A little over a month ago I took my 11 year old cat, Precious to the vet for ear problems. She was scratching them constantly-has always done so and the vet said she had an ear infection. She has always had her ears bother her on and off and has been to the vet many times for this. Three different vets have all said she is allergic to her food- and I know this is terrible that I am just now learning about the raw food diet. I guess I never thought it was a problem, because she has never been sick and always a very happy, playful, ornery cat even up to a month ago. She has NEVER been feeling "down" before.
This last time (a month ago) the vet gave her two different oral meds and administered a cream med inside her ears to stop the itching, along with the vaccine. Ever since then she has been "off" and has become somewhat deaf. She seems to be able to hear a little better now, but acts as if she has the vestibular syndrome-walks in circles, tilted head, unbalanced, and doesn't eat her normal dry cat food. Second visit to the vet, he said if she had an inner ear infection, this is normal and she should return to herself with time-since she is older. I finally got her to eat wet cat food, but then that turned into just licking the gravy off the food chunks and doesn't drink water. Vet says the gravy has some water in it, so she isn't becoming completely dehydrated. I am not happy with this answer.
Over the last week, she has become progressively better and has been playing a little (biting me, tearing up all my important papers, etc.) I could tell there was some of her normal self coming back. One morning last week, I woke up, saw vomit on the floor and found her in the closet. She wouldn't eat or drink anything, and was very lethargic. When I picked her up she was lifeless and cried in what sounded like pain, still purring lightly when I pet her and moved her tail a little. I took her back in to the vet and she had a 104.2 fever. She was very dehydrated also, so he kept her there for 4 days, ran blood work and said everything came back fairly normal. She was a little anemic, but the rest of the lab work looked okay. After visiting her every day, along with my two calls a day, the vet said she was eating the wet food more and she seemed to be doing much better. To me, she did look better- she was crying telling me to take her home and rubbing against me the whole time I was there.
I brought her home today and I still see she is not her normal self. Her ears and paws are warmer than normal and I am wondering if she still has a fever. I am worried this is something completely different than the past ear infection. Maybe an adverse reaction to the vaccine?
The thing that is most concerning to me is that even with her occasional itching once a day, she was perfectly happy- would run up and down the stairs like a kitten and was constantly playing and "talking" to me. Now, she is very quite, won't eat her normal dry food and is still very lethargic.
Please, if anyone has experienced anything similar-I would love to hear!!! Thank you in advance-to whomever read through this long post!!!
This last time (a month ago) the vet gave her two different oral meds and administered a cream med inside her ears to stop the itching, along with the vaccine. Ever since then she has been "off" and has become somewhat deaf. She seems to be able to hear a little better now, but acts as if she has the vestibular syndrome-walks in circles, tilted head, unbalanced, and doesn't eat her normal dry cat food. Second visit to the vet, he said if she had an inner ear infection, this is normal and she should return to herself with time-since she is older. I finally got her to eat wet cat food, but then that turned into just licking the gravy off the food chunks and doesn't drink water. Vet says the gravy has some water in it, so she isn't becoming completely dehydrated. I am not happy with this answer.
Over the last week, she has become progressively better and has been playing a little (biting me, tearing up all my important papers, etc.) I could tell there was some of her normal self coming back. One morning last week, I woke up, saw vomit on the floor and found her in the closet. She wouldn't eat or drink anything, and was very lethargic. When I picked her up she was lifeless and cried in what sounded like pain, still purring lightly when I pet her and moved her tail a little. I took her back in to the vet and she had a 104.2 fever. She was very dehydrated also, so he kept her there for 4 days, ran blood work and said everything came back fairly normal. She was a little anemic, but the rest of the lab work looked okay. After visiting her every day, along with my two calls a day, the vet said she was eating the wet food more and she seemed to be doing much better. To me, she did look better- she was crying telling me to take her home and rubbing against me the whole time I was there.
I brought her home today and I still see she is not her normal self. Her ears and paws are warmer than normal and I am wondering if she still has a fever. I am worried this is something completely different than the past ear infection. Maybe an adverse reaction to the vaccine?
The thing that is most concerning to me is that even with her occasional itching once a day, she was perfectly happy- would run up and down the stairs like a kitten and was constantly playing and "talking" to me. Now, she is very quite, won't eat her normal dry food and is still very lethargic.
Please, if anyone has experienced anything similar-I would love to hear!!! Thank you in advance-to whomever read through this long post!!!