe not fish) and see what he thinks.  Many of us feed RAW, which is what cats in the wild eat, and is the most species appropriate food. We even have a sub-forum under Nutrition devoted to Raw Feeding.  Many cats who have issues like Rockwell THRIVE on a raw diet, but it's not just a matter of tossing him a piece of meat and you're done.  In the beginning you can do that if it's only 15% of his diet, but then you must learn to balance it nutritionally with organ and bones (or a calcium substitute), etc.  It's all covered here:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264154/raw-feeding-resources  OR you can even buy commercially prepared frozen raw food that is already 100% nutritionally complete.

Has Rockwell been back to the Vet lately?  I'm just wondering if his WBC is still high

OK,  for the rest of your questions. 

Yes, some cats are naturally very thin.

 I suspect he isn't playing much because he doesn't have a lot of energy, AND because you just haven't found the perfect toy yet.  Cats like to be the predator.  Have you tried something like Da Bird.  Mine go crazy for that.  It looks like an actual bird is flying in the house, but the problem is, you needs lots of room to use it, and it helps if you have high places when you can make it land and the cat can catch it.  Always let them catch their prey, then give them a treat when they do, otherwise...what's in it for them?

When cats hide,they want to be left alone, or something has scared them.  If they hide all the time and that is not the norm, it usually means they don't feel well. 

He is such a handsome boy!!  I'm so glad he has you to care for him.  Regarding the weight and vomiting.  He could not be able to gain weight or keep weight on because of the diarrhea.  As mrsgreenjeans pointed out, many cats can't tolerate grains.  They also can't tolerate fish flavors sometimes.  If you're feeding anything with fish in it, that might be complicating matters.  I would ask your vet for a limited ingredient diet food to see if that calms down his tummy and the diarrhea.  If you can get the diarrhea under control, he might be able to gain weight and his inflamed anus will clear up.  @Carolina is the person to talk to about irritated anuses as one of her kitty had some problems.  Another thing to consider is he might have tritrichomonas foetus.  Here's a great site for information on it.  http://www.highgait.com/page/page/3485008.htm   The vet can do a special test on his stool to test for that.  I'd highly recommend you get that test for him. 

Thank you all for the replies and suggestions.  I've lumped the answers to your collective questions below:

I bought da bird for Rockwell and he went bananas for it ... twice.  And not really since then.  He'll bat the toy away if it's on him but he tends to ignore it if I pull it out.  Same for the laser pointer, glowy-flashy ball, furry soft crinkly ball, knitting needles, straws, milk cap rings, yarn, tinsel.  It's weird.

He's definitely a social cat, and thankfully he doesn't hide often.  My partner and I shower him with tons of affection, never raise our voices at him, never spank or slap, or act aggressively towards him ever.  He is very mellow when it comes to wiping snot from his nose, eye boogers, or even poking about with his paws.  He doesn't groom himself often which I find peculiar, nor sharpen his claws on furniture.

Rockwell wakes me up at around 6 to be fed.  If I dawdle he will often vomit the frothy clear liquids.  Oh and when he pukes, it always comes in 3 bursts, the first is the largest and it peters out.  Even though he bugs me for food, there's almost always food left over that he hadn't eaten (usually dried and wet is left from the night before).  I take the food bowl, clean it out, take the other cat bowl to fill up with food for the day.  He gets pilled before food (he rarely fights me on this, thank goodness).  After he has had a chance to nibble, he'll join me on the sofa and we'll lounge around like lazy bums for about half an hour before I have to get ready for the day.  When I come home, I cuddle with him for about half an hour (sneaking in a small nap if time allows) and then I pill and give him his dinner.

The vet isn't too worried about his weight, so long as he eats something?  He seems perpetually dehydrated so thus the Pedialyte.  This may be because of the vomiting, but I can't be too sure.  He does drink a periodically (I was told that cats don't have a high thirst drive), so it may just be that he has a lot of loose skin. 

Update (from this morning): When I woke up, Rockwell greeted me at the doorway and was very quiet.  I saw that he was meowing but nothing was coming out, which for me, is kind of worrisome since he's so vocal.  When he managed to get a meow out, it was more like a strained squeak.  Any thoughts on what this means?  He threw up several times in the night (again, sadly, not shocking).

Your collective input is greatly appreciated!

R.

Cats do NOT have a high thirst drive, and that is one reason why dry food is not really good for them.  They love it, but unfortunately do not drink enough water with it so that in the end, it can be very dehydrating to them, and eventually cause health issues in some cats.  Did you know that a cat on dry food needs to drink approx 8 oz of water per day to keep properly hydrated?  I don't think any of my cats ever drank that much when I was feeding them kibble  

Here are a couple more articles you may find interesting: 

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat  AND

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/tips-to-increase-your-cat-s-water-intake

As far as playing, when you play with Da Bird, the object is to have the bird flutter AWAY from Rockwell, as if trying to escape from him.  It shouldn't really land on or near him, because a bird in real life would never do that .  When I bring out Da Bird, I make it fly around, then maybe I will have the bird land on the top of their cat tree or somewhere where the cats can jump up and try to catch it, or have it land up on the back of the couch or some place like that, then when a cat gets near, Da Bird takes off quickly, as a real bird would do.  Then every now and then I let one of the cats actually catch it, to make it fun for them, and then I will give them a food treat after they've licked the feathers for a few seconds.  Then we'll start at it again .  Another thing they really love is when I have a long stick underneath pretty much anything (towel, brown paper, tissue paper, and just move the stick around.  Most times I just use their feather wand...sometimes the feather end, sometimes the plain end. 

The meowing without sound is normally nothing to worry about.  All my cats do that.  From what I've read, the silent meow is an extra sign of affection .  If he threw up a lot last night, the unusual meow could even have been caused by a raw throat.  And the vomiting more at first, followed by a lesser amount is also normal, at least in our house.  That even happens with us humans.  First your stomach gets rid of the largest amount of whatever is offending it,  then tried to get rid of the rest, which is not usually as much as the first amount. 

So....my overall opinion is that it's still the food that is causing his issues, with the vomiting.  IS he still having the diarrhea issues?  If so, that could also be food based, or parasite based, as StephanieTX stated, but if the diarrhea isn't constant, then I would think more food issue for that too.   Besides the Orijen 6-fish dry, EXACTLY what wet food are you feeding him?  Brand and type and flavors?

Rockwell sounds like my Pepper and Emily.  I have boxes of toys for my cats.  Some they turn their noses up at (even brand new), others they will play with a few times and that is it and others, they go back and forth.  The one toy Pepper loves and goes back to is the Cat's Meow.  He loves the little "tail" that goes every which way under the yellow pad.  Emily, on the other hand, loves the laser pointer.  Not the one that is battery run and darts everywhere but the one where I have to sit down and point it all over, hold still and move it continually.

Cats drink when they want to.  As long as there is fresh water down for him at all times, when he is thirsty, he will go to it.

Not minimizing his vomiting, but any animal will vomit and it could be for any number of reasons.  Maybe he ate too fast, maybe there is an issue with the food he is on, maybe he is stressed out about something, and many other reasons.  Just watch him and if he seems to be vomiting more than occasionally, I would take him to the vet.

It sounds though like Rockwell has settled in and is enjoying being loved and fussed.  Sometimes this can take quite awhile but it sure sounds like he enjoys your company and love.  Give him a big pat for me.

Hey everyone, Rockwell has been having an interesting set of adventures lately, involving the vet.  Lately he's been super lethargic, vomiting very sporadically, and eating exceptionally well, except he's losing weight and pooping extremely loose bowels.  Last Friday we took him to the vet and they did X-rays, bloodwork, fecal, gave him liquids etc. The end results from the bloodwork is that his thyroid is in good health, as is his heart and lungs and thorax, but the x-rays gave the vet some worry since there were things he couldn't see, something about effusion and or organs that are too thin.  We took him in again the day after for another round of fluids and B12.  Since he's been home, my partner and I cleaned the living space, changed out his litter box (he seemed to think the box we were using had too high a set of walls).  The vet has him on Flagyl (1ml twice a day), Prednisolone, and Orbax (1ml once a day).

He's still pooping outside the box, still vomiting but now he's not eating well.  His poo looks different each time he goes to the box, ranging from dark semi-solid brown to loose grayish .... sorbet, to brown .... gelato consistency.  We're waiting on the fecal test, perhaps it's parasites but I wanted to find out if any of you have had these experiences.  The vet still thinks it's IBD, and suggested Hills Dry food W/D which I was leery about since Rockwell hates dry food.  If it is IBD, how do you cope with giving your cat a diet that he isn't willing to eat?  I feel extremely guilty for forcing food on him that he doesn't want to eat, so I spliced in some wet food to tie him over but even that doesn't seem to work since he will pick around the dry food and ignore a good chunk of the meal.

I'm going to keep him on the meds which may be doing a number on his stomach, but any and all input/feedback is welcomed.

R.

I am  sorry to hear Rockwell is still having difficulties.  I know some cats just are not fussy about dry food.  Science Diet W/D also comes in canned food.  I would call the vet and see if you can give Rockwell the canned version.  You and Rockwell are in my thoughts and hopefully getting him settled on a suitable food regimen will help him.

I have a couple of thoughts, based on 25 years of cat-parenting: Are you using plastic bowls? I had a cat who was allergic to plastic and vomited frequently until we started using ceramic or glass dishes.

The best way I know of to get a cat to drink more water is to set out multiple water "dishes". The quotes are because our cats have always preferred to drink out of a mug. There is a mug of water on our coffee table and a 4 cup hard plastic measuring cup in our bathtub where rambunctious kittens can't knock it over onto anything. The handles make it easier to change the water frequently, and they should be changed twice a day. With our old kitties, I also kept a mug of water on my bedside table, and would hear them drinking a couple of times each night. Once Rockwell gets used to these extra dishes, move the one you probably have with his food farther away gradually - maybe 6" per day. This is because a watering hole is a very dangerous place to eat for a small predictor like a cat and Rockwell knows this. Once he is using the extra water dishes regularly and his old one is several feet away from his food dish, you can probably eliminate that one. You might try using a water filtering pitcher to remove chlorine and minerals that may disagree with him, any big box store has a couple of brands.

You are right, cats and people food shouldn't mix. Things like onion and garlic can cause anemia, and Rockwell doesn't need more problems. I have always given a cat as much as he is likely to eat at one sitting, and thrown any leftovers out in a couple of hours.

Good luck to you and Rockwell!

Just an idea to try to get him a little more hydrated, you could try KMR for him to drink and it would give him nutirtion too. It is rather exspensive so when I gave it to Norville my vet had me get the off brand at Wal mart which was 1/3 of the price. You might be able to mix a little water in with it too to make it go farther. It does come in liquid and powder form. As I weaned Norville I mixed it in with a little dry food at a time and let it sit and get moist before I gave it to him to eat. He will not eat wet food either and I have tried! I hope you find some answers soon!!!

Rockwell is currently drinking and eating from metal saucers. 

His energy levels is a little better but I'm assuming that's from B12 shot the vet gave him, and I was instructed to give him B12 every 3 days.  He puts up with me giving him the meds and I guess it's just a waiting game to see if they are helping.  I just looked up the side of effects of flagyl and orbax and both can cause the vomiting and diarrhea (go fig).  Anyway, I'm waiting on the vet to call me about the fecal testing and report back his findings.

Btw, cat vet visits are insanely expensive!

R.

Are they testing for T. Foetus?  That's a special test that is not part of a normal fecal. 

I don't quite understand why they put him on Hills W/D.  That's usually for diabetic cats, or obese cats as far as I can tell.  I do see that it's also used for gastrointestinal issues, but would not think it's too good for IBD issues because of the corn gluten meal.  But as samnmag mentioned, it does come in wet food as well, so if you plan to stick with it, you could ask your Vet if it's ok to at least give him the canned version. 

I can't remember, are you giving him any probiotics?  If course, now that he is on antibiotics, you wouldn't want to give him probiotics at the same time of day, but probiotics are great to give cats.  I give all my cats probiotics every day.   The same ones my hubby and I take! 

Yes, Vet visits CAN be expensive, but it usually depends on which Vet.  They aren't ALL insanely expensive

I'm not entirely sure why he wasput on W/D.  The vet had him on I/D but Rockwell almost never ate it (he's pick at 2 or 3 pieces then give up and beg for wet food).  I might request the wet version of the W/D.  I did have a question about the probiotics.  Which type of probiotic do you give your cat (and husband?).  I wouldn't mind giving him that, but he's on antibiotics twice a day so I'm not sure when is the best time to give it to him.  I think the vet suggested Forti Flora, or Fortaflora, something like that.

Thanks again for your feedback!

R.

This is the probiotic we take: 
You could give it to him mid day, mixed into his food.  Fortiflora is considered a probiotic, but it's actually not a very good one.  I keep it on hand as a food topper, because most cat's love the taste of it.  Cost wise, it you buy Fortiflora from your Vet, you'll probably pay more for it than for the Natural Factors!  (but you can get FortiFlora from Amazon too) 

Hey everyone,

I had a house visit from Rockwell's new vet who looked him over and told me he is far older than the first vet said (pegging Rockwell at around 10 years).  He has intestinal lymphoma, which explains a great many things (the vomiting, diarrhea, appetite but loss of weight, elevated WBC count but not antibiotics affecting him, pred not working, etc).  While all of the news was bad I admired the vet to not BS me on it and asked him what could be done and he suggested a med (whose name escapes me) and B12 injections.  It hasn't been great since but Rockwell still seems to be himself for the most part and I'm taking it one day at a time.  The only med he's on is this new chemo drug (every 28 days), B12 injections (weekly), and pepcid AC.  I'll do some research on this site for people who have experienced lymphoma but figured you'd all be interested in Rockwell's well being.

R.

Gosh, for some reason i always thought Rockwell was a young cat...had no idea he was even close to 10 years old, let alone older than that.  I can't find where you ever posted his age, but no matter.  What matters now is that you have a reason why he's been having all these issues .  How did the "at home" Vet figure this out.  Did they do a biopsy?  That's usually how Lymphoma is diagnosed, as far as I know.  Is it large cell, or small cell?   I'm guessing he's on Leukeran?  If he gets nauseated, there are other meds that you can get (and most peopled whose cats are being treated for cancer keep them around)  to help combat that.

that Rockwell does well with his treatment.  I do know of another cat going true treatment right now for Lymphoma.  I believe it's small cell, and was diagnosed really early.   Here is that thread:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/282725/spooky-could-use-a-few-vibes/60#post_3609994

I am very sorry to hear that Rockwell has this issue and I am very glad you have updated us.  Hopefully the meds this vet has put him on will assist him.  Even though he may be older than first thought (and 10 really isn't that old for an indoor kitty considering there are a good number of cats that go up to between 17 and 20), he sounds like he is a fighter.  This doesn't surprise me considering that he now has a wonderful home and a kitty mom who loves him.  You and Rockwell are in my thoughts and I look forward to reading how he is doing.