My young cat stopped eating and drinking tonight, and is moving slow almost like he's in pain

It must be obvious I'm new to owning cats because this is my second crisis since I adopted my kitties. 

This time my concern is with one cat, my one year old cat Tyrion. I saw him eat a sizable piece of plastic from a grocery bag about a week and a half ago and couldn't get to him in time to get it away from him (it was a strip at least 6 inches long). It took me 5 days to get him into the vet for an exam, but the vet was surprisingly optimistic. He said the cat looked healthy and happy, his stomach felt normal and as long as his behavior hasn't drastically changed he's fine. I asked the vet to take an x-ray because I saw no sign of the bag passing in the cat box which the secretary told me to watch for, and I wanted them to see if it looked like it was still in there and in a bad place (blockage), or if it had passed already and maybe just was under the couch instead of in the cat box or something (I look everywhere for signs of it but I've heard sometimes it just...comes out while they're walking around or something). 

The vet told me the x-ray was unnecessary in my case and would be costly. He also said since it had already been 5 days since he ingested it that it probably wouldn't show up in the x-ray because it would have already been broken down by the stomach acid. He gave me some $7 laxative in a tube to give the cat, and told me unless his behavior changes we should give that to him for a few days and let nature take it's course. 

Tyrion ate and drank this morning, but about an hour and a half ago I gave the cats food and fresh water and put them in their room for the night, and noticed Tyrion wasn't running around back and forth meowing like he normally does; he seemed to have trouble following me to the room, and then he wouldn't touch his food. Actually my other cat, Prince, won't touch the food either because Tyrion won't which is also weird to me because they're usually being snarky and trying to eat each other's food and so on. I gave Tyrion more laxative and he won't groom it off which is weird because he's usually very particular about his coat being clean and instantly licks it off. He just slowly laid down on a blanket and seems totally disoriented and like he might be in pain.

We don't have any nearby Animal Hospital we can take him to, but I called my vet and left a message hoping they can give me time to come in with him tomorrow. I'm super worried! If he were a human kid I'd be at the emergency room with him right now! I'm trying to keep calm as this behavior did just start, but I'm scared to wait at all to address this.

I called my best friend in Boston who was a vet assistant recently and also is friends with a vet tech to tell her about what I'm experiencing. She's furious that my vet told me the x-ray wasn't necessary and that the bag wouldn't even show up because she said even though it's been through the stomach acid, it's not biodegradable like food (which I already knew, but didn't think of til she said something). She said it would definitely show up in a x-ray and that I should demand they give him one and also demand they not charge me for another exam on top of the x-ray because I just had him in last week and the vet did not (in her words) do his job properly. I'm not a confrontational person, but I'm upset that he told me there was no sense in checking when my friend is telling me otherwise and explaining it in a way that honestly makes perfect scientific sense. 

Mostly I just care about my cat's health, and while I can't really afford an x-ray, let alone that and another exam, Tyrion doesn't deserve to suffer or die at one year old because he ate plastic due to me not knowing I needed to keep bags out of his reach, and the vet not doing absolutely everything in his power to make sure my cat would be okay. 

I'm at a loss of the best way to tackle this issue, and could really use the cat owner communities' advice on how to go about resolving this. I need to know what to ask the vet to do, and I also would appreciate knowing what costs to expect and what I may be able to ask for them to work with me on (like my friend suggested I refuse to let them charge me for an exam when I already paid for one a week ago...is this reasonable/sound advice, or is there a better way to tackle this?)

Thank you for taking the time to read this my fellow cat lovers, and I'm hoping your cats are all healthy and purring like I long for my lovely Tyrion to be doing again soon!

-KittyKin

No, you should not be charged for another visit, it is considered a 'follow-up' to his last visit.

He really only needs one x-ray view, which is not too off the charts cost-wise either.

I would not rule it out, but usually if there is a blockage, he will still eat but vomit shortly afterward.

Just keep an eye on him tonight and get him seen tmrw as early as possible unless he snaps back to his usual self meanwhile.

Thank you for your input catwoman707 it is greatly appreciated

So update:
They said they had to charge me for another exam not a follow up because the vet that saw him last week isn't in today. I go there and they take his temperature which was a bit high and they took an x-ray. They said his small intestine is full of poop and I could try this white stuff at home or have him undergo surgery for them to look for the plastic and take it out which the vet highly recommended. We decided to get the surgery.
They just called me and said they found no plastic, and that they saw big lympnodes and want to do blood tests to see if it's FIP. With the surgery we already owe over $800 and now I have no idea what we will owe.
I'm concerned I took him to the wrong place because they don't have the best reviews. There are complaints of them being money oriented and also of young pets having untimely deaths there. Tyrion is only one and the doctor said if he has FIP the likelihood he will die is high.
Should I have gotten a second opinion am I making a mistake? They're keeping him overnight on IV for fluids but I'm not sure we aren't being played.

Gosh I hope they aren't trying to ream you financially, but I think it was wrong to charge you for a follow up just because it wasn't with the same vet.

If he really has big lymph nodes, they would be easily palpable so ask them to show you where those big lymph nodes are. I would get a 2nd opinion definitely!

Hope your kitty gets better!

They said the lymph nodes in question are in his stomach

I only know a little about human lymphatic system, but it doesn't sound correct. Do you mean the lymph nodes are inside the stomach wall? I do not know of lymph nodes inside the stomach. There are nodes nearby but it would be on the outside of the organ not the inside.

See the vet was very vague is describing it to me I was pretty sure lymph nodes are in the throat at least with humans but he said he opened the smaller intestine to look for the plastic and when he didn't find it he opened the stomach and said he saw big lymph nodes and thinks it could be a sign of FIP. Word for word that's what was said

they still didn't do an xray?! Just keep on top of them to give  you answers. Make sure they send you home with pain meds. You might want to go shopping for a soft ECollar-it stops the kitty from licking the incision. Petsmart/petco usually carry dif versions of this. Its usually used for at min 3 days. Some cats don't need it and leave the incision alone where other cats can't stop touching it. Make up a room with everything close-food water and litter box. try to keep the cat from jumping high. I had to do a surgery on my cat and I slept on the bathroom floor for 3 nights with her- And maybe call another vet and explain whats going on-see if they may recommend something or help you with home nursing care for the incision.

In the meantime pick up some:

babyfood meat- chicken etc-no garlic/onions-gerber and beechnut are good ones

puppy pee pads-incase the incision leaks or kitty cant make it to the potty

a soft collar for after surgery

any medications they send you home with-list them here and we can tell you what to be on the look out for side effects.

medicine dropper/syringe type feeder to give water after pilling.

A/D food at the vets-its a canned food called recovery-its a bland food to help start kitty eating when recovering from illness/surgery.

other wet food-something smelly and pate style-meatloaf style=to help with eating after surgery

treats-because!

A catbox for the bathroom or small room-they have smaller sized ones-that may be easier for kitty to step in/out until the incision heals more

a baby onsie shirt to wear over the incision instead of an ecollar-wallmart or other department store-some people find the shirt is more tolerable than the E-collar.

Let us know how it goes.

kittykin said:

See the vet was very vague is describing it to me I was pretty sure lymph nodes are in the throat at least with humans but he said he opened the smaller intestine to look for the plastic and when he didn't find it he opened the stomach and said he saw big lymph nodes and thinks it could be a sign of FIP. Word for word that's what was said

Click to expand...

Tonsils are in the throat but the throat isn't highly acidic like the stomach. That's why I asked to be certain that's what the vet said. If they are big it should be palpable. And from what you just said it sounds like he meant on the outside of the intestines, not the stomach. Regardless I'd get another opinion. Bad reviews are a red flag. So is a vague explanation.

i found this,

Numerous lymph nodes exist within the thoracic and abdominal cavities. They can not be palpated easily, and their enlargement does not show up on routine blood samples. They might be seen on radiographs or ultrasound if they are significantly enlarged. They can be found when performing an exploratory surgery.

http://www.lbah.com/word/canine/lymph-node-diseases/

ellag said:

i found this,

Numerous lymph nodes exist within the thoracic and abdominal cavities. They can not be palpated easily, and their enlargement does not show up on routine blood samples. They might be seen on radiographs or ultrasound if they are significantly enlarged. They can be found when performing an exploratory surgery
.

http://www.lbah.com/word/canine/lymph-node-diseases/

Click to expand...

Normal lymph nodes cannot be palpated, but swollen ones can. That's why your vet (or your doctor) palpates certain spots at the neck, clavicles, axilla, abdomen, and legs to check for lymph node enlargement, which can be a sign of infection, inflammation, or cancer.

But to be clear, there are no lymph nodes inside the stomach.

I hope this is something easily treatable! I agree with Foxxycat that an X-ray would be good.

"They said they had to charge me for another exam not a follow up because the vet that saw him last week isn't in today"
Wow, what a line. Sounds like something a con man would say. Are they working FOR the same clinic, or are they just totally independent vets, in the same building?
If they work for the same clinic, I don't think I'd let that slide (later).

Doing exploratory surgery of this level, because they "couldn't see foreign object on x-ray" sounds like they like surgery $$$.
Would seem given history, finding small intestine "full" (could be interpreted several ways) is 1st give enema or series. FAR less invasive, but far less lucrative. If plastic's in there, may well come out from enemas (water under the bridge now).

Then, maybe scope his intestines, if necessary? Again, far less invasive or harmful - no slicing open, creating bigger chance of infections. Maybe that vet doesn't have scoping equipment, but does have a $20 scalpel & $5 needle / thread.

"he opened the stomach and said he saw big lymph nodes"
Has anyone ever heard of lymph nodes IN the stomach? It'd be news to me. But...
Maybe he meant (but didn't say), while he was opening the stomach, he saw enlarged lymph nodes in abdominal cavity.

MDs & vets often miscommunicate - to me - even in writing. And they make spoken / written mistakes. On me alone, dozens of mistakes on lab & procedure orders , called in meds, records from exams - over the years.
Some don't take time to explain (time is $) - some do. You also have a right to a copy of medical records / notes, though they may charge a "reasonable fee."
Sometimes, if you ask office staff nicely, they'll send copy of findings, notes for free (or not).

CatOMight said:

"They said they had to charge me for another exam not a follow up because the vet that saw him last week isn't in today"
Wow, what a line. Sounds like something a con man would say. Are they working FOR the same clinic, or are they just totally independent vets, in the same building?
If they work for the same clinic, I don't think I'd let that slide (later).

Doing exploratory surgery of this level, because they "couldn't see foreign object on x-ray" sounds like they like surgery $$$.
Would seem given history, finding small intestine "full" (could be interpreted several ways) is 1st give enema or series. FAR less invasive, but far less lucrative. If plastic's in there, may well come out from enemas (water under the bridge now).

Then, maybe scope his intestines, if necessary? Again, far less invasive or harmful - no slicing open, creating bigger chance of infections. Maybe that vet doesn't have scoping equipment, but does have a $20 scalpel & $5 needle / thread.

"he opened the stomach and said he saw big lymph nodes"
Has anyone ever heard of lymph nodes IN the stomach? It'd be news to me. But...
Maybe he meant (but didn't say), while he was opening the stomach, he saw enlarged lymph nodes in abdominal cavity.

MDs & vets often miscommunicate - to me - even in writing. And they make spoken / written mistakes. On me alone, dozens of mistakes on lab & procedure orders , called in meds, records from exams - over the years.
Some don't take time to explain (time is $) - some do. You also have a right to a copy of medical records / notes, though they may charge a "reasonable fee."
Sometimes, if you ask office staff nicely, they'll send copy of findings, notes for free (or not).

Click to expand...

I agree unfortunately.  It makes me angry when people are taken advantage of like this.  Regarding the lymph nodes in the stomach, I believe the vet was just trying to simplify the language when he should have said the nodes were found outside the intestines.  The OP did say this:  "he opened the stomach and said he saw big lymph nodes".  

Some people call both the stomach and intestines alike "stomach".  I do too sometimes.  It gets confusing.  I hope it's not FIP.

I agree w/ you, Ginny.
I gaius th' vet duzn't uze gud gramur.

If he said, " he opened the stomach and said he saw big lymph nodes," would mean to a lay person & grammatically, he saw the lymph nodes inside the stomach.
The bigger issue is some would say they're sort of hustling her, if we've got the facts straight - that's important.
More than a couple of medical "professionals" take advantage of people's emotions in urgent situations, or convince them it's urgent, when it may not be.

Some businesses that have more customers than they need aren't focused on customer service or cutting people some slack. But some are.

CatOMight said:

I agree w/ you, Ginny.

I gaius th' vet duzn't uze gud gramur.

If he said, " he opened the stomach and said he saw big lymph nodes," would mean to a lay person & grammatically, he saw the lymph nodes inside the stomach.
The bigger issue is some would say they're sort of hustling her, if we've got the facts straight - that's important.
More than a couple of medical "professionals" take advantage of people's emotions in urgent situations, or convince them it's urgent, when it may not be.

Some businesses that have more customers than they need aren't focused on customer service or cutting people some slack. But some are.

Click to expand...

I've seen that happen too many times where human doctors will tell the worst case scenario to scare people into obeying their orders.  It's shameful.  

Well my boyfriend and I agree they got us this time and we will pay because we ultimately care about our Tyrion and dont want him to suffer. This will be our last time doing business here and we plan on telling them that

How is your Tyrion doing now? I too am disgusted by your vet's actions. Tyrion is a lucky boy to have someone love him so much 

I wasn't able to visit Tyrion after the surgery we're actually getting hit hard right now because my boyfriend's grandmother is close to dying as well so it's been a really rough day. I did call to check on him before they closed and they said they gave him antibiotics and pain meds and he seems fine but is just napping. They said the vet should call me tomorrow when they get the blood work for an update and to discuss next steps or us getting him back. I can't deny I'm super nervous leaving him there over night but I don't have IVs to hook him up to here

My feeling about any business - if they lose one customer, no big deal & they're not likely to change. If bad word of mouth or internet starts spreading, they potentially lose more than they want. Far more incentive to change, especially if more people do it.

But be fair. About any experience, ask yourself if they really did something wrong, underhanded, misrepresented, "bait & switch," piled on services that weren't necessary / didn't get approval, used a very expensive method when inexpensive one would work just as well (in THAT instance), refused to communicate about important issues (ignore calls, emails etc.). The question: did they do or say something(s) that other similar businesses probably wouldn't do, in the same situation? Things that wouldn't sit well with most people.

And, it never hurts to write them a formal, professional, but firm letter - outlining what's wrong, what you didn't like and / or what you want. Keep it professional, succinct but firm. I find bulleted main points work well - easier to read. If you're not planning on using a business again anyway (unless they shape up), the worst they can say is No, get lost. I've written businesses - like optometrists & eyewear - outlining 10 - 12 things wrong, including several instances of excessive waiting. One of the owners refunded my entire OOP amount - nearly $200 & apologized. Others ignore me. If enough money's involved (I think they owe me or vice versa), I send certified, return receipt letters. I've gotten lots of results - $1000s over the years.

If enough money's involved, & have reasonable proof, or what they told you, proof of charges, etc., you can file claim w/ BBB. When I call businesses, I ALWAYS keep notes on names, dates, times I spoke & what they said. Doesn't matter if businesses are BBB members or not.
* Names, dates & times & general notes are important, no matter who you're complaining to.

Can & should file a review on Yelp or other review sites. But always keep it professional sounding. Use convincing sounding, professional language w/ enough specifics to support claims, not rants - or people dismiss those reviews as nut jobs. Don't make wild claims that aren't true, or they could come back after you.

Some states have small claims courts or similar, for contested sums under a certain amount. In some cases (probably varies by state), you can file for treble damages (3x) if they violated certain laws or rights of consumers. That part is very specific.

If it's fairly serious (doesn't have to involve $1000's), can report it to most states' Attorney General office for consumer protection, or similar. Not a difficult process.

A small gas line was nicked in my back yard by someone I hired to dig fence holes. Gas Co. charged me $400 for 30 min. work for one man to glue a low pressure, 3/4" PVC line (3 others standing around telling jokes). Technically, I was responsible for the nut I hired, if he didn't have insurance. But, they made 3 main mistakes.

* When I called, they didn't come out & correctly mark buried lines w/in the legally required time;
* they mismarked another line (not gas) - completely wrong side of fence;
* and they filed report w/ the state O&G pipeline commiss., saying * I * (my name) cut the line. I did not & they couldn't prove it. I called the state commiss., discussed it. Then sent certified letter to Gas Co., outlining all they did wrong. Plus, said I was legally required to report them for filing a false report w/ the commission. I didn't cut the line & there was no proof.

The Gas Co. manager called 2 days later - he'd "decided to no bill me." I said innocently, "Oh really, what changed your mind?" He said it doesn't matter - just that we're dropping it. I wished him a good day. End of story.