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- Sep 14, 2018
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Background: My 9 year old tuxedo cat, Tavi, has an unknown tumor on his head (beside his eye, under the ear). The needle aspiration was inconclusive and he was put on steroids, as surgery was not an option for us. He's been on prednisolone for 6 months now with absolutely no symptoms from the cancer or the steroids.
Last week I took him to the vet for bloodwork. They did a Chem 10 panel to check to see if he could continue on the steroids. Everything was normal. However, when I brought him home from the appointment, he started acting depressed and wouldn't finish his dinner. I figured it was just anxiety or stress, as it took me 20 minutes to get him into his carrier and he usually does act a little weird for a night or two after the vet. The next day he ate even less and by the 3rd day, he was lethargic, wouldn't play and didn't really want me to touch him. He only ate a few bites of his food, so a few hours later I offered him treats and he ate those. I went to the store and bought every flavor of his food I could find, along with an assortment of treats and gravies, canned chicken and baby food. The 5th day he wouldn't eat breakfast or lunch, but would later ate a Friskies Lil Shake and Greenies smartbites (the little square kind). I wanted to see how many treats he would eat and we got up to 40 before I cut him off. Then the next day he started to act a bit normal again and less depressed and wanted to cuddle and follow me around, but he still would barely eat. Since then, he's been running downstairs at meal times and cries for food, but then just sniffs it and looks up at me and cries. So, I end up opening a few different flavors and sometimes I get lucky and he will eat a quarter of it. Then an hour later, I offer him some Friskies Lil Shakes and he eats half of it. Then a few hours later, I offer him Greenies and he eats up to 20 of those. This happens at every meal now. Yesterday I got him to eat a small chunk of canned chicken and a few pieces of his brother's Purina HA dry food. I called the vet yesterday, but the two vets I see are on vacation until Monday. But, I did make an appointment for Monday. He's drinking a lot of water still (I was warned that the steroids would make him drink more). I realize it may be the cancer suddenly affecting him. But, still it seems like a massive coincidence that his symptoms waited to show up until the exact moment I took him to the vet. He is also suddenly hyper-vigilant. Any noise distracts him while he's eating. Also, when I pick him up, he starts smacking his lips and when I get to the kitchen he starts to panic. I'm wondering if he thinks I'm picking him up and taking him to the kitchen because I want to put him in a carrier? He never used to be like that. He usually loves being carried around, looking at everything like a tour of the house. I think he may be constipated, as well. The day after the vet, I noticed his stool was thinner and very dried out. I called the vet again today and asked what I can do for him. They suggested pumpkin. They don't seem all that concerned, since usually they would ask me to do a drop-off or go to the emergency vet for something serious. Since his kidney, liver and glucose levels were just checked, I assume it's none of those things. Could a post-vet stress response last more than a week? Or could the stress have brought on constipation? Anybody have anything similar happen?
Last week I took him to the vet for bloodwork. They did a Chem 10 panel to check to see if he could continue on the steroids. Everything was normal. However, when I brought him home from the appointment, he started acting depressed and wouldn't finish his dinner. I figured it was just anxiety or stress, as it took me 20 minutes to get him into his carrier and he usually does act a little weird for a night or two after the vet. The next day he ate even less and by the 3rd day, he was lethargic, wouldn't play and didn't really want me to touch him. He only ate a few bites of his food, so a few hours later I offered him treats and he ate those. I went to the store and bought every flavor of his food I could find, along with an assortment of treats and gravies, canned chicken and baby food. The 5th day he wouldn't eat breakfast or lunch, but would later ate a Friskies Lil Shake and Greenies smartbites (the little square kind). I wanted to see how many treats he would eat and we got up to 40 before I cut him off. Then the next day he started to act a bit normal again and less depressed and wanted to cuddle and follow me around, but he still would barely eat. Since then, he's been running downstairs at meal times and cries for food, but then just sniffs it and looks up at me and cries. So, I end up opening a few different flavors and sometimes I get lucky and he will eat a quarter of it. Then an hour later, I offer him some Friskies Lil Shakes and he eats half of it. Then a few hours later, I offer him Greenies and he eats up to 20 of those. This happens at every meal now. Yesterday I got him to eat a small chunk of canned chicken and a few pieces of his brother's Purina HA dry food. I called the vet yesterday, but the two vets I see are on vacation until Monday. But, I did make an appointment for Monday. He's drinking a lot of water still (I was warned that the steroids would make him drink more). I realize it may be the cancer suddenly affecting him. But, still it seems like a massive coincidence that his symptoms waited to show up until the exact moment I took him to the vet. He is also suddenly hyper-vigilant. Any noise distracts him while he's eating. Also, when I pick him up, he starts smacking his lips and when I get to the kitchen he starts to panic. I'm wondering if he thinks I'm picking him up and taking him to the kitchen because I want to put him in a carrier? He never used to be like that. He usually loves being carried around, looking at everything like a tour of the house. I think he may be constipated, as well. The day after the vet, I noticed his stool was thinner and very dried out. I called the vet again today and asked what I can do for him. They suggested pumpkin. They don't seem all that concerned, since usually they would ask me to do a drop-off or go to the emergency vet for something serious. Since his kidney, liver and glucose levels were just checked, I assume it's none of those things. Could a post-vet stress response last more than a week? Or could the stress have brought on constipation? Anybody have anything similar happen?
