No Idea What Is Happening

[kittysprinkles]

It's been a rough week with my 14 year old cat. I'll try to give a clear picture.

Friday, March 16, he went to sleep on my bed next me as usual and was acting completely normal.

The next morning, he came out for breakfast but soon retreated under my bed. Not really unusual for him. After his lunch, he went behind the living room chair and stayed there. When I tried to coax him out, he hissed at me. I thought maybe he had an upset tummy, so I left him alone. By supper time, he wouldn't come out at all. I let him eat back there and stuck a litter box close by, which he did use overnight.

Sunday, he was more or the less the same thing. He'd come out for a meal and spend the rest of the day hiding in various places and only eating there.

Monday, I took him to my vet and explained what was going on. She weighed him, and decided to do senior blood test on him. She was wondering if it was thyroid related. She said she'd call Tuesday with the results.

Tuesday came and went, and knowing she was packed full the whole week with appointments, I waited until Wednesday to call myself. Turns out, she had called on Tuesday but they had the wrong number in their system. However, she had went home early Wed, due to a storm. By this point, he had been sleeping in a box all day and had even peed there and continued to lay in it. I decided to take him to a local 24 hour vet because I was so worried. Aside from him being underweight, she said his vitals were all great but came to the conclusion he was in pain, for whatever reason. She recommended I wait for the blood results from my vet (she didn't want to push me to spend more at her clinic) and go from there. She also gave me some pain medication to make him more comfortable. Which didn't do much of anything to help.

So yesterday (Thursday), by supper time I STILL hadn't heard from my vet, so I called again. I JUST missed her. However, the receptionist read me his results, which were actually pretty good. Thyroid was normal. Only abnormalities were slight elevation in creatinine and glucose. She listened as I explained what had been going on all week and managed to squeeze an appointment in for me for today. Keep in mind, his appetite has been totally normal throughout the week.

This morning he only ate a little, had peed in the box where he was sleeping and seemed grumpy. I took him back to the vet today and explained again that he wasn't doing ANYTHING all week and I figured he may be injured or something. Of course, when we got there, he was walking around like normal, rubbing on me, looking out the window and acting totally normal. (Mind you, he also peed in the carrier on the way there, which he has never done). She wanted me to keep him home for the weekend and bring him back Monday but after much convincing, she reluctantly agreed to keep him for the weekend.

She is planning on doing an x-ray Monday to see if it's physical but now, I am wondering if this could all be stress related. The isolation, urinating on himself, excessive sleeping, irritability. I've had a diffuser going consistently, have given him a quiet, secluded place to sleep and do not let the other cat bother him but with no improvement. There have been no recent changes in our home/lifestyle so I couldn't even begin to know what could be upsetting him. I'm just at a loss right now and so were both vets. All I know, he is a totally different cat right now and I miss him being by my side.

I guess I am just wondering if anyone may have some ideas/suggestions, anything really.

Thank you kindly for reading.

 

[Furballsmom]

Gracious sakes, I'm so sorry to hear about all this!
I am not a vet, but him peeing in his sleeping place and not moving out of it, I hate to say but that sounds like more than stress.

Of course, when we got there, he was walking around like normal, rubbing on me, looking out the window and acting totally normal

Oh, I hate when that happens! I'm wondering why she was a bit resistant to keeping him over the weekend, but in any case I'm keeping my fingers crossed that whatever is going on is discovered and treatable.
Sending tons of good wishes your way!!

 

[denice]

I don't think it is stress related either. It is very unusual for an adult cat to lay in the litter box. Young kittens will do that because they are kittens and kittens do silly things. Kittens will normally only lay in a clean box though.

 

[Furballsmom]

Has there been any new developments?

 

[kittysprinkles]

Just to clarify: he was not laying in the litter box, but rather had urinated on himself in a cardboard box he had been sleeping in but didn't get up.

So far, my vet hasn't called with any updates. I am hoping that with him being there, maybe they will see some signs and do further testing while awaiting the x-ray. I assumed she would have wanted a urinalysis done to rule out any infection or problems on that end.

All I know is that it's been a really stressful week. I have cried way too many times.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[DreamerRose]

I'm not a vet or even a human doctor, but I've had a number of conditions requiring medical intervention. The elevated creatinine and blood glucose would indicate to me that kidney function is not high and that there is a possibility of diabetes. Diabetes can cause some loss of kidney function. And the high glucose could cause him to be lethargic because his muscles aren't getting any glucose - it's staying in the blood instead of being utilized. He may be peeing a lot because his kidneys are trying to wash out the excess glucose.

I would suggest that you question your vet closely about the possibility of him having diabetes. It's easily treatable, and he can continue to live a normal life.

 

[kittysprinkles]

I was wondering about that. She just said that at his age, it's normal for his kidneys to not be functioning at 100%. She never did call back, so hopefully she is looking into those things. I will certainly keep that in mind and ask about it when I hear from her.

Thank you very much.

 

[laura mae]

Your vet would totally irritate me. What about an x-ray to see if there is anything going on with his GI tract? It might also show if there is anything abnormal appearing.

 

[FlawlessImperfection]

I’m sorry to hear about your dear friend and I hope it resolves soon. I must say I agree with laura mae , I’m not crazy about how you’ve described your vet. Although the peeing we had here at our house, (I know there are so many different things it could be for your love) but here it was stress. I was wondering if you had any new appliances, a lawn mower, neighbor has a new noise? Even a different hairdryer then the usual one is an issue here. Buttercup was feral at first and though the shelter swore she was litter trained, we almost returned her the first week for what we thought was complete and total “never will use the box” issues. I was so upset and devastated, she would lay in her soft donut and just pee and pee and lay in it for hours without moving until I could change it. She peed in her crate, and while resting on my lap, and would hold it until it was a lake! She was purrring away nestled in my lap, and she woke me from my nap by soaking all over me, a blanket AND the couch- never skipped a purr or stirred from the spot! She would just marinade in it and I would wash her. It was disgusting and I was terrified, I prayed for anything I could do. I realized she was only peeing when I was with her, eating while I was with her, she felt safe with me and was too scared of the new noise. I tried to remember when I was a kid being terrified of creaky noises in the dark, and felt better when I saw what caused them. We made her face her fears to see the dishwasher, washing machine etc., and she’s never (knock knock!) had another accident. She’s a whole new cat, and makes sure everyone knows this is her house, lol! She did also have an URI which may have part of it, and the antibiotics didn’t kill it, but after a week of lysine it finally let go. Have they put him on an antibiotic just in case? I know it’s no fun to just medicate just because, I just hope you get some good answers and both of you feel better!

 

[Timmer]

Let me tell you something, there is no way my vet would be treating me like that. Your vet is not very pro active at all. It's not normal for a cat to be OK one day and not the next and it doesn't matter how they react in the vet's office. Something is going on with that cat. I was thinking diabetes as well. Was the cat pooping and peeing OK before this? Eating OK? is the cat getting enough water now? 14 is getting up there but it's not ancient.
I'm so sorry. I know how stressed out you probably are. It's just horrible when your loved one is sick and you don't know what is going on. I hope you get some answers. Like TODAY.

 

[kittysprinkles]

My vet is normally wonderful. She's the reason why he made it to 14. This time was different and I am thinking maybe she was just over-worked this last week. She is the cheapest vet around and get absolutely swamped at times. Still, I agree it's not right and it has been very frustrating.

FlawlessImperfection I have not changed anything at all in my apartment. Besides, I was sleeping when this all started. He adjusts great to changes anyway. I have moved 4 times, bought new furniture, rearranged stuff and he never cared. Pretty laid back guy.

Prior to last Saturday, he was acting completely fine. Normal litter box habits, eating, "talking" to me and following me around as usual. He had lost a little weight though, which I was going to have checked either way.

Vet said she would call yesterday if she thought he should be home and she didn't. So just maybe she's investigating or saw something on her own. She is going to do an x-ray on Monday, which was her plan all along. I just wanted her to keep him there for the weekend to monitor him in case things got worse suddenly. And to help relieve the stress of it all.

My other kitty has been looking all over for him and generally being more affectionate with me. She normally doesn't bother much unless she's hungry. I think she knows something is amiss.

Thank you all so much for the concern and suggestions. I will certainly update as soon as I know anything.

 

[Furballsmom]

I realized she was only peeing when I was with her, eating while I was with her, she felt safe with me and was too scared of the new noise.

Not to hijack the thread, but the poor thing - and YOU ROCK for figuring out what was going on.

 

[Furballsmom]

My other kitty has been looking all over for him and generally being more affectionate with me.

 

[FlawlessImperfection]

My vet is normally wonderful. She's the reason why he made it to 14. This time was different and I am thinking maybe she was just over-worked this last week. She is the cheapest vet around and get absolutely swamped at times. Still, I agree it's not right and it has been very frustrating.

FlawlessImperfection I have not changed anything at all in my apartment. Besides, I was sleeping when this all started. He adjusts great to changes anyway. I have moved 4 times, bought new furniture, rearranged stuff and he never cared. Pretty laid back guy.

Prior to last Saturday, he was acting completely fine. Normal litter box habits, eating, "talking" to me and following me around as usual. He had lost a little weight though, which I was going to have checked either way.

Vet said she would call yesterday if she thought he should be home and she didn't. So just maybe she's investigating or saw something on her own. She is going to do an x-ray on Monday, which was her plan all along. I just wanted her to keep him there for the weekend to monitor him in case things got worse suddenly. And to help relieve the stress of it all.

My other kitty has been looking all over for him and generally being more affectionate with me. She normally doesn't bother much unless she's hungry. I think she knows something is amiss.

Thank you all so much for the concern and suggestions. I will certainly update as soon as I know anything.

Sounds like you know his ins and outs for sure, it sounds not his character at all to be as he is right now. I was hoping it would be something easy like, “oh I bought 40 watt light bulbs and you are used to 25’s”- my goodness I am learning about new things daily lol! Hoping you get answers soon, he’s so lucky to have such an on the ball Mum who loves him so much.

 

[FlawlessImperfection]

Not to hijack the thread, but the poor thing - and YOU ROCK for figuring out what was going on.

I’m just so glad I did! Can’t imagine life without her

 

[kittysprinkles]

So my handsome man is still at the vet. Stopped in to see him yesterday but he was a bit grumpy. The vet was in the middle of an operation so she didn't have time to update then. Finally got a hold of her this evening but all she said was "I did an advanced blood test and sent it off. The results should be back tomorrow evening. He is still eating well and may be able to go home." That's all she would tell me.

Guess I am still in the dark. What is an advanced blood test, compared to the typical senior test she did? What kind of things could she looking for in it? And should I be worried? Of course, the vet bills are starting to worry me too. I am just about finishing up paying off the last 2. I can only imagine what this one will look like. I'm scared for my boy.

 

[Furballsmom]

Advanced means they delve deeper into analysis of more things. Without her telling you (bad 'bedside manner') there's no real way to know what they're looking for/at.
Maybe not worried yet. I sure wish she'd talked to you more before she just up and did this.

 

[Timmer]

When my Timmer saw a GI specialist she did "advanced" blood work. She checked everything, vitamin levels, all sorts of things beyond the norm. The blood was sent to Texas A&M for analysis. It was expensive but not that much more than average for what they could do locally. That's how it was with my experience. Not sure what she is doing in your case but maybe something similar.

 

[kittysprinkles]

Alright. Vet called me last night, finally! She said that his blood work came back fine. The only thing she noticed was his right kidney isn't functioning at 100%, but she said it's not bad and pretty normal for his age. He also has a little arthritis, again normal at his age. Otherwise, she said he's doing okay there, eating well and using the litter box.

She thinks that he must have hurt himself somehow that night/early morning. She is keeping him there until tomorrow (Saturday). He's had a total of 2 weeks rest, so here is hoping when I get him home, he is mobile and not peeing on himself anymore. I am going to cut one side of the litter box for easier access and rig up some kind of ramp or stairs for my bed.

I am also going to talk to her about how to get more weight on him.