Cat not well, tests all OK - any ideas?
pamghatten
6 years ago
Yes, we've been to the vet twice so far ... and we're scheduled to go back later this week.
13.5 year old male cat (neutered) Bailey, hasn't been eating much, lost 1.5 lbs. since August (he's down to 15.5 lbs., he was always a big boy), drinking water and using the litter box. Threw up pieces of intact kibble, which is when I first took him to the vet.
They have run numerous tests; urine, blood ... all tests came back within the normal range, kidneys, liver, diabetes, thyroid ... all OK.
He will eat 5 treats in the morning, if I give him 6, he only eats 5. I've been trying to get him to eat the soft canned cat food instead of kibble ... he licks some of the juice off and walks away. When I get home tonight, I'm going to make him a slurry of wet cat food ... add lots of water so it's almost liquid, and see how that goes.
My vet is on vacation, but has other vets covering for him ... I was told Saturday AM that the last test we did, thyroid, came back normal ... and to try an tempt him with food.
The next thing they say we should do is an x-ray to see if there is a mass.
He follows me around in the morning, like he's always done ... and comes to sit on lap at night, like usual. Sleeps most the day .. that's pretty normal too ....
Just wondering if this rings a bell with anyone ... any similar experiences.
We will do x-rays later this week.
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Any ideas for a plant my cat won't eat?
Comments (54)Plants my cat *loves:* * Dracaena marginata. Maybe because it looks like pet grass? Got it because I thought it might be tall enough to be out of her reach, but she'll stand on the planter and nibble on it! * Peace lilies. She'll nibble on whole leaves! She's eaten so much of it in the 6 months or so that I've had it, it's now smaller than when I bought it :( Plants she hasn't touched yet: * Pachira Aquatica (I've had it for a few weeks/month now). I got a taller version (waist/stomach height), but some of its leaves are still low enough that she can reach, especially with her planter-standing method. However, so far I haven't seen any nibbles! Fingers crossed that she doesn't grow accustomed to its scent or something of the sort and becomes more curious! * Snake plant. I didn't realize this plant was toxic for cats, but thankfully it's always been housed in areas she can't frequent -- in a hard-to-reach spot of a kitchen counter/island (I had it surrounded by cookbooks and my coffee maker) or its current spot at the top of a bookshelf. They don't require loads of light, so it's easier to position these plants somewhere you can enjoy, but your cat can't. * Succulents. I've kept a couple in window sills year-round and she hasn't touched them. Although I don't recommend keeping succulents indoors unless you have super bright Southern sunlight or grow lights. I had an Echeveria Green Goddess that is etiolated slightly from my mostly Southern, slightly Eastern window. I think I'll stick with sedums/Graptopetalum Paraguayense (which I think still look attractive with their sliiiiight legginess) for indoors year-round....See MoreOk, its getting worse, any definitive ideas?
Comments (3)Stop worrying... They're likely 100% normal :) I had suggested in your other post that it was environmental and I stick by that. 99 out of a 100 posts on here with pictures of plants like yours turn out to be caused by either environmental conditions or herbicide damage - and the symptoms don't look severe enough to be herbicide. They are not acutely curled like 2-4,D damage would be, nor are they white like you would expect from glyphosate. I think I may have pictures of my plants looking exactly like yours from back in early April when the daytime and nighttime temps were cold and the days were rainy - now that temps are more favorable, they are big, lush and a nice shade of green. The purple hue you are seeing is due to Phosphorous uptake being slowed - and this happens 9/10 times from cold temps - it goes away as soon as you get a week or two of good weather. The leaf curl is likely due to stress due to - cold temps and or too much rain. Keep in mind that tomatoes originate in tropical climates and dislike temps in 50-60s a lot. All that being said, curly top virus is a very unlikely culprit. First of all, as you stated, some of the symptoms are not there. Also, you have not mentioned seeing any of the insect pests that would transmit the curly top virus - no insects pretty much = no virus; since they are needed to transmit the disease. Also, curly top virus likes arid climates and isn't generally found on the east coast. Here's a statement pulled from New Mexico State University's agricultural site on the topic: "Curly top virus (CTV), or beet curly top virus (BCTV) as it is more formally known, is widespread throughout arid and semi-arid regions of the world. The virus is common in the western United States from Mexico to Canada and in the eastern Mediterranean Basin." Whenever people see their plants behave oddly early in the season, it's easy to Google the symptoms and come up with a lot of viruses that seem to match. The honest truth is that tomato viral infections are pretty rare and the actual causes of the strange growth we see are much more mundane....See MoreOk, what to feed the cats now? Practical help needed!
Comments (24)In answer to the orginal post question, an 8 year old cat with symptoms of throid issues is fairly common. Cats are living longer and now have diseases associated with age. You need to start thinking of a treatment route or your cat will not survive this disease. It's also uncomfortable for the cat to have a constantly racing heart, constipation issues and the other associated aspects. Treatment is either daily pills (methamazole, ie: tapazole) or radioactive iodine treatment (one time and its cured). My recommendation would be the radioactive iodine. If money is the issue, treat with pills and save the money until you can pay for the iodine treatment. Untreated thyroid disease --and even long term treatment with Methamazole -- progresses to kidney failure, enlarged heart (cardiomyopathy) and ultimately thrombosis problems - all of which will eventually kill your cat. Regarding a diet for a cat who is in kidney failure, the cat needs to be on a LOW protein diet - which eliminates 99% of all store brand cat food. If you continue to feed protein enriched foods to your cat, you are effectively killing him/her quickly. The main food of choice is K/D by Prescriptives (Hills brand and NOT on the recall list). Your cat will feel 100% better by eating the right food for this illness. Also, if you can, switch the water to DISTILLED water - definitely not tap water. Kidney disease is also a terminal illness, but if you treat it effectively, your cat will live a pleasant life for the time they have remaining. I know from experience as my 18yr old cat has both of these issues, but is content and doing very well....See MoreSemi-feral cat: My plan is not proceeding well.
Comments (29)I've made note of that eye medicine, Mountain Lady. I may need it. I got Sandy into the cat carrier and to the vet this morning. Her eyes are very badly infected, and the ear mites they treated her for before are as bad as ever. The poor cat must be so uncomfortable. She tolerated being handled by the vet amazingly well. He washed out her ears pretty thoroughly and put ointment in her eyes. He also gave her another long-lasting antibiotic shot and treated the ear mites again. And he clipped her nails. He told me my only choices were to treat her for these problems or put her to sleep. Of course I said I would give treatment my best shot. He also said she's not a mean cat; she's a good girl. I agree. I thought about how to proceed with the treatment, and decided the best way for me to have access to her twice a day is to raise the dog crate up onto the bed so I can reach farther in. So I went to the hardware store and bought a tarp to protect the bed. I obviously can't deal with the little tube of eye ointment while wearing leather gloves, so I hope we can pull this off without injury--to me. I have severe Raynaud's, and even though we're not officially in winter yet I already have painful sores on my fingers, caused by a lack of blood flow. If they are opened, that would not be a good thing. I sure hope she can be restored to heath. I can't help wondering why this cat contracted so many things: eye infection, ear mites, fleas. I hope one fed off the other, and this doesn't indicate an impaired immune system that can never be improved. I've now spent $300 on her vet care, and that's a chunk of money for me. Between that and the report on her eyes and ears, I was feeling rather discouraged when we left the vet's. But then I saw a dead dog taken out on a stretcher, and his crying owners. I got in my car and cried, too--for them and for animals everywhere--but at the same time I realized how lucky I am....See Morepamghatten
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agopamghatten
6 years agopamghatten
6 years ago
glaserberl
6 years ago
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