CRF and aggresiveness

kateyes

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 16, 2005
Messages
160
Purraise
1
Hi. Its so sad to find such a lovely forum under the circumstances I'm going through.

My cat was diagnosed with CRF yesterday. He's 15 years old.
The vet has been giving him shots and I give him plenty of water [he barely moves so I take the bowl of water and move it near him].
Yesterday he was peeing himself all over.. it was a mess. And he didn't eat or drink anything.
Today he's still peeing
He is still eating too [special food the vet told us to buy]

But my cat has become extremely aggresive. He's a VERY big cat.. he's so big people have confused him for a small dog.. so having his huge claws and teeth grab me is hurting alot.
I need to move him around to wash the blankets we have given him. I can't leave him lying on a blanket covered in pee.. he'll get cold and he could get even more sick.

declawing would never be an option.

I would just like to know if other people have gone through this.
What changes did your cat have?
was your cat acting aggresive? does anyone know why this happens? is it because he's in pain?
is there anything I can do to calm him down a bit?


I have so many other questions.. I would really like as many details as I can from personal experiences.. how your cat felt.. what you did to help him

thanks for reading.

here's Tom:
Tom 1
Tom 2
 

sharky

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
27,231
Purraise
38
He is likely in joint pain... likely not definate as I am far from a vet... my crf girl is 17 and get s aggresive when sissy forgets her jt supplements
 

pat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 1, 2003
Messages
11,045
Purraise
58
Location
Pacific NW
Tom is lovely...he has the same expression in his eyes as my Capella (aka Roo) who despite adoring me wildly seems to need to sniff my hand or hair, to know its me, otherwise he gets such a look on his face, and is so cautious.

I am so very sorry for this diagnosis. I have a cat with crf, he was diagnosed over 3 years ago. Aggression has not been an issue.

The best advice I can give is to go read this site feline crf dot org as it is the best on this topic on the 'net imo. It goes over diagnosis, stages, related issues, meds, holistic approaches, and so much more.

A number of us on TCS have, or have had, cats with this, so know we understand, and post any time.

Is Tom on any new medications by any chance - any appetite stimulants?
 

shrimplover

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 12, 2005
Messages
43
Purraise
0
encephalopathy may be happening here. This happens in renal failure as well as liver failure.

When the kidneys fail, the brain changes..gets poisoned etc.
Then behavior changes. Your kitty may not even be aware of much
of his surroundings.

I hate to say this, but it may be "time" to release him from further pain.


with a cat like this...so unique.. this is so very hard, for you! He is beautiful!!
But if he is suffering and not responding to treatments... well...


with concern,
ShrimpLover
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

kateyes

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 16, 2005
Messages
160
Purraise
1
well yesterday mi cat was eating and drinking and I took it as a good sign because he hasn't doing it the first day we noticed he was sick.
About peeing himself, the first day it was a mess but the next day it was considerably better... and today it has improved. The problem is.. he's barely peeing so of course thats worrying me too.

the aggresiveness that worries me because somethings off and cats can't talk. He used to be this big fluffy teddy bear that would never hurt anyone, its quite a change of character.
He's also did something strange last night. He's an outdoor cat, this means he can walk outside of my home whenever he pleases. I left him in the couch at midnight.. by 2am I went to give him more water but I couldn't find him anywhere.. he had walked outside [strange because he barely moves] and hid himself between bushes, he was sitting on the wet grass. It was a cold night so.. I don't know why he would dothat.

the vet hasn't told me my cat is in bad shape [as in a terminal phase], he says my cat is doing better. I don't know if vets even tell the owners if they should start considering to put a cat to sleep or not?
I'm really confused because I see my cat have short period of feeling better and then he goes down hill again. He can't tell me how much he's suffering and I don't know what's really going on, I want to make sure I'll be putting him to sleep at the right time and not before [yes.. I still have a tiny bit of hope he can live a bit with CRF]


Today I'm taking him to a different vet to get a second opinion and tomorrow I may get a third opinion. I just need alot of reassurance as to whats the condition, whats happening, how to help and when is the right time to end it.. not any sooner and most definately not later.

thank you for your replys, they have been so helpful.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

kateyes

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 16, 2005
Messages
160
Purraise
1
I'm a little confused. I can see I have 2 posts made so far and I wrote another reply to this post but I can't see it


I took tom to another vet today because yesterday when I asked my vet to take a blood exam he told me the person that does that won't be there until tuesday.
Its independance day tomorrow and everyone is celebrating alot, but thats no excuse. [I live in Chile]
So I changed vet.. another reason was that I told my vet my cat didn't pee much that day and he said to not worry "he'll pee and defecate on his own".
Its been 2 days and not much is happening. I think its important that my cat pees if he's drinking so much water.

The new vet is a different story, he grabbed my kitty and is doing all sorts of exams to him. He didn't just give my cat a shot and tell me my cat will get better.
I feel so much calmer now because I know tom's in better hands.

Thanks for all the replys.
 

pat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 1, 2003
Messages
11,045
Purraise
58
Location
Pacific NW
Please keep us posted and share what the results of the tests are. Usually, you are right to expect, that along with an increased water intake, there is a good volume of urine. I would be concerned too over a decrease in urination while still drinking a good amount.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

kateyes

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 16, 2005
Messages
160
Purraise
1
I'm back from the new vet and VERY upset.


the new vet was great. He explained to me that my cat had a great phisical condition for his age and after reading the test results he realized my kitty's kidneys are perfectly fine.

My cat has diabetes

I'm so angry because the other vet didn't listen to me when I requested a blood exam.
He kept giving my cat a shot for CRF and my cat needed insulin.
My family and I have been through hell thinking about the possibility of putting my cat to sleep or not.
What if I had decided to put my cat to sleep yesterday?!?! God I'm so MAD about this!!!

Another thing that happened.. the other vet removed a tooth from my cat.. well the new vet checked my cats mouth and had to remove another tooth and there was a big infection there.
The old vet never fixed the problem..

So I'm relieved but VERY angry about what happened.
Now Tom is heavily sedated because the vet removed a tooth and cleaned a big infection in his mouth. He gave him a shot of insulin and I have to bring him back on tuesday. During sunday and monday I have to give my cat some pills.
 

pat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 1, 2003
Messages
11,045
Purraise
58
Location
Pacific NW
I don't blame you for being upset, but you did the best thing you could do, followed your instincts and got a second opinion. Here is a link to my favorite site on cats with diabetes: Gorbzilla dot com

Poor fellow, with the teeth removed and the infection being treated, that is enough to help begin feeling better, then you can deal with the diabetes. One of our advisors, Gayef, has more experience than I in dealing with this, my one kitty with diabetes, it is early enough we aren't doing insulin.
 

loraandjeff

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 5, 2005
Messages
98
Purraise
1
Location
Winnipeg, MB
Awwwwwwwwwww Kate, I feel so bad for you & Tom! If that had happened to me, I would be absolutely LIVID. I am so glad that you got a proper diagnosis now and hope you'll let us know how Tom is doing now that he's getting the proper medication.

Lora
 

shrimplover

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 12, 2005
Messages
43
Purraise
0
Diabetes is doable... you can control this easily.

Much better than CRF!!!

Good thing you complained fast, because he could have gone into a coma!

If organs are good, from the chem panel tests, you and your beautiful
friend can remain together!

Most diabetic cats get really small doses, 5, 6 or 7 units/day. So even the
cost of insulin will not be too high. The syringe/needles may cost more!
(there are 1000 units/vial).

If I were you I'd call the other vet and give him WHAT FOR!!!


While you are still recovering from the reality of missed diagnoses, it looks like the end result is much better, and treatable!

Best wishes to you both! (you have to watch carbs in food...for diabetics.
There are special foods here in USA for that..) So pay attention to diet too!

ShrimpLover
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

kateyes

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 16, 2005
Messages
160
Purraise
1
yeah diabetes is so much better than CRF


thanks for the link Pat & Alix I checked it out. I've been informing myself on the subject all through ysterday and today. Its so much more complex than I thought it would be, but its manageable.

I'm still worried because tom isn't ok.. he's twitching [as if he had a tic] every couple of minutes, last night the twitching was bad but today it has decreased and he still stays sort of sleeping. I've seen him being sedated before and he has never twitched.. nor has he taken this long to recover.
He does eat and drink water if I put it close to him.
His pupils are a bit dilated.

If this continues I'm going to try to convince my family that we should go to the vet again, everyone says I'm exagerating and tom is just recovering.
But somethings wrong.. I know it.. I know my cats.
I can't take him by myself because I don't have enough money with me.

here's a pic of my baby: Tom
 

emb_78

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
3,095
Purraise
1
Location
Wisconsin
Originally Posted by sharky

He is likely in joint pain... likely not definate as I am far from a vet... my crf girl is 17 and get s aggresive when sissy forgets her jt supplements
I agree I think he is in pain.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #15

kateyes

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 16, 2005
Messages
160
Purraise
1
I took him to the vet just in case and he checked him out.. apparently nothing is wrong.
He told me cats can react differently to insulin so it could be the intial reaction because my cat seemed fine and that made me feel better.
 
Top