Hi. I have two grey male, neutered cats that we adopted from our veterinarian almost 2 years ago. They have always been healthy and playful kitties. I guess it all started slowly about a year ago I noticed that one of them, Wendell is his name, started acting like he didn't feel well, sleeping more often and just not acting like himself. Then I noticed the next day that the white eyelids on both eyes had come up over the eyes. Anyway, I took him to the vet that we have always used and he said he just thinks that he has problems with hairballs. (He's not a long-hair cat but more medium-length) so he gave me some hairball treatment stuff and I started giving it to both to them. He seemed better but it was then that he started this cycle where he was seemingly normal most of the time and I would say maybe one day out of a month, he would act like he felt terrible and would hide and not eat or drink and then the next day he was back perky and normal. I do not have tons of money and since I had just spent over $200 already I said well I since he's better the next day I will just feel it out and see...well that went on for months where just every now and then he'd have a bad day like that. So then I noticed a few months ago that the timespan between the bad days was getting shorter and he started to have weak, sick days once a week so I took him back to our vet, who once again stated he thought it was due to "hairball" symptoms and preceded to tell me how many cats he has seen have serious complications from a trapped hairball. It was around this time I also noticed he had lost weight and brought that up but the doc said he hadn't lost too much. All in all the vet seemed to act like nothing was really that wrong with him. But just to be sure, he gave him a few vitamin shots and sent me home with an antibiotic and parasite medicine to give him for a week. So I did this and he seemed SOME better but definitely not back to normal. So about 3 weeks ago he got to where he wouldn't eat or drink and was very weak so once again, I took him back to the vet and told him something is DEFINITELY wrong with him and demanded he do tests. He did bloodwork, tested him for feline leukemia / aids, and did a fecal test and all were normal. According the the vet, he doesn't have diabetes, his liver / kidneys and all were normal, and he doesn't have an infection. Which I was blown away because I expected him to find SOMETHING. So, once AGAIN he gave me some laxatives and said to give him some wet food that he likes to plump him up for a while and change his dry food to some prescription food and he should start to feel better. So I've done this and if anything he's worse. I'm now out over $600 and still my cat is sick. So to update this past week, he sleeps ALOT, doesn't play at all and has gotten very skinny. He still drinks water and when I try to feed him, he will eat but small amounts. I'm researching taking him to a different vet but in the meantime, I wanted to see if anyone had any ideas???
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Sick Cat even after several vet visits!! Help!
- Thread starter jlb5685
- Start Date
First of all, welcome to TCS. What is your other kitty's name? We'd love to see pictures.
I don't have any idea what might be wrong with your baby, there are so many different things that can cause those symptoms. It's definitely time to find a new vet, preferably a feline specialist if there is one in the area.
What are you feeding him? At this point, I would give him whatever he'll take, whether it's the prescription food or not.
How old is he? I know you've only had him for two years, but if he's an older cat some of this may be age related.
for Wendell. Hope you find some answers soon and can get him feeling better fast.
I don't have any idea what might be wrong with your baby, there are so many different things that can cause those symptoms. It's definitely time to find a new vet, preferably a feline specialist if there is one in the area.
What are you feeding him? At this point, I would give him whatever he'll take, whether it's the prescription food or not.
How old is he? I know you've only had him for two years, but if he's an older cat some of this may be age related.
for Wendell. Hope you find some answers soon and can get him feeling better fast.
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- #3
The top pic below is of Wendell, taken about 5 or 6 months ago..even then you can see the white part of his eye slightly. The bottom pic is of his brother, Clark and I'm happy that he's always been healthy and playful!
They are both right at 2 years old. When we adopted them almost 2 years ago they were only a few months old, if that.
Right now, I'm feeding him wet food because he hasn't touched the dry food that they both usually eat. Or the new dry food that the vet told me to try with them..I believe it's RoyalCanin. Their other dry food they ate before was Purino One Smartblend and they have always liked that. Our other cat, Clark will eat whatever you give him and he even refuses to eat the new prescription RoyalCanin so it must not taste very good to them.
Anyway, he always gets up to eat the wet food and sometimes he will eat actual bites and eat most of it and then sometimes he just licks it. I've found with him, he's always been a picky eater even back when he was healthy so I had already honed in that he only likes tuna flavors of wet food, no other meats. So that's what I've been feeding him is different flavors of Fancy Feast tuna wet food.
However, since a few days ago he still drinks water and will get up to eat but now only just licks it some and then gets back on the bed, or whereever and goes back to sleep.
So I want to try giving him some boiled chicken and maybe rice tonight to see if that will rev up his appetite / make him feel a little better. And if no improvement, I'm taking him somewhere else tomorrow morning.
They are both right at 2 years old. When we adopted them almost 2 years ago they were only a few months old, if that.
Right now, I'm feeding him wet food because he hasn't touched the dry food that they both usually eat. Or the new dry food that the vet told me to try with them..I believe it's RoyalCanin. Their other dry food they ate before was Purino One Smartblend and they have always liked that. Our other cat, Clark will eat whatever you give him and he even refuses to eat the new prescription RoyalCanin so it must not taste very good to them.
Anyway, he always gets up to eat the wet food and sometimes he will eat actual bites and eat most of it and then sometimes he just licks it. I've found with him, he's always been a picky eater even back when he was healthy so I had already honed in that he only likes tuna flavors of wet food, no other meats. So that's what I've been feeding him is different flavors of Fancy Feast tuna wet food.
However, since a few days ago he still drinks water and will get up to eat but now only just licks it some and then gets back on the bed, or whereever and goes back to sleep.
So I want to try giving him some boiled chicken and maybe rice tonight to see if that will rev up his appetite / make him feel a little better. And if no improvement, I'm taking him somewhere else tomorrow morning.
What handsome boys! I'm very glad you're getting a second opinion, just in case. I hope all goes well for you and your little ones!!
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Both your cats are beautiful
I don't know what to tell you about Wendell, other than it's very good you are taking him to a different vet. I hope this vet is able to come up with some answers for you
I don't know what to tell you about Wendell, other than it's very good you are taking him to a different vet. I hope this vet is able to come up with some answers for you
Hey! Welcome to the site - you have come to the right place for advice. Your cats are lovely! The third eyelid showing normally means that all is not as it should be. A second opinion as you have said is called for.
I know that you want the very best for your cat - thats why you are here! but please dont give him rice. It is not good at all for his tummy. Why dont you post your feeding questions over on the nutrition forum? The guys over there have really helped me.
Good luck, i hope your new vet is more helpfull
I know that you want the very best for your cat - thats why you are here! but please dont give him rice. It is not good at all for his tummy. Why dont you post your feeding questions over on the nutrition forum? The guys over there have really helped me.
Good luck, i hope your new vet is more helpfull
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
So I boiled some chicken and cut it into very small pieces and spooned some of the broth from it onto it and was very confident he would at least eat this since it smells good..but to no avail. He wouldn't even touch it. He licked one piece. Not good..I would've for sure thought he would eat this.
Kas - Yes his hair is looking more greasy why do you ask? I just assumed it was because since he hasn't felt very good, he hasn't been grooming himself..and his hair is a mess. I've brushed it but he doesn't look good.
Another thing I forgot to mention. Not only is his third (white) eyelid present but sometimes (today) his pupils are different sizes.
He did drink alot of water when I got home today but I had to physically pick him up off the bed and bring him to it and then he drank it like he was very thirsty.
Was doing my own research on cat symptoms and I've really started worrying myself because even though he did test negative for Feline Leukemia Virus, he has alot of symptoms of types of cancer, just without a knot present that I can see.
Will be taking him to a different vet early in the morning. Does anyone know if veterinarians will give you a copy of the bloodwork they ran / tests? I really don't want to shell out that money for that again at the new vet and I'm sure they will want to see bloodwork.
Kas - Yes his hair is looking more greasy why do you ask? I just assumed it was because since he hasn't felt very good, he hasn't been grooming himself..and his hair is a mess. I've brushed it but he doesn't look good.
Another thing I forgot to mention. Not only is his third (white) eyelid present but sometimes (today) his pupils are different sizes.
He did drink alot of water when I got home today but I had to physically pick him up off the bed and bring him to it and then he drank it like he was very thirsty.
Was doing my own research on cat symptoms and I've really started worrying myself because even though he did test negative for Feline Leukemia Virus, he has alot of symptoms of types of cancer, just without a knot present that I can see.
Will be taking him to a different vet early in the morning. Does anyone know if veterinarians will give you a copy of the bloodwork they ran / tests? I really don't want to shell out that money for that again at the new vet and I'm sure they will want to see bloodwork.
Your vet might charge you a fee, but they should give you his records. Have his teeth been checked? What color are his gums?
Oh no. I was hoping you were not going to say that. It sounds like he has the dry form of FIP. Please have your vet do all the tests for that. My Abby is having this problem right now and we are trying to get her into a drug trial being run by Dr. Al Legendre in TN. Are his eyes looking more brownish or reddish? He needs to eat. I would take Gerber baby food Chicken with Chicken Gravy and make it thin enough to be sucked into a syringe and then squirt it little bits at a time into his mouth. We put Abby on Prednisolone and she started eating again. She gets drops for her eyes to control the uveitis which is what the pupil thing is most likely to be. Dadgum it.
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- #12
His gums look normal as far as I can tell, he wouldn't let me look long. They aren't pale. But, I did just see where he is laying on the bed, he has a small area of drool and it smells very sour almost like what throw up smells like in humans but this is just clear.
I really could not make a guess as to whats wrong.. But if hes not eating listless and has a dull unhealthy coat 3rd eye lid showing. He is really ill. I would get him to another vet very soon. Good luck
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Hi, Jlb5685. Welcome to TCS.
I'm very sorry it's under these conditions.
Something else to think about - if you feed primarily one type of food (and it looks like most of Wendell's diet is Friskies, tuna flavor?) and something goes wrong with the QA of the product, it could cause some difficult-to-diagnose nutritional deficiencies.
If you could list everything Wendell ate last week, I'll try to track down any known issues on the food.
Also, a diet heavy in fish can cause a thiamine deficiency and heavy metal toxicity, but the symptoms don't match either of those problems. Hmmm, it can also cause hyperthyroidism and your cats symptoms do match some of those symptoms (unexplained weight loss and loss of muscle mass, unkempt-looking coat, excessive thirst, weakness and lethargy)... did the vet do a T4 or other thyroid-specific test?
Can someone out there with a hyperthyroid cat weigh in here - is this a potential, do you think?
<<<Hugs>>> to you and Wendall for all you're going through!
AC
P.S. Your cats are GORGEOUS.
Something else to think about - if you feed primarily one type of food (and it looks like most of Wendell's diet is Friskies, tuna flavor?) and something goes wrong with the QA of the product, it could cause some difficult-to-diagnose nutritional deficiencies.
If you could list everything Wendell ate last week, I'll try to track down any known issues on the food.
Also, a diet heavy in fish can cause a thiamine deficiency and heavy metal toxicity, but the symptoms don't match either of those problems. Hmmm, it can also cause hyperthyroidism and your cats symptoms do match some of those symptoms (unexplained weight loss and loss of muscle mass, unkempt-looking coat, excessive thirst, weakness and lethargy)... did the vet do a T4 or other thyroid-specific test?
Can someone out there with a hyperthyroid cat weigh in here - is this a potential, do you think?
<<<Hugs>>> to you and Wendall for all you're going through!
AC
P.S. Your cats are GORGEOUS.
Auntie Crazy, My Hyper Thyroid cat did not get lethargic not lose appetite with thyroid - on the contrary - she ate like a pig, but lost weight. the thyroid glands produce too much hormones, making the kitty eat eat eat, and burn burn burn.
What I would be concerned at this point is the liver... I would be getting this kitty to another vet ASAP, and also force-feeding him. This kitty HAS to eat, no matter what.
To the O.P.: get some Hills A/D from your vet tomorrow and some feeding syringes. You need to feed him a good amount a day, not just a little bit, divided into several meals. 4-5 meals if all possible. You can find some good information on assisted feeding here: http://www.assistfeed.com/FeedingTechniques.htm
Also, not always blood tests shows something - you want to make sure you test for all the liver enzymes, plus a complete blood test.
Since he is drooling like that, and his coat looking bad, have them take a look at his mouth - he might have a bad case of gingivitis/stomatitis, and might be in pain, not be able to eat/groom himself well. That would also explain the fool odor on his saliva. It is not typical, but it can happen - it did to my cat when he was very young.
Does he have diarrhea? Is he constipated? Severe constipation can also cause lack of appetite.
Try, if you can to get a fecal sample, and if possible to get a urine test tomorrow as well.
I know I am saying a lot of stuff, but really, it could be quite a few things. A cat in pain, will often hide and lose its appetite, so it can be hard to pinpoint what is wrong when the tests come back fine and the kitty keeps getting worst - you want to cover all basis as quickly as possible.
What I would be concerned at this point is the liver... I would be getting this kitty to another vet ASAP, and also force-feeding him. This kitty HAS to eat, no matter what.
To the O.P.: get some Hills A/D from your vet tomorrow and some feeding syringes. You need to feed him a good amount a day, not just a little bit, divided into several meals. 4-5 meals if all possible. You can find some good information on assisted feeding here: http://www.assistfeed.com/FeedingTechniques.htm
Also, not always blood tests shows something - you want to make sure you test for all the liver enzymes, plus a complete blood test.
Since he is drooling like that, and his coat looking bad, have them take a look at his mouth - he might have a bad case of gingivitis/stomatitis, and might be in pain, not be able to eat/groom himself well. That would also explain the fool odor on his saliva. It is not typical, but it can happen - it did to my cat when he was very young.
Does he have diarrhea? Is he constipated? Severe constipation can also cause lack of appetite.
Try, if you can to get a fecal sample, and if possible to get a urine test tomorrow as well.
I know I am saying a lot of stuff, but really, it could be quite a few things. A cat in pain, will often hide and lose its appetite, so it can be hard to pinpoint what is wrong when the tests come back fine and the kitty keeps getting worst - you want to cover all basis as quickly as possible.
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- #16
Going to the vet in a few - Will let everyone know what they say. But, KAS - I looked up FIP and he has the exact symptoms for that...so that's really not good. He even had some neurological / disorientation signs a few months back.
Oh crud, honey. See my post on Abby and FIP. They will have to rule out everything else, first. I had them retest for FeLV and FIV which came back neg. They also tested for toxoplasmosis which can cause uveitis (the pupil thing). Bartonella henselae (cat scratch disease) can cause uveitis, but not the other symptoms. If the news is not good, get your vet to contact Dr. Legendre at the University of Tennessee. His email is [email protected]. I have to pay for the blood and urine tests every four weeks (if Abby gets accepted into the study) and I don't know how much that will cost, but the Polyprenyl Immunostimulant is free to the test subjects. Let us know!
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None of these potentials look good (except the dental one - that should be one of the easier fixes!), but we just never know until the diagnosis is made.
I'll be watching and hoping and praying for you and Wendell!
AC
I'll be watching and hoping and praying for you and Wendell!
AC
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #19
Well, the vet said FIP can be difficult to diagnose 100% but he did think he has it and he did bloodwork, which showed he was going into kidney failure and liver failure because of the disease. So, he was so sick that he told us he wouldn't bounce back from this. We ended up decided to put him to sleep because I couldn't bear to watch him decline even more. So thank you for all your help and advice. Even though we had him only 2 years, he will definitely be missed!
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Oh, no. I am so very sorry. God bless you guys. May Wendall run freely and happily at the Bridge.
<<<HUGS>>>
AC
<<<HUGS>>>
AC
