sick kitty

We just returned from Christmas vacation yesterday. We were gone for ten days. Our neighbours had a key to our house and assured us they would make sure everything was fine. They knew we had two cats, they have a cat of their own also. We called our neighbours on the fourth day to specifically remind them to go over and check on the cats for us and make sure they had food and water. We tried to come home early because we were leary about leaving the cats for so long. Our power steering on the van went Christmas day. For two days no garages were open. Saturday afternoon we got the van fixed. Rather than driving in the dark we decided to leave in the morning. We woke up to a huge winter storm on Sunday. So we stayed one more day. When we walked in the door yesterday afternoon we found our eight year old cat so sick that he could barely walk. The water dish was empty. His back bone and ribs were sticking out, his skin was hanging on him and his eyes looked sunken in. He would not eat or drink for us. The other cat was fine, she drinks from the fish tank all the time but the older cat doesn't care for fish water. We took him to the vet immediately. The vet put him on IV to hydrate him and kept him overnight. They did blood work twice and x-rayed to check for any blockages. The vet bill is now up to $700.00 and he still hasn't eaten any food. We are just sick that we didn't find more compentent people to look after our cats for us. We are good friends with our neighbours and their kids play at our house all the time. Yesterday our neighbour said that she would have probably went in the house every day if it wasn't for the house alarm. She was afraid she would set the alarm off!! ARGH!! So instead she chose to neglect our cats!! She even had phone numbers to reach us at. She entered the house once on the fourth day when we called. She told us yesterday that the water dish was empty when she was there so she filled it up. Now wouldn't you think that she might be worried three or four days after that that perhaps the dish might be empty again?!! Some people just don't have any brains in their head. She knew that she was the only person we were relying on to take care of the cats for us. I never dreamed that the huge metal mixing bowl we left out full of water would be empty all ready in four days. Perhaps lots evaporated. Anyway, when ever we get left responsible for other people's houses and pets we go over every single day, sometimes twice a day to check the house and pet the cats. Cats get lonesome. I guess to them checking on the house means looking out the window to check for smoke and checking on the cats means peeking in the window to see if they are still alive??!! ARGH!! We are mad at ourselves for not making it more clear to them that we wanted them to go over every single day. But once in ten days just seems like stupidity on their part, doesn't it? I tell you we will never EVER leave our kitties for that long again if we can help it. And if there is a next time we will make sure we have someone more competent to watch over them and the house.

OMG poor kitties, poor you! That is terrible! How are you restraining yourself from not strangling those idiots?!?!

I agree, when we pet-sit we go over at least daily, usually once in the AM and again in the PM to make sure all is well and to spend some time with the kitties.

That is reprehensible! Cats not eating and not having access to water can develop life threatening illnesses in days! I would for sure be thinking of slapping those people with vet bills. I hope your kitty pulls through- I would be devastated and pissed!

Mom of ten cats... do you really own 16 cats? If so, how do you afford to feed them all? Did they all get fixed and do they have their yearly vaccinations?

Anyway, I think that is great that you are able to take care of that many cats. They all look very healthy and well taken care of.

Our first cat came from a farm. The second one we got from the humane society and she is the nicest, friendliest cat I have every owned. It is almost like she is grateful every day to me for rescuing her.

I hope our kitty can pull through this. He was pretty sick. Thanks for the support.

Do you think it was odd that the younger cat was fine but the older one was not? I am wondering if he just wasn't so lonesome for us that he made himself sick. Is that possible? He plays with the other cat lots. They run around and wrestle all the time so we didn't think he would miss us as much since we got a second cat. But because the vet can't seem to really find anything else wrong with him I am leaning towards thinking that he was just heart broken that we left him for so long. You would think that a cat would drink out of the toilet or the fish tank if it got thirsty enough. It isn't like there wasn't a drop of water to be found in the house. Does anyone know of any cases of severe depression in a cat that almost killed the cat? I'm worried that having him at the vet away from us another day will just make him even more sick. My mom left her cat once for seven days. When she came home he was very skinny also and he had pulled out all of the fur from him tail. He was very stressed out while they were gone.

Originally posted by kfleck

Mom of ten cats... do you really own 16 cats? If so, how do you afford to feed them all? Did they all get fixed and do they have their yearly vaccinations?

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Actually, there are 18 of them, 2 are missing from the photo in my signature. They go through a 20 lb bag of Nutro Max Cat dry every 2 weeks, a 30 lb container of litter every week and a half. It ain't cheap, but it's do-able. We shop for food at Petco, and with their PALS card, after 10 bags of food, the next one is free, so we get free food once in a while. Occasionally the litter fairy visits, too; we volunteer at the local SPCA and they sometimes get donations of clumping litter (which they don't use) so they give it to us. They are all fixed, except for little Question, who is 5 months old and is getting neutered next month (whether he wants to or not LOL). We give them their vaccinations, I order them from www.drsfostersmith.com . They are all rescues. They're like children to me, and I don't have to put them through college or beg them to clean their rooms!

That's so awful! I can't believe your neighbors would do that! How do you not check on someones cat for 10 days? I certainly hope your older kitty will be OK. Poor baby.

Sending healthy,strong vibes to your kitty. . . .

OMG what a shock to come home to . I would be highly ticked about my neighbours . I believe I would say something to them , so just to make them feel bad . I guess I was really lucky this year when I went for ten or 12 days on vacation . That lady come by my house twice a day and I also have dogs too . I was not to happy comming back since it look like a big mess to me , but all were taking care of with food and water . She even medicated the one who was sick . I guess I cant complain then . But that person of yours I really would like to give a kick in the butt , with both of my feet . I do hope you sweety is getting well again , that poor baby . I will say a prayer for him

This is horrible. I would sue the hell out of them WHAT idiots. And never speak to them ever again.

I pray and hope that your kitty makes it. Please keep us posted

The vet just called. The X-Rays earlier revealed my poor little sick kitty had a slightly enlarged heart and lungs. He seemed to be labouring a bit to breathe. So they did another $120.00 test to monitor his heart and breathing to check for heart disease. All tests so far have come back normal. The vet can't seem to pinpoint any other cause for the illness besides the dehydration. I think he just starved himself while we were away and he just needs to be home. It is stressful to be in a little kennel at the vet also. He still hasn't eaten anything. But at least he is well hyrdrated now. I will going to get him within the hour and bring him home. I hope he just needs his mama.

A lady from work just told me that her son was away from his cat for four days over Christmas and his cat never ate a thing the whole time! If my idiot neighbour would have at least pet him once in a while he might not have been so lonesome! She told us that the one time she did go over he rubbed against her leg. It sounded like she didn't even bend over to pet the poor thing!

That's so terrible! How could anyone be so coldhearted?

I certainly hope your kitty will be allright. If he needs to stay at the vet, ask if you can visit. When you do, bring along your pillowcase, or a dirty t-shirt that you've worn that will have your scent on it to comfort him. Poor kitty.

What's his name?
I'll say a prayer for him.


I'm glad your other cat is allright.

I cant stop thinking about this. Your neighbor SUCKS!!!! Did you tell her your cat was practically dead because of her?? They should be paying your vet bills.

btw here's a tip if you ever leave again.. I would leave MANY water bowls all over the house and plenty of dry food everywhere just in case. I would rather my cats gain a little weight than starve to death.

I bet your kitty does need to come home and be with you. Try feeding him baby food, chicken or beef, tuna, cheese, anything just to get him to eat (though I would not feed tuna or cheese on a regular basis).

I had something similiar happen to me once. We went on vacation for about a week and made arrangements for someone to come to our home daily to check on our RB cat Kitty. The day we returned home, we found Kitty had torn though a window screen and escaped, and her food and water bowls were both completely empty, (fortunately, Kitty came back home a few days later). Later that same day, I found out that the person who was supposed to check on Kitty never showed up even once because they were having "personal problems". Since then I have never trusted any individual person to look after our cats in our absense(sp?) and I always board them at my veterinary clinic. You may want to do something similiar in the future.

IMO, your irresponsible neighbors are 100% responsible for your cat's illness, and they should have to pay for the veterinary care it needs now.

I think he just starved himself while we were away and he just needs to be home. It is stressful to be in a little kennel at the vet also. He still hasn't eaten anything. But at least he is well hyrdrated now. I will going to get him within the hour and bring him home. I hope he just needs his mama.

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Take some clothing that has your scent on it with you when you go. That way, if they insist on keeping your cat at the veterinary clinic a little longer, you can place the clothing in his cage with him, and it should help him feel more comfortable and reassured.

I'm just really amazed anyone could be that heartless.

I was pet-sitting for a friend last year, and my car broke down...I ended up riding the bus across town in the morning before work and in the evenings after work for a week to take care of her pets, because I had promised to do it, and they were all alone. And this person couldn't walk next door????

off the subject, but...
out of paranoia I leave the lid off the tank part of the toilet (I don't use chemicals in it) when I leave the house. It saved my cats once a few years ago, b/c it flooded & I was stuck away from home for 3 days, but I knew that the cats had fresh water.

One of the quickest way to give comfort to a caged animal is to take an old sneaker and put it on sockless. Wear it around the house while you do major activity and get it all sweaty. Pop it in a zip-lock bag and take it over to the vet and put it in the cage for your cat. It is the one wearable item that retains the smell of your scent the longest, and the cat will most times just bury his head into the shoe and be comforted. Good luck! Oh- and don't forget if there are shoelaces to remove them first

I would have been screaming at them on their doorstep and made sure the entire neighborhood knew what they had done. I'm sorry, but that's the kind of stupidity that I cannot abide.

Just reading that again make me so . If your cat would not eat and the person is responsible , she would have brought the cat to the vet . At least that would I have done . What sick person gosh . I wonder how she would feel if it is the other way around ?

What awful neighbors you have!!!
Those poor, poor, cats!
I pray that your sick one bounces back quickly.

Heck, I wouldn't do that to someone's plants, let alone their precious animals!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was taking care of my sister's many gerbils last summer (along with her many flowers and plants), and on the third day I noticed that one of the gerbils had expired I was very upset. I found some ziplock bags and placed him inside (double bagged), and placed him carefully in her freezer! I didn't know what else to do. I left her a note and called her when she got back. She said that the other gerbils had been attacking him and that she wasn't surprised that I found him dead. Phew!!!

I could not imagine leaving someone's cats in a house without food & water (or love & attention).

Inexcuseable! I sit for my best friend's cats quite often, as he travels a lot. I find that often, perhaps out of boredom, they jar the water dish or put something in it that soaks up the water. I always go to the house at least once a day, and often, I order some takeout and sit there and eat it with them so they will have some company.

When I used to housesit my boss kept losing frogs (they'd die). Then one day I got home and all his fish and both frogs were dead (neon tetras). I called him up frantic. He was so appreciative I had called but he said he wasn't surprised because their big lab Spike kept drinking out of the fish tank and he thought that was killing them.

He kept me as a house sitter for 5 years and eventually I was house sitting for everyone in my company. I rarely spent a day at home.

I would go over to your neighbor's house and calmly inform them that their irresponsibility has cost you X amount of dollars and that you will expect payment in cash by the end of January in order to cover the vet's bills since they did not want to take care of the cats and prevent the extraneous costs. Do it very coldly and without emotion. It will be hard.

I would also make sure that anyone else who may think of asking them to housesit knows exactly how they treated your animals.

And consider taking them to Small Claims Court......