mabel's not acting right

hoping to get some input here...i'll try to keep it short, but it may turn into an essay.

we adopted mabel from the animal shelter back in april. from day one, we knew something wasn't right. she didn't want to eat (even after an adjustment period). she was lethargic most of the time, although if you sat down, she was all over you, looking for . she's still doing that.

after much testing, we found out she's been through heartworm, currently has very mild hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (sp?), had toxoplasmosis (kicked that ), severe swelling of the soft tissues in her mouth, and the vet has diagnosed ibd (although no biopsy has been done). she'd been on 2.5ml of liquid prednisolone daily (mixed in her food, because i can't get her mouth open to give it orally...her mouth hurts too much).

last week, she was regurgitating more than normal. really wasn't eating much, which means she wasn't getting her meds. the vet was closed, so we took her to the vet er. she was running a temp (103.3), but other than that, her bloodwork was normal (white cell count, liver function...basic cbc was done and faxed to the normal vet), and she hadn't lost any weight (which is good - she's only about 5.5lbs).

after the visit to the er, she really cut back on the food. i called the normal vet, and asked about a transdermal gel for the prednisolone. he ok'd it, called in the prescription, and we started her on it friday night (11/18).

since then, she's been more lethargic, sleeping a LOT, eating very little and last night, she regurgitated again. i'm going to have my dh take her to the vet tomorrow for a follow up...i want to be sure she's okay.

can anyone give me any input? any btdt's? anything to suggest to the vet? she's negative for feline hiv, leukemia, bartonella and the toxo, at this point. we had x-rays and an ultrasound w/ eccocardiogram done over the summer - all negative for masses, etc. i'm at a loss. she's such a lover...i hate to see her like this.

If she were mine, I would be looking for a feline specialist. Whereabouts are you located? City/State?

we're in Northern NJ.

where do i look for a specialist?

While Hissy is finding you a resource, I just want to send good wishes... your post is so good that I feel like I know Mabel already! Please give her a snuggle from me...

well, i just went to check on her...she was all curled up on her pillow and blanket. she heard me coming and UP came her head and she gave me her normal "brrrrrrrrrew" that means, "oh, good heavens, you're going to pet me again?" (well, sometimes it means, "you're not petting me. why aren't you petting me?" depends on her mood. )

anyway, i put her bowl of wet food down (we've recently switched to Natural Balance venison and green pea). she pulled away from it. i moved it closer to her and backed away. she started to pull away again, but then sniffed and ate about 1/2 of the bowl. (mind you, it was probably only 1oz of wet food, but still....) then i realized that she had nibbled on her dry food (also the venison and green pea). only a handful of kibble, but i feel so much better knowing that she's eaten and that i don't have to worry about liver failure!

fingers crossed that she keeps it all down tonight.

thanks, hissy and carol, for your input! much appreciated.

dh is going to take mabel to the vet tomorrow morning.

she just had about 4 laps at her wet food and now she's acting like she's going to get sick. she just looks so sad.

i'll let you know what happens. please send out some healing vibes for miss mabel. she could sure use them.

The only feline specialist I could find is in New York. I could not find one in New Jersey.

Good vibes

thanks everyone! and thanks for looking, hissy. we have an 11:15am appt with her regular vet (dh will take her, since i'm at work).

a positive note: she ate almost 2 oz of her hard kibble overnight, and i didn't see any "presents" . she also used the litterbox (#1 and #2). so in that aspect, she's doing all right.

thank you all for the good vibes. i'll let you know what happens.

Hope all goes well.

contact Oradell Animal Hospital In Paramus. They are off of Rt 17 by Paramus Mall.

They are considered the best (everything from oncology to whatever you can think of) in your area and are open 24/7 365 days a week.

here is the website....

http://www.oradell.com/

and one more just in case

Lincoln Avenue Cat Hospital (973) 427-0990, 133 Lincoln Ave Fair Lawn, NJ

The are right off of rt 208 or river road in Fair Lawn.

thanks helen!

dh and mabel are with the vet now. we'll see what he has to say. i think i'm going to make an appointment with the oradell facility for this weekend, if possible. it couldn't hurt to have a second opinion, right?

i feel a little guilty, though, for seeing another vet behind our regular's back. it's like i'm cheating on him or something.

you are very welcome - and no need to feel like you are cheeting - noone is perfect and it never hurts to get a second opinion when it come to our babies!!!!!

keep us in the loop ...

Second opinions are ALWAYS good to have.. Sending good vibes to you and your kitty.

well, no diagnosis, really.

the vet thought he heard wheezing and possibly fluid in her lungs - took x-rays and they shows lungs are clear. except for spots which we knew about (accute bronchitis or asthma). a slight temperature (103 degrees). food in her stomach, so we know she's eating. everything else *looked* normal.

he drew blood for a full cbc panel. they gave her fluids, because she was a little dehydrated. gave us a bottle of antirobe aquadrops. .5ml 2x/day until the bottle's gone.

he did make a comment about "when older cats get sick...." which leads me to believe she's not a 6 yr old cat, as we were told when we adopted her. that's 3 vets now that think she's an old lady (between 10 and 12)!

when dh came home with her, she went to her scratching box, "killed it" , got a drink of water, ate a few kibbles and parked herself in a sunspot.

he gave her the antirobe in a little bit of her wet food and she ate it. so far, she's kept it down.

he's having us stop the prednisolone, because it counteracts the antibiotic (which i didn't know....and she's been on both several times now. no wonder the antibiotics didn't work!)

and HOW do you take a cat's temp at home? wait until she unsuspecting and *POP* it in there? hehehe she's a good girl...she'll do anything as long as she's on someone's lap.

keep the good vibes coming, folks. mabel sure appreciates them!