Is She Gonna Die?

My little baby (Star) of 7 years just got really really sick.

She eats... but only a tiny bit and very rarely. She's lost a lot of weight... she's not super skinny but she was a chubby cat to begin with. But... another thing is she won't do anything. She just hides and doesn't want to be touched or played with... and when she walks she walks really slow. This started like, 4 days ago and it's only gotten worse.

My mom syas it's only from the heat, and she caught a summer flu and will snap out of it. We have a lot of family problems right now and can't afford the time or money to take her to the vet... And I'm only fifteen and can't drive yet, and the vets pretty far away. I'm so scared she's gonna die. She's drinking a whole lot and we gave her a laxitive in case she has constipation and won't eat, or a hairball... but she's not throwing up. I think its the end of poor Starzzie unless any of you have had a similar problem and think it may be just a flu or the heat???

Your cat sounds very sick. She is not very old and with veterinary care she could likely get better and live another 10+ years. Is there a relative that could help you out? Or a humane society or shelter that might be able to find you a low cost vet?

Has she been outside recently or is she an inside only cat? Is there anyway you can talk to your mom about calling the local animal shelter and seeing if they have low-cost vet care? Some do, and some don't. There are also online vet consultants- yes they charge a fee, but their fees are reasonable. Would that possibly be an option for you?

If you don't know what is wrong, I would be hesitant to give her anything over the counter like laxatives, etc...If you are giving her hairball medicine that is fine- one thing that will help her is a bottle of pedialyte mixed in with her water- I know it might be hard, but please try and get her to eat.

If you are concerned that she isnt eating, here's what you should do: wet some cat food so it is runny and mushy. Then put it on her paw. She will lick it off because cats hate to be dirty. I would do this for 3 large tablespoons, enough to keep her going but not too much that it shocks her tummy. Keep us posted on how she is!

I agree, don't give anything over the counter and certainly not a laxative. She is probably already dehydrated and diarrhea will only make things worse.
You can try to SLOWLY syringe feed some wet food into her mouth. Make it thinner than yogurt/pudding but not too watery. I agree also...start with small amounts to make sure her stomach will keep the food down.

I doubt is the summer flu and she probably desperately needs some subq fluids at the vets. Can't your mom call around to see about payment plans?

Thanks so much for the replies. I really wish I could but taking her to the vet but it's really not an option. I feel so bad I can't do anything for her...

Please don't think my mom is cruel or anything like that for not letting me take her to the vet. She is afraid it is something untreatable and she's gonna have to pay big money for something star is gonna die from any way. I've objected to this in every way possible... but my mom is being put under a lot of presure with the scare of ovarian cancer. (another thing I'm real scared about) .. so this is kind of like the cat comes second deal. My reletives think the same (trust me, i've begged... I've offered to pay... they won't do it!)

Star just ate a little bit a while ago... and she drank a lot of water. I tried the wet food on her paw, she kinda ignored it and just walked away, smushing it on the floor. My dad, who always objected to having a cat, simply said "If she dies... she dies."

Every time I look at her I cry . This is horrible! She lets me hold her so I'm cuddling with her right now. Sometimes she purrs... but I know that purring can come when a cat is in stress or pain.

My mom said that if I really wanted and thought she was in a lot of pain that we could get her euphanized... and I'm like "If we take her to the vet to have her euphanized... couldn't we take her to get some tests done?" But she doesn't understand. I feel so stuck. If any one has any more tips on how to get her to eat or maybe whats wrong with her... please let me know.

i know what its like to be in your situation, try and keep opimistic!
Phone around and see if any vets can do payments plans, try you local animal shelters and see if they can give you some advise on where to go.
Most importantly, dont let people tell you that your a bad cat owner!
I know when your young, you feel helpless, when things like this happen.
Keep you chin up, we're all here if you need us!

Thanks. You hit me on the spot. It's not that my parents don't care... They just aren't cat people and don't understand. Star has been my cat from the very beginning... and they've pretty much had nothing to do with her. I just don't know what to do. I can't convince anyone of anything! I feel like I'M killing her myself. :-(

Thanks for the support.

Originally Posted by Tabby 109

Thanks. You hit me on the spot. It's not that my parents don't care... They just aren't cat people and don't understand. Star has been my cat from the very beginning... and they've pretty much had nothing to do with her. I just don't know what to do. I can't convince anyone of anything! I feel like I'M killing her myself. :-(

Thanks for the support.

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i so know what your going through, i wish i could help.
its painful, and you blame yourself, i can sit here and tell you not to, but ive been there, in your shoes, many times. It always left me, empty and bitter, (and a bit stronger--though i didnt know it), and very guilty.

where are you located? maybe if anyone is nearby they can help out with some more options?

I know exactly what you're going through. I am sooo sorry. I live in a family like yours where cats are not important to anyone else but I've always saw my cats as my babies. I wish there was something you could say to show your family how urgent and painful it is on you to watch your cat suffer so much but I have no idea what that would be (if I knew then I would tell my own family the same thing when I need their support in times like these). Please don't blame yourself though. It's obvious how much you love your kitty and you would get help if you could. You're in my thoughts and I hope so much that your cat gets better. ((huggss))

Thank you so much. I can't stop crying... I don't know what to say. I can't really say where I live other than NY, so I know thats not much help. I don't think she's gonna make it. I'm so scared. Thanks again everyone.

have you tried contacting any local animal shelters to see if they can help out?

if it would help i could donate 25$ to go towards a vet visit

My 7 year old cat did this one day, he was irritable when petted and often walked away and would'nt eat much if at all and he was just kind of there and hardly did anything. But the difference is that he just was like that for one day, so I'm not sure what's going on with your kitty. I hope it's something that goes away on it's own and your kitty will be just fine, but I don't know.

I know how you feel, but luckily my father eventually became a hard core cat lover a few years after we had our first cat. Hopefully your parents will come through.

I'm so sorry your baby is not feeling well. All suggestions I could think of have already been given, but I just wanted to comment and let you know we are here to support.

Oh you poor kid, it can be hard to do what's right when there's no money to do it.
Maybe you can come to some arrangement with the local vet to pay off the bill slowly?

Originally Posted by Tabby 109

Thanks. You hit me on the spot. It's not that my parents don't care... They just aren't cat people and don't understand. Star has been my cat from the very beginning... and they've pretty much had nothing to do with her. I just don't know what to do. I can't convince anyone of anything! I feel like I'M killing her myself. :-(

Thanks for the support.

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I wish your parents would see that even though they aren't cat people, they are hurting YOU by not taking her in.

I'm sorry, I have to say this...if this poor kitty gets worse and is suffering and they won't treat her, then bringing her in for euthanization is the kindest thing to do.

I just wish cats would get the respect they deserve

Originally Posted by CTCat

I just wish cats would get the respect they deserve

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I agree 1000% with you on this.

Originally Posted by CTCat

I wish your parents would see that even though they aren't cat people, they are hurting YOU by not taking her in.

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Do you have any friends at school whose parents or older siblings could drive you to the vet's office? Some vets make house calls. I wonder if you explained your situation if a vet would be willing to stop by. In one of your posts you mentioned that you told your parents that you are willing to pay for the vet, so I assume the problem is getting Star transportation to the vet. I wish you lived in Cincinnati so I could help you get Star to a vet.

When I got home from school, Star seemed a lot worse. She can hardly walk now, and keeps falling and tripping. She used to be chubby and now her skin just hangs down and you can see her ribs. I got real scared. I broke down in front of my parents... complete accident... but I think it was the first time they saw how serious I was.

They let me arrange something with my grandma, and we took Starzzie to the vet about four hours ago. I couldn't stop crying at the vet, and my grandma must have thought I was ridiculus. She offered to get me a new cat right then and there, which made me cry even more. Some people just don't get it.

The Vet, her name was barbera or brenda, or something like that, saw how scared I was and was real nice. They checked her for tumors, took her temperature which was 99 (she said it was low) and gave her a blood test. She'll call with the results tomorrow... I'm so scared. If they would have to operate for her, theres no way my parents would pay for it.. and I don't have the money. I think Star is too weak to do anything serious to now.

Barbera said it could be diet beedies, kidney failure, fatty liver, lukemia, cancer, stomache failure, or she could have suffered a heat stroke which triggered the cancer or lukemia (or something like that). The only thing that even sound reasonable to treat to me is the dietbeedies, and thats hard to believe since most cats gain weight with that disease.

Well, they gave her some fluids because she was dehydrated, even though she's been drinking like crazy. And they gavce her a pill to help boost her appitite. It doesn't look good to me though.

She's really light heaed now, yowling all the time. I'm so afraid she's in pain. If this doesn't subside soon I'm gonna have to take her to get euphanized. I know how bad it sounds, but I think its for both our sakes. She's hardly responsive, can barely walk, and I can't stand to see her like this.

We're giving her a couple more days just to see if the pill will work. If not... well... I can't even type it without crying... we're gonna have to put her to sleep. I can't stand the thought of it... I hope the day never comes.

What happened? A week ago she was fine! Chaseing emily around the house... playing and pouncing... purring and waking me up with kisses. What happened? Why did this happen?

Thanks for all the support and everything. I feel a lot better now that I took her to the vet... Not so guilty anymore. If she dies... I guess its because its her time to go. I just hope and pray that I gave her a good life for seven years, and that maybe, someday, we'll meet again at the rainbow bridge. I write this with tears running down my cheeks, and a prayer in my heart for any other owner or cat that has to suffer through this.

Thanks again everyone.

i glad to hear she finally got to the vet!
hang in there, you gotta lotta shoulders to cry on in here if you need to!
hugs x 1000