Why is my sick cat like this?

[Abohann2]

My main question is... Why does my cat seem to be alert and feel better at the vet, but when she gets home, she declines? She acts hungry and eats a lot when she gets home, then sleeps forever, gets continually more droopy and weird, and then by her second feeding, she tries to eat but doesn't finish and immediately goes back to sleep?

This keeps happening. I get my hopes up that she is finally doing better and then she just...declines. I hate this rollercoaster. Is eating causing inflammation that makes her sick? Is going longer than usual without eating helping her stomach and then eating triggers her inflammation again? Why is this happening???

History:

My cat just turned six. She was happy and hyper until recently. To sum up a 2.5-week nightmare, she ate some new treats, got diarrhea for a week, the vet gave her medicine to clear it up, the medicine worked and the diarrhea stopped, by the end of the second week during which she took meds she stopped eating and got listless and droopy, back to the vet who said she had a fever and ran some tests, two days later got an ultrasound, SDMA went from 14 to 19 in one week (week that she took medicine), no other cause found for issues, took her to emergency vet, she was transferred next day to internal medicine and cardiology due to heart murmur. They were able to figure out why she is sick, but a lot is still up in the air.

Test results and treatment:

-Thickening of part of her bowel. Could be IBD or lymphoma. Too weak and unwell to do biopsy. Started novel protein diet last night after getting back from the vet.

-Kidney disease. Her kidneys physically look fine, her urine is concentrated, etc., but she does have kidney disease. If she stays stable, then she should be okay. If not, she will need to see a nutritionist to come up with a way to make a renal and IBD diet work.

-Heart murmur. Cardiologist said she has diastolic dysfunction and a valve does something weird when her heart rate is high. They were not concerned about it currently and will keep an eye on it.

My cat is my baby. I can't lose her. I can't believe this is happening. I had her birthday party planned for this past weekend, and she got so sick that we couldn't do it, and I just can't believe this.

 

[StanAndAlf]

How long has she been back home since her last trip to the vet? Is she still on medication? What was the cause they found for her illness? I'm also confused about the kidney disease - if her kidneys look fine, how was kidney disease diagnosed? As far as I am aware, cats with kidney disease continue to decline unless treated through medication or diet. And as far as the IBD... has she shown symptoms prior to the bad treats incident? Its possible the thickening may just be inflammation from the bad treats (of course that would require a vet to confirm).

The eating loads when she gets home is a common stress response from the trauma of being at the vet and running tests. Sometimes medication can make cats nauseous and cause them to stop eating as well. The lack of food (which means lack of fuel for the body) as well as the sickness makes them weaker and often lethargic, purely because they aren't feeling well, and tends to just make everything worse.

Cats are very good at hiding sickness, especially when they feel threatened. Being at the vet is a very scary situation for a cat, and they are more inclined to be defensive, which often means acting more alert. When she gets home, however, and calms down, she may be more comfortable showing that something is wrong.

I am so sorry you are going through this, I hope she gets better soon.

 

[Abohann2]

How long has she been back home since her last trip to the vet? Is she still on medication? What was the cause they found for her illness? I'm also confused about the kidney disease - if her kidneys look fine, how was kidney disease diagnosed? As far as I am aware, cats with kidney disease continue to decline unless treated through medication or diet. And as far as the IBD... has she shown symptoms prior to the bad treats incident? Its possible the thickening may just be inflammation from the bad treats (of course that would require a vet to confirm).

The eating loads when she gets home is a common stress response from the trauma of being at the vet and running tests. Sometimes medication can make cats nauseous and cause them to stop eating as well. The lack of food (which means lack of fuel for the body) as well as the sickness makes them weaker and often lethargic, purely because they aren't feeling well, and tends to just make everything worse.

Cats are very good at hiding sickness, especially when they feel threatened. Being at the vet is a very scary situation for a cat, and they are more inclined to be defensive, which often means acting more alert. When she gets home, however, and calms down, she may be more comfortable showing that something is wrong.

I am so sorry you are going through this, I hope she gets better soon.

Thanks for your response.

Besides an appetite stimulant and the sedation on Wednesday, she hasn't had medicine. Her illness is due to the thickening of her intestines. It's either IBD or lymphoma. They said the fever was due to inflammation flaring and going back down. They don't think her kidneys are causing this. Her kidneys aren't fine; they just physically looked normal, as in they weren't enlarged or too small or anything. Her SDMA is 19. She's slightly anemic. Her creatinine is in the normal range but close to the top. Because of her high SDMA, etc., they said they would classify the creatinine as high. There's protein in her urine. However, they said it's not a lot and that her urine is concentrated. Her kidney disease isn't advanced. They are going to check if it's stable in two weeks. Right now, we are just trying to get her to eat and fix her intestinal issues. She's lost over one pound in a month and is so skinny now. She is six pounds...

She also handles the vet well. She is friendly and calm and likes being petted by people she doesn't know well. When I visited her, I saw her squint up at one of the vets and look pleased when he was petting her. She is spoiled and adorable and is used to people making a fuss over her and seems to like it.

She's a Persian cat, too, in case her breed matters.


Timeline:

July 24 (Sat) - ate new treats, acted strange after and hid

July 25-30 (Sun-Fri) - diarrhea, made vet appointment. Ate normally and was still perky until around Thursday or Friday. I gave her a tiny bit of dry food on Wednesday or Thursday that she has eaten in the past but it had been a while, and I wonder if that made it worse...

July 31 (Sat) - first vet visit. Did blood tests (normal), prescribed probiotic and Metronidazole.

August 1-6 (Sun-Fri) - gave medicine all week, diarrhea cleared up, turned in fecal sample which was normal. On Thursday, eating slowed down. Friday, was sad and droopy and wouldn't eat.

August 7 (Sat) - second vet visit. Had temperature of 103. They did more blood work for fever which we still haven't gotten back, scheduled an ultrasound, gave her fluids, prescribed more medications-onsior, mirtazapine, bupenophrine.

Aug 9 (Mon) - Didn't do medicine after midnight on Sunday because she had to fast. Took her back to vet for ultrasound. No fever. She still hadn't been eating much and wasn't herself. Ultrasound showed nothing (but their machine apparently wasnt advanced and missed the thickening of her intestine). Vet said her SDMA had gone from 14 (last sat) to 19. Said she would have to go on renal diet but first had to get her eating normally. Vet didn't think that was causing her current symptoms, though. She ate a lot of her regular food when she got home. I got my hopes up that she was improving.

August 10 (Tues) - She ate some in morning but couldn't eat much even though she kept trying. Slept all day. By the afternoon, she barely ate and was very lethargic and off. I took her to an emergency vet. They kept her overnight.

August 11 (Wed) - At the new vet, she was transferred to cardiology and internal medicine. That's where they found everything. Had fever off and on. They had to sedate her for her X-rays. They said she ate in the morning. We visited her, and she seemed a lot better and alert and walked around the room, meowed some, and seemed animated. She got home, ate a lot of her new novel protein diet, walked around some. As night wore on, she started getting weird and off again, listless, has slept a lot, and wouldn't eat again though she tried.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I can't offer much in terms of her symptoms, but I can tell you that adrenalin will cause a cat to act much more 'normal' while at the vet, whether or not they are actually stressed with the visit. Just the change in routine will elevate adrenalin, and when it is elevated it can make even an ill cat appear healthier than they really are. The eating right after coming home is in part due to the elevated adrenalin, but also what I call consolation eating due to the change in her routine. Feeby is pretty good at the vets, but I know her adrenalin level is increased while she is there, and the first thing she always does when she comes home is head to her food dish. It can even be a food that isn't one of her favorites.

The other thing we have done to 'provoke' Feeby to eat is take her (in our arms) for a walk around our yard, letting her sniff trees/bushes/etc. Somehow, just being taken out of the house for those little mini trips pumps up the adrenalin and it never fails when she is brought inside she immediately goes to eat some food.

It is not a cat food replacement, but baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut) could help get some extra calories in your cat and possibly help her to be more interested in her own food. A single jar of baby food meat can add up to 70-90 calories a day. I feed Feeby some every day to help with her calorie count, and for giving meds. But, I have also mixed some with her food if she is waning on eating. That seems to help her eat at least a little bit more of her own food. While the Gerber does contain a small amount of corn starch (Beechnut does not) to help solidify it, I don't think it would be considered detrimental to your cat's IBD, if that is what she has.

If you are inclined to do so, share with us her name and a pic!

 

[fionasmom]

I do not have much to add either but to reinforce that animals most definitely pick up at the vet's due to adrenalin. IMO, cats do this more than dogs. Will she eat any of the stews/snack treats/ toppers like Hartz Delectables? There are a lot on the market as almost everyone is making them now.