Perfect Blood Panel, But Not Eating

[2coons]

Friday, my cat had a regular checkup with a full blood workup and fecal/urinalysis and it came back perfect. Temperature, lungs, heart, stomach great.

We get home and the next day he starts being fussy about eating... then within 24 hrs he gets up an enormous hairball (typical for him...hes a giant maine coon).

Then from that point on he stops eating much again. He nibbles here and there, but continues to drink lots of water. Hes urinating fine but I noticed he hasn't had a bowel movement since Saturday. I keep an eye on the box, thinking he may be constipated or have an obstruction.

This morning theres a normal size /consistency BM in the litterbox, hooray! But he still has little interest in eating...although he follows us around as normal. Hes a bit lower energy for sure though.

I'm going to monitor his food intake today and see if it improves, and then call the vet, but wondering if this could just be a long-stuck hairball or if theres something else I should be thinking about?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Try heating his food a little bit (be sure and stir it so there are not hot spots from the microwave)
For eating enticements also try adding some tuna, tuna juice, mackerel, goat milk, commercial toppers for food, pouch foods - these usually have more gravy, canned kitten food, bonito flakes.
Also you could add some plain pumpkin.
If you don't have one, try a zoom groom brush.
You could consider an xray - as I understand it that would show an obstruction like a hairball.
Sending LOTS of good, healing thoughts!!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Well, Furballsmom gave you all the hints I was thinking of as I read your post, so I'll just add my good wishes here!

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[Mamanyt1953]

How is he doing today? And what is his name?

 

[2coons]

Hello all! Thanks for your support. So my kitty Al had a BM Tuesday and again today which is great, things are moving. Went to the vet and she said his stomach felt soft which was great, no fever and no weightloss which is surprising. She gave him an injection of cerenia and said it could likely be just GI distress/inflammation and the injection should have an effect in increasing his appetite and reducing any nausea. When we got home, he nibbled at his food bowl very slowly over the course of the afternoon, which is what hes been doing for the past few days when he decides to eat.

Behavior wise hes doing some of his normal stuff (following us around, observing us from his normal spots, etc) but much more lethargic and non vocal (hes usually a big whiner!)

The vet said if theres no improvement in 24 hrs then the next step is to consider imaging. Not sure what that could reveal.

 

[Cara80]

Hi 2coons,

Is your vet suggesting an ultrasound? I had one done for my cat, it can reveal things like masses, an inflamed pancreas, intestinal thickening, obstructions, kidney size, etc....

Really could be something very treatable, so don't worry. Also, you might want to ask your vet for a GI panel

 

[2coons]

Thanks for the reassurances. I'm trying to not worry but about 6 mos ago we went through a similar experience with his littermate/sister- she ended up having high liver levels and discovered lymphoma poor girl. So im trying to not think about this being a repeat of that.

Anyway, the vet didn't say which specific imaging types. I'll find out today. Ultrasound can only be done at another hospital and they usually have a long waiting list (last time it was a week or so) so I hope that's not the case this time.

This morning my big guy has been walking around and just sniffing at his bowl. Has taken only a few bites thus far. Dont you just wish they could talk to us!

 

[2coons]

He's snoozing in my lap now, but he's definitely not himself and ate just a few bites of his morning meal. so cerenia didnt' have any effect. he will walk over the bowl occasionally, sniff and walk away.

 

[Furballsmom]

Any treats or even just toppers that he'll nosh on?

 

[2coons]

Yes! he seems to eat his favorite Greenies no matter what, so I give him them!

So here's another funny behavior. He was snoozing all morning and then I went into the kitchen to measure how much of his wet food was left in his bowl. (he gets a full 5.5 oz can). I started putting the food back into the empty can to gauge how much of it he ate today (FWIW looks like he slowly nibbled his way through about 2/3 of it - what a great surprise). But he heard the sound of utensil-on-can and woke right up, and trotted over to see me. I put the remainder of the food down in front of him and he nibbled a few more bites. It's just so weird. The food has been sitting there all morning but its not until i make noise that he's attracted to it?! Cats....

 

[Furballsmom]

Hmmm, spoon or fork feed him?

 

[2coons]

He seems to tolerate that for a few bites then gets tired. I just talked to the vet and they rx'd an appetite stimulant to try. if that doesn't help we will go for the u/s. since he's still getting food in him and hasn't lost weight I think I can rest a bit easy at least for the weekend and hope the scrip helps.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

It does sound as if he is eating enough to keep him out of crisis over the weekend.

Keeping a candle lit for BOTH of you!

 

[2coons]

THANK YOU!

So we got an rx fir Entyce...this is a new one for me. How long until it shows some effect? Does anyone have experience with this particular med?

 

[2coons]

So he ate a bit faster this morning (finished his serving over 2 hours vs 5-6) but is still acting out of sorts. Hes up and about though, rather than sleeping which is good. Just super quiet and lower energy. We did get him to play a bit with his feather, which was nice.


Thinking ahead: what kinds of things can be found on an ultrasound that would not show up on a blood panel?

 

[Furballsmom]

We did get him to play a bit with his feather, which was nice.

I'm no help regarding the Entyce or the ultrasound but maybe this'll help bump your post...

I did find this thread; New Appetite Stimulant

If you type the word entyce into the search option on this site I noticed there are a few other threads. It's so new not too many members have talked about this yet.

 

[2coons]

Thanks for the link! Very helpful.


So todays update is that hes eating better, still slowly but finished a bowl in 2 hrs vs half a day like a few days ago.

His behavior is still very different though. He no longer wakes us up crying for food in the mornings.. he doesn't cry for treats in the evening as per usual...he isnt cozying up in his normal areas. He walks around very slowly rather than with his normal enthusiasm / playfulness. Hes very quiet when hes normally vocal. He sits in a "crouch" position a lot. I wish o could figure out if hes in discomfort/pain.

 

[Cara80]

cats sit in the crouch or "meatloaf" position when they're dealing with discomfort.

I wonder if your cat could have mild pancreatitis? You'd need a GI panel to diagnose. If that's the issue, you need cerenia, buprenorphine, fluids, and possibly an appetite stimulant until the flare subsides

 

[2coons]

Thanks, I'll ask about this. If he had pancreatitis, would he show signs of pain when his belly was being palpated? I have to look closer at what his panel covered, it cost me so much money I would hope it included GI.