Please help, scared

ilovepink

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Hi everyone

My beloved Mia is acting very odd.

Mia is 8 years old. We have had her from a kitten.

I noticed this week she hasn't particularly been eating much. We also have a kitten who eats everything so it's hard to tell how much Mia has had, but it's not much.

Yesterday (saturday)  I went to get her from the garden. She was sat in the hedge. I brought her inside and she seemed ok but quiet. She went back outside, and when I bought her back in (approx 6pm) she was sat with her head hanging down.

Saturday night she ate a small amount of tuna, no water. She went upstairs to her safe place (my daughter's bedroom) and stayed there all night. She seems very lethargic, walking  very very slowly. When I put her on my bed, she stayed in that exact position for 12 hours.

Today (Sunday) she has eaten a small amount of wet food (less than half a pouch) and a small amount of tuna. No water I don't think. She remains lethargic, and whatever position you put her in she stays in. I put her on my daughter's bed at 7pm and she is in the exact same position an hour later.

She is very quietly purring when fussed but not nuzzling or encouraging fuss which is unlike her. She is not even growling at the kitten, she is allowing the kitten to sniff her, which is unheard of! She is also licking her lips a lot when eating and randomly throughout the day.

I have not seen her use the litter box though we have been out this afternoon so it is possible she came downstairs to use it. If she hasn't used the litter box then she hasn't passed urine for 24 hours now as I have checked the house and there's no puddles etc.

I am so so worried about her, I am ready to ring the emergency vet but hubby thinks she can wait until 8am when the normal vet is open.

Aside from a heart murmur (no medication) she is otherwise healthy. She is overweight but not  by loads. She is fully vaccinated and spayed.

Could it be related to the kitten? We have had the kitten for 2 months now and she has hated her from the beginning. Mia is scared of the kitten and has taken to staying outside all day and/or hiding in her safe place. When they meet, she hisses at the kitten.

Prior to this, she was completely normal, the only different thing is that she has taken to spending most if not all, of her time outside in the garden. She was coming in to eat, though I can't say for sure how much or how often she is eating as I am not always at home.

Because she's been outside so much I am worried she may have been poisoned or attacked, though I cannot see any wounds. She has always slept downstairs so I am not sure if, when and how much she has eaten because she eats downstairs. The kitten tends to eat from both bowls too.

I am so scared, Mia is not just a cat - she is everything to me. She is my daughter's best friend, she has always loved and preferred my daughter (hence why under her bed is mia's safe place)

What can I do? And what should the vet do?
 

zoneout

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It's impossible to say what is wrong however licking of lips is often related to stomach acid. When the cat is lethargic with her head down this definitely a sign of illness. Is she vomiting or has she lost weight?
 
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ilovepink

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no she hasn't vomited (at least, not that we know of and certainly not since saturday afternoon)

she doesn't appear to have lost weight
 

peaches08

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When my gut has told me that something is wrong with my cat, my gut has always been right.  Staying in one spot 12 hours seems odd.

Is there a food/treat she normally goes crazy for?  I'd try offering it to her, just her alone.  If she doesn't get excited, something may be wrong.
 
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ilovepink

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tuna is her favourite, when I started putting it into the bowl she came out from under the bed and went to the bowl (a few steps) and ate a small amount but not much.  then went back under the bed.

I bought her  some cat milk but she wont touch that or water.
 

catpawson

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if money is the question remember you can use credit and pay for it later. i would take her NOW! i nearly waited too long to take my precious boy when he had crystals in his bladder. now i don't hesitate if they are acting out of character. that means something is very wrong. saying a prayer for her.
 

catwoman707

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Your cat absolutely needs to be seen asap. Not waiting until morning.

Yes, the ER vet is more expensive initially, but you can somewhat control the amt spent as some things advised can be held off until tmrw.

You do not want to regret not taking her if something turns bad, and in cats, it can so easily and quickly happen.

They are excellent and hiding their suffering.

Her lip licking is a sure sign of nausea.

She is dehydrated for certain with her behavior, and is infact suffering if she did not move for 12 hours.

She may have a urinary tract infection, pancreatitis, or a number of other issues. The clues are though that she is suffering and needs your help now.

Please don't wait. It can cost her her life. You just don't know if you wait.

On another note, I always feel sorry for older cats when a new kitten is brought home.

They go through it, kitten is spunky, fearless and can be so irritating for an older cat.

I also can't help but think that it drives them away due to a sort of depression, like they are being replaced in a way.
 

zoneout

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On another note, I always feel sorry for older cats when a new kitten is brought home.

They go through it, kitten is spunky, fearless and can be so irritating for an older cat.

I also can't help but think that it drives them away due to a sort of depression, like they are being replaced in a way.
Yeah, this usually is a mistake.   The intentions are good .... bring home a little playmate for companionship - but it rarely works out.  When we did it our older cat`s personality changed.   They never played together and the older cat would only hiss whenever the kitten was near.   Irritating is a good description.
 

artemis214

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Please take her to the Vet NOW hon.  There are SO MANY possible reasons, but she is likely seriously ill.  We promise to say a Prayer, both for your kitty to get well quickly, AND for an honest Emergency Vet who will charge only what is necessary. 

PLEASE keep us posted.
 

sharon budd

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Please post and let us know how ur kitty it does not sound good I hope she gets better lots of love to her x
 

catwoman707

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Yeah, this usually is a mistake.   The intentions are good .... bring home a little playmate for companionship - but it rarely works out.  When we did it our older cat`s personality changed.   They never played together and the older cat would only hiss whenever the kitten was near.   Irritating is a good description.
Of course the intention is for companionship, but as you said, rarely works out well, and usually it's the older resident who suffers rather than the new fearless mischevious kitten :)
 

weemomma

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Please take your cat to the vet ASAP!  Not eating is a sign that something serious is going on.  I learned the hard way last week about fatty liver disease and I lost my cat within a matter a days.  Do not wait because it will only cause more serious problems.
 
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ilovepink

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thanks everyone

I took Mia to the vet and he said she had a temperature (39.7 C). He said the lip licking would indicate she may have eaten something toxic.

He gave her an injection of antibiotics and an injection of anti-inflammatory drugs and said that should help.

When she got home, she ate a small amount of food and had a fair amount of water. She seemed more mobile, even nuzzled my leg. She then went to sleep.

This morning she has drunk some milk and eaten the jelly from 1 pouch of wet food. She hasn't really eaten any meat :(

She is a little less lethargic - she has walked in and out of the downstairs rooms, not sure if she has used the litter tray during the night or not as the kitten seems to use both trays. She hasn't used it in the past 6 hours though.

She is sniffing the kitten and growling which is a good sign as that is what she normally does, rather than ignoring her like she did before the vet.

As for the kitten... we have invested a lot of love, time and money into her as she was sick when we got her, we've paid for a chip, vaccines etc. I am reluctant to rehome her and my daughter is sad at the idea. But it is something I will consider if she cannot get along with Mia. I had hoped she would be a companion for Mia, as Mia's last companion died 3 years ago and she'd been with him since she was 7 months old.

I am still a bit worried as she is still not her normal self, I am wondering if I should take her back to the vet for a blood test?

My last cat died of renal failure after ingesting something, I cannot bear the thought of that happening again. 3 years on and I'm still not over it :(
 
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ilovepink

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ps. the vet said Mia was not dehydrated, her scruff springs back and her gums are pink
 

zoneout

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Maybe try seeing if someone will look after the kitten for a couple of weeks and see if Mia`s mood changes back to normal.

My oldest cat got very stressed being around other cats.    Its just they way they are.   Less social than dogs.
 

pharber-murphy

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I'm so glad you got Mia to the vet. It sounds like she is improving, so that's great news. Now that Mia is better, we can chat about re-introducing kitty.

Were Mia and the kitten introduced properly? The Humane Society has a great site explaining how to introduce cats:

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/introducing_new_cat.html

Maybe, if you start from the beginning and re-introduce kitty, Mia will come around. It would be a shame to have to re-house him/her, but if they can't be re-introduced, then you may have to. 

Now, having said that, as long as Mia is only hissing at kitty and no harm is done, you could count yourself lucky. I know people who have several cats that harm one another, even though they've been living together for years. Sometimes, it works out; sometimes it doesn't.

Let us know how it goes.

Best regards,

PHarber-Murphy
 
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