Our very sick cat

[t-bob]

Anxiously waiting for diagnosis of our sick 12 year old cat Chaplin who has lost 3 1/2 pounds. Feel a bit guilty that I didn't notice danger signs earlier. Had to empty the catbox more frequently - telltale sign of illness, more peeing than usual - and all I did was complain about it.

Edit: More tests - expensive! Untrasound, maybe biopsy.

Either pancreatitus, liver infection, or cancer. Not doing well, him or any of us.

[Russell Letson]

Diabetes? Or just reduced kidney function. Our two geriatrics both pee copiously for those reasons. If Chaplin has a future, there's probably daily hydration with Ringer's in it. Minnie the Stray has been on that regimen for the five years she's been with us. (And Eva the Garage Orphan gets insulin twice a day.)



Minnie the Stray being indulged.

On edit and reflection: Six months ago Eva had lost a lot of weight and was clearly very sick. Turns out she had terrible dental infections, which the vet treated by pulling the remaining teeth (one with just his fingers) and prescribing a month of antibiotics. Eva gained the weight back (though not all of it, fortunately--she had been nearly spherical, which is bad for the diabetes) and turned 18 in May. I hope Chaplin's problem is as easily dealt with.

[Village Idiot]

I hope they figure out what it is, and that they have something that works. What kind of food to you feed him?

Cats are usually assumed healthy; it's easy to miss the signs. Again, I hope things work out for you and your family.

[t-bob]

Thanks, Todd. On the way back to vet with him soon, they're putting him on a IV Drip, and then ultrasound to figure out what's wrong. His liver is not working right.

Dry food.

[Ann T]

I hope everything turns out OK. I can relate--I have lots of kitties, and this is always a painful and stressful situation.

[Jawbone]

We lost two cats from drinking anti-freeze overflow. Screws with the liver, bad death, one had extreme convulsions and the other didn't.

[Deleted]

How upsetting that can be. Those little rotters do sneak into your hearts. Fingers crossed.

[t-bob]

Newest from the vet. Most likely a strain of hepatitus, treatable if we caught it in time. Will know more after day or so of IV fluids and medicinal treatment. How the hell can they keep a cat from pulling out an IV? Not sure I want to know...

[Cornflake]

There's only so much you can be responsible for or do, T-Bob.

[sekhmet]

Exactly as Flake said. T - I'm sorry this has happened and will send good thoughts to you all.

[j]

hoping for the best here, Bob

[HarmonEyes]

I hope everything turns out okay, Bob.

It's amazing how these little animal family members make such a huge place within our hearts and homes.

[omaha]

What she said. Exactly.

[t-bob]

Thanks to each of you for your thoughts and comments. This feline illness is coming in the time of many losses and changes in my/our life/lives and was almost the proverbial straw. Thank God for caring friends here and elsewhere.

[Ann T]

Jul 7, 2010 19:40:24 GMT -5 t-bob said:

Newest from the vet. Most likely a strain of hepatitus, treatable if we caught it in time. Will know more after day or so of IV fluids and medicinal treatment. How the hell can they keep a cat from pulling out an IV? Not sure I want to know...

How is the kitty doing? I hope better?

(RE: animal I.V.'s. My horse had to go into the hospital for a couple of weeks after a gelding surgical disaster, and he was on an I.V. for a week for hydration. They had a huge bag of I.V. fluid (about 4 gallons) suspended from a rotating hook in the ceiling of the stall, and the I.V. tubing was coiled like a telephone receiver cord so the horse could get up, lie down, turn around, just about anything without pulling it out. I suspect the cat probably will be equipped with a big plastic Elizabethan collar that keeps it from chewing on any apparatus attached to it. Cats are notoriously intolerant of any attempt to put anything on them--I learned this at any early age when trying to put doll clothes on the family cat. ;D)

[omaha]

"gelding surgical disaster"

New band name.

[t-bob]

Thanks for the explanation, Ann. That makes sense. We'll have an update later today on Chaplin's condition.

[millring]

Good luck to you and the cat, Bob. I've been silent. I carelessly watched my cat, Frankie, wither away until it was too late. It wasn't like I didn't care. Frankie was always overweight, and we had two cats (Frankie and Hobie). As Frankie seemed to be losing weight (at the point we weren't quite sure), Hobie seemed to be gaining. So we wrongly concluded food politics going on between the two. We were wrong and we lost Frankie. It sounds like your situation is better than ours was.

[Tamarack]

Best wishes T-Bob. May Chaplin bounce back quickly.

[t-bob]

A real diagnosis. Feline hepatic lipidosis. Guarded optimism. More than anyone wants to know about this disease follows.

Geriatric cats are prone to a number of diseases and conditions, and one of the more common ones is Fatty Liver Disease, which is an accumulation of fats (lipids) in the liver tissue. Although the disease is presently considered idiopathic (no known cause), it is thought that it might result from the way cats metabolize proteins and fats. The disease progresses this way:
•A previously overweight cat stops eating for whatever reason
•Lacking food, the body starts sending fat cells to the liver to process into lipoproteins for fuel.
•Cats' livers are not terribly efficient at processing fat, and much of the fat is stored in the liver cells.
•Left untreated, eventually the liver fails and the cat dies.
Whatever the cause, the symptoms are common: A previously overweight older cat suddenly becomes anorexic (quits eating), loses weight, and may salivate excessively or vomit. The cat may become very lethargic and may show jaundice (yellowing of eyes and skin). However, anorexia and weight loss can also be symptoms of other diseases, such as liver cancer or pancreatic disease, and FLS (Fatty Liver Syndrome) can only be accurately diagnosed conclusively through tests. A complete blood profile may indicate increased liver enzymes, and the diagnosis can be confirmed with a liver biopsy done under light anesthesia, with a large needle through the skin.

Chaplin is being treated at the vet's and hopefully will respond. He has no other diseases. In the meantime, the billing department at the pet hospital is functioning quite well with no signs of weakness.