I've made my own baby food for my actual human baby, so I'm happy to make him bone broth. I just thought any liquid will help whatever his issue is. There's something more besides digestive disorder here. Though, maybe that's it, and a slight change can make it better. Make him last longer. I can try!

The something more could be pancreatitis. Have him checked for it. It's not because of a lack of appetite,. Our cat was hungry but he knew eating and drinking would upset his stomach. He recovered after two days at the emergency vet where he was given fluids and meds. It took him another two days at home to really eat anything, so he went about a week without eating. Fortunately it hasn't recurred.

It needs to be addressed soon though. We had a cat who stopped eating and the vet fixed the problem, but by then, he'd stopped eating for so long that he wouldn't eat. Cats can get anorexic if they've stopped eating for too long. So then I had to "force feed" the cat by making small balls of canned food and putting them in his mouth and holding until he swallowed. Took a couple of days, but finally his appetite came back and he started eating again. A LOT better solution than the feeding tube the vet wanted for him!

If he wants to eat but can't, he needs additional medical support. Don't settle for "The tests are negative." He's suffering.

The vet says pink throw up one time isn't something to worry about. If he does it again, then go to the ER.

Adding the weight loss and lack of eating (and maybe less visits to the litter box, I haven't verified that one, it's just a sneaking suspicion), is where we are.

Not interested in him suffering. We began the discussion of how long to let him, and what to let him, endure through began last year. I feel certain something will change, very soon.

Roxie wouldn't eat, just hid in the closet, wanted left alone. Had her in the vet on iv and after a couple of days her next blood work showed all white cells, very little red. She had cancer of the stomach they determined.

A year later Bud wouldn't eat or drink and was vomiting. Had him in at the vet, and they no longer had staff check on the animals overnight, so I had to take him to an emergency clinic overnight. WTH? I wasn't impressed, it cost me an extra $1,000 for that. Anyway, he had to be put to sleep. His potassium levels were non-existent. He was cognizant as long as he was hooked up to iv drip. When that was taken out (even to the transport from the emerg to my vet) he crashed, fell asleep. Did the same at the vet, so that was the end.

I'm so very sorry Rob.

I'm sorry to hear this. Knowing this may be a repeat of last year's illness, I can understand why you might think it's time to say goodbye. Time will tell and I trust kiddo will make the right decision. It's always difficult to let a beloved pet go.

I have to say, I do wonder how much you care about Murphy since you refer to him as ”idiot cat”. It makes me feel sad for him.

I'm sorry you're going through this.

Rob, I think it is obvious how much you love Murphy and I just want to say again how much I am hoping that he bounces back. as an aside, I could not love my lab mix more and I often tell him he is a goof or a ding-a-ling or whatever. Always with a voice full of love as I know yours is.

If Murphy isn't defecating, that would easily be from lack of intake. But, if he isn't urinating (and you should check!!) that is a serious sign.

That is what tipped me off that my daughter's cat had something seriously wrong, while it was staying with me while DD moved. She was eating well, then suddenly less and less. DD thought it was a change in food. But, when I examined her, I could feel a mass, which the vet also felt. It was cancer & had spread throughout her abdomen.

colleen (and those who liked her post), I have to say, I find it sad you read so many wrong things into what I say. Last August, I was carrying said cat to/from the litter box and hand feeding him, begging him to drink. He's greatly loved. He does sniff the air vents when the A/C comes on, for instance (can't he figure out by now what's going on? It's been years! ;) and we do call him silly names for being silly. You must have such a sad life to only see these strange things about me.

I appreciate all the other, kind encouragements! We're trying it all. He's lost 4% of his weight in days :'( We'll keep trying at home, and at the vet.

Rob, I was wondering about the term "idiot" but figured it was in reference to him being goofy, or perhaps some antics you've shared in the past. Never once did it cross my mind that you don't care for this cat. Like any pet lover, I know first hand how emotional sickness and end of life thoughts can be. Seeing not only the crass comment but the numerous "likes" it has collected disgusts me and has me second-guessing the decency of those who post here.

Seriously folks, there are plenty of threads on which to throw punches. If there's one place to shut up and scroll on by if you've got nothing nice to say, this would be it.

Sometimes you have to spell it out for people, or they take things the wrong way - as we've observed more than once. The word 'idiot' in this thread title is obviously sarcasm to me, but maybe not to someone unfamiliar with rob's style of writing.

And I skipped down to ask if you've been forcing water? Cats are so easily dehydrated. I've used a syringe to give water to my ailing cats when they weren't drinking on their own.

Not sure if anyone mentioned it might be an obstruction - he may have swallowed something.

Here's the USPS tracking number: 9500 1136 3807 3198 1006 56

It should arrive Thursday. Hang in there Murphy!

Would you be willing to give sub-cutaneous fluids? It's quite easy and probably better tolerated than forcing water (on which he could choke). I've had to do it to several of my elderly cats and it always makes them feel better. Every one of the cats has just laid there and let me do it. I think they appreciate that it feels good.

What I haven't done is what I did last year. Kiddo wasn't around so I was the one doing it. Since Murphy Boo couldn't move, I would pour a little bit of broth or water into a shallow dish. As he slowed up, I would add more. He seemed to be more interested in that. Like it was all new water or broth. Silly kitty. I will try that tonight when I get home. I'm also interested to see what's going on very closely, since I've been trying not to stress him too much, letting him relax in his typical way. Crossing my fingers for a good outcome.

Drat. I left work early (I'll continue from my home office shortly). I realized I hadn't looked at his mouth. What if he had an abscess? That would make it so that he'd quit eating the crunchy food overnight. Nope. Nothing looked red, pus filled, oozing, or anything was off. Dang-it. I did try my add some water when he slowed down trick. He didn't keep gulping like he did in August. Sigh. His weight has stabilized. He hasn't thrown up again. Hmm. He's always a mystery.

This thread is so sad to me. The poor cat seems to be in distress. :(

Yes it is sad. The vet has run tests without answers. Just how much testing can we do? The panel did look for more than kidney issues. I'll take a crystal ball!

Just temper your sadness with the fact that it does matter how he feels, and we're doing everything we can.

I think subcutaneous would just be a Band-Aid at this point. We've got to figure out what this is, or he just needs to get over it. Get better buff tabby!

The thing is, I understand that dehydration can be extremely harmful for cats, so forcing even a small amount of water is important and potentially life-saving. I think they can go without food for some time, but not without water - kinda like people.

Our vet administered subcutaneous fluids for one of our cats when she was nearing the end. She gave her a rather large amount to last for awhile.

I'm greatly distressed but not desperate yet. He's still drinking, albeit lesser amounts. I started second guessing myself, so I asked kiddo what test they did the other day... physical examination, blood, urine... everything was in normal bounds. I guess I'd be less worried if he hadn't thrown up blood, or lost a lot of weight, or on the tail end of this thing we've been fighting for a year. Not beside myself yet, but dang close.

Though, maybe I'm not admitting it. More than once in the last few days I've looked over to make sure he's still breathing. I'll wake up worried he's not still purring and happy. Desperation is getting there.

I promise I wash it constantly but here's his favorite toy, after many many years. If you remember last year, I would've given a million dollars to hear him wail his wail that he does whenever he "kills" it every night (at 9:30 p.m. Central time, and again after I've gone to bed, regardless of what time it is), and when he finally did I was relieved. He still is crying that war cry and I will cry a million tears the moment he stops. Taken two minutes ago.

Is there a feline specialist or specialty vet near, or nearish? Our kitty was seeing a feline cardiologist!

I am with you. Maybe it is his time but he is apparently still enjoying life as he knows it. I would treasure that. Still hoping for the best though even if the best is letting him go. I have been through this so many times but as hard as it is loving them is the best thing. I would not give that up for any grief. And you never know, he could fool us all and get better. Best....

I was very fortunate to see a Dr. who specialized in palliative care for cats.

Poor kitty. I'm sending my best.

Have you thought about an appetite stimulant? It would be applied on his ear.

Sweet kitty. Hope he makes a full recovery.

He still has interest in his toys which is a big thing. He hasn't given up!! He's drinking some, which is definitely positive, dehydration is something to be careful of. He's not that, otherwise the vet would have put him on an iv with electrolytes in it.

I hope he improves daily, albeit slowly. It's so hard, knowing what's wrong, and what to do!!

"I think subcutaneous would just be a Band-Aid at this point. "

Yes, most likely. But wouldn't you like him to feel better in the meantime?

As far as whether or not this is the end for him, remember that it's about him, not about you. Please don't hold onto him simply because you don't want him to go. Listen to him.

Also, remember the 5 P's. Peeing, Purring, Preening, Pooping, and Playing. Watch for those or the absence of those.

We don't want him to suffer. Nobody has given up. Deciding on what direction to go is hard to figure out when he's had every test under the sun? We're on top of it, I'm not sure what else we can do short of having the cat tell us what's going on.

My best hope at this point is that he'll just get over whatever it is. I'm still weighing him everyday, that tells you how closely I'm watching it.

I promise you we're doing everything we can.

I just wanted to offer my sympathy for Murphy, you, and the family as you go through this together. I don't have any wisdom or advice. I did subcutaneous fluids for a dog once and eventually after even more tests we figured out what was wrong and she lived many years more. I'm hoping that with you nursing Murphy and vet care that you'll find a way to bring Murphy back to health.

I will say that your "idiot cat" made me giggle thinking of a friend who years ago had a much loved indoor family cat who would constantly eat things it shouldn't, get sick, go to the vet, and be nursed back to health. I think he had a similar name for the cat.

He has been drinking a little more this afternoon! Far more than l could've hoped!!! Yay!

We await the call back from the vet as to what the next step will be.

🤞🏻

Still no answers i guess. It's a long time since your last update. Hopeful Murphy will keep drinking water for starters. Following.

Just got the answer. It's a sort of reaction to having gone to the vet and all the testing being done. They're not as worried about the blood as I am. Working with medical folks has me on the other end "Any time you throw up blood it's not a good thing". They say he'll be just fine and we should see more improvement like I saw yesterday. New to me finding. Whew. He was looking poorly. Still is, but still purring and killing monkey-bunny every night ;)

So very happy for you and the many people rooting for Murphy. What a gift.

Thank you all for your kindnesses

Chyla girl approves Nicole

OH, I just realized that your cat had pink froth in vomit. I did not think it through. Not from the stomach because blood turns brown with digestive juices. It would have to be from the mouth to be pink. Something as minor as cutting a gum on something he chewed on perhaps. Sore mouth etc? I can see why the vet is not as concerned especially as he is still Killing monkey-bunny.

I have a cat whose favorite prey is a beaver-a sort of ersatz beanie baby thing. She hauls it around howling as well.

Love they enjoy their favorite toys!

He's sliding down the scale still. Today, he is now walking wobbly like he did last year. I'm going to hope, and kiddo agrees, he's still happy and still eating/drinking better than he was. Hopefully, Nicole's gift will hurry that process along. Better, but but betterer enough, fast enough for me. Still causing worry.

Let's just say, I'm leaving monkey-bunny out to ensure hearing it after bedtime. That's reassuring. The night I put it away to sleep better, he'll be all better. Not yet.

Your Murphy is on my mind this Wednesday. How is he doing? drinking more water? Eating and staying close to you? I hope so much..

He's back 100%! That's absolutely due to the measures Nicole sent me.

I put monkey-bunny away after he played with it in the evening, so I could sleep last night. If that tells you.

We've never seen him this bad after a visit to the vet, so next time we're going to prop him up before he goes and hit him hard with the stuff Nicole sent us the moment he gets home, when he goes again, and he will have to go again, because he has kidney failure. If we don't have these measures in place, I'm not sure he'll survive the next time. He declined very rapidly. That was scary.

Thanks for the good news! Thanks to Nicole for helping. Thanks to monkey-bunny for being such a good playmate. Thanks to you and kiddo for not giving up and for loving him. My day is made!

Glad to hear the good news...he's using his 9 lives for sure!

He's been on my mind, too. Glad to see a good report!

I'm glad he's back 100%! YAY Murphy!

Wonderful news! Is the weight issue due to the fact he doesn’t care for the rx food? There are a few brands you can try. If he eventually needs subq fluids, don’t let that scare you. Its easy to do. Our cat (after a couple of rough months) absolutely thrived on a rx diet and daily fluids. He was more active than our normal cat. He lived another 5 years and eventually passed from something completely unrelated. His lab numbers were not good at all but he didn’t know or care.

He absolutely quit eating and drinking completely. And the weight just came off instantly?! He's put it back on, with an appetite stimulant, and loads of food put in front of him, mixed with tons if water. He is now voluntarily eating and drinking, back to where he used to be, before the vet visit.

I don't know if I said it before, but we weigh him weekly, only to keep a really close eye on it. I won't let him get too far away from his correct weight.

Yay!