I am so sorry for all you are going through and have gone through. You have had devastating losses.

There is clearly something wrong with your cat that bloodwork or tests have not revealed. However, cats often suffer anorexia as the symptom of their disease, and the disease itself may not be life-threatening, while the anorexia (nor eating or drinking) is.

Eating a plant sounds right. That happened to my friend's cat, who was in inensive care on IV fluids for hydration for a few days (basic supportive care) and she survived for ten years after that.

I think you have two alternatives here, Martha. You can keep her warm and try to keep her hydrated and fed. Offer her small portions of warmed, watered down cat food that is smelly - appeal to her nose! Mackerel, tuna, whatever stinks. Keep her on fluids (I'm guessing she's getting subcutaneous fluids?).

If she is suffering and this treatment is torture to her, you must relieve her from this and give her peace. Only you can provide that to her in a timely fashion. You don't want to keep her alive for youself while she suffers.

I am sorry. I hope she makes it.

I'm so sorry for all your troubles. It's heartbreaking to see a pet suffer.

Could you call your local Humane Society for help?

This sounds like inflammatory bowel disease, which can be tricky to diagnose. The blood panels often come up as normal. Another possibility is lymphoma, which can also prove hard to diagnose without surgery, which your cat is in no condition to have (and diarrhea doesn't always appear with it). The appearance of something "weird" in her intestines suggests either of those two diseases. Another possibility is hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver), which is life-threatening and is caused by not eating - here it would be secondary to whatever is the main problem.

You didn't say how long your cat has been sick. A day or two? Longer? If it's longer than a few days, that doesn't sound like poison, from which she would either probably recover or die pretty quickly.

I have a friend whose cat has been dxed with either IBD or lymphoma. His symptoms sound a lot like those of your kitty. Without extensive surgery the vets can't tell which it is. This cat has been through a lot surgically and cannot tolerate another surgery. So he's being treated with prednisolone, which has been compounded into a powder and is rubbed into his skin once a day, plus one mild chemo pill given every three days. He is also getting cyproheptadine, which stimulates the appetite. His long-term prognosis is very poor, but at least he's comfortable and finally, eating, now.

Actually I agree with everything that Elly_nj wrote, including her last paragraph. Let's hope that it's just a poison which will pass.

Good luck.

Socks...Our Humane Society is a joke...I'm in Wisconsin, I was not raised here. Wisconsin, two or three years ago, was condidering a 'shoot to kill' order on 'feral cats'.

That means a long haired Angora, with a diamond collar and pink bow in its hair with the word 'FIFI' on it, whom somehow managed to get outside, could have been legally shot by a neighbor saying "I thought it was feral".

Fortunately, our Governor said Wisconsin would be the laughing stock of United States. In reality, it wouldn't be that much of a stretch.

People here do shoot each other's pets...there's no outcry. Farmers let cats breed here uncontrollably and then use them for target practise...they don't bother to hide the fact. The first time I heard it, I thought "well that's an exception, an exaggeration".

Its the norm.

It even happened to my mother's hairdresser. He had a prize show Golden Retreiver, and the dog got through his electric fence...and someone shot the dog in the middle of street! I could post a million Wisconsin-pet related horror stories, that for me, growing up in rough -tough Detroit Michigan, I founnd next to unbelievable, myself. Unfortunately, I have a few of my own Wisconsin pet tales to tell.

Little Sabrina, named after the Audrey Hepburn movie we were watching when she wandered into out lives, is still running around...we did take a few sips of water this morning. She tires herself out quite easily. So she runs and jumps for 5 minutes and then sleeps for 5 hours...and wakes up and cries and cries...then runs and jumps etc.

I have been looking on the web, and believe it or not, I found four others with eleven year old cats with the exact same symptoms...vomitting, diarrhea, refusal to eat or drink, severe weight loss and fevers with no discernable causes at hand. One owner was going to submit to exploratory surgery (recommended by the Vet), but luckily, the IV's and sntibiotics started to reverse the problem after a week or so. I guess the owner was even giving injections of antibiotics at home (to the cat) per the Vet's instructions.

She is better after an ijection of antibiotics...for about 12 to 18 hours. The pills, however do not have that effect. (There's no water to dissolve them...maybe?)

I know there are some smart pet lovers here...would it be possible for cats to produce a toxic shock like syndrome...whereby toxins from bacteria take on a life of their own and therefore escape detection as a normal bacterial infection yet are 10X deadlier?

The antibiotics seem to work, but only in injection strength... much like a toxic shock like syndrome in humans.

Then there is the question about how much more I can afford. I'm going back to work (hopefully ) next week.

Its not something I'm looking forward to. I'm working with handicapped children and young adults...my misery meter is full up...but I need the money. I think I'd rather work at McDonald's-but I'm 54 and I don't fit the uniforms well. Middle age...it happens

marf

Sable, this is now going on for almost two weeks, as soon as I noticed something was wrong ... well to be honest, I tried special food from the pet store...obviously that didnt' help, then it took me two days to get into the Vet...this coming Wednesday it will be approximately two weeks since the onset of illness...it started with the the dramatic weight loss and then vomiting and diarrhea with the pet store food.

We just took another sip of water. I think I'm going back to the vet and demanding another injection. Its not very scientific ... but it seems to work.

We had a cat who got inflammatory bowel syndrome at age 13 with similar symptoms to those you describe. She did well after a first course of the antibiotics you mention, then the prednisolone daily as sable mentioned, which helped give her another comfortable year.

Jezebel took a downhill turn one day at age 14 and went to kitty heaven. (I hope to see her there some day, if I'm good!)

Thanks for caring so much about your pet. I'm very sorry to hear about your recent problems, but I have a feeling things will turn around for you.

marthapartha, I am so sorry to hear about your kitty and how quickly this has come on. I don't have any wisdom about the illness itself, but wanted to mention that there are supposedly a number of organizations that are willing to help financially when an owner is in dire straights- you've certainly had more than your fair share to deal with lately. I don't have experience with any of the organizations, but it may be worth your while to contact a few and see if there is some help for you and your kitty. I will post a link to another board where I saw this- it is an ivillage forum, so I assume it is okay to post on this site.

I'm so sorry about what you have been dealing with in regard to your family and pray that things turn around for you both very soon.

((((HUGS))))

Q

Here is a link that might be useful: Help with vet bills post

This is wonderful ... thank you! I went over to the vet and complained about the last IV draining out ... that I haven't paid for. That makes my credibility zero. Thank you for your thoughtfulness. It lifted my spirits.

I'm sorry not to have any answers but I hope things work out for you. I'm sure your vet or another would let you make payments on a vet bill if it came to that. Good luck . I know how it is to worry about our furry kids.

One of my best friends, who has sinced moved from the area, was back in town and took for me shopping for supplies... which I very much appreciated.

I mentioned I was glad to run into them because I had been at the Vet all morning. I mentioned that I didn't know how I was going to dig out of this mess.

Because my father was legally deaf...many bills were in my name. The estate is saying...I'm responsible for all of them...which happens to be my felonius sister... which is another set of forums (with a plural) in itself.

I paid the Vet 238.00 out of the previous 300.00 that I owed...I haven't had the courage to look at todays charges.

My friends got upset with me and again stated that when cats get sick on their parents farm, they just shoot them for target practice. Cats are cats according to them, replaceable and plentiful. (I didn't know until this morning that they, too, had praticed cat target practice).

A person in my situation...who technically is homeless...has no business spending 400.00 at the vet. But I need her. I'm glad for the encouragement that I received here.

I don't even know if I would had the courage to even go back to work... if I didn't have to take of my little minx and therefore myself.

She's getting better, and she's gained four ounces in two days. She's not too happy at the moment, between the vet visits (with the violating thermometer) and the neighborhood kids shooting off fireworks at night, she's, quite frankly, very pissed off...but nonetheless improving.

Thank you all.

marf

Marf, your cat will appear to have gained weight after she has received fluids at the vet, but that's just the weight of the fluids. I'm not trying to be discouraging, just realistic.

You can save some money by having your vet teach you how to administer subQ fluids at home to keep your girl hydrated and more comfortable. There are also a lot of online resources to give you tips and techniques for administering subQs. A number of us on this forum have given subQs to our pets (myself included) and can help you through the process once your vet teaches you the basic procedure and sets you up with supplies. You can also buy supplies online or through pet supply catalogs pretty inexpensively. Regular subQ fluids can make a world of difference to an ailing cat who is not drinking sufficiently on her own.

Just ignore your "friends" who suggest using your girl for target practice. I have to do the same thing up here in northern MN where killing animals is a favorite sport. I was raised in the Chicago suburbs, so the rural/farm mentality as it relates to companion animals was an entirely foreign mindset when I moved here. I've learned not to discuss my animals with the locals, but two of the vets I've used here have stated that they want to come back as one of my animals in their next lives (of course they're both younger than I). ;-)

I do hope your girl improves and keeps improving. She has obviously thrown you a lifeline as many of mine have done for me over the decades. I understand how much the two of you need each other.

Take care,

Laurie

Marf - where in Wisconsin are you? I'm in Madison. I have a really good vet that I trust so was wondering. Just curious - did they mention doing an ultrasound at all? Your symptoms remind me of IBD too. I have a cat that was diagnosed with IBD and pancreatitis in 2004. He takes pred and pepcid to control his situation.

Do you know what blood tests and urine tests the vet ran specifically? Did they give you a copy of their records? Usually they will if you ask.

Sorry to hear of your awful situation. My heart goes out to you.

Jenny

Don't forget too, that many animal antibiotics are human ones as well. Many times you can ask for a prescription and take it to your local pharmacy, for less money. That goes for subQ fluids also.

Also if you want to help get her to eat using a large syringe; you can take the wet food add a little water and grind it up in a blender, well enough that you can use the syringe. I have found that some wet foods are easier than others for the blender, I like Old Mother Hubbard and PetGard, both which are usually in organic stores.

Also, you can usually "annoy" your cat into drinking some fluid, using a syringe as well. You can very slowly squeeze it around their gums and they will swallow it. Use Pedialyte if you want to get some electrolytes into her.

If you try the food or water, give her small portions frequently as opposed to a large portion, once or twice.

I'm glad she is getting better.

Just read that, and I agree too that it does sound like it.

I have a friend who's cat is on a long term regiment for IBD using Flagyl. Flagyl has a generic equivalent that can be bought as a fish antibiotic. This is what she does and has to quarter the tablets. She has done this successfully and economically for a long time.

PLEASE, PLEASE, this is just information if you want to Google it as a possible option. I'm certainly not a vet, but maybe you can speak to the vet about it.

I did have Baytril (and still do), which I was supposed to give her a quarter tab a day...it didn't do anything at all and she got worse on it.

Vet didn't give her another IV of fluids...I think that might have helped the most. I wish I had insisted. They now think it was a poisoning.

I have a next door neighbor that is totally out of his mind over his lawn. He fills his double car garage with Scott chemicals and weed and feed all the way up to the ceiling, stocking up with the junk. When my parents were alive he asked if he could put his child's swing set on their property so it wouldn't damaage his grass with it the child's footprints.

Kitty got out, without me knowing it, about two weeks ago, and could have wandered on to his lawn and got some weed and feed mixed with a touch of diazinon on her belly and licked it off...at the moment that's the explanation they are going with. At first they thought it was a blockage from eating a plant...there was nothing there.

I think at this point ... the diagnosis is still up for grabs. There's not much to go on, unless melamine posioning can damage other tissues/organs than kidneys in some cats.

The other issue is that I can no longer afford the better litter. I'm a little concerned about that...cheap litter is terrible, and maybe that has led to inflamatory bowel disease ... or infections with the colon.

Laurie: As far as the IV fluids...most leaked out the injection site. The weight gain was after she ate two cans of moist food and dry food. I was very angry about the leakage..they should have put a stitch in. I got home, the carrier was soaked with medicinal fluid, and the rest drained out on her pillow ...no matter how long or frequently I applied pressure.

I guess she was so dehydrated there wasn't enough plasma available in her system to clot or close the site.
She's not eating like I would like her to. She ate approximately half a 3 oz can of ProPlan something or other yesterday.

AS far as the blood panels.. Vet did show me the printed results, they were four or five bar graphs that were all nearly perfect...? Maybe too perfect? I remember that liver and kidney were in there... I dunno. I was so upset I didn't belabor the issue when Vet said nothing showed up.

All I can do is pameper her and coax and cajole her.

It is a shock coming to this area, where there is so much room for animals to run etc. Then to discover this is worse than having a Great Dane in a high-rise apartment. The general attitude is alarming...even all the way down to the police. I'm still kinda of HUH?

marf

She probably leaked out the fluids because the vet used too large a gauge needle to inject them. My vet regularly uses a 16 ga needle, which I hate. I never even use larger than an 18 on my horses, for pete's sake! A 16 ga is HUGE and makes a large hole in the skin through which fluids can easily leak out. Even so, the hole is not large enough to necessitate stitching.

I administer subQs with a 20 or 21 ga needle (the higher the number, the smaller the needle). They make a much smaller hole and are more comfortable for the cat. The downside is that it takes longer for the fluids to flow through the smaller ga needle, so the whole process takes a few minutes longer to complete.

I will again recommend that you have your vet teach you how to administer fluids at home. If your girl was poisoned, regular fluid administration will help flush the toxins from her system and give her the best chance of recovery.

Your vet can also provide you with A/D prescription canned food which is a concentrated formula for debilitated cats who aren't eating much. It can be easily mixed with water and force fed through a curved tip syringe. You could also pick up some Nutrical which is a high calorie paste that can be mixed into the A/D or other food or simply smeared on her foot for her to lick off.

Laurie

marf, I've been thinking about you and your kitty and praying for her recovery. My animals bring me such comfort, particularly in difficult times, my heart goes out to you.

One of my cats is on subQ fluids daily, staying hydrated can make a world of difference in a variety of circumstances. I agree that it would be worth another shot, and ask if you can do it at home. It is not that bad to do and makes a world of difference sometimes. Like Laurie mentioned though, if you do it ask for smaller needles- I am currently using up a box of 18s with intentions of trying and possibly switching to a smaller 20 gauge. If you do have a chance to try it daily until she recovers, the vet will show you how (or a tech will), but very good pictorial instructions are available online- since your vet didn't do a great job the first time.

When my kitty was quite sick and not eating before her diagnosis, I fed her human grade tuna that I could get 2/$1 at the dollar store. It's not an ideal diet for cats, but if they like it, it can get some calories into them for a short time until they feel better.

Q

Since it's been several days, I wondered if the cat has improved?

I've been wondering too. Marf, how are you doing?

Thank you all for all your information. I am printing out all the posts and going over them with my vet, next week.
We've been back for another antibiotic shot. The Vet is interested in all of your responses, he also was very appreciative for the links concerning financial aid for pet owners in need.

Kitty seems to be holding her own. I'm trying the Baytril tabs through the weekend along with Lax'aire laxative and lubricant...although she did throw up this morning...it was not a hair ball...it was just some liquid.
She is so sick...but she runs around and still tries to get outside except she does sleep quite a lot...makes it easier on me.

I'm sorry I haven't posted back with an update. I am very interested about giving her either IV's or injections at home. For the time being that might be a much more suitable arrangement than what is going on with Vet visits.

I do want to thank you all again for your time and encouragement.

marf

I watched the vet tech give my cat fluid several times, then I did it while the tech watched and told me what to do, so that made it easier once I started doing it at home. Here's a link to a feline chronic renal failure website with step-by-step instructions for administering sub-q fluid to a cat.

Here is a link that might be useful: sub-q fluid

I'm surprised your vet is giving her Baytril since she's already having stomach/digestive problems. Most of my animals can't tolerate baytril due to the nausea side effect.
Ask your vet for another less potent antibiotic and for something to calm her gut.......such as sucralfate.

Have you tried a home made diet? Cook some chicken and rice or whatever meat she'll eat, and see if she can tolerate that better than commercial food.

Here is a link that might be useful: vomiting in cats

You guys are smarter than my vet, and he's won this 'Vet of the year award' 20 years in a row for this area...shows what an idiot area I live in.

No wonder about the Baytril. I can't get it in her any more, she struggles so much against it, I'm afraid I'm going to break her in two, there's no more ruff to grab.

Maybe he chose Baytril because I can't get the amoxi liquid in her at all. I have more pink stained clothes than I wish I did.

I start back to work this coming Friday (that's a dumb day to start - it matches the general thinking of the area) so I hope I can get a strong foothold on kitty's hopeful recovery by then.

I just paid another 20.00 for more Baytril!!!...I have the quarter tablet next to me that I suddenly no longer can get in kitty, and have been trying for the last almost 12 hours. She's hiding somewhere from the last attempt. She will straggle out in a couple of hours. Arrrrggggghhhh!

After 45 yrs of cat caretaking and having gone through a couple of dozen vets in the places I've lived, I FINALLY figured out an easy (or relatively easy) way to pill a cat, thanks to one of the vets I use now. I had one of my cats in to his office, and he gave him a pill. As I watched, Paul grabbed a little piller (available cheaply through any pet supply catalog and many pet stores), and put the pill into the rubber tipped end of it. Then he squeezed a little water into Bitsy's mouth with a needleless syringe to wet his throat. Then he popped the pill into the back of Bitsy's mouth with the piller. Then he gave Bitsy another little squeeze of water from the syringe to make sure he swallowed the pill. Quick, easy, with absolutely NO struggle and NO big fingers cramming a pill down Bitsy's throat.

I immediately ordered myself a piller and now use it anytime I have to pill one of the cats. But I make things even easier by mixing a little canned food with water that the cat can lap up on his own. The cat gets a few licks of food first to wet his throat, then I pop the pill in with the piller, then the cat gets to finish the food to make sure the pill is swallowed. It also helps to lightly coat the pill with butter to make it easier to swallow. If you think about it, when's the last time you swallowed a pill dry? We don't do it to ourselves. Why do it to our cats?

You may also find it easier to pill Sabrina if you first wrap her snugly in a towel with just her head exposed.

BTW, amoxicillin is available in liquid, capsule, and pill forms. If your girl won't take the liquid, ask the vet for pills.

Laurie

We have straggled out again, and we are parched []]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]](that was a note from kitty that just walked on my keyboard...your cats and dogs will have to decipher it for you...it seems to be a new binary based language).

Kitty has a big history with the vet. I do have nasty neighbors. One of them baited her with a can of Tuna into a small squirrel trap...and while kitty is small and keeps her girly figure, she has unusually long legs and was faster than a speeding bullet when she ran. The neighbors left her trapped over 17 hours before they contacted me. At that point, there were not to many humans kitty wanted to be around, she became a fraidy cat. Many of the people who visted the house, identified her in the trap and still left her there without contacting me. It took her over a year to even walk over to my father. He used to walk around, muttering to himself "why is she like this, why is she afraid of me? I didn't hurt her!"

I would always tell him that it was because her brain was half the size of an avocado pit and it couldn't store more information than 'humans attacked me'. His brain must have not been much larger ... that fact never really sunk in.

Miss half-a-walnut-shell-sized-brain did have enough room to recognize "TOWEL" "BLANKET" "PILL POPPER" "PILL" and the examination is over the minute a "THERMOMETER" comes in view.

She got sick from insect bites and that being the one summer day that dipped down to the low 40's high 30's (in temperature at night), a touch of Pneumonia followed. She has a dislocated vertebrae, she compensates for it well. You still feel it running your fingers down her spine. There were many vet appointments following the incident.

That was almost eight years ago. The vet just calls her feral now. I don't believe that is technically accurate, she's just has had it with humans and she is almost ready to put me in the 'had it' category.

She's difficult to handle. Since the trapping, she's not the cat I originally had. BT (before trapping) every time the doorbell would ring, she would be the first at the door, ready to lead the visitors back to the family room, or where ever my mother was holding court. Those days are long gone. There's a person here and there she will warm up to without introduction, but those chosen individuals are few and far between.

The vet used to use anesthesia(sp?) just to examine her (post trapping).

The vet did wrap her in a towel to show me how to administer the pill and after 15 minutes he said "See wasn't that easy?"

My reply was "It took you and two assistants."

The moistening of throat sounds like a good deal ...and might be at the base of this huge objection...besides not wanting to be told what to do.

Its so obvious, no one ever thought of it.
I will try your suggestion with a little tuna water, I'll see if that will bribe her into agreement.

Skeptical but trying - thanks.

marf

Don't forget to lightly coat the pill with butter, too. Not only will it make the pill easier to swallow, but the butter will also help mask the taste of the pill.

Laurie

Excellent idea...you guys should get together and write a cat care manual...I don't know if you have heard that before. I have gotten much better information from this forum than the V man I have to give 400.00 and counting to.

marf

The Pill Pockets seem to be a 50/50 chance for me, BUT, the cats it works on they are fantastic for. You put the pill inside a gooey pocket thing and the cat thinks it's eating a treat. Actually even the cats that I can't fool, they make easier to pill. Usually just have to get the pocket in their mouth and gently hold their chin and they swallow, because they aren't tasting the pill. Your vet or the pet store should have them.

I do agree with Annz about the Baytril. I don't think it's usually even prescribed for more than 14 days either. Something like the Flagyl(as an example) is an anerobic(sp?) bacteria killer, meaning the kind of bacteria that exists without oxygen. That's why it's more successful with digestive problems and teeth and gum problems.

If she's eating pretty well again and you're using wet food, just mix a little water into the food as a way to get some extra water in her as well.

At least she sounds like she's getting a little better, which I'm glad to hear.

I'm so sorry to hear about the poor kitty. One of mine had a similar problem and nothing seemed to work. Then my vet decided to try metronidozol and the result was amazing. Our boy got better and and brought us joy for many more years.