Symptoms Help

[jasonm]

Hi everyone,

I have a 19 year old cat. She is old but quite ok given her age; since a couple of months I give her Loxicom daily as she had recurring urinary tract infection and she also seems to have osteoporosis. She seems in better shape since she started with the medication.

Lately, I noticed some symptoms that I cannot explain.
- She smacks her mouth when sleeping/dozing
- When she eats she makes a strange grinding sound, it is very noticeable
- Often she sleeps with her eyes wide open, and in a different posture. It seems she also has difficulty falling asleep and will wake up more easily.

I think she probably also has kidney failure given her age. Her eating/drinking and urination are quite normal however, but she no longer wants to eat solid cat food (loves cheese tough).

Any ideas about the symptoms? I thought perhaps she has bad teeth or gums that annoy her, but she still seems hungry and doesn't eat less than normal.

Thanks

 

[stephanietx]

The lip smacking and teeth grinding is due to nausea. I'd get her to the vet for a check up and some blood work to check her kidneys.

 

[jasonm]

Nausea? I doubt it as she is eating/drinking well and no vomiting. I noticed that her belly is bloated like a balloon, while she is actually thin. So it seems something rather serious like cancer, heart failure or advanced kidney failure. Vet is coming over tomorrow to check her out.
Lost her sister last year and I don't want to loose her so soon as well . I try to stay realistic, she has had 19 healthy years. As long as she eats/drinks and doesn't seem in pain it is ok for me and her. I hope there are medications that can bring some relief, perhaps diuretics; I don't want to put her in too much stress given her age, so operations and difficult tests that cannot be done at home are not really an option.

 

[BijouBlackCat]

Hi Jason,

These symptoms (e.g., "She smacks her mouth when sleeping/dozing, When she eats she makes a strange grinding sound, it is very noticeable) are definitely nausea. Perhaps it comes in waves so sometimes she still has an appetite and can eat on her own?

That is amazing that she has made it to 19! You must be taking very good care of her.

 

[jasonm]

Vet came by, she has heart failure which is causing the ascites. He could hear tachycardia, heart murmur and extrasystoles. Despite the fact that she eats well, it seems plausible that she has nausea because of her poor heart condition. The vet has prescribed a diuretic to get rid of the access fluid, and benakor, an ACE inhibitor which should help to reduce her heart and kidney workload. I hope that she responds well to the medication and doesn't experience many side effects. If the fluid is gone it should provide some relief as it would help her breathe more easily. We shall see .

If anyone has experience with these medications for their cat I would be interested to hear what to look out for, as I know that diuretics can have an influence on the electrolyte balance and ACE inhibitors on blood pressure.