Sick Cat- Need Answers

[DelilasMom]

Hi cat lovers, I am in need of help. Here is a description of what is going on, with the current issue at the end.

Delila, my 10 year old Maine Coon mix, started vomiting daily 2 weeks ago. The first vet who saw her said she looked great, no pain with palpitations, teeth and gums in great shape, bright eyes, nice coat. She did find that Delila was constipated. She cultured her urine test and found a Cocci-bacteria UTI. She gave her amoxicillin and recommended we get an X-ray.

We noticed over the weekend that Delila seemed lethargic so we went to another vet. Mouth still looked good, she could feel some constipation but not too bad, and she had a normal temperature. The X-ray revealed a kiwi sized mass on her left kidney. Her bloodwork looked fine, though. This vet said we needed to take her to the ER for supportive care.

We went to ER and Delila was given IV fluids. Here, her temp went up to 104. They did an ultrasound and send liquid from her mass to cytology. Results indicated no cancer cells, but a culture revealed the same cocci bacteria in this kidney mass. Normally, this kind of bacteria is not pathogenic, but in this case, they recommended treating it with antibiotics. She was hospitalized for 1.5 days, on IV antibiotics and fluid, and her temp went back to normal. After hospitalization she ate like normal again! She was scarfing down fancy feast! She was released and given two kinds of oral antibiotics, an anti nausea med, and an appetite stimulant in case she needed it.

A few days went by and she seemed fine. We did need to give her the appetite stimulant because after a day or two it was clear she was so nauseous. But, no pukes!! The vet wants to see her in two weeks to see if the antibiotics are working, or if she may need her kidney removed. So, we wait.

In the meantime, Delila has developed a strange behavior. She is hungry. She wants to eat. But when she goes to her dry kibble, she nibbles it into pieces that fall out of her mouth. She is acting like she has mouth pain, but her teeth and gums looked great. She is only getting about 1/4 of her food down because she cant seem to get it all down- it crumbles in her mouth and falls back to the floor. With wet food, she only licks it. She won't chew it...I am so worried. The vets don't know what to say, they just want to wait til they see her on her follow up appt. in 2 weeks. What is going on with her chewing/lack thereof? My girl is hungry and I don't know how to keep her fed. Is this part of her underlying issue? Is it totally unrelated? Please...Any help is so so appreciated.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
So, it's like she can't chew, plus she can't swallow both?
Can she lick something like soft butter off your finger? Which is to say, can she truly use her tongue normally?
Can you get your vet, or a different one, to focus on this, because a cat that can't eat isn't going to make it for two weeks.
In the meantime, if your vet oks it try making this;
tent test for dehydration and home-made pedialyte recipe - The Daily Kitten

Also, try making one of these;
Kitten Glop Recipes - Supplementing Cats and Kittens with nutritious formula you make at home: presented by Bengal Cat breeder Foothill Felines. --This website has a number of kitten glop recipes, with ingredients that you may very well have in your house.

These can be used on their own or combined with food. Also, if you heat the food a little - stir it so there aren't any hot spots from the microwave. Or you could heat some water, about a tablespoon, and add that to canned food. A shot glass works to stir it all up.

• Chicken, beef or ham flavored baby food such as Gerber Stage 2 - make sure there is no garlic or onions in the ingredients

• Tuna and/or the juice, a low mercury/low/no sodium brand is called SafeCatch

• Salmon, mackerel

• Sardines (make sure there are no bones)

• boiled cut up chicken or turkey with no seasonings

• canned kitten food any brand - it's usually smelly. See if it's eaten on its own, then maybe mix it in or put on top

• Try mixing in Kitten Milk Replacer - there are recipes on the internet or store bought

• Fish, tuna or BBQ flavored canned wet food (I personally have never seen BBQ flavors, but...)

• Lickable cat treats or pouch treat 'gravy' poured over the food

• kitten glop (recipes in website link above)
• Bonito flakes
• fortiflora
• fish oil
• green beans, asparagus mushed up

• goat milk, or no lactose cow milk
• whole cooked eggs (the white must always be cooked) or raw egg yolk now and then
• broth with no salt and no garlic or onion or seasonings of any kind
• There are also commercial toppers, Applaws is a brand that can work well as a topper
  
• Some good treats would be freeze dried Purebites, Orijen, Meowtinis, Meowables

• There are also Lickimats that you could spread types of soft food onto, even plain unflavored yogurt, and even freeze it. Licking something can help a cat to feel better emotionally The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats
• shredded cheddar cheese

 

[Mamanyt1953]

If it comes down to it, puree any of the above and syringe-feed her until this is sorted out. Make sure the glop is fairly loose, place the syringe between her cheek and gum, and GO SLOW, pausing to allow swallowing. DO mention this to the vet. Either there is a mouth issue somewhere, or she may be having some sort of neurological issue.

AND KEEP US POSTED! I, for one, will fret about this.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Swallowing, like Furballsmom asked, is a good thing to check. She possibly could be having an allergic reaction to one of the meds?

On the assumption, you can confirm she can swallow, you can also try to syringe feed her with wet food and water (or some of the above mentioned items that are of a liquid consistency) - little amounts at first, and if she can take them you can increase the amount with each syringe.

If none of the above work, or you find her swallowing is inhibited, it is time for an emergency vet visit.

Keep us posted - a lot!!