My cat hasn't had anything to eat in almost 3 days after seeing the vet

Before I reply more, I want to say how glad I am that you got your cat Libby to finally eat! yay!! This is great news!

As for the other symptoms she was having, it seems to me it was all a big combination of things (I'll address the stress part combined with the not-eating part last).


NOTE: * I am not a vet nor a tech, so never take my words as gospel, as they say, but I have had some unfortunate health/vet stress experience(s) with my own past cat(s) over the years -- and even with very good vets. *


I can definitely understand her leg hurting where she got the rabies shot. There could be some soreness from getting the shot itself, and it might last a few days... but also, if you have a stressed out cat at the start, no matter now gentle and experienced a vet or vet tech can be and even if they don't inadvertently do something to wrench a cat's leg as it struggles in fear (while a vet is giving a shot, etc), the cat can tense its own muscles so hard during these "ordeals" that the shots (intramuscular ones, for instance) seem to cause more pain or "post- shot limping" as the leg muscles eventually relax later at home. Does that make sense? It sounds like Libby is walking normally again so that is good.

It sounds like the ear cleaning was also very stressful for Libby. If her ear mites were quite bad, it could have taken some careful time for the vet and assistants to get her poor ears cleaned out before applying medicine. And ear medicine is NOT FUN for a kitty, alas. I'm pretty sure she struggled a great deal, or else, froze in fear while it was all going on (either way, leading to more tense muscles, sigh, and increased heart rate).

By the way, the Revolution will help with the ear mites as well, but if the infestation was really severe, your vet might recommend to bring Libby in monthly for at least 1-3 months or more to help with ear cleanings and to get a new dose of Revolution. It will really help with her mites (and several other parasites)... I just don't know how you will quite accomplish this, as Libby had such a devastating-for-her time at the vet on the 17th! yikes

Understand, too, that her balance issues are something for you to keep an eye on. Ear mites, if they have gone deep, been around a while, may have pushed your cat's ears into a full blown ear infection, can cause balance issues when standing, walking. Even the usually goopy medicine the vet will normally put in the ears for helping to clear up the mites can cause some balance issues, if a big glop of medicine got in her ear & it is still sort of "sloshing" around. Keep close watch on her ears! It could take several months to get rid of the mites, or any possible infection. Sometimes a further antibiotic is needed. Medicines are key. I hope you can be patient enough and find a good way to have her ear mites addressed for Libby in the coming months! Maybe the vet can teach you to do some ear cleaning at home, and even the ear drops. (Do not do this without the vet's instructions -- you do not want to damage Libby's ears in trying to clean them, or not know how to give the ear meds.) Monthly doses of Revolution will help, and maybe you and the vet can work it out so you do this at home as well. Or maybe a tech can come do a House Call each month for a little while, to help out. The key is understanding that Libby won't likely soon forget her bad experience on the 17th, so maybe there can be other ways to have her needs addressed (without as many vet visits... even to decrease the "cardboard box" trips will help).


Now, sometimes cats be have reactions to getting several parasite meds at once, so that's not out of the realm of possibilities. It can sometimes reach a point of toxicity.

But, as you said,

dpepper73 said:

... So that's one vaccination and three different meds that they gave Libby. Don't get me wrong. This veterinarian and his assistant were very knowledgeable, courteous, and professional.

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and I personally don't think what the vet did was out of line.

--- ---

What was scary to read in your first post, and I'm so glad her breathing finally stabilized, was that she was panting so much after the vet visit! How scary that must have been for you!

I'll tell you what, it is NOT unheard of for a cat to have such a terrifying experience (--going to the vet, --at the vet, and --coming home from the vet), that they are too stressed, too scared, too out of sorts, to even eat. It is almost like they are deeply depressed. Plus, often stress-related high blood glucose occurs in many cats, which can push their normal eating patterns out of whack upon getting home.

I speak from my own experience. Sometimes an animal can have such a bad time that it almost seems to switch them into a mode of losing its will to live. And it stops eating. It may not seem such a horrific time to you, but to the cat, the universe converged on one heckuva Bad Day and their stress just hits that "sweet spot" on intensity. You just never know. In 2005, my last cat (who passed away last year aged 15) had a week-long hospitalization that REALLY traumatized her. In fact, we almost lost her. Thank goodness we did not, but it took her several days upon getting home to drink water and nibble food *on her own*. We had to really struggle to get water into her and get what food into her that we could. She wouldn't pee or poo either. We were so worried! When we took her back to the vet, the primary goal was to get her to eat, to pee, etc. What excited her back into living life? Into eating and immediately peeing at the vet's office (a place she hated and was terrified of yet she still did a turnaround that day)?? A shot of Valium, which relaxed her brain, relaxed her muscles too... and a bowl of "stinky alley cat food" -- a very smelly, fishy, meaty combination of tuna and various stinky canned foods all slopped together! She ate like a champ and immediately peed in the litter box the vet had put under my chair in the vet's office where we were. It was awesome! From that point forward, at home we were able to nurse her back to health after her hospital ordeal and her subsequent "not-wanting-to-live" shut-down.

Some people think that a cat cannot get this stressed from a vet or hospital experience, but they can. I have my own anecdote for this scenario. And now maybe you do too!

Hello everyone, thanks for your input concerning Libby.  I really appreciate it.

I guess some updates are in order.

She broke her 3+ day fast with tuna.  I think I mentioned that already.  However, after a few days of eating a few bites of tuna here and there, she stopped eating the tuna altogether.  I have a feeling it has something to do with disliking leftover tuna.   We put any uneaten tuna in a ziploc bag and then put it into the fridge. Whenever we would get one of the half-eaten cans and warm it up in the microwave, she just didn't want it.  We remembered that she liked to eat Boar's Head (grocery store deli) sliced turkey.  We used to give her just a little piece here and there but it had been a while since we had given her any.  She ate the Boar's Head turkey for 2 or 3 days.  That's good turkey too! Throughout the last week she would approach her bowl of dry food, get into position, sniff it for a few seconds but never did eat it.

I had been in touch with the vet who saw her back on September 17th via telephone concerning her balance and her appetite.  He really wanted to see her to make sure she didn't have any pain in her hind right leg.  I wasn't about to take her back to the vet in that cardboard box, so I got a bigger carrier from my sister.  This carrier opened from the top as well as from the front like most of them do.  So on Friday the 25th, my brother and I got ready for the appointment and while Libby was sleeping, I picked her up, carried her into another room where the carrier was, and put her right in there using the top opening.  My brother and I could not believe the difference in her disposition while in the car.  For the first couple of minutes she was crying a little bit, but she was so much more relaxed than the time before when she was in that box.  Being able to see her surroundings and breathe fresh air made all the difference in the world.  On the way home, she actually laid down and was silent for the last couple of miles.  I told my brother that we could've driven to the next town and she probably would've been okay.

The doctor said there was no pain in her leg.  That was a relief.  He looked in her ears and there weren't any ear mites in either ear, but there was a large amount of wax in her right ear.  I don't remember him saying "wax."  I think he said "gunk."  lol...  Anyway, he cleaned that out and said that she may have an ear infection.  He also said she might be suffering from allergies because of the discharge in the corner of her right eye, what we normal people call "eye boogers."  

So the panting and the inability to walk straight after returning home from the vet's office the first time was mainly the result of being in a box with no holes for breathing or seeing.  I could kick myself for choosing to use a cardboard box.  I didn't know what else to do.  We were about to be late for the appointment and I couldn't get Libby into the carrier that we had.  So, thanks to my sister for coming through with the bigger carrier that opens from the top and the side.

After we got back from the vet's office on Friday, I was curious to see if Libby would eat one of the dry treats that she normally eats without hesitating.  She licked it a little bit but that was all.  We were a few feet from her food bowl.  I stopped bugging her with the treat and she started walking toward her dry food, IAMS brand by the way.  I stood up and walked towards my brother while watching Libby at the same time.  Lo and behold, she started eating her dry food!  It was amazing!  However, that was Friday the 25th around 12:30pm, and that's the last food that she's had.  The doctor sent us home with a can of food that he thought would surely do the trick, but it hasn't.  Not yet anyway.  The doc made a good point.  Libby is a big girl so we shouldn't worry too much if she goes a day or so without eating because she has some reserves.

I'm thinking it might be time to go buy her some more tuna.

To those of you who give your cats canned food, what brand(s) do you use?  I'm just curious.

Once again, thanks for all of your support and knowledge.  I feel better than I did this time last week, although if Libby doesn't eat something in the next 24 hours, I'll be back in the worry zone. 

dpepper73 said:

 
Hello everyone, thanks for your input concerning Libby.  I really appreciate it.

I guess some updates are in order.

She broke her 3+ day fast with tuna.  I think I mentioned that already.  However, after a few days of eating a few bites of tuna here and there, she stopped eating the tuna altogether.  I have a feeling it has something to do with disliking leftover tuna.   We put any uneaten tuna in a ziploc bag and then put it into the fridge. Whenever we would get one of the half-eaten cans and warm it up in the microwave, she just didn't want it.  We remembered that she liked to eat Boar's Head (grocery store deli) sliced turkey.  We used to give her just a little piece here and there but it had been a while since we had given her any.  She ate the Boar's Head turkey for 2 or 3 days.  That's good turkey too! Throughout the last week she would approach her bowl of dry food, get into position, sniff it for a few seconds but never did eat it.

I had been in touch with the vet who saw her back on September 17th via telephone concerning her balance and her appetite.  He really wanted to see her to make sure she didn't have any pain in her hind right leg.  I wasn't about to take her back to the vet in that cardboard box, so I got a bigger carrier from my sister.  This carrier opened from the top as well as from the front like most of them do.  So on Friday the 25th, my brother and I got ready for the appointment and while Libby was sleeping, I picked her up, carried her into another room where the carrier was, and put her right in there using the top opening.  My brother and I could not believe the difference in her disposition while in the car.  For the first couple of minutes she was crying a little bit, but she was so much more relaxed than the time before when she was in that box.  Being able to see her surroundings and breathe fresh air made all the difference in the world.  On the way home, she actually laid down and was silent for the last couple of miles.  I told my brother that we could've driven to the next town and she probably would've been okay.

The doctor said there was no pain in her leg.  That was a relief.  He looked in her ears and there weren't any ear mites in either ear, but there was a large amount of wax in her right ear.  I don't remember him saying "wax."  I think he said "gunk."  lol...  Anyway, he cleaned that out and said that she may have an ear infection.  He also said she might be suffering from allergies because of the discharge in the corner of her right eye, what we normal people call "eye boogers."  

So the panting and the inability to walk straight after returning home from the vet's office the first time was mainly the result of being in a box with no holes for breathing or seeing.  I could kick myself for choosing to use a cardboard box.  I didn't know what else to do.  We were about to be late for the appointment and I couldn't get Libby into the carrier that we had.  So, thanks to my sister for coming through with the bigger carrier that opens from the top and the side.

After we got back from the vet's office on Friday, I was curious to see if Libby would eat one of the dry treats that she normally eats without hesitating.  She licked it a little bit but that was all.  We were a few feet from her food bowl.  I stopped bugging her with the treat and she started walking toward her dry food, IAMS brand by the way.  I stood up and walked towards my brother while watching Libby at the same time.  Lo and behold, she started eating her dry food!  It was amazing!  However, that was Friday the 25th around 12:30pm, and that's the last food that she's had.  The doctor sent us home with a can of food that he thought would surely do the trick, but it hasn't.  Not yet anyway.  The doc made a good point.  Libby is a big girl so we shouldn't worry too much if she goes a day or so without eating because she has some reserves.

I'm thinking it might be time to go buy her some more tuna.

To those of you who give your cats canned food, what brand(s) do you use?  I'm just curious.

Once again, thanks for all of your support and knowledge.  I feel better than I did this time last week, although if Libby doesn't eat something in the next 24 hours, I'll be back in the worry zone. 

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I will disagree with the Vet. A cat especially one of Libby's size cannot go for several days without eating, a cat's system isn't built that way. Liver issues, when the cat's body transfers fat from the body to the blood causes issues and liver disease. Heavy cats are prone to this if they do not eat or go for too long without eating. I'm worried for Libby. Have you tried any Fancy Feast specifically the turkey wet kind? You do need her to eat daily, at least a can or a half cup of food a day. I cannot stress this enough.

So she's been this way for about 10 days now? I'm tagging @catwoman707   to see if she might have any other ideas.

nansiludie said:

 
So she's been this way for about 10 days now? I'm tagging @catwoman707   to see if she might have any other ideas.

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I just read through this entire thread so I know the scoop.

I def think the cardboard box was traumatizing, but do NOT kick yourself for this! We do what we feel is fine at the time, there is no script for cat owners to predict when decisions are sometimes not the best ones we choose, but who knew right?!

So don't bother going there.

The meds given the first time, revolution will treat fleas and ear mites effectively, so this is good.

Capstar takes care of adult fleas right away and is very well tolerated, even in very small kittens, so that's fine.

The ear med is simply an ear wash, so that's fine.

Rabies vaccines can and often will cause leg soreness for a couple/few days but that's over too.

This concludes the box gave her trauma.

NOW, the eating.

It sounds to me that what originally caused the lack of eating is now over, but she has eaten such an extremely small amt, she needs more stimulation to bring her appetite back and get things rolling again.

My biggest thinking as I read through this thread was hepatic lipidosis/fatty liver disease danger from not eating.

Then mentioning the vet said she has reserves and is okay to go a day or 2 without eating is complete bs, he clearly is not familiar with cats much, and how this is a huge red flag when a cat is not eating. 

I posted yesterday for another thread regarding this issue, and will quote rather than rewrite it.

"About HL or fatty liver disease-any cat can get it, big small, doesn't matter. Cats have livers that are just sufficient enough to process their daily foods.

So, while it's not an extra efficient organ and does work just fine for the normal life, add any additional work or stress to it and it shuts down.

So, calorie intake gives cats fuel to operate their systems, but when a cat suddenly stops eating, or eats less than 50% of their normal calories a day , it does not get the required fuel needed so the body decides it will just burn stored fat for fuel which ALL cats have.

So the body starts using the stored fat for fuel, fine. But it's not fine for a cat's liver. As mentioned above, they don't function enough to handle added stress put on them, and when the liver gets bombarded with fat to process, it can't handle it and shuts down.

This is the summary of what exactly HP is and why it happens.

This is also why it is dangerous for a cat to go without food or enough food for more than 1 day. HP can be deadly if not caught and treated fast.

Regarding the fact that it happened to her, it does not mean she is a fat cat and needs a diet.

Overweight cats might also get it a bit easier than thin cats mainly because they have a higher calorie intake daily"

So hopefully this explains HP in simpler terms to help you understand, it is NOT okay for a cat to not eat, it's as simple as that.

My suggestions are-Fancy Feast makes these very enticing flavors. One is in a dark blue label can and is fish and shrimp. They also make some in an oblong tin that are called Purely Fancy Feast. These are not only excellent and irresistible they are all natural and like opening human food in a way as you will see.

There are also pouches called broths, these are mostly liquid but sure will get a cat to drink them! Small amt of chunks of tuna, etc. as well.

These are not cheap but will surely get her appetite stimulated back to normal in no time, and perhaps from now on she will be happy eating fancy feast regularly.

I feed it to my cats every day too.

catwoman707 said:

 
I just read through this entire thread so I know the scoop.

I def think the cardboard box was traumatizing, but do NOT kick yourself for this! We do what we feel is fine at the time, there is no script for cat owners to predict when decisions are sometimes not the best ones we choose, but who knew right?!

So don't bother going there.

The meds given the first time, revolution will treat fleas and ear mites effectively, so this is good.

Capstar takes care of adult fleas right away and is very well tolerated, even in very small kittens, so that's fine.

The ear med is simply an ear wash, so that's fine.

Rabies vaccines can and often will cause leg soreness for a couple/few days but that's over too.

This concludes the box gave her trauma.

NOW, the eating.

It sounds to me that what originally caused the lack of eating is now over, but she has eaten such an extremely small amt, she needs more stimulation to bring her appetite back and get things rolling again.

My biggest thinking as I read through this thread was hepatic lipidosis/fatty liver disease danger from not eating.

Then mentioning the vet said she has reserves and is okay to go a day or 2 without eating is complete bs, he clearly is not familiar with cats much, and how this is a huge red flag when a cat is not eating. 

I posted yesterday for another thread regarding this issue, and will quote rather than rewrite it.

"About HL or fatty liver disease-any cat can get it, big small, doesn't matter. Cats have livers that are just sufficient enough to process their daily foods.

So, while it's not an extra efficient organ and does work just fine for the normal life, add any additional work or stress to it and it shuts down.

So, calorie intake gives cats fuel to operate their systems, but when a cat suddenly stops eating, or eats less than 50% of their normal calories a day , it does not get the required fuel needed so the body decides it will just burn stored fat for fuel which ALL cats have.

So the body starts using the stored fat for fuel, fine. But it's not fine for a cat's liver. As mentioned above, they don't function enough to handle added stress put on them, and when the liver gets bombarded with fat to process, it can't handle it and shuts down.

This is the summary of what exactly HP is and why it happens.

This is also why it is dangerous for a cat to go without food or enough food for more than 1 day. HP can be deadly if not caught and treated fast.

Regarding the fact that it happened to her, it does not mean she is a fat cat and needs a diet.

Overweight cats might also get it a bit easier than thin cats mainly because they have a higher calorie intake daily"

So hopefully this explains HP in simpler terms to help you understand, it is NOT okay for a cat to not eat, it's as simple as that.

My suggestions are-Fancy Feast makes these very enticing flavors. One is in a dark blue label can and is fish and shrimp. They also make some in an oblong tin that are called Purely Fancy Feast. These are not only excellent and irresistible they are all natural and like opening human food in a way as you will see.

There are also pouches called broths, these are mostly liquid but sure will get a cat to drink them! Small amt of chunks of tuna, etc. as well.

These are not cheap but will surely get her appetite stimulated back to normal in no time, and perhaps from now on she will be happy eating fancy feast regularly.

I feed it to my cats every day too.

Click to expand...

That is what worries me for Libby. Thank you for the much better explanation than mine.

In my personal experience with cats there is a huge difference between not eating at all and eating very little; at times all the cats I know lose appetite and end up eating half of a 3oz can a day or even less. If the cats is not lethargic, does everything it uses to do normally and shows no signs of sickness or distress, they normally get back to eating the right amount in a couple of days. If the cat doesn't eat anything at all and is much more depressed than usual (sleeps all day, looks weak, hides, etc...), it's definitely time to see a vet. In any case, when I want my cats to eat (especially one of them is really fussy and every now and then she leaves her food in the bowl for two or three times in a row), I use Fancy Feast or any other smelly food (like a tuna can or soft cheese) I know she goes crazy for. For cats the food smell is much more important than its taste. I usually give them Applaws or Almo Nature cat food (plus a variety of other brands that are not available in the US): they look and basically are exactly like a tuna can for "humans" with the difference that they don't contain salt or oil, but just cooking water and a little rice.

have yu tried feeding  the cat a sardine ...make sure no bones in it though...they stink and cat likes stinky stuff  or force feed...get really big syringeman baby food for infants..ground turkey.....put in syringe...squirt in mouth..

Im sorry to interrupt... but how can I post? Can someone help..

@mongyelly  here's a link to an article that might help you. 
[article="24982"]How To Use The Forums  [/article]

dpepper73 said:

 
Thank you!!  It sure has taken a lot out of me.  My brother too.  I'm a single guy with no children, and ever since all of this started I've been trying to imagine what it must be like to have a very sick child.  If worrying about a cat that I've had for 13 months causes this much anxiety, I can't fathom what some parents go through when one of their children is diagnosed with cancer, leukemia, or some other terminal disease.  

Life is so precious and so fragile.  

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I've been having these same worried, frustrated, stressed emotions here lately as well. My Boogie Bear is 10 years and Sgt. Pepper is 9. They are pretty healthy, happy kitties. For now, I believe they will no doubt be with me at least another 5 to 10 years. But I do worry about them and how do I make sure they are alive until we are all geriatric  Several months ago Boogie Bear gave me a scare and stopped eating for 2 days. I was freaking out. I could only coax her to drink a few laps of milk. She did eventually start eating like normal and has been fine ever since. It was just a very worrisome weekend.

My outdoor cat turned indoor cat, Jumbo, who I've had for about 4 years is another story. He was just diagnosed with kidney disease. He was put on the Rx food after a dental cleaning and extraction on Monday. I cried for 2 hours (hyper-ventilating crying) after they called to confirm that before proceeding with the dental procedures. He won't eat it and won't eat his old canned food and can't have any dry food yet. Several staff members at the vet office said things like, "Oh he'll eat it if he's hungry enough." "He won't starve to death." Well, jerks who don't know my cat, he's already lost 2+ lbs in the last year from appetite lose from the kidney issues, so no he will not eat if he doesn't like the food. Since he has to have food in his tummy to take his antibiotic (for a week), last night I decided to try giving him tuna. He ate 2 forkfuls (in his bowl) of Star-kist tuna and he ate it all up and begged for more. I really didn't think it would work. But it did and I was able to sneak some of the Rx food under the tuna. Obviously this can't been the long term solution, but it's working right now until he can try the dry food and find maybe a different brand of the Rx food or a low phosphorus wet that he will like. 

I know it feels crazy sometimes. How can a silly animal make you feel such emotion? I'm not a very emotional person, but my cats are so a part of me if they aren't well, I'm a wreck. I also think you're doing good tempting Libby with tuna and deli turkey because she does need to eat something. I hope that helps her and that you are able to transition her back to her regular food soon.

As for the carrier, the two-openings carriers are great! I have a hard carrier by Petmate with a front and top opening that I bought at Petco 10 years ago for like $30. I haven't regretted the investment. I ordered a soft-sided carrier from overstock.com after Jumbo's first vet visit in the hard carrier. He slammed himself all over the hard one and made his injuries (the reason for seeing the vet in the first place) worse. It's also a by Petmate and also has a front zipper opening and 2 zippers on top to open. I think it was about $40. Totally worth it to me for his safety. My mom got her cat used to his carrier by leaving it out in the living room all the time. He sits on it like a perch in front of a big window.

First of all, I want to thank everyone for their kind words, empathy, sympathy, and expertise.  I'm a member of 3 or 4 forums about different things and I don't check in very often.  However, I can see that you all truly care about my cat, Libby.  So I'm going to try to check in more often.  The more I learn from you guys and gals, the better I can take care of Libby-girl.

I mentioned that she had stopped eating the canned tuna after eating it for a few days.  Well, that didn't last long.  By that I mean, she started eating again within a couple of days.  Before the traumatic experience with the cardboard box, she always ate IAMS dry food in the orange bag.  Now she won't have anything to do with it.  She's been eating nothing but regular Starkist tuna ever since that first trip to the vet.  She stopped eating it for a day or two, but she started back and hasn't stopped again.  I find myself wondering if eating nothing but canned tuna that's meant for human consumption is good for Libby.  Does cat food such as the IAMS dry food give cats something that human food doesn't?    

The fact that the vet was completely wrong about Libby being okay on just her fat reserves really makes me mad.  He told me and my brother this when we went for the re-check so he could make sure Libby's leg was okay.  After the examination, the doctor, my brother, and I chatted about other stuff for 10-15 minutes.  He told us where he earned his bachelor's degree and also where he earned his doctorate.  We talked about college life, football, and of course, pets.  He told us what year he started college and after my brother and I did the math, we figured that he has only been practicing for two years.  I found him to be a very nice person, and he seemed genuinely concerned about Libby, but for him to have his facts wrong concerning something as serious as hepatic lipidosis makes me very uneasy to say the least.  He waived the $36 re-check fee, like their should be a re-check fee in the first place.  I'm never going back to that particular clinic.  The doctor did get us to buy a can of $2.75 food that he swore would get Libby's appetite going again.  (This was when she had stopped eating the tuna after eating it for a few days.)  Did it work?  Not even close.

I've noticed that some of you prefer wet canned food for your cats.  Personally, I don't exactly like using the tuna and it smells better than most of the canned food.  Before all of this happened, it was so much easier to give her dry food.  Do any of you have any idea why Libby won't eat her dry food now?  Is it because she's tasted something way better and she doesn't want to go back to the dry food?  Part of me wants to say, "If she's hungry enough, she'll eat that dry food.  It's perfectly good."  However, now that I've heard what I've heard about hepatic lipidosis, I don't want to call her bluff and offer her nothing but the dry food.  I'm actually beginning to wonder if she'll even eat the good canned food.  I haven't tried it though.

Once again, thank you all very much for your comments.  I would really appreciate it if someone could address, to the best of their knowledge, the parts that are underlined.  I'll definitely check back sometime this week to see if their have been any posts.  

One last thing:  One of Libby's favorite places to sleep is on my bed.  I sleep on an antique 4-poster bed. With the box spring and a mattress on it, it comes up to my mid-torso and I'm 5'10".  She uses a chair to get on the bed, but she climbs onto my bedside table and jumps down from there instead of going down the way she came up, by using the chair.  However, ever since the first trip to the vet in the box, she will still use the chair to get on my bed, but when she's ready to get off the bed she get onto my bedside table and starts meowing.  The first couple of times I picked her up and set her down.  Lately, whenever she's on the table and starts meowing, I'll go in there, kneel down a few feet away from the table, and coax her to hop down on her own.  Can somebody offer an explanation for that?   I don't know what to think.  Maybe she's a few years older than we think she is.  We think she's about 6 or 7 years old.

Thanks everybody.

Tuna only diet, or for that matter, tuna more often then maybe twice a month is no good.

It is lacking some much needed nutrients such as taurine, that are critical in keeping a cat healthy.

Taurine deficiency can cause health problems, along with all of the other nutrients she is lacking.

On top of that, the mercury in tuna builds up and is bad for kitties.

I do suggest you work her off of the tuna, starting with the dark royal blue cans of fancy feast which are tuna and shrimp with real tuna and shrimp, but at least there are nutrients included that she needs.

Once she is good with this then on to others, until she is eating a more balanced diet.

Then eventually, only an occasional can of tuna, but hold off a while so she breaks her addiction to it

There is a tuna and egg cat food made for cats, sold by Friskies and 9Lives,it is canned. It does have a strong smell to it and its better than her eating only human tuna as these are made for kitties. I've had good luck getting sick kitties to eat it. Might want to try it for Libby. Maybe she's noticed that the wet food, like tuna is meat and not dry and crunchy, she might now prefer it instead of dry.

dpepper73 said:

 
 I find myself wondering if eating nothing but canned tuna that's meant for human consumption is good for Libby.  Does cat food such as the IAMS dry food give cats something that human food doesn't?     

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Yes, cat food is formulated to have added nutrients that cats need and digests better than human food would in cats. Even the lowest quality cat food should be better long-term than human food only. It's not harmful on occasion or short-term to feed them human tuna or turkey. Stay away from onions and garlic though. Best to do a Google search or ask your vet if you're unsure which foods are safe. There are a lot that are unsafe.

dpepper73 said:

I've noticed that some of you prefer wet canned food for your cats.  Personally, I don't exactly like using the tuna and it smells better than most of the canned food.  Before all of this happened, it was so much easier to give her dry food.  Do any of you have any idea why Libby won't eat her dry food now?  Is it because she's tasted something way better and she doesn't want to go back to the dry food?  Part of me wants to say, "If she's hungry enough, she'll eat that dry food.  It's perfectly good."  However, now that I've heard what I've heard about hepatic lipidosis, I don't want to call her bluff and offer her nothing but the dry food.  I'm actually beginning to wonder if she'll even eat the good canned food.  I haven't tried it though.

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An all or mostly wet food diet can help deter health problems like kidney disease. Less carbs and more protein is better. Like you, I've also always found it easier to feed dry food. But with my oldest 2, I have always feed them dry during the week and added servings of wet on the weekend. It's now necessary to feed mostly wet to my kidney cat. 

With Libby not getting down off the bed in her usual way, I wonder if one her shots was in back leg or hip. Maybe she is still sore? I'd talk your vet about it if she keeps on that way. I'd even look for a new vet if you're unsatisfied with the current one.

I share your bewilderment re the veterinarian; the only thing I can say is that, despite cats are probably the most common pet along with dogs, not all vets are really knowledgeable about them, maybe because they wrote their thesis on another animal (dog, horses, cattle, rodents, etc...) and maybe because they specialized in another branch of veterinary science rather than on feline medicine (I sometimes go through the vet's CV, if it's available, to know what his/her field of specialization is and if he/she attended courses or workshops about feline health and medicine . I'm also dumbfounded he charged you for the re-check visit: I once had to bring my cat back to the vet's practice after a shot (because she developed a lump under the skin in the injection site) and they checked her twice for free. It's true that they didn't perform a biopsy and limited themselves to examine and palpate the lump, but they were very nice and told me that what I had payed for the shots covered all the follow up visits (same with the spaying surgery).

As for the rest, I can confirm that an only-tuna based diet is not recommendable for cats, because of the mercury, lead, etc..., even more if the tuna cans are meant for human consumption; well, the only difference between tuna for humans and tuna for cats is the salt that gets added in the first one and that might cause renal issues in the long term. Having said this, before learning that tuna wasn't advisable for cats, I've fed mostly that to my cats for at least 4 or 5 years and I can say that they are the portrait of health (maybe I've just been very lucky). I have to add however that I gave them cat food and not tuna for human consumption.
As for your cat's dietary changes, cats are very fickle: they start eating something enthusiastically only to refuse it after a few days (mine do this very often, especially one, and you have no idea how many euros I have thrown out the window only because she changed her mind after I had bought the "family pack"- something like 24 or 48 cans/pouches that mostly went to the stray cat that occasionally visits us- or because she'd let herself starving rather than touching what I thought to be the best food ever for her).
Anyway, you can feed your cat only wet (many people do so), just make sure you give her a complete food and not a complementary or a home made one. To answer one of your questions, dry food is always complete, which means that it contains everything a cat needs to keep fit, unlike complementary wet food and this is another reason why you shouldn't feed your cat only tuna for humans; a diet like this would probably lack some elements, amino acids, vitamins which are essential for your cat's health.

Re the last question, I think that the most likely reason is that, as someone suggested, she still feels some pain in the leg where she got the shot(s): just to exclude a more serious issue, have you had her sight checked? If she had lost some eyesight from one of her eyes, she'd still see perfectly (because the other eye compensates the loss), but she might have troubles in reckoning the distances when she hops (however you should notice that she feels uncomfortable even when she has to jump down the table or the kitchen top).

Hi

I have just read about what happened to your cat at the vets I would have thought it was an allergic reaction too do you not 

have an emergency veterinary surgery near you who you could have phoned for some advice ?

Obviously by now you must have got it sorted out I do hope so  One of my previous cats a Persian was given a Drontal worming 

tablets and a while later he was all disoriantated  ( sorry spelt that wrong ) and could not walk straight

I hope your cat is over this now

Marguerite

catwoman707 said:

 
Tuna only diet, or for that matter, tuna more often then maybe twice a month is no good.

It is lacking some much needed nutrients such as taurine, that are critical in keeping a cat healthy.

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I figured as much, but I wasn't very sure.  It's okay now because Libby has started eating canned cat   food that is meant for cats.  haha...  My bro and I have been feeding her Purina Fancy Feast.  So far she's only had the Savory Salmon Feast.  That was the case until last night.  I didn't feel like getting a half-eaten can out of the fridge and nuking it for 8 seconds and all that—like that's really a whole lot to do.  I had purchased one can of the Beef Feast In Gravy flavor of Purina Fancy Feast  and I had been curious about whether or not she would like it.  So I opened it up and put about one-third of it on a small plate.  My girl absolutely inhaled that stuff!  So I put a little more on the plate.  She woofed that down too and was looking for more.  I said, "Fine, darlin' barlin', here ya go," and I gave her the rest of what was in the can.  For some reason I've been calling her Darlin' Barlin' lately.  I knew I had read somewhere that cats need Guarine and when I was looking at the ingredients of the Fancy Feast  I saw it listed.  So I felt much better after she gobbled up the beef and gravy stuff.  I bought a few more cans of that and I also bought a can of IAMS purrfect dalicacies.  It's the White Meat Chicken Breast & Tuna Recipe.  And I got one or two more cans of the Savory Salmon Feast.  I wanna be ready with a couple of backup flavors in case she turns her nose up at the first flavor I give her.  

serena77 said:

 
I'm also dumbfounded he charged you for the re-check visit.

As for your cat's dietary changes, cats are very fickle: they start eating something enthusiastically only to refuse it after a few days 

Re the last question, I think that the most likely reason is that, as someone suggested, she still feels some pain in the leg where she got the shot(s): just to exclude a more serious issue, have you had her sight checked? 

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Hey, serena77...

The vet wanted to charge me for a re-check.  He wanted $36, which is 23.27 British pounds and/or 31.80 euros just to give you an idea.  I can't remember if you're the one from Italy or not.  If you're not, disregard the dollar to pounds/euros exchange rate thing.  Like I said, he wanted to charge me for a re-check, but I told him that I'm pretty much flat broke.  Like my friend used to say, "I'm so broke I can't even pay attention."  Yep.  So he waived the re-check fee.  

I purchased about three different kinds of canned food just in case Libby decides that she wants to be fickle.  If that happens, hopefully she'll be in the mood for whatever else is here.

As for your question about having Libby's eyesight checked, no, I haven't done it.  And unless my income increases, she won't be having her eyes checked anytime soon. Having observed her for over a year, I think her eyesight is fine.  I sit outside with her at night while I have a smoke or two, and even though a cat's eyesight is about six times better than ours at night, she can spot a little rabbit from across my backyard with no problem.  

Thanks for your input.

Yes, I'm the one from Italy: I have been to the US this summer for vacation, so I get a little used to the Euro-USD change (I also found the US to be awfully expensive, much more than I figured, but this is a different story). 30 Euros is what I pay normally for a visit or check up (38 Euros if it includes vaccination too), but this amount covers every other check-up for a sickness or a symptom that can be presumably related to anything the vet did in the previous visit (as I told yopu, they didn't charge me anything when one of my cats developed a skin lump a few days after she got her shot against leukemia). It's like when you take your car to a mechanic for a check; if the engine or any other part doesn't work properly straight after they checked it, I expect them to re-check and fix it for free, regardless of how much I earn or I can afford to pay.

Honestly, I don't think Libby has any issue with her eyesight: I once fostered a kitten with a bad eye infection due to rhinothracheitis: one of her eyes was completely closed and deep set. Both the iris and pupil were covered by the protrusion of the third eyelid, so it was absolutely clear that she couldn't see anything from that eye (she wasn't blind though, because the other eye compensated the vision impairment). After a month of non-stop treatment with three different eye ointments, she recovered completely and through all this time, I could notice that while at first she was very reluctant to jump because she had troubles in reckoning the distances, as her eyesight improved, she gained more confidence and in the end she was able to jump on and off all the furniture in my house (the new owner later confirmed that she acted, ran and jumped as any other cat and it was almost impossible to tell that she had nearly risked to lose an eye in her early months). As for Libby, it's clearly a totally different matter and personally I believe that she might still have a sore leg or she has decided she prefers to be picked up and gently put on the floor rather than jumping off the nightstand by herself. Cats are also very lazy; there hasn't been a single time my cat didn't stop and started meowing desperately in front of a door left ajar, when they could have easily opened it by themselves (and a couple of times they resigned themselves to do it, if I kept ignoring them).