Hi All,
I am new to The Cat Site. About three months ago, my 9 year old DSH, Nala, had to be euthanized. I found her collapsed on the floor and kidney stones had perforated her urethra, and by the time she showed symptoms, it was too late.
When Nala died, I had 2 other cats. Last weekend, I adopted a third. It took time for me to be ready to bring a third back into the house, but my path crossed with one and it felt like it was meant to be. He's about 5 months old. The other two cats I have a both males as well. One is ten, and I am writing today for and about him. His name is Gizmo, and his 10th birthday was last Tuesday.
Over the last 2.5 days, Gizmo has been to the emergency specialty clinic three times. On Thursday evening, I noticed my boy gagging on and off. He does vomit from time to time, which I always thought was his "normal". I assumed it was a hairball- he cleans the other cats a lot. I'll back up a little- after the death of Nala, I switch the cats to a wet food diet- I had tried this before, but struggled to find something that provided enough calories while being healthy and affordable that all would eat. One food that was eaten by all was causing bloody stool. Another was causing diarrhea. Others would be eaten and then refused after a few days- so it was a challenge. I did eventually get the 2 boys on Merrick's, and they were finally eating something every day. I gave them about 1/4 cup of high-quality dry food every other day to add some kcals to their intake. Both cats are overweight, so, I cut back on the the dry food unless I am traveling for work- in which case, i have to leave them something they will graze on during the second day I am gone. I am never gone for more than two nights, so it has worked pretty well. They do not vomit when they eat a wet-only diet, so I was hopeful that I was doing the right thing for them.
Fast-forward to Thursday and the gagging- when it didn't stop, I tried looking in Gizmo's mouth, and even used my finger to sweep his throat for a blockage- nothing. I went to bed and woke up 3 hours later to check him, and at that point, he felt warm. I took his temp and he had a very high fever, so I rushed him to the E.R. After three hours, a full blood workup, exam, x-ray and $500, the vet suspected that Giz had gastritis as a result of him eating the kitten food. I brought the kitten home on 10/28, so it was exactly a week later. I was told that the kitten needs to be able to graze on dry food during the day because he is young and his metabolism is extremely delicate at this age.
I returned home with Gizmo who had gotten Cerenia (an anti-nausea shot) and antibiotics in case he had an infection. I gave him about three hours to settle, and, as instructed, gave him his morning meal of wet food. He ate and vomited within 60 seconds. I tried a treat- same thing. I gave it another couple of hours, and still, he couldn't keep anything down. At this point, he was gagging frequently, swallowing and though he was calm, he was clearly uncomfortable.
I called the ER, and was told that he needed an internal medicine vet- so, I took him to an emergency specialty center where he received an ultrasound and another vet assessment. The ultrasound showed nothing significant- just like the x-ray, physical eval and bloodwork, nothing was amiss. He was given fluids under his skin and some more anti-nausea meds.
At that point, I was again told to take him home and monitor, and to bring him back if he didn't improve. Upon arriving home (I took him to my parents' house because they live 10 minutes from the specialty vet and I'm 50 minutes away) he ate 1/4 can of ID wet food and then spent his time sitting quietly under the bed or on it, but would not rest his head. About 6 hours passed, and as I monitored him, i noticed that his mouth was hanging open and he was drooling. I didn't know what to do. I must have called the vet six different times asking for advice- I had already paid $1,000 and had no answers, and the vet tech felt that the gastritis could be severe and taking time to resolve, and that he could have a swollen esophagus from the vomiting and other issues that caused him to drool because swallowing might be too painful.
I waited again, monitoring him, trying to encourage food and water intake, but nothing worked. He used his box to urinate a couple of times and had a bowel movement- which pretty much ruled out an obstruction. Come Saturday morning, I continued to keep an eye on him and try to give him food - the vet suggested baby food, so we tried that, but nothing worked. He was constantly gagging, swallowing and drooling with his mouth open- he didn't close his mouth all day.
Finally, at about 6:00 last night, I decided he needed to go back again. I applied for care credit so that i could pay to help him if there was help available. We spent another three hours at the vet, and this time, three different vets checked him and all feel that he has some kind of neuro deficit that is impinging his ability to swallow and control his tongue and mouth. The vet said the 2 causes of this are either a virus that is affecting his nerves, or a tumor in his throat. The only way to diagnose a tumor is via endoscopy- which will cost about $3,500, so the vet suggested against it because if it is a tumor, they will not be able to treat it. The vet suggested I give him steroids to control the swelling in his throat and broad spectrum antibiotics that will cover a gamut of viruses, so that if it is a virus, it's being treated. When we woke up today, he seemed mostly the same, but with his mouth closed a little more frequently and less drool.
I am terrified that he is isn't going to get better, so I decided he should come back home, even though it's far from the emergency specialty center. Upon arriving home, he attempted to eat and vomited a little, but it was the first time he showed interested in food since Friday afternoon. He ate another 2 bites and kept that all down, and even had 1 treat he kept down. He also found my glass of ice water and spent about 2 full minutes drinking- he is on Prednizone, and apparently, that can increase appetite and thirst drive. Finally, he is actually sleeping- head fully resting and sleeping on his side like he always does. But, and this is why I am pleading for help, he is twitching a bit in his sleep- his whiskers and front and back feet are just a little twitchy on and off while he is asleep.
So, I am wondering a couple of things:
1. Has anyone ever dealt with anything like this? If so, how did you handle is?
2. Is the twitching something to be worried about? I already called my vet and the emergency vet, and they said it could be normal, but without seeing him again (which would be 4 visits since early Friday morning) they can't say for sure. He is only twitching when he sleeps.
3. What next? It is my understanding that the prednisone can actually be masking symptoms of either a tumor or virus- so, he could seem to get better, but not actually improve. What do I do? Do I try to find a vet that will run diagnostics to determine if it is a virus? Given his high fever and the fact that a new animal was just introduced to his environment, it's entirely possible that it is a virus, but I am fearful of being at all hopeful.
I love this guy- truly, truly, love him. He has been my shadow for the last 9 years and 10 months and is the most gentle, smart, affectionate, wonderful and amazing pet. I never thought I would love a cat or pet as much as I love him, and I am heartbroken at the thought of life without him. He sees me out the door and greets me every morning and when I get home from work. He's my happy place. So, I guess I am looking for advice, similar stories or any suggestions out there--- ANY comments or help would mean the world.
Thank you for your kindness and reading the novel of a post I wrote (first timer),
Gizmo's Mom
I am new to The Cat Site. About three months ago, my 9 year old DSH, Nala, had to be euthanized. I found her collapsed on the floor and kidney stones had perforated her urethra, and by the time she showed symptoms, it was too late.
When Nala died, I had 2 other cats. Last weekend, I adopted a third. It took time for me to be ready to bring a third back into the house, but my path crossed with one and it felt like it was meant to be. He's about 5 months old. The other two cats I have a both males as well. One is ten, and I am writing today for and about him. His name is Gizmo, and his 10th birthday was last Tuesday.
Over the last 2.5 days, Gizmo has been to the emergency specialty clinic three times. On Thursday evening, I noticed my boy gagging on and off. He does vomit from time to time, which I always thought was his "normal". I assumed it was a hairball- he cleans the other cats a lot. I'll back up a little- after the death of Nala, I switch the cats to a wet food diet- I had tried this before, but struggled to find something that provided enough calories while being healthy and affordable that all would eat. One food that was eaten by all was causing bloody stool. Another was causing diarrhea. Others would be eaten and then refused after a few days- so it was a challenge. I did eventually get the 2 boys on Merrick's, and they were finally eating something every day. I gave them about 1/4 cup of high-quality dry food every other day to add some kcals to their intake. Both cats are overweight, so, I cut back on the the dry food unless I am traveling for work- in which case, i have to leave them something they will graze on during the second day I am gone. I am never gone for more than two nights, so it has worked pretty well. They do not vomit when they eat a wet-only diet, so I was hopeful that I was doing the right thing for them.
Fast-forward to Thursday and the gagging- when it didn't stop, I tried looking in Gizmo's mouth, and even used my finger to sweep his throat for a blockage- nothing. I went to bed and woke up 3 hours later to check him, and at that point, he felt warm. I took his temp and he had a very high fever, so I rushed him to the E.R. After three hours, a full blood workup, exam, x-ray and $500, the vet suspected that Giz had gastritis as a result of him eating the kitten food. I brought the kitten home on 10/28, so it was exactly a week later. I was told that the kitten needs to be able to graze on dry food during the day because he is young and his metabolism is extremely delicate at this age.
I returned home with Gizmo who had gotten Cerenia (an anti-nausea shot) and antibiotics in case he had an infection. I gave him about three hours to settle, and, as instructed, gave him his morning meal of wet food. He ate and vomited within 60 seconds. I tried a treat- same thing. I gave it another couple of hours, and still, he couldn't keep anything down. At this point, he was gagging frequently, swallowing and though he was calm, he was clearly uncomfortable.
I called the ER, and was told that he needed an internal medicine vet- so, I took him to an emergency specialty center where he received an ultrasound and another vet assessment. The ultrasound showed nothing significant- just like the x-ray, physical eval and bloodwork, nothing was amiss. He was given fluids under his skin and some more anti-nausea meds.
At that point, I was again told to take him home and monitor, and to bring him back if he didn't improve. Upon arriving home (I took him to my parents' house because they live 10 minutes from the specialty vet and I'm 50 minutes away) he ate 1/4 can of ID wet food and then spent his time sitting quietly under the bed or on it, but would not rest his head. About 6 hours passed, and as I monitored him, i noticed that his mouth was hanging open and he was drooling. I didn't know what to do. I must have called the vet six different times asking for advice- I had already paid $1,000 and had no answers, and the vet tech felt that the gastritis could be severe and taking time to resolve, and that he could have a swollen esophagus from the vomiting and other issues that caused him to drool because swallowing might be too painful.
I waited again, monitoring him, trying to encourage food and water intake, but nothing worked. He used his box to urinate a couple of times and had a bowel movement- which pretty much ruled out an obstruction. Come Saturday morning, I continued to keep an eye on him and try to give him food - the vet suggested baby food, so we tried that, but nothing worked. He was constantly gagging, swallowing and drooling with his mouth open- he didn't close his mouth all day.
Finally, at about 6:00 last night, I decided he needed to go back again. I applied for care credit so that i could pay to help him if there was help available. We spent another three hours at the vet, and this time, three different vets checked him and all feel that he has some kind of neuro deficit that is impinging his ability to swallow and control his tongue and mouth. The vet said the 2 causes of this are either a virus that is affecting his nerves, or a tumor in his throat. The only way to diagnose a tumor is via endoscopy- which will cost about $3,500, so the vet suggested against it because if it is a tumor, they will not be able to treat it. The vet suggested I give him steroids to control the swelling in his throat and broad spectrum antibiotics that will cover a gamut of viruses, so that if it is a virus, it's being treated. When we woke up today, he seemed mostly the same, but with his mouth closed a little more frequently and less drool.
I am terrified that he is isn't going to get better, so I decided he should come back home, even though it's far from the emergency specialty center. Upon arriving home, he attempted to eat and vomited a little, but it was the first time he showed interested in food since Friday afternoon. He ate another 2 bites and kept that all down, and even had 1 treat he kept down. He also found my glass of ice water and spent about 2 full minutes drinking- he is on Prednizone, and apparently, that can increase appetite and thirst drive. Finally, he is actually sleeping- head fully resting and sleeping on his side like he always does. But, and this is why I am pleading for help, he is twitching a bit in his sleep- his whiskers and front and back feet are just a little twitchy on and off while he is asleep.
So, I am wondering a couple of things:
1. Has anyone ever dealt with anything like this? If so, how did you handle is?
2. Is the twitching something to be worried about? I already called my vet and the emergency vet, and they said it could be normal, but without seeing him again (which would be 4 visits since early Friday morning) they can't say for sure. He is only twitching when he sleeps.
3. What next? It is my understanding that the prednisone can actually be masking symptoms of either a tumor or virus- so, he could seem to get better, but not actually improve. What do I do? Do I try to find a vet that will run diagnostics to determine if it is a virus? Given his high fever and the fact that a new animal was just introduced to his environment, it's entirely possible that it is a virus, but I am fearful of being at all hopeful.
I love this guy- truly, truly, love him. He has been my shadow for the last 9 years and 10 months and is the most gentle, smart, affectionate, wonderful and amazing pet. I never thought I would love a cat or pet as much as I love him, and I am heartbroken at the thought of life without him. He sees me out the door and greets me every morning and when I get home from work. He's my happy place. So, I guess I am looking for advice, similar stories or any suggestions out there--- ANY comments or help would mean the world.
Thank you for your kindness and reading the novel of a post I wrote (first timer),
Gizmo's Mom