Stomach Issues, Stopped Eating

Hi, all.  I'm a new member and grateful for the sharing of information I have found here.

I've had a cat in my house since I was a young kid.  Seems like a house without a cat is missing something.  So last October we adopted a cat from a local shelter.  Sweetest guy you could want, we're grateful to have found him.  Male, neutered, age unknown.  Shelter estimated him to be about 4; first vet he went to said 11 or 12.  Another vet said his guess would be about 5.  Color me confused.

From the day we brought him home he has always had soft, unformed stools.  I wouldn't describe it as diarrhea since there was no urgency to go and it wasn't usually watery.  Brought him to the vet for a look.  Physical exam revealed nothing obvious.  Blood work came back normal on everything.  The cat received a Vitamin B shot, put him on an antibiotic for two weeks, gave us FortiFlora and some high fiber dry food.  Nothing changed and we accepted the situation.  The cat's appetite and demeanor has never changed.  He seems fine, otherwise.  This was about 3 months ago.

Fast forward to now, Sunday morning.  Friday afternoon he stopped showing any interest in eating and has thrown up a few times since.  My first thought was a fur ball or two and not to worry.  But now he just sleeps and when he does get up he is moving very slowly and looks uncomfortable.  He tried throwing up this morning but there isn't anything in his stomach, or at least nothing he's been able to eject, so just some foam came out.  He's lying on a bed next to my daughter now, and she said she's heard his stomach rumbling and making noises.

About two weeks ago I started to transition him to a raw diet.  He's been eating about a 50/50 mix of Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Bites Chicken along with some canned wet food.  When he was eating he was eating this formula happily.  A few days ago I also started sprinkling some probiotics in this mix.  It's Nature's Bounty Advanced Probiotic 10, (10 probiotic organisms, 20 billion live cultures, according to the label).  He's been getting about 1/3 of 1 capsule.  I've only done this 3 times before he fell ill.

Any suggestions?  Could the people probiotics be making him ill?  Something more sinister?  I figure another vet visit is in order, but I also know that every time I go near my vet I'm out about $600.  Ouch.  Love my cat but I figured it can't hurt to throw this out to the community.

Thank you. 

It sounds like you are dealing with IBD.  What is happening now sounds like an IBD flare and the diarrhea was an ongoing symptom of it.  I know it's expensive but he needs to go to the vet to get the nausea under control.  Not eating can cause a serious liver issue but assisted feeding won't work because nothing will stay down.  These are the types of flares that my kitty has.

Denice said:

 
It sounds like you are dealing with IBD.  What is happening now sounds like an IBD flare and the diarrhea was an ongoing symptom of it.  I know it's expensive but he needs to go to the vet to get the nausea under control.  Not eating can cause a serious liver issue but assisted feeding won't work because nothing will stay down.  These are the types of flares that my kitty has.

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That's what I was going to say, too--I've had two cats with IBD and those symptoms sound like it.  I hope you can get him to a vet very soon and get that boy eating again.  

Hi @Carbo

Despite the many benefits of a raw diet, any cat who eats a raw diet is at risk of salmonella and other related infectious diseases.  Regardless, you need a vet visit asap. Your cat is sick, is at risk for liver issues as others have said from not eating, the liver issue is both life threatening and very expensive so get a vet before this happens.  Good luck and keep us informed.

Also, for a few days before he stopped eating, he was eating more than usual.  Surprised me because he is a lean cat and not overly interested in food. . .and he's been sneezing on and off for several weeks now.  At first I thought he had a cold but after a few weeks of sneezing I can only assume he's having an allergic reaction.  All seems to tie into IBD, doesn't it?    

For those who have dealt with this, any words of wisdom, support, etc would sure be welcome. 

Well, as @StephenQ  mentioned, it could be something else as well.  I'd sure take him to a vet to try to get a more definitive answer first.  

Oh and certain probiotics can cause significant gastric distress, my cat (who has IBD) got terrible diarrhea from one. 

Mild cases of IBD are usually diagnosed based on history and treatments (if certain treatments work that is diagnostic for IBD) but yi think the proximity to a diet change and use of probiotics is too close in time to take you towards IBD just yet.  If it was me I would discuss with my vet putting my cat on his old diet and removing the probiotic and seeing if there is improvement along with conventional therapies however please note that loss of appetite is not a common symptom of IBD.   Diarrhea and vomiting are more common symptoms but IBD usually comes on over time, and not as fast as you are experiencing.  I would still be very concerned about thibngs like Salmonella poisoning from raw food.  Raw chicken in particular is a higher risk than other raw proteins.

My kitty had loss of appetite with IBD flares.  He had atypical symptoms, no diarrhea just loss of appetite nausea and vomiting.

Denice said:

 
My kitty had loss of appetite with IBD flares.  He had atypical symptoms, no diarrhea just loss of appetite nausea and vomiting.

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Understood and agreed, my real concern is the proximity of the diet change and the symptoms.....

I will certainly be getting him to a vet.  In the meantime, is it wise to try and have him eat something?  He hasn't had a bite of food in about 48 hours and shows no interest in going near food right now.

Carbo said:

 
I will certainly be getting him to a vet.  In the meantime, is it wise to try and have him eat something?  He hasn't had a bite of food in about 48 hours and shows no interest in going near food right now.

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Yes!  after 48 hours of not eating he becomes at risk for hepatic lipidosis, a very dangerous liver condition that makes itself progressively worse because it destroys appetite as it damages the liver, usually a feeding tube has to be inserted at this point.

Yeah, Molly had loss of appetite with her flares, too.  Jake was the opposite--ravenous.  But yes, I'd sure try to get kitty to eat.  I had luck sometimes with Molly if I put her food in the blender with some water and made it liquidy so she could lap it up more easily.  Baby food works sometimes, too--Beechnut has some with just turkey and broth or chicken and broth, no other ingredients.  

He's been lying down next to my daughter when she heard his stomach make gurgling sounds.  He jumped off the bed and promptly vomited a brown liquid, slightly mucous. (I know this isn't pleasant.  My apologies.).  Nothing solid, of course, since he hasn't eaten anything.  He then to drink a little bit of water.  I may try the baby food so he has something at least in his stomach.

I'm over concerned about him not eating and sneezing, not so much about possible salmonella. Perhaps overly paranoid, but if he won't eat baby food, emergency vet. Certainly your regular vet Monday ( show up without an appointment if you have to).

This is the way my kitty would be with an IBD flare.  For me anyway even assisted feeding didn't help because nothing would stay down.  He will need something for the nausea.  If all you were using was the Nature's Variety I wouldn't be too concerned about salmonella either, that food has been sterilized.

It's posts like this that go against the good 'ol raw food diet.

Do the pros outweigh the cons?

I'm concerned about my raw chicken wing/heart/gizzard feeding now. Or raw rabbit/duck.  

Oh dear - maybe I just shouldn't bother with that treat anymore.

Marc999 said:

 
It's posts like this that go against the good 'ol raw food diet.

Do the pros outweigh the cons?

I'm concerned about my raw chicken wing/heart/gizzard feeding now. Or raw rabbit/duck.  

Oh dear - maybe I just shouldn't bother with that treat anymore.

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I don't think a connection can be definitively made between a raw diet and my cat being ill.  At least not yet.  We'll be visiting the vet tomorrow.

This sounds like IBD to me too. Or a possible obstruction due to hairballs? Hairballs have been bad for many of us this year.

How is your kitty doing?

betsygee said:

 
How is your kitty doing?

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Betsy, hard to say how he's doing.  We're confused and concerned. 
Took him to the vet on Monday.  At that time he hadn't eaten any solid food since Friday afternoon, and very little water, too.  He couldn't keep anything down.  Of course, he was very dehydrated by the time the vet saw him.  After explaining the details to her we agreed it would be best to keep the cat hospitalized. Blood work was mostly normal except for a slightly elevated white blood count.  He stayed two nights and was released yesterday, Wednesday afternoon, along with some Metronidazole.  She said he seemed better and hadn't vomited, and although he was drinking again he wasn't eating much.  Took him home and we all commented on how terrible he looked.  Thin, wobbly, weak and confused.  Walking with obvious discomfort in his hindquarters.

He continually paced around the house, looking for a place to curl up and he wanted to avoid us at all costs.  He made his way to a bedroom closet, buried himself in the back where he was all but invisible. . . and peed on himself.   I called the vet back and told her what was happening, a bit miffed that he was even released in this condition.  She offered to meet us back at her office so she could administer a pain killer to help him sleep through the night, followed by a ultrasound in the morning to see if that revealed anything.  Thought about it but we opted to keep him home where he would be with us in a less stressful environment and be more comfortable.  We set him up with his own bed in a spare room, litter box and water nearby.  Honestly, he looked so bad none of us thought he was going to make it through the night.  In fact, we all checked in on him at various times. 

Surprisingly, this morning he looked noticeably improved.  He has been drinking a lot of water and using his litter box as normal.  He appears to be less confused as he has come to all of us and jumped, (but barely), on to the bed to lay down with us.  But, he refuses to eat.  I have tried baby food, his usual canned food, even some tuna in water, anything to stimulate his appetite.  Just now I boiled some white rice and a chicken breast and I'm going to mash it all together and try that.  If that doesn't work, then I'm at a loss.  But he is weak and really needs nutrition.  That's issue number 1 in my mind.  Number 2 is what exactly is going on inside my guy and making him miserable.

Sorry for the novel. . .