Possible IBD?

[bearNrocko]

Hi all, I got my Salem like 4 years ago from an animal shelter. He was sick though, and if I remember correctly, was treated for protozoa. (Don't quote me on that though.) So he has a history of diarrhea. I don't know if that's related to what's going on with him now.

Fast forward to this last year, and I have noticed things that I'm just now putting together unfortunately. I feel dumb for just realizing this now. Like I hurt him or something.

- Sometimes diarrhea.
- I have caught him straining to have a poop.
- Someone (I have 2 cats) has been pooping outside one of the cat boxes. (I keep the boxes clean, in a low stress area, 3 boxes)
- Sometimes he goes in a box and comes right back out and/or goes into a different one.
- Lots of gurgley stomach noises.
- Weight loss that even the vet noticed during his last check up. She told us to just keep an eye on him. If it keeps up we need to relook at the situation she said...well I think it's getting worse.
- In general, I hear him in the cat box scrapping a lot. I don't know if he actually is trying to go or what.

And, of course, I'm worried sick about him. He has helped my mental health SO much since my 20 year old (Bear) died in 2019. AND, of course, I just had to look at what Google had to say....

Can untreated IBD cause cancer...?

Because I'm pretty sure Bear's adopted brother, Rocko, who died on me when he was 11 in (I think) 2011 had IBD. And he had to cross the rainbow bridge because of his colon cancer...

Salem's and Rocko's symptoms are strikingly similar.

Although Salem...
- plays/runs around like a chicken with his head cut off almost everyday
- is eating fine
I mean he's acting normally. When he was sick, initially, he wasn't running around and playing. That's how I knew something was up besides the diarrhea. So I don't think he's in immediate danger...?

I'm unemployed. I am going to put applications in everyday until I get a job so I can pay for his vet care.

Should I be worried? Regardless, I know he needs help. I just don't want him to be suffering.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Have you ever considered this might be related to a food intolerance/allergy (vs. IBD)?

 

[fionasmom]

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time
This website may give some helpful information.

 

[clevergirlcats]

Don't feel bad, bearNrocko ... cats are notoriously good at cloaking symptoms, and IBD can be sneaky until it's not. You didn't do anything wrong and as soon as you began to suspect it you made a plan of action. Even the best-trained vets miss things too.

My Percy had a lot of the same symptoms. Allergies, IBD, and intestinal lymphoma can all look a lot alike and sometimes cats have to deal with all of them at once. But I can tell you what really helped my Percy with the unexplained weight loss, which was his primary symptom at onset.

B12 vitamins are his saving grace. Even though his B12 levels appeared normal in labwork, a specialist suggested we add extra B12 just on a hunch, in case he was particularly susceptible to fluctuations, since B12 is essential for the digestion of nutrients. And it WORKED. The weight loss stopped and turned around in a couple of weeks.

We use Cobalequin tablets for cats & dogs, crushed up and mixed into food. I am so grateful to that specialist for suggesting it. It might be something to ask your vet about and even better, B12 is really affordable.

 

[Aileen666]

Hi all, I got my Salem like 4 years ago from an animal shelter. He was sick though, and if I remember correctly, was treated for protozoa. (Don't quote me on that though.) So he has a history of diarrhea. I don't know if that's related to what's going on with him now.

Fast forward to this last year, and I have noticed things that I'm just now putting together unfortunately. I feel dumb for just realizing this now. Like I hurt him or something.

- Sometimes diarrhea.
- I have caught him straining to have a poop.
- Someone (I have 2 cats) has been pooping outside one of the cat boxes. (I keep the boxes clean, in a low stress area, 3 boxes)
- Sometimes he goes in a box and comes right back out and/or goes into a different one.
- Lots of gurgley stomach noises.
- Weight loss that even the vet noticed during his last check up. She told us to just keep an eye on him. If it keeps up we need to relook at the situation she said...well I think it's getting worse.
- In general, I hear him in the cat box scrapping a lot. I don't know if he actually is trying to go or what.

And, of course, I'm worried sick about him. He has helped my mental health SO much since my 20 year old (Bear) died in 2019. AND, of course, I just had to look at what Google had to say....

Can untreated IBD cause cancer...?

Because I'm pretty sure Bear's adopted brother, Rocko, who died on me when he was 11 in (I think) 2011 had IBD. And he had to cross the rainbow bridge because of his colon cancer...

Salem's and Rocko's symptoms are strikingly similar.

Although Salem...
- plays/runs around like a chicken with his head cut off almost everyday
- is eating fine
I mean he's acting normally. When he was sick, initially, he wasn't running around and playing. That's how I knew something was up besides the diarrhea. So I don't think he's in immediate danger...?

I'm unemployed. I am going to put applications in everyday until I get a job so I can pay for his vet care.

Should I be worried? Regardless, I know he needs help. I just don't want him to be suffering.

I hate to say this but the only way to diagnose if it’s inflammatory bowel disease or lymphoma of intestine is having a biopsy of the colon. The ultrasound can’t tell and no bloodwork. My cat was just diagnosed with small cell lymphoma. All of her bloodwork is always normal but she was losing weight with a healthy appetite so xray was done rhat showed little thickening of the bowels but the drag was taken higher and showed possible mass in lungs so she had to have a CT , then US then see internal medicine Dr who did the colonoscopy to do the biopsy and now I have all this research to do. My cat always had kind of loose bowels compared to the other cat but her fecal samples were always normal ( no parasite ) and she was eating fine etc. years later she started getting constipated so she is on gastrointestinal diet . Well then she slowly losing weight but eating very well.
I certainly hope your cat doesn’t have lymphoma. It’s hard to watch my cat sick with it