Help, sick cat and vet wants to do surgery

I have 3 cats, two females that are about 6 years old and a male that is about 3 years old. All have been fixed. Recently, my white long haired female has been sick. It started out where she would get sick every few days. Ok, that is about normal when she has a hairball. Well, the only difference was, her vomit smelled like poop and it was really bad. It would smell up the whole house. Then about two weeks ago, she quit eating. She would still drink water but no food. She would sit by the food and smell it but wouldn't eat. We took into the vet last week Thursday and they did xrays but those came back negative for a blockage. They did a CBC and that came back normal. So they gave her a dewormer and a shot of anti-inflamatory and some fluids and sent her home. We also have been giving her Laxatone everyday in case it is a hairball that has gotten stuck. She is still not doing good. She won't play and all she does is sleep. I have another female that will quit eating after throwing up a few times and for her we will take her food away for 24 hours and then give her wet food with a syring and that usually gets her eating again. Well, I have been giving this cat wet food with a syring but it isn't doing any good. The vet wants to do exploratory surgery on her but we just have already spent a ton of money on her and can't afford anymore. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Angie

Is she still pooping and peeing ok? The reason I'm asking is that she could be very constipated and her system is backing up causing the foul smelling vomit. I have heard of that in humans. Did your vet check for anything like that?

Hi Angie, welcome to TCS.

When vomit smells like faeces, it is almost certainly caused by an intestinal blockage. If the cat has been hit in the abdomen (such as from a fall or hit by a car), it can also cause this. It sounds like the vet thinks there is a blockage and wants to operate to remove it. I'm sorry to say this but if the operation is not done, the cat will most likely die.

Please read this article about what to do if you cannot afford vet care: http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_H...erinarian.html

Well, unfortunately, the only way we could know if she is peeing or pooping is to isolate her from the other cats because they all use the same litter boxes. I guess we could try that. When the vet felt her stomach, she said she could feel something but nothing showed up on the xray so she said that maybe it is a big furball and said to try giving her Laxatone for a few days as well. If she needs surgery, I am afraid we will have to put her down because we can't afford it. I have a new baby at home who needs formula and diapers. I would hate to put my cat down because of a furball but I don't think we have any other choice. Our vet won't take payments and we are broke.

Angie

Please look at the link provided by Kumbulu. See if you can find a vet in your area who will accept payments. If your cat has not been eating for 2 weeks, you are reaching the critical stages and something needs done asap or your cat will definitely die.

I wish I had better advice or a magic wand or something. One thing I do know is that Xrays don't always show everything, so it is very possible that there is an obstruction that was just not visible via xray. Sometimes exploratory surgery is the only way to find out for sure. I really hope you can find a way to save your cat. Please keep us updated.

{{{HUGS}}} I know this is very difficult for you. I will keep you and your cat in my thoughts and prayers.

Thank you. We will discuss with our vet and see what our options are. We live in the city so there are plenty of other vets to see but even if we have to make payments, unless they are $5 a month, I don't know if we can afford it. My husband isn't working because of surgery and hasn't for 6 months so our funds are extremely low right now. Plus, our new baby needs diapers and formula and he comes first. I love my cats dearly and have had them all since they were babies. A year ago I would've been able to afford it but right now isn't a good time. Thanks for your prayers and I hope to get this resolved before it is too late.

Angie