I brought my elderly cat (a 17 year old Manx) to the vet yesterday, spent $500, and so far no real results. They gave him an anti-biotic and a pro-biotic, and want me to get a urine sample from him, which I'll do.
My cat is not in pain, but is extremely lethargic, can no longer jump on a footstool, which he used to sleep on the sofa. He is eating almost nothing, but a few pieces of kibble out of my hand, and treats and 2 small shrimp. (I cut up the shrimp and throw the pieces a few feet just to make him move a little, which he does.) He does drink water normally, though. He appears to be nearly deaf and for awhile his sense of smell has been on the decline. He rarely defecates, but the last time he did (a few days ago) he pooped about 4x his normal amount, something he had never done before. The doctor says he is not constipated. He was in much better shape about a month ago.
The doctor said he has a loud heart murmur, something he did not have at his last checkup about 7 months ago. (In fact, then, the doctor commented on how healthy his heart was.) The doctor also said he has surprisingly good teeth for such an old cat.
Do you have any thoughts on what could be wrong with the cat or how I might address his lack of appetite and severe lethargy? If he's simply on his way out, how long do you think it might be and is there a chance that he'll die peacefully in his sleep?
Thanks.
My cat is not in pain, but is extremely lethargic, can no longer jump on a footstool, which he used to sleep on the sofa. He is eating almost nothing, but a few pieces of kibble out of my hand, and treats and 2 small shrimp. (I cut up the shrimp and throw the pieces a few feet just to make him move a little, which he does.) He does drink water normally, though. He appears to be nearly deaf and for awhile his sense of smell has been on the decline. He rarely defecates, but the last time he did (a few days ago) he pooped about 4x his normal amount, something he had never done before. The doctor says he is not constipated. He was in much better shape about a month ago.
The doctor said he has a loud heart murmur, something he did not have at his last checkup about 7 months ago. (In fact, then, the doctor commented on how healthy his heart was.) The doctor also said he has surprisingly good teeth for such an old cat.
Do you have any thoughts on what could be wrong with the cat or how I might address his lack of appetite and severe lethargy? If he's simply on his way out, how long do you think it might be and is there a chance that he'll die peacefully in his sleep?
Thanks.