Kidney failure or Something else?

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that guy

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Do you have any more vets in your area? These kinds of issues are not simple and it may be really hard to diagnose what the core issue is and maybe there is some place that will have a different opinion. If the cat is not eating then this is a very bad situation considering the time that has passed. You can put the cat on an IV and feed him food through the drip. You can have the vet do the insertion and then keep feeding him food through the IV. This will give him some energy and keep him saturated plus you could keep him at home as long as he was supervised. The not eating has to be addressed pronto because the cat will just waste away and die. His quality of life is pretty low right so get him his x-rays and if this vet doesn't have a clear idea then take him somewhere else right away.

There are many things as mentioned above that can cause him to do this. I took Monday and Friday off last week because my guy had not eaten for more than 24 hours because he was having IBD attacks. One day he can be happy and social and then the next day or hour he under my bed hiding. Sometimes I can walk near my room and hear his stomach making noise. He sleeps beside my head most of the time and sometimes his stomach makes so much noise it wakes me up with a start. My buddy gets to the point where he will throw anything up and he has IBD and his sister came down with the same symptoms and she had cancer so you can never tell. Drugs and food made a difference with my guy and the sub-q he gets for his kidney helps replace the moisture he throws up. My guy was just like yours until the vet managed to get everything under control.

The thing with my guy was his blood tests were all within the normal range but some things were higher or lower within the normal range. The findings of the blood tests don't always indicate a clear problem and it sounds like your vet is expecting something on the x-rays or he is out of ideas. I do hope the x-rays are clean and if they are not then I would have already researched different vets or emergency hospital where you can take him. When my cat had the same issue as yours his vet gave him an anti-nausea shot and another shot to increase his appetite and one to settle his stomach (Pepsid or something). I was told to give him small amounts of food and see if he can keep it down but don't keep feeding him if he throws it up. They also tested his B12 levels which were really low so he was given a B12 shot a few days which pumped him up. It never hurts to have a second opinion and I have taken my cat to other vets to see what they had to say.

Don't forget this is all for Mickey so if it does come down to it you have to let go so he doesn't suffer. Do everything you can medically including getting other opinions and keep him safe and secure but there will come a time when you have to let go for him. We all have to face this and I have had to do it enough in the past but keep it in the back of your mind. At this point this is a secondary matter so the first is to find out what the issue is and if the current vet can't do it then find another vet asap. Most will take you right away if it is an emergency so before your vet visit try to get these places mapped out so you know where you have to go.

Best of luck tomorrow and I do hope it is not cancer and you can get on top of this.
 
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Cocheezie, Thanks for reading my post and responding. I really do appreciate the good wishes.Thank You!
 
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That Guy, This vet is very close by and privately owned.There are only two vets on call there.Needless to say, I am very discouraged with the whole situation. At the beginning the vet did give him an anti nausea shot which seemed to help and my cat started eating again.That lasted about two days.Now the vet says he can't give anything until he finds what is really wrong.I think he is wrong about that.He could give my cat some shots as you described above to help him eat and gain some strength back.I talk and talk but feel I am not being heard.Also the vet wants to sedate my cat to do the x rays.Is that really necessary? ? I fear that he may not be strong enough to undergo the sedation.He is still alert and walking around but seems weak.I know that's because he hasn't been eating.I even tried syringe feeding him but he vomited it up.My vet is also kind of expensive and he wont do a payment plan. The vet is very nice and has patience when dealing with Mickey.I just think that he could do more for my little kitty.I am paying alot of money and he is not helping my cat.My poor kitty can't even eat. Sorry to hear that your kitty was not feeling like himself. You seem like you were right on track though and were able to help him.Hope he is doing lots better.Again, thanks for listening and responding.I do appreciate any advice you can give me.Take Care of your little buddy!!
 

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Sorry for the late reply but the x-rays depend on the cat, some are very gentle and others fight every step so it depends where you cat sits. My vet took the x-rays with Scratchy awake and she was worried about his age as well be he is very gentle and let them do what they wanted. If your vet was able to give him a sub-q without holding him down then chances are he will be okay with an x-ray especially if he is weak. She said she would try as much as possible to avoid putting him under but she didn't have a problem and got everything done. He was like Mickey when he first went to the vet and she had said the most important thing was get get him eating again and keeping it down and staying hydrated.

My vet did a blood test and x-ray and did an in-house test and sent the rest away for full tests and then did the sub-q and drugs to get him started. By the x-rays she could see he was born with a small left kindey and all of his numbers were all in the normal range although some were high/low but this is not uncommon if he is not eating. After he went home he started eating slowly and then went back when they had a better idea of how to treat him. They gave him something to settle his stomach and Pepcid and they also gave me pills I could give him to induce his hunger if he was not eating but not throwing up.

Scratchy travels about 24 kms each way to his vet and there are vets that are closer but I don't think they are as good. He also went to a 'cats only' vet for a short period but it was more like an assembly line for cat repairs so I stopped taking him there. It is important to find a vet that knows what they are doing and can at least get the basics started. The first concern is to get he cat eating and most will do this using drugs until they understand the problem and can target the sickness and make him better.
 
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Hi That Guy, I took Mickey to his vet for the X Ray yesterday.I explained all my concerns to him.I think the problem was that I had to deal with the vet's partner for a few days as our vet was not there.The partner was very nice but I could clearly tell he was not as good as our vet.Our vet did want to sedate Mickey so he could be certain the x rays would be very clear.He didn't give him an IV sedation.He just gave him the mask over his face and only enough to make him drowsy.I waited in the office for the tests to be completed and he was fine after.Mickey is also a gentle cat and very quiet.The vet always gives the IV fluids and draws blood or anything else with no problem. My cat will just sit there.The tests did show numerous small tumors in his colon.His stool is also bloody.Everything else looked okay. The vet could do exploratory surgery to biopsy one or two of the tumors.However the vet does feel that it is cancer.For now I just want my Kitty to eat.The vet did give him more fluids and an anti nausea shot and a B12 shot.He put him on prednisone 0.5 twice a day.He hopes that will help with any swelling and maybe even shrink the tumors a little.Mickey did eat some last night and today .Not alot but some.He also lost a pound.I thought maybe the vet could also put him on a anti nausea liquid medication that Mickey could take daily.I just want him to continue to eat as of now.I want to concentrate on now and just take one step at a time .The vet says that is the best I can do for now.At least Mickey' main vet listens.He is a better vet than his partner.I only went to the partner to do the blood work so the results would be back when I seen my cat's own vet.If you can think of anything else that the vet could give Mickey to help him please let me know.I will pass it on to his own vet .Thanks for any help or advice you may offer.Hope Scratchy is doing well.
 

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This is a good start, at least you have something to go on and now you can work through this. To start I would create a new thread with the findings, the drugs he is on, and what should be done to help him out. This thread is kind of long with no real conclusive issues so people may pass it by so create a new one and then link this thread to it for more information. Did the vet have any suggestions about how to treat these tumours? I hate the idea of biopsies and so far I have not done this for my guy because it is pretty intrusive. The did one for his spleen because they could do it through his ribs as they found some odd things on one of his ultra sounds.

The issue with sick pets is they can't tell you what is wrong and they are very good at hiding weaknesses so it can be late by the time you figure it out. They are also up and down so you never know what to expect from them. When I left this morning Scratchy was up with me and eating away with a vengeance and when I got home I found out he had thrown up in his litter box and on the floor outside of the bathroom door where his litter box resides. I checked on him and he is in his kennel and not really too happy and has a lot of stomach noise. Give and take, he is good most of the time but he has his downtime for sure.
 
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Hi That Guy, I know it has been awhile since I last posted.For that , I am truly sorry.I had some ups and downs with my cat.I am heartbroken to report that my precious kitty Mickey passed away on Tuesday July 8, 2014.He did pass naturally at home in my arms.I kept telling him how much I loved him and would miss him.He looked up at me lovingly.I am convinced he understood.He even let out a soft meow as if to to say that he loved me too.I tried my best to help him but it just wasn't enough.He only ate a little the last few days and drank some water.I did syringe feed him and kept up with his medication. He continued walking and jumping around till about the last hour.I knew the end was near and never left him.I wanted him to know I loved him and I was there.I didn't want him to feel alone.Needless to say, my heart is broken.I walk around in a daze in my house.I see my Mickey everywhere. I feel so lost and empty.Mickey was my baby.I do want to thank you for always listening and for all your advice.I hope your kitty Scratchy is doing well.Continue to love him and enjoy all your days with him.Again thank you.Also I want to thank all who has posted advice for me in regards to my Mickey.Hope all your kitties are doing well.
 

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l'm so very sorry for the loss of your beautiful boy.

RIP Mickey 
 

that guy

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I am so sorry to hear of his passing and it truly brought a tear to my eyes to hear of this but all things come to an end at some time. You did what you could and you were there to support him to the end and that was a great thing for him. You know he would have had it no other way than to have his last few moments in your arms. A loss is always hard to deal with and it takes a while for it to start to get better but you always have your memories of him. Take care and remember the good times you had with him before he was sick and that you were able to make his last days much better than they could have.
 

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So sorry about Mickey, so glad Mickey died naturally and not in an office with a shot.  We all wish this is the way our pets would leave us.  So so sorry for your loss.
 
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Andrya Thank You for your sympathies.Mickey was a beautiful loving cat who was truly loved.He will forever be missed.
 
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That Guy, Thank You for your kind words.You have been so helpful and supportive through the whole ordeal with Mickey.I will always be grateful for that.As I am sure you know, I am completely lost without my Mickey He was my baby, my best friend.I have gone through alot over the last few years, and Mickey was always there to help me.He was even there when I lost my mom.He helped me to survive.I had other cats in the past and I did and still do love them all.However Mickey was different. He became my very best friend. I am not sure how to survive without him.I don't have any other pets at this time.Again thanks for all your kind words .They mean alot to me.Hug Scratchy for me.Enjoy all your days with him as each say is so precious
 
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Robinathome Thank You for responding and all your kind words.My baby Mickey was truly loved and will be missed.The only comfort I have is that he went naturally in his home where he felt safe and loved.He was a precious little kitty and I am totally lost without him.
 

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You should also have the comfort of bonding with him which is not something everyone can do. It is funny how they end up taking so much of your time once they start getting sick and you don't really know how much time they take until they are gone. I get up and take care of him before work and then go right home and check on his feeders to make sure he is eating properly, check the litter box to ensure everything is working properly, and then go and make sure he has not thrown up. Then I check on Scratchy if he hasn't found me first and make sure he is doing well and feed him and start his evening drugs. I do think about what I would do without him because I know it is coming or even overdue but they become such a part of your life you can't really imagine it until it happens.

In the end you had a wonderful cat and you helped make his life a good one and nobody can take this away. The only suggestion I can make is to think about cool he was when he was there for you when you really miss him. I would also think about another pet because they are great to have around and they help keep you healthy. You will never replace Mickey not that you would want to but you can find another friend and bond with it. There will always be cats but it is up to us to give them a good home for life if at all possible. You did this for Mickey so maybe you can find another friend and start over.

Thanks for asking about Scratchy, he is doing well for the most part. It has been over 90 degrees for the last week and he threw up every day for 5 days and once 3 times in the same day. He is too old for this kind weather so I bought an AC unit and put it in my room for him. I had a ceiling fan going on high speed pushing the air from the AC down and I don't think Scratchy liked the wind but once I turned the ceiling fan down he has been staying cool in the room a lot. It will be hard to see Scratchy go, he has been with me since the day he was born and other than week I had to go to a conference and two days when he disappeared he has been with me every day in his 19 or so years. I do whatever I can to help Scratchy short of cutting him apart and at this point I am thankful each day he is around. I can only hope he passes like Mickey when the day finally comes.
 

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The TCS team would like you to know that we are so very sorry for your loss.   Threads are locked after someone has suffered such a loss, as a sign of respect.  We invite you to place a tribute at http://www.thecatsite.com/f/19/crossing-the-bridge  as an enduring testimony to your friend. 
 
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betsygee

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The TCS team would like you to know that we are so very sorry for your loss.   Threads are locked after someone has suffered such a loss, as a sign of respect.  We invite you to place a tribute at http://www.thecatsite.com/f/19/crossing-the-bridge  as an enduring testimony to your friend. 
Mod note:

There's a thread for Mickey in the Crossing the Bridge thread here:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/282142/missing-mickey-july-4-2001-july-8-2014#post_3593711
 
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