If i were you I would be harassing your vet for a referral ASAP or doing my own research to find a better vet. It sounds like your problem is very serious if he's throwing up everything but treats and refusing all food and I would not wait very long to see someone else. I think at this point you need a vet to diagnose the issue as it doesn't appear you can solve this on your own. I've heard stories about cats being fed Friskies their entire lives and living to be in their 20s, it doesn't mean it's a good option. The bottom line is treats aren't a complete nutritional source.
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My remaining cat's changed eating behavior and vomiting
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UPDATE to Montana's Eating Disorder....
Good news and continued frustations:
OK, so I went to another vet in the same facility, and Montana got an ultrasound and an X-ray because the vet wanted to see his stomach (which an ultrasound does not show). The ultrasound showed that the lining of his small intestine was a little thicker than usual and he came me the options of what it could be ... the worst being the beginning of lymphoma, but he really did not think this was the case. He wanted to rule out a bacterial infection that sometimes causes this so I've been giving him an antibiotic for the past week. The good news is that he has completely stopped vomiting after he eats his food.
My frustration still lies with not really knowing what he likes to eat. Here's an example. I remember him loving a cat foor that I once gave both my cats at Trader Joes...so I bought a can yesterday to try it out. I was thrilled to see Montana eat it right away and practically all of it. I thought finally. But then tonight, I put down the exact same food, and he walks away from him, looks up at me for something else and there have been times there were 4 choices from which he could choose from, and he refuses them all whereas before he liked a few of them and he ate it. I've stopped giving him those Purina treats completely (per the vet's suggestion) and so I felt it was going well because at least he had stoppped vomiting AND was eating, but just changes his mind each and every day to the point where I have no idea what to feed him. Because he's hungry, he nibbles on little healthy kibble I have out - but not much.
So, what I'm looking for are ideas of a healthy wet food that most cats can't resist or at least one that my cat will consistently eat, and occasionally I will add variations. While I'm very happy he is no longer throwing up (at least for the past 10 days) I'm stumped when it comes to WHAT he wants to eat. Today I had bought 3 more cans of the stuff he loved yesterday; today he won't even go near it. He looks at it for a long time, looks at me then walks away.
Any suggestions? Thanks.
Good news and continued frustations:
OK, so I went to another vet in the same facility, and Montana got an ultrasound and an X-ray because the vet wanted to see his stomach (which an ultrasound does not show). The ultrasound showed that the lining of his small intestine was a little thicker than usual and he came me the options of what it could be ... the worst being the beginning of lymphoma, but he really did not think this was the case. He wanted to rule out a bacterial infection that sometimes causes this so I've been giving him an antibiotic for the past week. The good news is that he has completely stopped vomiting after he eats his food.
My frustration still lies with not really knowing what he likes to eat. Here's an example. I remember him loving a cat foor that I once gave both my cats at Trader Joes...so I bought a can yesterday to try it out. I was thrilled to see Montana eat it right away and practically all of it. I thought finally. But then tonight, I put down the exact same food, and he walks away from him, looks up at me for something else and there have been times there were 4 choices from which he could choose from, and he refuses them all whereas before he liked a few of them and he ate it. I've stopped giving him those Purina treats completely (per the vet's suggestion) and so I felt it was going well because at least he had stoppped vomiting AND was eating, but just changes his mind each and every day to the point where I have no idea what to feed him. Because he's hungry, he nibbles on little healthy kibble I have out - but not much.
So, what I'm looking for are ideas of a healthy wet food that most cats can't resist or at least one that my cat will consistently eat, and occasionally I will add variations. While I'm very happy he is no longer throwing up (at least for the past 10 days) I'm stumped when it comes to WHAT he wants to eat. Today I had bought 3 more cans of the stuff he loved yesterday; today he won't even go near it. He looks at it for a long time, looks at me then walks away.
Any suggestions? Thanks.
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And MissMizz, please don't encourage me to find another vet. The vets I go to are some of the best in the City.
I don't have any suggestions left for you as you don't seem to want to consider any of the ones I've already given you. There are several threads on this forum about the best foods, most enticing foods etc.
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Thats not true MM, I have considered some of the other ideas you've had. All I felt was the need to defend the good vets that I already have and they do collaborate with each other. Just defending my vet's knowledge of nutrition in cats as well. Thanks.
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Ps. If there are any 'other' threads that have ideas for the best or most enticing foods for most cats, that would be great. I will also review the previous posts on this current thread. I believe I have already tried some of the suggestions and my cat simply won't stick with something he apparently does seem to like.
Sometimes cats walk away from their food because they aren't hungry at the time you feed them. Some cats really need encouragement to eat. My cat with digestive issues will walk away from his food several times before he'll finally eat, even tho its clear he's hungry. I feed him the same food every morning (mix of raw duck and turkey i make) and sometimes i have to use several different treats as toppers to entice him and then keep trying over and over again until he'll eat. In my opinion treats on top of a food you know agrees with him is the best way to go. I know he was addicted to the other treats you have, but perhaps trying a higher quality treat like some of the ones listed below will help.
Treats that i use in rotation are -
Bravo (chicken, salmon, mariners meadly)
Orijen dog treats (duck)
Orijen freeze dried cat treats
Etta Says! Liver Sprinkles Freeze-Dried Dog Treats
Cat-Man-Doo Sprinkles Crushed Bonito Flakes Cat
Halo Liv-a-Littles Grain-Free 100% Chicken Breast
Other foods that are enticing to some cats are -
Weruva
Tiki cat (I know you tried these already, but they have lots of flavors)
Nutro Natural choice (the sliced variety)
Soulistic (mine love the Good Karma)
Fancy Feast Classic Chicken (for some cats this is the kitty crack).
If he's a tuna lover you could try adding a small amount of tuna water to his food or a small amount of tuna as a topper.
Treats that i use in rotation are -
Bravo (chicken, salmon, mariners meadly)
Orijen dog treats (duck)
Orijen freeze dried cat treats
Etta Says! Liver Sprinkles Freeze-Dried Dog Treats
Cat-Man-Doo Sprinkles Crushed Bonito Flakes Cat
Halo Liv-a-Littles Grain-Free 100% Chicken Breast
Other foods that are enticing to some cats are -
Weruva
Tiki cat (I know you tried these already, but they have lots of flavors)
Nutro Natural choice (the sliced variety)
Soulistic (mine love the Good Karma)
Fancy Feast Classic Chicken (for some cats this is the kitty crack).
If he's a tuna lover you could try adding a small amount of tuna water to his food or a small amount of tuna as a topper.
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I leave some healthy dry kibble out during the day, but not much of it, but occasionally he'll take a bite or 2. I feed him (as I have for the past 9 years) in evening between 6-7 PM. He gives me clues that he's hungry.
My vet gave me a perscription food (I/D) that's easy digest along with the 20 day antibiotics. The first few days, I was very happy because he seemed to love this new I/D food (at least for the first 2 days). When I fed it to him the 3rd day, he wouldn't touch it. So - you may say some cats like variation; so knowing that, I would be forced to throw away the food I thought he would eat and give him some of his previous favorites (some of the ones that you mentioned I've fed him like Weruva, Tiki (he loved that) Nutro Natural Choice and Soulistic). These are the ones he has liked, but like the others he will turn away after showing me he likes it. As for those treats, I've crushed them and even sprinkled a little on top of the food (like tonight) but he still won't eat anything. I have not tried some of the other treats you mentioned, but I did buy one that was highly recommended earlier but that was when he was throwing up and he threw up shortly afterward. I'm willing to try each and every treat that you mentioned.
I have not tried Fancy Feast because I heard of what they put in it and it's not the healthiest food; then I learned that Fancy Feast Classic is different from the regular kind? I'm willing to try this as well. Oh and he's never been a tuna lover or any kind of fish, including shrimp which I used to serve my other cat on his birthday.
So my problem is not whether he will like certain foods; it's whether he will like them the 2nd time or even a week from the first time. I had to throw out 3 of his favorite foods tonight because he would not eat it, and he kept on looking at the bowl and I can tell he was hungry. I've been very adamant about not giving him just those treats (per my vet's suggestion). So - it's sort of a different problem. While I'm pleased the he h hasn't thrown up no matter he has eaten, the problem is will he eat 1 or 2 food consistently.
The question becomes, why does he change his mind on the foods you already suggested and I have already tried? He meows & meows because he's hungry but I've run out of options at least for tonight. I will try out some of the items I have not tried; but as you can see, he's pretty difficult to understand as far as his tastes changing.
Thank you.
Trudi
My vet gave me a perscription food (I/D) that's easy digest along with the 20 day antibiotics. The first few days, I was very happy because he seemed to love this new I/D food (at least for the first 2 days). When I fed it to him the 3rd day, he wouldn't touch it. So - you may say some cats like variation; so knowing that, I would be forced to throw away the food I thought he would eat and give him some of his previous favorites (some of the ones that you mentioned I've fed him like Weruva, Tiki (he loved that) Nutro Natural Choice and Soulistic). These are the ones he has liked, but like the others he will turn away after showing me he likes it. As for those treats, I've crushed them and even sprinkled a little on top of the food (like tonight) but he still won't eat anything. I have not tried some of the other treats you mentioned, but I did buy one that was highly recommended earlier but that was when he was throwing up and he threw up shortly afterward. I'm willing to try each and every treat that you mentioned.
I have not tried Fancy Feast because I heard of what they put in it and it's not the healthiest food; then I learned that Fancy Feast Classic is different from the regular kind? I'm willing to try this as well. Oh and he's never been a tuna lover or any kind of fish, including shrimp which I used to serve my other cat on his birthday.
So my problem is not whether he will like certain foods; it's whether he will like them the 2nd time or even a week from the first time. I had to throw out 3 of his favorite foods tonight because he would not eat it, and he kept on looking at the bowl and I can tell he was hungry. I've been very adamant about not giving him just those treats (per my vet's suggestion). So - it's sort of a different problem. While I'm pleased the he h hasn't thrown up no matter he has eaten, the problem is will he eat 1 or 2 food consistently.
The question becomes, why does he change his mind on the foods you already suggested and I have already tried? He meows & meows because he's hungry but I've run out of options at least for tonight. I will try out some of the items I have not tried; but as you can see, he's pretty difficult to understand as far as his tastes changing.
Thank you.
Trudi
It's hard to know whether he's just being picky or something else is going on, like he feels nauseated.. You might make contact with your vet again and see if they suggest anything else. Did they suggest giving him Pepcid regularly? Did they mentioned IBD? It does sound like this new vet you consulted was more thorough about everything. FF classic is decent for cheap food. Yes, it does contain some lower quality proteins but for some cats its all they'll eat. I have one cat that refuses all wet food except for FF classic chicken. You could try mixing it with a better quality food to see if that motivates him to eat, if he likes it. How long are you leaving food out for? I would leave it out for as long as possible to give him time to come back and eat it later if he desires. It's possible he's holding out for those treats hoping you'll give them to him and if you leave the food out long enough he'll give up and go eat it. I leave wet food out all day sometimes without issue (especially in the winter months).
Have you tried Merrick's Limited Ingredient foods? My cats like the chicken, it's a really soft pate and it's very easily digestible.
I'm not really sure what else to suggest at this point. Maybe someone else can chime in.
I don't have much to add to this last post: it's so true that some cats will only eat one or two foods! And I wouldn't hesitate to try the Fancy Feast Classics if a cat weren't eating much: in a case like this, it would be better for Montana to eat a food with byproducts than not get enough food. I also wonder about nausea: if he's licking his lips or kind of lurking over the food dish that could be a sign of nausea.
Our cats also love the Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet foods: they only get turkey and duck and they slurp them up.
Since Montana hasn't vomited since the treats were cut, maybe he had a sensitivity to the grains in those? And maybe he'll start to feel better soon now that they're out of his diet? It sounds like he's been a little more interested in food than before, so that's a positive sign. I also leave food out for a long time... or sometimes pop it in and out of the refrigerator for our cat who likes grazing.
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First, let me repeat that his pickiness seemed to start shortly after my cat Coony passed away. They ate the same foods together for 9 years. He wasn't throwing up at the time; just changed his mind about a lot of the things he used to eat on a regular basis. He did finally eat after I could not stand his jumping on me all through the night because he was hungry. I finally tried one more thing (Avoderm) which he did not like before so I was surprised he ate it. He is NOT nauseous at this time; he hasn't thrown up in the past 10 days.
I already tried the Pepcid (the first thing the vet suggested). It didn't work because he didn't eat the food I put it in. Of course they mentioned IBD after the findings of the U/S but the vet wanted to rule out certain 'other' problems that Montana may be having. The antibiotic seems to be working because whatever he does decide to eat, he no longer throws up. It suggests he might have had a bacterial infection in the intestines which the vet said is fairly common. If it wasn't that, he said it could by IBD, and we'd start treating him for that when/if the time came. If he no longer throws up, it's a good sign, don't you think? If he was nauseous he wouldn't even want to eat.
I only leave food out overnight. This morning it was still there and he was telling me he wanted something else which is when I threw it away and tried the 'Avoderm' (Duck & Lamb) which he refused last week! But I had to try something and strangely enough, he gobbled it down AND didn't throw up. Believe me, I leave food out long enough to see if he get hungry enough to eat it (I no longer give in to giving him ANY treats), but if he doesn't want it he doesn't want it and I wind up throwing it away after 10 hours or so.
I just got the Merrick's that you mentioned a few days ago. He didn't care for it. I made a list and will pick up all the foods (except the ones I know he doesn't like)...like Tiki. He used to like the Wervuva packets (the yellow chicken ones) but then he stopped liking it ??
I will also get the FF chicken and see if he eats that first and then add some healthier foods.
First, let me mention that this all started (his change in eating) after my other Cat Coony passed away in August. It was like having a brand new cat and I had to re-figure him out.
Since he has not thrown up in 10 days (since I started the antibiotics) I'm assuming he doesn't feel nauseated anymore. The vet discussed IBD at great length but he wanted to rule some things out based on the Ultrasound and X-rays. He said that that it looked like his stomach wasn't digesting his food quick enough therefore he threw up because his stomach was already too full although he was still hungry. He said that sometimes cats get a bacterial infection in their small intestine that inflames it (as the US showed) and he wanted to try the antibiotics to rule out IBD for now. First line of action. It seems to be working but I'm trying to describe this 'other' problem of his changing his mind all the time of what he likes and what he doesn't like.
I leave the food out for a long time (12 hours at the most) because I hope he will be hungry enough to eat it. I'm not giving in to giving him treats per the vet's suggestion. I knew he was hungry went I went to sleep...he was meowing all night long until about 6:30 when I went downstairs and decided to try one of the many cats I have in my cupboard. I gave him Avoderm (which he turned his nose up last week) duck & lamp and he gobbled it up. Finally, I could get some rest. I have no idea why he ate it this time and not the last time.
I tried Merrick's just last night. No go. Today, I'm making a list of some of things he did like and will try the FF Classic to at least see if he likes it. The good thing is that he is not vomiting which means that the antibiotic is probably working. If he continues to vomit after I finish that, then it's time for the vet to address possibly IBD. I gave him all the tests he needed to try and diagnose this; but I don't think there is a test for 'I don't like this anymore'.,.....
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Have you started the slippery elm bark yet? Or "manually" pilling him with the Pepcid? The Pepcid will also take a couple days before it starts working.
Not throwing up doesn't mean not nauseated. Are you familiar with the "meatloaf" crouch that cats do when they're in pain (and is he doing it)? Have you seen any of the other signs of nausea other people have mentioned? Lip licking, picking up the food and dropping it... Has the vet had a good look at his teeth? (Could he have a toothache or other mouth pain?) Cats are really, really good at hiding pain, and he might be having some kind of gut pain every time he eats, that he ends up associating with the food.
Have you tried probiotics? If there's a bacterial overgrowth, that can help balance it.
A lot of cats with IBD can go for a long time without showing symptoms, then something stressful happens and they're suddenly sick. Your cat could have had that intestinal inflammation (what caused the thickening) for a while going on at a low level, then it went crazy when the other cat died.
But there's no magic food anyone can recommend you. My cat goes on stretches of wanting to eat nothing, and what will work one day will be totally gross the next. I don't think I saw anyone mention Fortiflora yet, though, that's like kitty crack to a lot of cats. It's a probiotic mixed with "animal digest," which somehow is irresistable. At first, anyway. I've heard that's what some cheaper food companies spray on their dry food to make it more tasty, maybe it'll work like the Purina treats for him?
You should ask your vet their opinion on a B-12 shot. If he's had stomach inflammation for a long time, he's probably not absorbing it from food and might be deficient, which will make it even harder to heal any inflammation. Here's a link about B-12 in IBD cats:
http://www.ibdkitties.net/B12.html
It might take a few shots (once a month or every couple weeks) before he's healed enough to absorb it from food again. It's a lot cheaper if you can get the vet to show you how to do it with the first shot, and then do it at home for the following shots.
Not throwing up doesn't mean not nauseated. Are you familiar with the "meatloaf" crouch that cats do when they're in pain (and is he doing it)? Have you seen any of the other signs of nausea other people have mentioned? Lip licking, picking up the food and dropping it... Has the vet had a good look at his teeth? (Could he have a toothache or other mouth pain?) Cats are really, really good at hiding pain, and he might be having some kind of gut pain every time he eats, that he ends up associating with the food.
Have you tried probiotics? If there's a bacterial overgrowth, that can help balance it.
A lot of cats with IBD can go for a long time without showing symptoms, then something stressful happens and they're suddenly sick. Your cat could have had that intestinal inflammation (what caused the thickening) for a while going on at a low level, then it went crazy when the other cat died.
But there's no magic food anyone can recommend you. My cat goes on stretches of wanting to eat nothing, and what will work one day will be totally gross the next. I don't think I saw anyone mention Fortiflora yet, though, that's like kitty crack to a lot of cats. It's a probiotic mixed with "animal digest," which somehow is irresistable. At first, anyway. I've heard that's what some cheaper food companies spray on their dry food to make it more tasty, maybe it'll work like the Purina treats for him?
You should ask your vet their opinion on a B-12 shot. If he's had stomach inflammation for a long time, he's probably not absorbing it from food and might be deficient, which will make it even harder to heal any inflammation. Here's a link about B-12 in IBD cats:
http://www.ibdkitties.net/B12.html
It might take a few shots (once a month or every couple weeks) before he's healed enough to absorb it from food again. It's a lot cheaper if you can get the vet to show you how to do it with the first shot, and then do it at home for the following shots.
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No, I have not tried the slippery elm yet - altho I know where to get it in a liquid/or capsule form. I wanted to see what the vet said first. I already said that I manually gave him the Pepcid AC altho it was difficult because he does not like to be pilled. It was a struggle. This was the first thing I tried for week and it didn't work so I had to move on to the next step. No lip licking, no picking up the food then dropping it
I am familiar with the meatload crouch that you are talking about. I have books & books about cats and remember reading about that and he definitely has not shown pain in any way. You say that he may have some kind of gut pain every time he eat, then how do you explain his eating a food he seems to like (without pain) and then changes his mind a few days later. He smells it for a long time and walks away. Yes, my vet and I did get a good look at his teeth and they do need work but not to the extent that they would be intefering with his eating so much (especially wet food, which is soft). The vet told me that eventually, he'll need to have the tartar cleaned from his teeth, but not at this time.
I haven't tried probiotics but the antibiotics are working as far as vomiting is concerned. I have to follow up with him on Monday when all of this will be discussed. What does probiotics have to do with him changing his mind about the foods he likes or doesn't like? I'm not getting the logic here. The first line of attack does seem to be working. The reason why I brought him to the vet in the first place was because he was vomiting every single day. I spent a lot of $$ on an ultrasound and X-rays to help diagnose what was wrong and the vet is just trying to rule some things out. So far, the vomiting is under control.
We're all guessing here and while I appreciate your input, it still doesn't explain why Montana changes his mind about what food he likes on a daily basis. I just made a list that MizMiz gave; every single can I will try to see if there is at least 1 or 2 that he will eat consistently. Your theory about the stress causing my cat's intestinal system to go crazy is an interesting theory, but it doesn't seem likely, altho I'll consider anything. I'll talk to my vet about it.
I've never heard of Fortiflora. Where do you get it? I'd be willing to try anything. Is it a food or something you spray on the cats' regular food? When I asked my vet, What if my cat refused to eat anything for 1 or days and just wants treats. He said that would be fine; but the 3rd day you can give him treats if he absolutely refuses to eat anything else. Luckily, he ate and he has none of those treats which I've heard from many people are considered kitty crack as well. I don't think I gave my cats any treats, but I thought I try them on Montana after Coony died. Did I make him an addict w/o knowing it. Now this is a story that noone would ever advise, including one of the vets. There are 2 vets working on this. The first vet has a 19 yo cat who has been eating nothing but Purina cat treats for the past 2 years. I couldn't believe it and said to her but this is exactly what I'm trying to avoid....she said she'd never advise this kind of diet, but in her cats' case, he was and still is healthy and it's all he is willing to eat. We all could live on ice cream alone, but it would not be very healthy for anyone.
I will ask my vet about a B-12 shot but I'm inclined to follow his instructions if he feels it's not necessary yet. He doesn't even know yet whether it's IBD or not. There may have been an infection that the antibiotics are helping now. That's the way it appears anything. He said if it is IBD, there are several ways and things to do to treat it. I trust both of them. Let's see what he says during the follow-up.
Thanks for the recommendations.
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Fortiflora's a powder in little packets. You can find it on Amazon or elsewhere online, or at vet's offices. Much more expensive from the vet, of course. If you're just using it for the flavor (and not the probiotic part), you can split up one packet over a few days and it's more cost effective.
I'm just speaking from my experience with a cat with IBD (and early stage kidney failure, which also causes nausea and loss of appetite). I thought she was just being picky when she stopped eating her normal food, then I found out they changed the recipe and it now includes stuff that irritates her intestines. My cat also does the thing where she'll eat a food the first time, maybe the first two times, and then ignore it. But she also has really obvious signs of being in pain and having nausea, so for her I think it's she just comes to associate whatever she's eating at the time with the pain and doesn't want it anymore. So most of my suggestions are coming from the standpoint of there might be some gut problems that need to be solved. (The thickening in the small intestine sounds like there are gut problems that need to be solved, though, whether he's showing pain or not. That usually comes from long term inflammation.)
Maybe your cat just decided it's time for a midlife crisis and is trying to "find himself."
I'm just speaking from my experience with a cat with IBD (and early stage kidney failure, which also causes nausea and loss of appetite). I thought she was just being picky when she stopped eating her normal food, then I found out they changed the recipe and it now includes stuff that irritates her intestines. My cat also does the thing where she'll eat a food the first time, maybe the first two times, and then ignore it. But she also has really obvious signs of being in pain and having nausea, so for her I think it's she just comes to associate whatever she's eating at the time with the pain and doesn't want it anymore. So most of my suggestions are coming from the standpoint of there might be some gut problems that need to be solved. (The thickening in the small intestine sounds like there are gut problems that need to be solved, though, whether he's showing pain or not. That usually comes from long term inflammation.)
Maybe your cat just decided it's time for a midlife crisis and is trying to "find himself."
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The problem with IBD is it's a "disease of exclusion," meaning to diagnose it all other similar potential diseases have to be ruled out. Which it sounds like your vet is working on. It's one of those diseases that it's not clear exactly what causes it. So it could be food, or it could be a bacteria, or it could be stress, or it could be the immune system just decided to attack the intestines for no reason.
But to know for sure whether the thickening is from IBD or lymphoma, you'd have to get a biopsy, which is expensive and stressful and isn't even guaranteed to give you a definite answer. The treatment for both is initially the same: a steroid like prednisone or prednisolone. If it's IBD it reduces the inflammation, clearing up the symptoms, and if it's lymphoma it slows down or stops the growth for a while. If it comes back after that, the steroid dose is raised, and if it stops responding to steroids it's assumed to be lymphoma and then a mild chemo drug (leukeran) is usually prescribed. Some vets actually prescribe leukeran for IBD, too. Supposedly most cats tolerate leukeran very well. Without a biopsy, that's as far as the vet will probably go with chemo, the stronger chemo has much worse side effects and vets don't like using them without a really clear diagnosis of cancer. Leukeran's mild enough that it's ok for "probable" cancer.
If you decide eventually that your cat should try steroids, just be aware that the results of a biopsy will be less clear if done after starting steroids. If you do think you're going to want a biopsy it's better to do it before the steroids (otherwise you have to stop the steroids for a few weeks, which can cause symptoms to return and make it harder to treat when you restart). The only benefit of a biopsy is if it's lymphoma, finding out what type it is, because small cell and large cell are treated differently. (What I wrote above is the treatment for small cell lymphoma, which is more common anyway.)
Personally, I'm not getting my cat a biopsy because I think the stress of surgery will make everything worse. But she's also eating so little right now that I have to syringe feed her more than half of her calories.
Montana's beautiful! The second picture's super cute.
But to know for sure whether the thickening is from IBD or lymphoma, you'd have to get a biopsy, which is expensive and stressful and isn't even guaranteed to give you a definite answer. The treatment for both is initially the same: a steroid like prednisone or prednisolone. If it's IBD it reduces the inflammation, clearing up the symptoms, and if it's lymphoma it slows down or stops the growth for a while. If it comes back after that, the steroid dose is raised, and if it stops responding to steroids it's assumed to be lymphoma and then a mild chemo drug (leukeran) is usually prescribed. Some vets actually prescribe leukeran for IBD, too. Supposedly most cats tolerate leukeran very well. Without a biopsy, that's as far as the vet will probably go with chemo, the stronger chemo has much worse side effects and vets don't like using them without a really clear diagnosis of cancer. Leukeran's mild enough that it's ok for "probable" cancer.
If you decide eventually that your cat should try steroids, just be aware that the results of a biopsy will be less clear if done after starting steroids. If you do think you're going to want a biopsy it's better to do it before the steroids (otherwise you have to stop the steroids for a few weeks, which can cause symptoms to return and make it harder to treat when you restart). The only benefit of a biopsy is if it's lymphoma, finding out what type it is, because small cell and large cell are treated differently. (What I wrote above is the treatment for small cell lymphoma, which is more common anyway.)
Personally, I'm not getting my cat a biopsy because I think the stress of surgery will make everything worse. But she's also eating so little right now that I have to syringe feed her more than half of her calories.
Montana's beautiful! The second picture's super cute.
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Samus,
Thanks for the explanation of IBD. I just cut out an article from 'Catster" magazine pertaining to this subject plus my vet explained the very same thing as you did when we talke about what it could be. You're right about what my vet it doing.
I also dont want to give my cat a biopsy because of the same reasons you mentioned. After Coony's ultrasound revealed multiple growths on his lungs and heart, they still didn't know what this was. All they told me was that they had never seen a cat presented in such a way. In other way, it was bad. The onl way thhey could determine if it was cancer was to do a biopsy and I refused, not because I didn't want to save Coony, but because it was obvious that whateverr it was would be untreatable, most likely. And, I didn't want to put him throught it.
This is sad, but there's a point where one has to stop for practical reasons. I wouuld have spent 10X as much for Coony if I knew I could have him for several more years, but I knew that wasn't going to be the case. So I paid $5,000 only to lose him in 2 days. I can't go throught his again with Montana. Altho I might change my mind...I will probably take the advice of my vet and hope for the very best.
I will keep you posted. Please bear with me. Yesterday I tried MissMizz Soulistic Karma. He ate some of it, but he never eats much whatever it is. That's OK..as long as he eats something. Will he like it the next time? I have no idea yet. He didn't like the Fancy Feast special kind at all.
Thanks very much to everyone.
Thanks for the explanation of IBD. I just cut out an article from 'Catster" magazine pertaining to this subject plus my vet explained the very same thing as you did when we talke about what it could be. You're right about what my vet it doing.
I also dont want to give my cat a biopsy because of the same reasons you mentioned. After Coony's ultrasound revealed multiple growths on his lungs and heart, they still didn't know what this was. All they told me was that they had never seen a cat presented in such a way. In other way, it was bad. The onl way thhey could determine if it was cancer was to do a biopsy and I refused, not because I didn't want to save Coony, but because it was obvious that whateverr it was would be untreatable, most likely. And, I didn't want to put him throught it.
This is sad, but there's a point where one has to stop for practical reasons. I wouuld have spent 10X as much for Coony if I knew I could have him for several more years, but I knew that wasn't going to be the case. So I paid $5,000 only to lose him in 2 days. I can't go throught his again with Montana. Altho I might change my mind...I will probably take the advice of my vet and hope for the very best.
I will keep you posted. Please bear with me. Yesterday I tried MissMizz Soulistic Karma. He ate some of it, but he never eats much whatever it is. That's OK..as long as he eats something. Will he like it the next time? I have no idea yet. He didn't like the Fancy Feast special kind at all.
Thanks very much to everyone.
