help! I'm so desperate

michonnethecat

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Hi everyone, first of all sorry about my English it's not my mother's tongue (I'm talking from Perú) I'm new here and I've barely slept tonight, my cat(Michonne) is 2 years and a half aprox, she was adopted when she was about 6-8 months and she's been always healthy, she's a mixed-breed, long-haired one , her hair has caused a few hairballs once in a while, yesterday at night she started vomiting , there was some food in it from earlier(she'd been hiding in the closet because of visitors so she hadn't eaten since then) and a hairball, I thought that was it, but thorough the night she kept vomiting and trying to vomit, and there wasn't more than phlegm in it since she didn't eat anything, that wasn't ok because even if she throws up hairballs she starts eating immediately(she usually has very good appetite) I thought she might have a hairball stuck, so I took her to the vet this morning(she still hadn't eaten anything)  she had a bit of fever, which she said may probably be caused due to an infection(probably a stomach one) so she told me to change her food to a better and softer one(hills K/D canned) and this medicine, Metronidazole 250mg ,1.2ml per day for 5 days, she also told me to get her an ultrasound(the same one they do to pregnant women?) or so it seemd , just to check she doesn't have hair in her stomach or any foreign object, so , I got it done, and she didn't have any hair or foreign object, but it showed that her stomach,kidney and liver were mildly swollen and that I should tell her vet to take her a blood test just in case, so I'm here at home again, it's 7:24pm and her vet isn't working till the morning, I still don't know what she has, she's an indoor cat and I doubt she ate anything bad before, she could though because there's always food around the house, but she's not the kind of cat who steals human food,my problem is that she still won't eat anything, she drank water when we came from the ultrasound, she drank quite a lot which is good, but if she doesn't eat I can't give her the medicine on an empty stomach, how do I get her to eat? I hope that it is nothing too serious, she's never been like this and it happened all of a sudden, I'm so worried I can't focus on anything else.
 

blueyedgirl5946

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I just read your post about your sick cat. Things like this can be so worrisome. Is it possible your cat got ahold of something toxic like a plant, or a mouse that could have eaten poison.

Was the vet that saw your cat today your regular vet.

If so, why wasn't the blood test done then.
 

jolie0216

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This sounds JUST LIKE what my cat was hospitalized for.    He quit eating, started vomiting, was not acting himself (not "lethargic" but he just wanted to be alone by himself up in the bedroom all day - normally he hangs out with us wherever we are at).

Vet did an Xray, bloodwork - everything seemed OK  (Well in the first Xray they thought they saw some "Fabric"-like object, but they admitted it might have just been food, so they couldnt say for sure - on the next day's Xray, whatever it was was gone, but he still didn't want food).

The diagnosis ended up being:  gastroenteritis

Which I think is a fancy medical word for an upset tummy without any particular cause.

Just to be safe, I would go ahead and do the bloodwork when you can, since the ultrasound was all clear, just to rule out any internal issues.

In the meantime, cook a bland diet for your cat.   That means BOILED hamburger meat or boiled chicken with rice.  The meat and rice should be a 1:1 ratio.

Feed several small meals throughout the day instead of one or two big ones.   Keep that diet going for the next 2-3 days, then gradually start transitioning back to the regular cat food diet.

I really do believe sometimes my cat just gets an upset tummy.   This is the second time in two years this has happened - he has been hospitalized both times and honestly, I'm not really sure any of it was even necessary - but better safe than sorry, right?

I would do the bland diet in several small meals until you get a chance to go back to the vet for more investigation.

If you can get it, get some Fortiflora packets and sprinkle that over each small meal you give your cat - it will encourage them to eat (it is like irresistible to cats!!).

edit:  I literally JUST picked up my cat from the vet after being hospitalized for this exact thing, and what I told you above is on the aftercare instructions, so I feel confident it is all safe advice.
 
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hexiesfriend

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Yes a blood test would show any infection. That should have been done. My cat had similar symptoms and they found with a blood test, a bacterial infection likely in the digestive tract. After some antibiotics he was fine. Your cat is on an antibiotic now, but you need to give the antibiotics time to work. If she is not better after 2 days on the antibiotic I'd probably call the vet. Your kitty is young still and she'll get better.
 
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michonnethecat

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Thank you for all the responses, it is not possible that she ate any plant or mouse because we keep our doors and windows closed for her so she never gets out and there's no mice at home, we work with food though(sweets to be specific) I'm careful with it, but she always seems very uninterested about them so I doubt she had any, I didn't get the blood test because I ran from the vet to home to wait for the ultrasound which was like 2 hours later and by the time it was done, the ultrasound doctor told me about the blood test but it was too late to get her to the her vet to do it because she's only there until 3 pm,(it's 20:30 now in here) so I will take her tomorrow to get it done. I hope it is just that Jolie026 , I will try buying that tomorrow(I almost never have meat or chicken because I'm vegetarian) though she never eats homemade food, she eats a bit of hills hairball control and a can of fancy feast(chicken pieces) a day, could homemade food even if good make her bad because she's not used to it? thought I'm not sure she'll want it because she doesn't want anything else that she normally eats(i didn't open her fancy food can yet because I'm not sure she'll it either) but thank you for the advice anyway!, I'll try with that tomorrow, though I must try with anything today with a syringe if possible so she can have a little in her stomach to give her the medicine.
 
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michonnethecat

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I went to buy a syringe to force feed her and when I came back she had just hidden in the closet, she's still in there and she has officially not eaten anything in 24 hours :s, should I force her out of there and give her a bit of food with the syringe(so she can have her meds) or should I just wait for her to come out on her own?(whatever it takes, I'll still take her for that blood test tomorrow ), this is so worrisome = (
 

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In your shoes, I would probably try to feed her for two reasons. One is to get the antibiotic into her and the other is because she really shouldn't go very long without eating. Even though you take her to the vet tomorrow, she won't get her appetite back right away so best to start feeding sooner than later. Poor baby.

Please keep us updated!
 

blueyedgirl5946

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The other things you can try is try feeding the cat the same food he is used too. Ask the vet for Forti Flora which is a probiotic. It helped my cat to go ahead and eat. Also, sometimes a bit of tuna water over the top of the food works. Another thing you can try is warm the food just enough to make it smell. Sometimes that will get the cats attention. Discuss all this with your vet today.
 
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michonnethecat

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Thank you all again for your answers, I decided not to force her out of the closed yesterday, she was sleeping(since she didn't slept at all the night before because of vomiting and then because of going out) and I didn't want to stress her out, so this morning I went there ,she came closer and faced me, this was good because yesterday she wouldn't even look at me, then I put some canned food in my hand( hills K/D) and she licked, she ate about 15 grams and about an hour later I took her out to the vet, she was looking much better and she doesn't have fever anymore, her doctor told me not to give her any medicine yet until we find out the blood tests results( I just came from taking them) she also told me that by looking at the ultrasound results she could see that she's got a bit of too much fat in her stomach, she's weighing 4kg 100, which is about 9 pounds I think,but we won't change her diet (she told me I should only give her the hills canned food, little amounts during the day) until we get the results, so we'll know exactly what is going on, still ,I'm a lot more relieved that she's getting better =) .
 
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michonnethecat

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Thank you for caring,it should be ready in about two hours( I took it like 2 hours ago) , they'll Email it to me and to her vet and then I'll talk to her to and she'll tell me what she found and what should we do about it, whatever it is it should be in there because the doctor put a lot of things to check in the blood test order, I hope it's nothing serious.
 
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michonnethecat

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We came earlier from the vet today, the blood tests results were not good, the good thing is that we found it early, it all points to Feline hepatic lipidosis, which is horrible and scary, from what I've read and what her vet told me, it all happened because my baby is a little overweight, she's 9 pounds but she's mixed breed so she's not too large, and she started to gain weight when she got spayed, the thing is that about a month and a half ago we had family who came from abroad at home(my sister and nieces) and while they didn't stay here, they came everyday , they stayed close to 4 weeks and they left on August 29 , while they were here my cat would hide almost everyday and would only eat at night, sometimes a bit in the mornings too, but not as much as usual, and she went about 2/3 days without eating almost anything because she got scared once my little niece tried to approach her,but she was better then, and started to get out again when they left.Once they went away she was like this for 2 or 3 days more and then she came back to normal, still hiding when strangers came home but not as long as when they were here, but she was eating very well and everything seemed good until she started vomiting from monday to tuesday this week, what happens is that when a cat is overweight , he/she can't stop eating , this change in her metabolism  and all of that stress ,caused the fat to go to her liver, or something like that, I can't explain it very well, if I wouldn't have done the ultrasound,we wouldn't have known we had to get blood tests and without those blood tests we wouldn't have known, she's ok, she's eating well and  I'm fortunate that it's just starting, while she gets medication she must eat, she can't stop eating or it will get worse,her vet told me to give her canned hills A/D  and her meds and we'll be back in two weeks to get another blood test to see how it's going or if she's cured(I'm not sure if it will happen as fast but I hope so) and only once she's healthy she'll start a diet to lose some fat, I know she's fine now, but it is still very scary = ( , I'm sorry this was a bit long, but I just felt the need to share this with someone.
 

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Since it is hepatic lipidosis feed her whatever she wants!!! Feeding the prescribed canned Hills is your vet trying to make money off your crisis.
Feed whatever and keep mealtimes consistent. Worry about diet after she is recovered.
 
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michonnethecat

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she wouldn't do that,I know her very well, and she's a good person, besides they don't always have that canned food and I buy it somewhere else,she knows, here in Perú, you don't find everything in the same place, even some of the medicine she told me in which places to find because they don't sell it there and she doesn't gain anything,  still my cat likes it very much and she's eating well and consistent and yes she also told me she'll start her diet once she's recovered, the thing is that she's afraid of her meds and she's already hiding because she doesn't want them, but I'll still give it to her, I hope it's all forgotten soon and she overcomes this.
 

mosimom

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If she likes it and eats it and you don't mind paying for it....great! But you do know there is nothing special or medicinal about the food? Nothing in it that specifically treats hepatic lipidosis except it being a food like any other foods on the market?
 
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michonnethecat

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well, she likes it and eats it and I have no trouble paying for it, I'm one of those people who feel better when following the doctor's instructions,especially if I trust her, unless she doesn't improve, or if it doesn't do her any good or if I couldn't really pay it, I don't see the need to change, the only important thing for me is for her to be good, I'm sorry if we don't think alike, but I'm sure that we both can agree that we both would do that which we think is best for them.
 

catwoman707

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As I read through this thread I was thinking she is going to go into hepatic lipidosis if she doesn't eat!

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 get it a bit easier than thin cats mainly because they have a higher calorie intake daily, 

So once your girl is well again, for the rest of her life, just be aware, she must always eat daily. If she is hiding for days in the closet or room due to company, then be sure to take an hour away and close yourself up with her, reassure her that it is only the 2 of you, and everything is fine, and get her to eat.
 
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michonnethecat

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thank you, this was so helpful!! I'm new here and my baby is still young so I don't know very much about cat diseases, and I certainly didn't know about this one until today, you just made it very clear for me, I didn't know it could happen ,otherwise I would have stayed locked there with her = (, I couldn't because my sister just came for a while ,she lives so far and we hadn't seen her in years and we had mostly to be with her, but if I knew this could happen I'd stayed as much as I could with her so she ate enough, this is so important for people like me who doesn't/didn't know about it and because it's deadly if not treated in its early stages, we're lucky we found it early .
 

catwoman707

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You're very welcome!

I thought describing it in simple terms rather than medical terms it is easier to understand and does help get a clear picture of why it happened, which helps prevent it from ever happening again.

Most cat owners don't know about HL either, it's not something super common like a cold or worms, but it definitely happens and is very serious.

Glad it helped :)

That's why we're here!  
 
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michonnethecat

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thank you so much again, I'm glad a place like this exist.
 
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