A bit confused about my cat's diagnosis

Last year our Birman, Gitmo,  who had always been a slight 'bird-boned' cat, suddenly lost his appetite. Because he was already  skinny his not eating caused him to plummet in weight very quickly.

I told the Vet I thought the Birman was refusing to eat because he was pining for my husband who had been hospitalised but the Vet just rolled his eyes at me like I was an idiot and  diagnosed Gitmo with kidney failure and put him in 'hospital' himself on a drip for several days and then gave him some tablets that gave him a ravenous appetite (I think they were some form of human anti-depressant) and because he started to eat again he quickly regained his lost weight.  The vet sold me a lot of special food for cats with kidney problems but he refused to eat it even when he was starving so he went back to normal food - and our other cat Dave, a Ragdoll, decided he wanted to eat the specialist kidney food only and consequently he lost weight but since I'd always been told by the vet that he was too heavy I thought that was a good thing.

Anyway, my husband eventually returned home and both cats started to eat normally again and everything seemed fine except that Gitmo is now a big chunky cat rather than a skinny one and Dave, the Ragdoll, has remained quite svelte since his inadvertent 'diet' but when recently I took both of them for their boosters and they were weighed it turned out that the Birman had put on more than a kilo and the Ragdoll had lost a kilo.  It's admittedly a lot of weight in a cat, either way.

The Vet agrees that Gitmo is fine now but wants to run bloodtests now on Dave for kidney failure.

I hate the idea that I am neglecting my cat by saying 'no' but I really don't think I trust the Vet to be doing right by me.  I can't see how Gitmo could have suddenly been 'cured' of Kidney problems so I now wonder whether all the money I was charged last year was valid.  I can't see how Dave could suddenly have 'caught' the same illness.

Both cats have healthy appetites. Both are fit and well in themselves and run around the garden like kittens on catnip. 

I know the obvious answer is to change Vets but we paid a huge amount when they were little to cover them for innoculations for life and if I leave the Vet they will no longer be covered. A little suspicious voice in my head is wondering whether the Vet would like for me to take the decision to leave as the older they get the most expensive it is for him to keep innoculating them.

On the other hand, am I neglecting Dave if I refuse to pay for the tests? I'm not a Vet and don't like to pretend I know better than an expert. If money were no object I probably would do it (and that makes me doubt my own motivations) but my husband is on disability now and $500 is a lot of money.  Trust me, I will find the money if Dave really needs it. I am just really uncertain that he does. 

I know no-one can diagnose at a distance, I just want a third-party opinion on this whole situation.

I would ask for both of their vet care complete records and review the labs, etc. and take it all to another vet for a 2nd opinion.  Would your vet discard the inoculation agreement if you just went to another vet for a one-time visit?  Could you go to another vet for a 2nd opinion in another area, and maybe not disclose who they went to previously, so that it doesn't get back to the other vet?

I would weigh the cost-savings of lifetime innoculations against the cost of the continual loop of testing as well.  You may not be coming out as well as you think financially just because of the lifetime innoculations.

MacavityTheCat said:

 
...we paid a huge amount when they were little to cover them for innoculations for life....

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It will be important to understand that Dr Pierson's work is in no way related to the human anti-vaccination culture.

There is one feline vaccine that is prescribed by statutory regulation in some parts of the world (rabies).....if you would post back with a general indication of where you reside, we could discuss this further.

On hbunny 's suggestion of obtaining complete copies of your cat' veterinary files (an excellent recommendation whether/not one is considering changing veterinary practices)....many reasons can be offered to quizzical vet staff to 'cover' such requests: emergency preparedness purposes, extended travel with cats, probable relocation.....

 ...I really don't think I trust the Vet to be doing right by me.  I can't see how Gitmo could have suddenly been 'cured' of Kidney problems so I now wonder whether all the money I was charged last year was valid.  I can't see how Dave could suddenly have 'caught' the same illness.

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I believe that this "gut feeling" of yours may well have much validity.....trust your instincts!

two reasons i suggest you find a different vet -

   first, the vet doesn't believe your cat could be pining for a family member.  not a very sensitive vet, and apparently not well-researched in this issue, either.

  second, he rolled his eyes at you like your stupid.  and that despite the fact that you were probably right.

i've had many bad experiences from doctors for humans, and they almost always started with the doctor who felt that their patient just couldn't know something they didn't know or was asking a stupid question.  also even if the doctor was right and the patient/pet parent was wrong, it's very rude and  unprofessional to do that eye rolling thing.  businesslike people don't do it. 

at least get a second opinion, hopefully from a vet who's more respectful of the people who pay money for his expertise.  and hopefully someone who believes that cats can grieve.

I definitely think you're right about trying to get a second opinion. I hadn't realised I could just ask for a copy of the health records. I'm not sure what response I will get to the request but I suppose , worst case scenario, I could just take Dave for a general health test at a fresh vets without mentioning where he is currently registered anyway.

THank you, White Shadow, for the link to that incredibly interesting article. I confess it's not the first time I had heard the argument against annual vaccinations but this is the first time I've seen it laid out so clearly and logically. I need to give some serious consideration to this matter as my worry about changing vets could be based on a totally fallacious position should I choose against continuing the regular vaccinations. I was certainly given pause by the suggested links with cancer and, ironically, kidney failure. SInce I live in the U.K., rabies is not relevant and although both Dave and Gitmo play outside they are never outside unattended and have never come into contact with other cats so a lot of what they are inoculated against is improbable. There is a prevalence of FIV amongst stray cats in the UK but other than that the only requirement for inoculation comes from the demand of Catteries to have a full vaccination record. Our previous Birman was 23 when she died and we gave up vaccinating her when she was about 15 since she found travelling to the vet so traumatic. SHe never went outside so it wasn't an issue until a medical emergency with my husband caused me to try to put her in a cattery for a couple of days and I discovered that not one of them would accept her without a vaccination record. I solved the problem by finding a mobile cat sitting service, which was a much better solution anyway, and that's what we use for the boys too so, overall, there's no reason I can't cease the annual vaccinations if that is the decision I reach. Thank you for giving me food for thought.

THank you for your comments, Basschick. I confess I have wondered in retrospect whether I would even have agreed to Gitmo being treated so aggressively (and expensively) for a diagnosis I was not happy with if I had been in a better emotional state. At the time, my husband was intensive care with a very poor prognosis and Gitmo is 'his' cat. I couldn't face the thought of my husband surviving only to be greeted with the news his cat had died and I would have agreed to anything at the time to make sure they BOTH survived. I'm not normally the type of person who lets herself be treated disrespectfully by people and I agree that the vet was pretty condescending to me but, to be honest, I was at my most vulnerable at the time so possibly made some bad choices.

I hate to think of what you have been through!  I hope you can get some answers soon.  To me, not knowing what is going on is worse than getting a poor prognosis.  I hate the not knowing.

Sending lots of good vibes and hugs your way, it sounds like you have been through so much!   

MacavityTheCat said:

THank you for your comments, Basschick. I confess I have wondered in retrospect whether I would even have agreed to Gitmo being treated so aggressively (and expensively) for a diagnosis I was not happy with if I had been in a better emotional state. At the time, my husband was intensive care with a very poor prognosis and Gitmo is 'his' cat. I couldn't face the thought of my husband surviving only to be greeted with the news his cat had died and I would have agreed to anything at the time to make sure they BOTH survived. I'm not normally the type of person who lets herself be treated disrespectfully by people and I agree that the vet was pretty condescending to me but, to be honest, I was at my most vulnerable at the time so possibly made some bad choices.

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it's hard to keep your head clear when a medical professional isn't acting right when you're vulnerable.

our cat was diagnosed with kidney disease with a urine test and along with a blood test, it cost us under $300 from a pretty pricey vet.  if one of your cats does have kidney disease, it's not necessarily the knell of doom.  our cat is about to turn 18, and was diagnosed with kidney disease almost four years ago.  for a while, we didn't really have to do anything about it.  when it got worse, we started giving him subcutaneous fluids and his kidneys actually improved. 

good luck to you!