Ho everyone, my first message here and hope doing it right... My cute guy (not neutered yet) Tom (must have around 4yo) is a feral cat that showed up here last year at start of 2020... Very happy and impressively healthy compered to any other cat o helped before... He is a hungry guy and o call him cubby Tom because he was very athletic but always had many little cute chubby folds
And strong body with a good but healthy amount of fat.
However, last month I noticed he started losing some weight, nothing big and because I was being careful with the amount of wet food and he is energetic, I guessed he is just normally skinnier (still a chubby guy at this point) but, last two weeks he developed a growing belly and I i performed an examination and noticed the spine bones were much more visible, though it was worms (I had dewormed him in past on my own). Than I ordered the medication and dewormed him last week but he looks very tired, still eat well (always hungry like before) drinks water and make necessities normally (could not see his poop because he goes out to do but i noticed he does it from far and even covers it) and in the last 5 days things toke a turn, after I give him the deworming meds he still have a huge belly and looks like he lost a huge amount of weight even faster!!
I am trying a vet from the weekend when I started to get really worried but all was full near me and the ones I can afford to pay and honestly, have some places here on Houston tx I am afraid to go with him (had terrible experience with other cats o toke to some), anyway I got an appointment for tomorrow morning in a clinic near but I am not sure I should wait after reading about FIP (all in Houston inner loop area are extremely busy for appointment not sure why).
He is not in pain, he sleeps well over his belly and also at the sides, he eats very well and continue to ask me for food and treats, he drinks water, makes necessities as normal before and even gets up to go take a walk in the yard and back in a feel min as always... But he lost so much weight in lass than a week that his bones are so visible, his eyes are easy to see not so happy as before and his belly is heavy for him at pint he lays at the floor to eat his food... His respiration rate is normal, he had no vomit, no neurological signs and has no coughing at all ... When I palpite his belly he do not complaint and he lets me do it as not bothering, also have heard his belly for fluid and could not hear anything... I am not a vet I am not a doc, but as an EMT I assume some basic biology and physiology must be the same (plus I read online about animal bio and physiology to help out).
I used praziquantel tablets for him (Bayer OTC) and piperazine citrate OTC last Wednesday / did not feel very sure about the piperazine because was not concentrated so o waited him to have it cleared of his system and give him a a dose of pyrantel pamoat suspension. All mixed on food and he eats like there is no tomorrow, as always.
I was very afraid of FIP but the symptoms do not add up. Anybody with ideas or experience with this? Most I found to read is about kitties but he is a big boy, young but showed up here already over his 2yo or at it.
A little background about me (human)------
I have not slept much in days worried. Let me explain I am an EMT (humans) and have a red cross cats and dogs CPR license, so I have a bit of notion but not much experience as pet mom... On 2020 many feral and 1 stray (abandoned because found later is elder and have FIV) appeared near my apartment yard (I am lucky first floor) and I started taking care of all and, now, they are all mine... I love them very much and I do what I can without much money as I moved to this place on a separation and with personal and financial issues in the pandemic crises.
I am sorry for the huge message, but i am a concerned pet mom that is financially broke, I will never let him hurt or need medical care because of money, but as I have an appointment for tomorrow I wonder if I should wait or go to an emergency vet hospital anyway as he looks so skinny, tiered and with that huge belly that is making uncomfortable for sure, he can't even itch his ears poor baby.
Pictures you can see the evolution, from 1 week before to yesterday (his sad tired face yesterday)
And strong body with a good but healthy amount of fat.
However, last month I noticed he started losing some weight, nothing big and because I was being careful with the amount of wet food and he is energetic, I guessed he is just normally skinnier (still a chubby guy at this point) but, last two weeks he developed a growing belly and I i performed an examination and noticed the spine bones were much more visible, though it was worms (I had dewormed him in past on my own). Than I ordered the medication and dewormed him last week but he looks very tired, still eat well (always hungry like before) drinks water and make necessities normally (could not see his poop because he goes out to do but i noticed he does it from far and even covers it) and in the last 5 days things toke a turn, after I give him the deworming meds he still have a huge belly and looks like he lost a huge amount of weight even faster!!
I am trying a vet from the weekend when I started to get really worried but all was full near me and the ones I can afford to pay and honestly, have some places here on Houston tx I am afraid to go with him (had terrible experience with other cats o toke to some), anyway I got an appointment for tomorrow morning in a clinic near but I am not sure I should wait after reading about FIP (all in Houston inner loop area are extremely busy for appointment not sure why).
He is not in pain, he sleeps well over his belly and also at the sides, he eats very well and continue to ask me for food and treats, he drinks water, makes necessities as normal before and even gets up to go take a walk in the yard and back in a feel min as always... But he lost so much weight in lass than a week that his bones are so visible, his eyes are easy to see not so happy as before and his belly is heavy for him at pint he lays at the floor to eat his food... His respiration rate is normal, he had no vomit, no neurological signs and has no coughing at all ... When I palpite his belly he do not complaint and he lets me do it as not bothering, also have heard his belly for fluid and could not hear anything... I am not a vet I am not a doc, but as an EMT I assume some basic biology and physiology must be the same (plus I read online about animal bio and physiology to help out).
I used praziquantel tablets for him (Bayer OTC) and piperazine citrate OTC last Wednesday / did not feel very sure about the piperazine because was not concentrated so o waited him to have it cleared of his system and give him a a dose of pyrantel pamoat suspension. All mixed on food and he eats like there is no tomorrow, as always.
I was very afraid of FIP but the symptoms do not add up. Anybody with ideas or experience with this? Most I found to read is about kitties but he is a big boy, young but showed up here already over his 2yo or at it.
A little background about me (human)------
I have not slept much in days worried. Let me explain I am an EMT (humans) and have a red cross cats and dogs CPR license, so I have a bit of notion but not much experience as pet mom... On 2020 many feral and 1 stray (abandoned because found later is elder and have FIV) appeared near my apartment yard (I am lucky first floor) and I started taking care of all and, now, they are all mine... I love them very much and I do what I can without much money as I moved to this place on a separation and with personal and financial issues in the pandemic crises.
I am sorry for the huge message, but i am a concerned pet mom that is financially broke, I will never let him hurt or need medical care because of money, but as I have an appointment for tomorrow I wonder if I should wait or go to an emergency vet hospital anyway as he looks so skinny, tiered and with that huge belly that is making uncomfortable for sure, he can't even itch his ears poor baby.
Pictures you can see the evolution, from 1 week before to yesterday (his sad tired face yesterday)
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