Old cat not eating.

[Psalcal]

Question for others... what other possibilities are there for the distended belly other than a cancer flare up do you think?

 

[jefferd18]

Question for others... what other possibilities are there for the distended belly other than a cancer flare up do you think?

It could be constipation, fluid build up, infection, a number of things. What does your vet think?

 

[Psalcal]

She thinks it might be her cancer. Just trying to figure out possibly treatable things it could be... ultrasound tomorrow so I should know then.

 

[jefferd18]

She thinks it might be her cancer. Just trying to figure out possibly treatable things it could be... ultrasound tomorrow so I should know then.

I will be thinking of her and you- please let us know.

 

[Psalcal]

pins and needles...

 

[FeebysOwner]

Could be liver too... Wishing the best to you and your girl (name - did I miss it?). When you are up to it, we would love a pic too!

 

[Psalcal]

Pix.. aka Pixie... thanks everyone for the kindness.

Just heard back. Pancreatitis is the verdict. No treatment, vet says.. more investigation on my part needed. We have been resistant to a feeding tube for a lot of reasons, it's either that or syringe feeding. Vet is not sure she will eat on her own again. She is very compliant with syringe feeding, so at least, at first, I can see us doing that.

I guess I can share this... last weekend a friend and I entered the KCRW "radio race"... and created a radio piece about the connections of pets and humans. It featured Pix (photo below and the subject of this thread).


She looks a little grumpy here but she is not!

Anyway thank you all for the great advice. Now away I go to work on pancreatitis research.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thanks for letting us know Pixie's name and sharing video/photo of her!! Do you know how to do a search on this site? If so, check out all the threads related to pancreatitis. There are tons of them. If you don't, let me know, and I will do the search for you.

 

[all4mom]

I guess I'm the weird one here... Age 16 and probable cancer; couldn't she just be coming to the end of her life naturally? Is aggressive treatment and force feeding the best choice? I'm struggling with a similar dilemma... It bothers me somewhat that we turn to vets and try all these interventions that may increase our pet's suffering rather than relieve it. But maybe it's just me!

 

[Psalcal]

I guess I'm the weird one here... Age 16 and probable cancer; couldn't she just be coming to the end of her life naturally? Is aggressive treatment and force feeding the best choice? I'm struggling with a similar dilemma... It bothers me somewhat that we turn to vets and try all these interventions that may increase our pet's suffering rather than relieve it. But maybe it's just me!

You are 100% right, this is a deep consideration for us as well. If she hated the syringe feeding, that would be a different story.. it's not so much force-feeding, as when it's in her mouth she swallows, and she seems to not have any issues with us afterwards, at least for now. The vet didn't see any major issues with intestines and/or cancer as well, which was surprising after 2 years of chemo and steroids. Vet says she doesn't see any pain in the belly in spite of the distention.

We have been trying to balance between our desire to have her alive vs. her suffering, and cats suffer in silence so it's very hard to know. I appreciate you bringing it up as it's on our minds.

 

[Psalcal]

Advice for the group... I have read up a bit on pancreatitis and reviewed some of the threads which came up in a search.. would it make sense for me to ask questions here or start a new thread?

 

[jefferd18]

Advice for the group... I have read up a bit on pancreatitis and reviewed some of the threads which came up in a search.. would it make sense for me to ask questions here or start a new thread?

I would make a new thread since it has changed from you kitty not eating to pancreatitis. That way the focus is narrowed down and you can get better perspective from those who have experienced pancreatitis with their cats.