Help With Cat!

Hi! I'm new to the forum and was hoping you all could help me with a problem with my 8 year old cat named Tido. 

Every time I take him to the vet I asked them if they think he is bloated and they always say that he isn't bloated, he's just fat. He's about 13 lbs. and since I noticed he became bloated a few years ago he does not like to be picked up. 

Both of my cats get tapeworms pretty frequently so they receive a dose of Drontal about once every two months. I know tapeworms can cause bloat, maybe he needs to be on a steady, monthly, dosage of Drontal and see if the bloating disappears?

Another issue is his eyes. The lenses near closest to his nose are both very visible. I asked the vet about this and they ran a Felv/Fiv combo test (because of this symptom along with the bloating) and it came back negative.

Another symptom I've noticed is he always sneezes once every time he wakes up from a nap.

He also has a tooth that is chipped. The vet knows about this and did not correlate this and the other symptoms, so I guess they're unrelated? I'm scheduling an appointment to have that tooth removed soon.

As a side note, I got him when I was 11 and am now having to take care of him by myself since my parents are not helping. I'm currently in college and have a part-time job, so was hoping that I could finally fix all of these problems he has since I've got a little bit of money now. Thank you all for any help! I've taken him to the vet at least four times regarding the first, second, and third symptom and they can never find out what's wrong. I'd rather go into the next vet appointment with some thoughts of my own of what could be wrong to save both time and money and hopefully finally help my kitty! 

The best way to prevent a whole host of health issues is to keep cats inside. They have a much better chance of picking up parasites if they go out regularly, as well as a higher risk of getting injured.

Tapeworms either come from eating an animal with a tapeworm like a mouse, or from fleas, so it's good to have cats on a monthly flea and tick preventative (prescribed by the vet, not otc from a pet store). 

If your vet thinks he is overweight, than he probably is. If you don't agree with this vet you can always go to another and see what they think.

The third eyelid could be from any number of things that are making him slightly ill. It could be from the tapeworms or other parasites or a virus, or something else. If he has another parasite besides the tapeworm, drontal won't treat it. In house vet tests often have false negatives for many parasites. You could get a very accurate result by sending a fecal sample out to a lab, or you could try treating for the more common parasites without testing first (probably the less expensive option).

Sneezing when he wakes up does not sound like it's a sign of any illness to me.

The chipped tooth is probably from some sort of physical trauma, not an illness. Did the vet recommend that it be removed?

Hi! Thank you for responding!

They definitely get the tapeworms from eating fleas. I live with my dad, grandpa, and sister who collectively have 4 dogs who go outside and bring fleas into the house during the summer. None of them are on any flea medicationn or do they have the money to put them all on one. Next time we go to the vet I'll see what options they have for flea preventatives! for cats, that way at least mine are taken care of.

I will definitely test for different parasites or a possible virus and then lastly a fecal test. They were going to do that last time (when I told them about these symptoms, but they said it would just be cheaper to give him pills for any possible parasites than send in a sample). Maybe try the Drontal for a few collective months or ask the vet if there is another pill he'd recommend to get rid of all parasites.

My two are mainly indoors. Tido goes outside to sleep in the sun and then my other, Tommie, used to be an inside cat but chooses stays inside now.

And yes, he got the chipped tooth a few years ago, before he was neutered. He used to fight other cats in our neighborhood. They said it was a little inflamed at the gumline and recommend I get it removed. We're getting that done in a few weeks.

Thank you again for the help!