# Something is Wrong with my Old Cat



## Zoom-boing (Aug 28, 2013)

So Shadow (15+ years) decided to play finicky eater over the weekend.  Ok, no biggie.  He refused to eat his dinner Sun night.   Gave him something different Mon .. no go.  He was just drinking water but throwing that up nearly immediately. White foam.  He did eat tiny bit of turkey, which he promptly threw up.  Was peeing but not sure on the pooping  No other food Mon.  Decided Tues morning to give him one more day then to the vet.  He was drinking - not a lot at all and very slow laps and doing weird things with his left paw, kind of tapping along the side of the water dish, almost as if he was checking to see if there was water in there.  Tues he started throwing up yellow bile.  Called the vet, took him over for an emergency visit.  He was dehydrated but after a thorough physical exam, she found nothing out of the ordinary.  Felt no lumps or anything in his organs, his bladder was full at that point but she felt no poop in his colon. They hydrated him, gave us an rx for pills to perk up his appetite and said to let her know how he was doing.  If nothing changed, call her Friday.  

I asked her how was I to get the pill into him, as I usually give it to him wrapped in a tasty tidbit but he wasn't eating.  I've tried everything too, all his favs.  Nope.  I told her we had given him pills before by crushing them, mixing w/a bit of water and putting that into a syringe then putting that down his throat.  She said that was fine.

Well, we did that about two hours ago. He foamed at the mouth, white foam and saliva, then threw up (kind of mucousy).  He eventually made his way downstairs and was very unsteady on his feet, kind of wobbly.  That passed, he is hungry, I kept offering him different things. He wants to eat he can't.  I put some turducken (the good food) in a dish and he finally lapped a wee bit ... maybe 1/4 teaspoon.  He's having some trouble jumping up onto the counter (I blocked it so he won't try).  He then headed back up to bed.  I called the vet after he threw up, the vet we saw yesterday isn't in.  The girl asked the other vet who is there about giving the cat the pill that way and they said that was the cause of him barfing, to crush it and mix it into some gravy and literally rub it on his gums.  Haven't done that yet.  Personally I think this isn't an answer, he is hungry he but can not eat.  We don't know why and that's the problem.

Anyone have any ideas?  I'm reading all kinds of things online and they all seem to say that a cat not eating for three or fours days is quite bad.  I'm very, very worried and the vet doesn't seem to be.  I made an app't for tomorrow morning but don't know what the next step they will take.   There is only so much we are willing to do (for example, exploratory surgery --- I wouldn't put him through that).  Will they x-ray?  I asked the girl who answered the phone at the vets all these questions but she didn't have any answers.  Anyone here have anything they can offer?  Thanks.

(Like this hasn't been a shitty enough year, now this?)


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## Wolfsister77 (Aug 28, 2013)

Did they do any blood work to look for kidney issues or something like that?

I would think an xray would be the next thing to do. 

Good luck.


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## Zoom-boing (Aug 28, 2013)

Oh shoot, forgot to add that info.  Yeah, they just did a 'senior' blood panel about six weeks ago and all results were fine.  I was expecting that to show some kind of kidney issue but all the numbers were good. 

He did manage to get about another 1/4 tspn of food into him and he was drinking some water and so far has kept it down.  My daughter is picking up a jar of chicken baby food to see if maybe he'll lick that.  I'm wondering if maybe he has a sore tooth or maybe a canker sore -- do cats even get them?  They did look at his mouth the best they could but he is, uh ...let's just say he's the original grumpy cat and on a good day he wouldn't let the vet near him with a ten foot pole.  If they had to sedate him some to get a good look in his mouth I'd be fine with that.  He was purring for a bit and gave me some head butts.  His being so wobbly earlier ... might that be from being dehydrated (although they gave him fluids yesterday) or from the throwing up?  Dizzy maybe?


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## Gracie (Aug 28, 2013)

I wish I knew the answers, zoom. I hope your kitty gets better. If worse comes to worst, maybe a new vet? Sounds like the one you have is not too concerned and they should be.


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## Gracie (Aug 28, 2013)

I think [MENTION=23424]syrenn[/MENTION] knows a lot about cats. Maybe she has some extra advice?


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## syrenn (Aug 28, 2013)

ok.... ask your vet if he is dehydrated and if he needs fluids....  and _do that right now, do not wait_. Dehydration will effect all of what you are describing. Drinking will not be enough....its going to have to go in subQ. 

try warming the food to bring up the aroma. A bit of tuna juice on the food sometimes helps. 
Chicken Gerber baby food.... i swear its kitty crack. 
Kitten food.... Royal Canin _babycat_ Instinctive... is like kitty mousse. 


i would also highly suggest an X-ray.


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## Luddly Neddite (Aug 28, 2013)

syrenn is right about hydration. Its really the first concern. In case you don't know how to check, you gently pull up the skin on the back, just below the shoulder blades. If it snaps back quickly, hydration is likely fine. If the skin tents up, she's in trouble, as in emergent, life threatening. 

If you're not sure if you're seeing tenting, do the same on a healthy animal, preferably another cat. Use that as a baseline. 

Heating food is also good. If you're adding liquid meds, keep the meds cold. The cat will react to the smell of the warm food and not so much to the cold icky drug. 

If you have a compounding pharmacy in your area, they can mix up most drugs with chickeny smelling liquid and you can mix that in the food. 

Don't fall into the trap of trying various foods in hopes of getting more calories in her. You'll just end up making it worse. Don't give kitten food unless the vet knows. Kitten food is very high in fat and protein that babies need but that can put an adult cat into renal failure in a snap. Your vet is the final word on this. 

OTOH, there are special products, very high calorie, low volume that help you get her through this. That is, assuming the underlying issue is not terminal. A name that comes to mind is Nutri-Cal but do not give it unless the vets says its okay. Reason, depending on what her underlying illness is, some products can do more harm than good. 

I'm sure you already know but elderly cats can go down very quickly with either kidney or liver failure or both. 

Cats can look like they're going to make it, they can even look good or as though they are rallying and then BAM, they're down. So, keep a close eye on her. 

15 is elderly and you may be looking at the end. I wish you and your cat well. It never gets any easier for us humans to have to make that decision, but just as she depended on you all these years, she depends on you now to give her a decent end. 

The oldest I've ever had was 22. I have fostered and rescued all my life but when the time came, when she was in renal failure, I stood there like an idiot and asked the vet if there wasn't something more we could do.  I can't imagine what the heck I was thinking.


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## Luddly Neddite (Aug 28, 2013)

Zoom-boing said:


> Oh shoot, forgot to add that info.  Yeah, they just did a 'senior' blood panel about six weeks ago and all results were fine.  I was expecting that to show some kind of kidney issue but all the numbers were good.
> 
> He did manage to get about another 1/4 tspn of food into him and he was drinking some water and so far has kept it down.  My daughter is picking up a jar of chicken baby food to see if maybe he'll lick that.  I'm wondering if maybe he has a sore tooth or maybe a canker sore -- do cats even get them?  They did look at his mouth the best they could but he is, uh ...let's just say he's the original grumpy cat and on a good day he wouldn't let the vet near him with a ten foot pole.  If they had to sedate him some to get a good look in his mouth I'd be fine with that.  He was purring for a bit and gave me some head butts.  His being so wobbly earlier ... might that be from being dehydrated (although they gave him fluids yesterday) or from the throwing up?  Dizzy maybe?



Make sure the vet knows about any oddball food you're trying. Its usually not a good idea to add exotic stuff and can backfire. By "exotic", I mean anything he's not used to or is "rich".

Cats can have horrible (or no) teeth and still eat. But, an abscess can make them very sick and they can go down quickly. 

I'm not clear on what you've said about the inside of his mouth. Sores on the inside of the mouth can be a sign of leukemia. If he goes out and if he's not vaccinated, that's a possibility. Is that what the vet was looking for?

Purring can be a sign of illness, pain, distress.. 

Did they give sub-q fluids? It can be almost magic the way hydration can help a sick animal get back on his feet.


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## Starlight (Aug 29, 2013)

So Sorry about your cat, Zoom. Like someone mentioned, sounds like you need a different vet. I would think with the seriousness of your cat's problems, he would be given an xray, and if he has an abscessed tooth, they would anesthesize him to check in his mouth. Hope he gets better soon, Zoom.
Very hard to see our pet family sick and suffering so much.


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## testarosa (Aug 29, 2013)

Zoomy - I'm so sorry about your cat.  There was some great advice posted here.

Keep us updated.


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## Esmeralda (Aug 29, 2013)

Zoom-boing said:


> So Shadow (15+ years) decided to play finicky eater over the weekend.  Ok, no biggie.  He refused to eat his dinner Sun night.   Gave him something different Mon .. no go.  He was just drinking water but throwing that up nearly immediately. White foam.  He did eat tiny bit of turkey, which he promptly threw up.  Was peeing but not sure on the pooping  No other food Mon.  Decided Tues morning to give him one more day then to the vet.  He was drinking - not a lot at all and very slow laps and doing weird things with his left paw, kind of tapping along the side of the water dish, almost as if he was checking to see if there was water in there.  Tues he started throwing up yellow bile.  Called the vet, took him over for an emergency visit.  He was dehydrated but after a thorough physical exam, she found nothing out of the ordinary.  Felt no lumps or anything in his organs, his bladder was full at that point but she felt no poop in his colon. They hydrated him, gave us an rx for pills to perk up his appetite and said to let her know how he was doing.  If nothing changed, call her Friday.
> 
> I asked her how was I to get the pill into him, as I usually give it to him wrapped in a tasty tidbit but he wasn't eating.  I've tried everything too, all his favs.  Nope.  I told her we had given him pills before by crushing them, mixing w/a bit of water and putting that into a syringe then putting that down his throat.  She said that was fine.
> 
> ...



Your vet sound incompetent.  If she is competent, get the cat back there and do more tests. Or take him to another vet.  This is a seriously ill cat and he needs treatment!


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## strollingbones (Aug 29, 2013)

think long and hard about having to subQ for long....

rice and chicken are the best things to give him right now...

sounds like he may have picked up a virus of some type....

good luck with all this


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## Zoom-boing (Aug 29, 2013)

He was dehydrated and they did rehydrate him (sub-Q) on Tues. night (I did say that in the op but didn't remember that it was called sub-q).  She did not seem over concerned but was also being cautious, trying minimum things at first.  I swear people have lost the ability to actually listen, though.  Why she gave him an appetite stimulant I'm still not sure.  I said several times he is not eating ... he goes up to the food but won't eat,  he's hungry but won't eat, etc.  We did go in as an emergency at 7pm, she was swamped and tired I'm sure ... but still.  People need to listen to what is actually being said, rather than what they think is being said.  Oy.  We didn't even try to get any more of the appetite stimulant into him yesterday.  He's hungry, he just isn't (or isn't able) to eat.

I'm not giving him anything he doesn't already eat.  Trying different flavors of his cat food, some turkey or ham, people tuna.  He licked maybe 1/4 tspn of cat food at one point yesterday. I always take the chill off their food anyways, although Shadow never seems to mind if its cold.  Last night my daughter picked up a jar of turkey baby food.  I got him to take about 15 licks of if off my finger then another 10 licks a bit later.  He kept that down.  He is still drinking and he did pee and poop sometime last night.  

He could not settle down last night or today.  He was in and out of our bedrooms last night (not in pain or pesting, just not sleeping either).  He was giving head butts and purring a lot last night, seemed happy to be around us.  He was not doing this Tues or earlier Wed.

when I called the vet yesterday (only spoke to whoever answered the phone) I also made an appt.  Took him early this a.m.  She did another sub-q, gave him a shot to ease nausea.  She said a cat that's hungry but is nauseated will go up to the food but will not eat.  She also gave us anti-nausea med to give him (via syringe) tonight.  About two hours ago he licked maybe 10 fingerfuls of the baby food from me and about an hour ago he ate maybe 1/2 tspn (hard to tell exactly how much but not much) of cat food from his bowl.  He's still kind of wandering around, not settled or sleeping just yet.  I'm hoping he takes a nap soon. 

She said many, many things could cause him to be acting this way ... anything from a virus to IBS to pancreatitis to who knows what, it's a long list.  I'm to call her tomorrow to let her know how he did today.  Next step w/be abdominal ultra sound to see what that would show.  I''m hoping it's some kind of virus (no idea where he'd even pick one up though) but am really worried it's something more.  Oh, she said they would re-run his blood work to see if anything changed.  Even though it was done 6 wks ago in cat years, that's more like 6 months (? is that right?) so yeah, something could have changed.  TBH, when the bloodwork they ran came back normal I was surprised; I really thought it would show something be off because he's so skinny in the back end.  From talking to others that might just be a normal thing that comes with age.  

Today I asked more questions (like what the next steps w/be) and got more answers but it pisses me off that if I don't ask the exact question, they never offer information.  For crying out loud, how can I ask a question if I don't even know what to ask?  I find this to be true of most any doc and with things in general.  

Thank you all so much for your input/advice/experiences.  I totally appreciate it .. keep it coming!


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## syrenn (Aug 29, 2013)

Zoom-boing said:


> He was dehydrated and they did rehydrate him (sub-Q) on Tues. night (I did say that in the op but didn't remember that it was called sub-q).  She did not seem over concerned but was also being cautious, trying minimum things at first.  I swear people have lost the ability to actually listen, though.  Why she gave him an appetite stimulant I'm still not sure.  I said several times he is not eating ... he goes up to the food but won't eat,  he's hungry but won't eat, etc.  We did go in as an emergency at 7pm, she was swamped and tired I'm sure ... but still.  People need to listen to what is actually being said, rather than what they think is being said.  Oy.  We didn't even try to get any more of the appetite stimulant into him yesterday.  He's hungry, he just isn't (or isn't able) to eat.
> 
> I'm not giving him anything he doesn't already eat.  Trying different flavors of his cat food, some turkey or ham, people tuna.  He licked maybe 1/4 tspn of cat food at one point yesterday. I always take the chill off their food anyways, although Shadow never seems to mind if its cold.  Last night my daughter picked up a jar of turkey baby food.  I got him to take about 15 licks of if off my finger then another 10 licks a bit later.  He kept that down.  He is still drinking and he did pee and poop sometime last night.
> 
> ...




(((hugs))) 

something you seriously have to ask yourself is what the cut off point is.  I went though medical with one of my cats a few years ago....he was only a year old so it was worth it to give him his best shot....  24k later after all was said and done.....and he still put him down.    i was very sad. 


the anti nausa is good..... she is right that they will not eat if they feel that way. I also think the ultrasound and x-ray are in order as soon as possible. Keep on top of the dehydration..... that is very important at this point. 

I agree with bones....try some poached chicken and rice.


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## Wolfsister77 (Aug 29, 2013)

Yeah, my two cents is, the xray or ultrasound. Did they run a test for Pancreatitis? I went through something similar with one of my cats a couple years ago.

She was dehydrated, wobbly, throwing up, wouldn't eat. Her kidneys were enlarged and they just figured she was shutting down so we put her down.

Peace, this is never easy.


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## Wolfsister77 (Aug 29, 2013)

Hey, just thought of something. Did they look in his mouth at all? Sometimes they swallow something-like something with a string maybe and it gets stuck and they can't eat.

Not likely but worth a shot anyway.

Good luck.

PS-did they check for hyperthyroidism?


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## Wry Catcher (Aug 29, 2013)

Has the cat possibly ingested the string from a roast?  I know this is an outside the box question but it could explain the problem.  Best of luck.


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## Zoom-boing (Aug 29, 2013)

They looked at his mouth the best they could but to really get a good look they'd have to sedate him. 

Wry -- yeah, I wondered did he get a hold of some kind of string or a rubber band or something.  He didn't as far as we know but I think an xray or ab ultra sound would be able to tell.  Since he's drinking/peeping/pooping I don't believe it would be that but you never know.

He just ate about 1/3 of a 2.5oz jar of chicken baby food, took a bath (which he hasn't even done in several days) and is now sleeping.  He was grumping at me the whole time he was eating ... merrr, merrr, merrr and kind of growling.  But he ate.

sy -- yeah, there is only so much I'd put him through.  X-rays and like but ... well, we'll just take it a day at a time.


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## Zoom-boing (Aug 29, 2013)

Wolfsister77 said:


> Yeah, my two cents is, the xray or ultrasound. Did they run a test for Pancreatitis? I went through something similar with one of my cats a couple years ago.
> 
> She was dehydrated, wobbly, throwing up, wouldn't eat. Her kidneys were enlarged and they just figured she was shutting down so we put her down.
> 
> Peace, this is never easy.



Not yet but that may be the next thing,running more bloodwork/tests.


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## Sunshine (Aug 29, 2013)

Has he had all his rabies vaccine?  Sometimes people don't get their indoor pets vaccinated.  But other animals can carry rabies and infect your cat.  I have other cats and various animals come to the door and bump noses with my cat.  That is all it takes.

Also, has he been checked for urinary tract problems?

Maybe he is just old and it's time to die.  Animals will stop eating when that time comes.  We had a horse that did that and I had to have her put down.


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## Zoom-boing (Aug 30, 2013)

Sunshine said:


> Has he had all his rabies vaccine?  Sometimes people don't get their indoor pets vaccinated.  But other animals can carry rabies and infect your cat.  I have other cats and various animals come to the door and bump noses with my cat.  That is all it takes.
> 
> Also, has he been checked for urinary tract problems?
> 
> Maybe he is just old and it's time to die.  Animals will stop eating when that time comes.  We had a horse that did that and I had to have her put down.



He hasn't had a rabbies vaccine in years and years.  Actually, until we got Finn I had no idea rabbies shots were mandatory for cats.  The dogs are always up to date, Finn (little cat) has all his shots.  Shadow would no more bump noses with a cat that came up to the door/window than fly to the moon.  He'd rip the screen apart, he's not a fan of other cats.  I keep everything closed downstairs most of the time anyway.  Too hot and muggy.  He's peeing just fine so I don't think it's a uti.  

He ate a bit more last night but he's not at all back to where he should be.  I did manage to get his first dose of oral anti-nausea med into him ... oh, that was fun.    Hoping maybe today he gets more food into him, although yesterday he ate more than he had in the past three days.


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## mudwhistle (Aug 30, 2013)

Zoom-boing said:


> Oh shoot, forgot to add that info.  Yeah, they just did a 'senior' blood panel about six weeks ago and all results were fine.  I was expecting that to show some kind of kidney issue but all the numbers were good.
> 
> He did manage to get about another 1/4 tspn of food into him and he was drinking some water and so far has kept it down.  My daughter is picking up a jar of chicken baby food to see if maybe he'll lick that.  I'm wondering if maybe he has a sore tooth or maybe a canker sore -- do cats even get them?  They did look at his mouth the best they could but he is, uh ...let's just say he's the original grumpy cat and on a good day he wouldn't let the vet near him with a ten foot pole.  If they had to sedate him some to get a good look in his mouth I'd be fine with that.  He was purring for a bit and gave me some head butts.  His being so wobbly earlier ... might that be from being dehydrated (although they gave him fluids yesterday) or from the throwing up?  Dizzy maybe?



Your cat probably has the flu. Pets may get the flu more often than thought | Fox News

I was thinking at first it was liver disease, but you said his blood work was negative. 

Best thing to do is keep him hydrated because if you don't his kidneys will shut down. That means giving him an I.V. if he can't keep any water down.


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## editec (Aug 30, 2013)

Sorry to read it, mate.


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## Sunshine (Aug 30, 2013)

Zoom-boing said:


> Sunshine said:
> 
> 
> > Has he had all his rabies vaccine?  Sometimes people don't get their indoor pets vaccinated.  But other animals can carry rabies and infect your cat.  I have other cats and various animals come to the door and bump noses with my cat.  That is all it takes.
> ...



Hope he gets better.  I dreamt about cats last night.  I dreamt I had a mamma cat that had a blue cat in her litter!  That was a strange looking kitten.


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## jon_berzerk (Aug 30, 2013)

Zoom-boing said:


> So Shadow (15+ years) decided to play finicky eater over the weekend.  Ok, no biggie.  He refused to eat his dinner Sun night.   Gave him something different Mon .. no go.  He was just drinking water but throwing that up nearly immediately. White foam.  He did eat tiny bit of turkey, which he promptly threw up.  Was peeing but not sure on the pooping  No other food Mon.  Decided Tues morning to give him one more day then to the vet.  He was drinking - not a lot at all and very slow laps and doing weird things with his left paw, kind of tapping along the side of the water dish, almost as if he was checking to see if there was water in there.  Tues he started throwing up yellow bile.  Called the vet, took him over for an emergency visit.  He was dehydrated but after a thorough physical exam, she found nothing out of the ordinary.  Felt no lumps or anything in his organs, his bladder was full at that point but she felt no poop in his colon. They hydrated him, gave us an rx for pills to perk up his appetite and said to let her know how he was doing.  If nothing changed, call her Friday.
> 
> I asked her how was I to get the pill into him, as I usually give it to him wrapped in a tasty tidbit but he wasn't eating.  I've tried everything too, all his favs.  Nope.  I told her we had given him pills before by crushing them, mixing w/a bit of water and putting that into a syringe then putting that down his throat.  She said that was fine.
> 
> ...



the problem might be related to hairballs you kitty is 15 years old 

that is a long time to be collecting hairs in the stomach 

the symptoms sound right 

there is a medicine for that 

i hope your cat gets feeling better and soon it is a scary thing when the fur 

kids cant tell you exactly whats wrong


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## Sunshine (Aug 30, 2013)

jon_berzerk said:


> Zoom-boing said:
> 
> 
> > So Shadow (15+ years) decided to play finicky eater over the weekend.  Ok, no biggie.  He refused to eat his dinner Sun night.   Gave him something different Mon .. no go.  He was just drinking water but throwing that up nearly immediately. White foam.  He did eat tiny bit of turkey, which he promptly threw up.  Was peeing but not sure on the pooping  No other food Mon.  Decided Tues morning to give him one more day then to the vet.  He was drinking - not a lot at all and very slow laps and doing weird things with his left paw, kind of tapping along the side of the water dish, almost as if he was checking to see if there was water in there.  Tues he started throwing up yellow bile.  Called the vet, took him over for an emergency visit.  He was dehydrated but after a thorough physical exam, she found nothing out of the ordinary.  Felt no lumps or anything in his organs, his bladder was full at that point but she felt no poop in his colon. They hydrated him, gave us an rx for pills to perk up his appetite and said to let her know how he was doing.  If nothing changed, call her Friday.
> ...



My cat has an occasional hairall.  But it is not the norm for her.  Before she heaves it up, she makes a really high pitched cry.  Sound is odd for my cat because she is mute.


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## kiwiman127 (Aug 30, 2013)

I have a 21 year old cat with Kidney Disease.
So I'm constantly making sure she eats.  Cats are almost addicted to fish.  I had already been feeding her Blue Buffalo Salmon canned catfood which has a high moisture content and other natural good stuff in it but I still added some tuna and Salmon Oil.  As mentioned earlier, canned cat food with high moisture helps a lot because the regarding getting enough water/liquids. The Salmon oil may be one thing you may want to look at.  Salmon oil coats their digestive system which really helps with throwing up/nausea.  I use about a table spoon a day spread out over the day.  I just spread some over her food and then add the tuna.  The Salmon oil & tuna also contain Omega s, 3, 6 and 9.  The Omegas are good for inflammation of the organs. I also am feeding my cat less food but I'm feeding her more often (4 times a day).  One other trick to get a cat to eat is catnip, as it raises the cat's appetite.
Salmon Oil is sold a good pet food stores.
I'm not a vet nor do I play one on TV, but I did find that my efforts have made my cat much better with much less throwing & hairballs.  I also know the catnip theory works because right after she eats some, she heads straight to her food dish.  It's kinda like pot, she gets little buzz and gets the munchies.


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## Zoom-boing (Aug 30, 2013)

mudwhistle said:


> Zoom-boing said:
> 
> 
> > Oh shoot, forgot to add that info.  Yeah, they just did a 'senior' blood panel about six weeks ago and all results were fine.  I was expecting that to show some kind of kidney issue but all the numbers were good.
> ...



  Didn't know cats and dogs could get the flu.  No one here has been sick recently (I was the week of June 21, felt like the flu but the P.A. said it was a sinus infection, 10 days of Keflex cleared it up).  Don't know where he'd get.  His temp was normal.  Thanks for the article, mud.



jon_berzerk said:


> Zoom-boing said:
> 
> 
> > So Shadow (15+ years) decided to play finicky eater over the weekend.  Ok, no biggie.  He refused to eat his dinner Sun night.   Gave him something different Mon .. no go.  He was just drinking water but throwing that up nearly immediately. White foam.  He did eat tiny bit of turkey, which he promptly threw up.  Was peeing but not sure on the pooping  No other food Mon.  Decided Tues morning to give him one more day then to the vet.  He was drinking - not a lot at all and very slow laps and doing weird things with his left paw, kind of tapping along the side of the water dish, almost as if he was checking to see if there was water in there.  Tues he started throwing up yellow bile.  Called the vet, took him over for an emergency visit.  He was dehydrated but after a thorough physical exam, she found nothing out of the ordinary.  Felt no lumps or anything in his organs, his bladder was full at that point but she felt no poop in his colon. They hydrated him, gave us an rx for pills to perk up his appetite and said to let her know how he was doing.  If nothing changed, call her Friday.
> ...



Yeah, I notice that once cats hit around 5 years old, hairballs start happening.  Shadow gets them but always throws them up.  The doc felt all in his ab/internal organs and didn't feel anything. He is moving fluids and solids through him (not much solids but he's not eating much either) so we don't think it's a blockage.  He's a short hair.  Vet said in all her years of practice that she'd only seen a hairball blockage once. Thanks for the info. 



kiwiman127 said:


> I have a 21 year old cat with Kidney Disease.
> So I'm constantly making sure she eats.  Cats are almost addicted to fish.  I had already been feeding her Blue Buffalo Salmon canned catfood which has a high moisture content and other natural good stuff in it but I still added some tuna and Salmon Oil.  As mentioned earlier, canned cat food with high moisture helps a lot because the regarding getting enough water/liquids. The Salmon oil may be one thing you may want to look at.  Salmon oil coats their digestive system which really helps with throwing up/nausea.  I use about a table spoon a day spread out over the day.  I just spread some over her food and then add the tuna.  The Salmon oil & tuna also contain Omega s, 3, 6 and 9.  The Omegas are good for inflammation of the organs. I also am feeding my cat less food but I'm feeding her more often (4 times a day).  One other trick to get a cat to eat is catnip, as it raises the cat's appetite.
> Salmon Oil is sold a good pet food stores.
> I'm not a vet nor do I play one on TV, but I did find that my efforts have made my cat much better with much less throwing & hairballs.  I also know the catnip theory works because right after she eats some, she heads straight to her food dish.  It's kinda like pot, she gets little buzz and gets the munchies.



I switched the cats food to good stuff about two months ago and started incorporating the omegas into their diet, via The Missing Link powder, plus some vitamins.  (same for our dogs too).  Shadow was fine taking the powder mixed w/the food, he didn't care for the vitamins so I would crush them up and mix them in.  He got fussy w/his food last week and was turning it down so I just mixed in the omegas, then he stopped eating.  I told the vet what we were giving him ... she didn't think that would cause any problems. 

I didn't see salmon oil (but then again I wasn't looking for it) but totally like the idea of adding that an an alternative way for them to get the omegas, as it will help with hairballs.  You know, if you don't get that hairball picked up fast enough_ some_ dogs think it's a treat.    Blech!  Thanks so much for this info, kiwi.


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## Zoom-boing (Aug 30, 2013)

Well, he didn't eat much overnight and this morning he only ate a bit of cat treats and a really small bit of wet cat food.  I wasn't home until almost noon, which is when he got a dose of the anti-nausea med.  Oh, this isn't going to last long... this cat is adamant about not letting us give him the med.  I think there are only two more doses in the bottle though.  I'm waiting to see if his appetite picks up a bit this afternoon.  If it does, then we really need to find out what is making him feel sick to his stomach.  I'm waiting till later this afternoon to call the vet to let her know how he is doing.  My hunch is that if he doesn't start eating more over the weekend that he might have to go back Mon for some tests.  He's looking might skinny, which is really saying something because he was skinny (in the back end) to begin with.  When he had a reaction to flea drops or fleas in mid-July, the vet put him on prednisone for two weeks.  He ate like a horse then and was looking like he was putting on some weight.  Dang, I hope he's ok.


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## Esmeralda (Aug 30, 2013)

OP - I sure hope your cat gets better. Take him to the best vet you can find and figure out what is wrong. You might regret not doing everything you could have done if he doesn't get better.  My cat was 16 when he died. That's elderly for a cat, comparable to a person in their 80s.  I do hope your cat gets better.  An older animal is far more delicate than a younger one and needs the best care.  Good luck.


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## eagle1462010 (Aug 30, 2013)

try a small dose of pepto  or anti nausea first.

It doesn't hurt the cat and can temporarily stop the cat from wanting to throw up food.  

We have several cats and some have gotten sick almost to the point you are saying.  Vets prescribed pills but they threw them up.  So they stated give a little pepto before giving them the pill or forcing down food.

It WORKS.  Yet don't be suprised if they foam after you give them the pepto if they are sick.  If they throw it up, calm the cat down, clean him up, and try again.  Then you can give them the pill and or food.


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## Luddly Neddite (Aug 30, 2013)

Zoom-boing said:


> Well, he didn't eat much overnight and this morning he only ate a bit of cat treats and a really small bit of wet cat food.  I wasn't home until almost noon, which is when he got a dose of the anti-nausea med.  Oh, this isn't going to last long... this cat is adamant about not letting us give him the med.  I think there are only two more doses in the bottle though.  I'm waiting to see if his appetite picks up a bit this afternoon.  If it does, then we really need to find out what is making him feel sick to his stomach.  I'm waiting till later this afternoon to call the vet to let her know how he is doing.  My hunch is that if he doesn't start eating more over the weekend that he might have to go back Mon for some tests.  He's looking might skinny, which is really saying something because he was skinny (in the back end) to begin with.  When he had a reaction to flea drops or fleas in mid-July, the vet put him on prednisone for two weeks.  He ate like a horse then and was looking like he was putting on some weight.  Dang, I hope he's ok.



I also tell people the fist dose is the freebie. After that, the cat is on to you and almost impossible to pill or dose. 

Do you know how to wrap a cat in a towel? There's actually a bit of a trick to get it to work because they're so good at getting their front legs out. 

If you do use a towel, you need to wrap it fairly tightly around the neck. Don't choke him of course, but his front legs have to be immobilized or you get clawed and getting the drug into his mouth is impossible. 

A very real danger in this method, is injury to the cat so be careful. The towel can actually protect against injury though ... You just have to find that happy medium.


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## Zoom-boing (Aug 30, 2013)

Luddly Neddite said:


> Zoom-boing said:
> 
> 
> > Well, he didn't eat much overnight and this morning he only ate a bit of cat treats and a really small bit of wet cat food.  I wasn't home until almost noon, which is when he got a dose of the anti-nausea med.  Oh, this isn't going to last long... this cat is adamant about not letting us give him the med.  I think there are only two more doses in the bottle though.  I'm waiting to see if his appetite picks up a bit this afternoon.  If it does, then we really need to find out what is making him feel sick to his stomach.  I'm waiting till later this afternoon to call the vet to let her know how he is doing.  My hunch is that if he doesn't start eating more over the weekend that he might have to go back Mon for some tests.  He's looking might skinny, which is really saying something because he was skinny (in the back end) to begin with.  When he had a reaction to flea drops or fleas in mid-July, the vet put him on prednisone for two weeks.  He ate like a horse then and was looking like he was putting on some weight.  Dang, I hope he's ok.
> ...



Yup.  My daughter wraps him and holds him snuggly, and I get his mouth open with one hand and the syringe into his mouth with the other.  It's a dance and he is not pleased with it.  I'm quick but man ... he fights us tooth and nail.  This isn't something that can be done long term.  Pills are impossible, unless I can get him to eat.  Then I cut them into tiny pieces and wrap them in food and he usually eats them.  

It's 3:30pm and he still hasn't really eaten anything other than some cat treats. I'm going to see if I can coax him into eating something.  He hasn't eaten nearly as much as he did yesterday and that wasn't much.    I'm calling the vet back around 5pm to update her and see what we should do next.  Thanks for the tips, Luddly.


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## JakeStarkey (Aug 30, 2013)

I am sorry to hear this, and my wife and I are sad for you.

Your kitty is old and that may be the problem in and of itself.

You have done everything you can.  Keep tempting it with it most favorite stuff: make sure that it is sort or mashed with water so it can be eaten.

Take kitty to bed tonight and sing to it softly.  Make sure it knows how much you love it and how much joy kitty has brought to your life.

This may be all you can do, Zoom Boing.  I so feel for you: we lost our two life cats in month two and three after our daughter died.  We thought we were going to lose it.

Hang in there.


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## MikeK (Aug 30, 2013)

Does that cat go outside at all?  If so, consider poisoning.

Are there any poisonous insect baits inside your house?  

You seem to be one who is willing to pay for a lab test on the cat's saliva, so I'm wondering why the vet didn't present that option.


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## Zoom-boing (Aug 30, 2013)

No, he's been an inside only cat his whole life.  He has snuck out on occasion.  Once he was out for about 18 hours (we didn't know he was out over night).  He came in, grumpy and hissing, and made a beeline for the litter box.  Ding dong didn't even know he could use the dirt for that.  lol

He ate 1/3 jar of baby food two hours ago.  I think for the weekend I'm going to stop trying to get him to eat wet cat food and just concentrate on getting him to eat the baby food every three or four hours. He just isn't going for wet cat food at this point so I'll hold off on it.  I'll stick w/the baby food and maybe a bit of ham or turkey or cooked chicken to see if he takes it.

I called the vet.  Grrrr.  Before I left yesterday she told me to call her today to update her.  I asked what time should I call, she said anytime as she was there all day.  So I call and she was gone, she was only in for surgery this morning.  She'll be in all day tomorrow.  Left info w/the girl who answered the phone who told me the vet will call me tomorrow.  Yeah, if I don't hear back by noon I'll call again.

Jake, I"m _so_ sorry for your losses.  Your _daughter_?  omG.   {hugs}


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## Samson (Aug 30, 2013)

Wolfsister77 said:


> Did they do any blood work to look for kidney issues or something like that?
> 
> I would think an xray would be the next thing to do.
> 
> Good luck.



I think the cat needs to pee in a cup to get Kidney function results.





Please post pics.


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## Sunshine (Aug 30, 2013)

Zoom-boing said:


> No, he's been an inside only cat his whole life.  He has snuck out on occasion.  Once he was out for about 18 hours (we didn't know he was out over night).  He came in, grumpy and hissing, and made a beeline for the litter box.  Ding dong didn't even know he could use the dirt for that.  lol
> 
> He ate 1/3 jar of baby food two hours ago.  I think for the weekend I'm going to stop trying to get him to eat wet cat food and just concentrate on getting him to eat the baby food every three or four hours. He just isn't going for wet cat food at this point so I'll hold off on it.  I'll stick w/the baby food and maybe a bit of ham or turkey or cooked chicken to see if he takes it.
> 
> ...



There is a special cat food you can get from the vet that has all the food AND water in it the cat needs for the day.  I had to use this for one once.


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## Sunshine (Aug 30, 2013)

Samson said:


> Wolfsister77 said:
> 
> 
> > Did they do any blood work to look for kidney issues or something like that?
> ...



My vet likes to board the cat for the night a wait.  At $10 bucks a night.  Last time, I told her to do something different.  Now she catheterizes her.


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## Samson (Aug 30, 2013)

Sunshine said:


> Samson said:
> 
> 
> > Wolfsister77 said:
> ...



You are no fun at all!


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## Sunshine (Aug 30, 2013)

Samson said:


> Sunshine said:
> 
> 
> > Samson said:
> ...



Well don't tell my children I am a psych nurse!  They think I play piano in a whore house.


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## Zoom-boing (Aug 30, 2013)

Cripes, my daughter thought they vet said to call 'around this time tomorrow' ... meaning I should have called around 9am this morning, couldn't was at the dentist, dropping kid off at work, back to the dentist to pick up other kid, four other stops before I even got home.  Blarg.  Once the med is gone we will see if he still eats the baby food.  

Samson, next time I catch him peeing in the litterbox I'll snap a pic just for you!  lol


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## Trajan (Aug 30, 2013)

Zoom-boing said:


> Oh shoot, forgot to add that info.  Yeah, they just did a 'senior' blood panel about six weeks ago and all results were fine.  I was expecting that to show some kind of kidney issue but all the numbers were good.
> 
> He did manage to get about another 1/4 tspn of food into him and he was drinking some water and so far has kept it down.  My daughter is picking up a jar of chicken baby food to see if maybe he'll lick that.  I'm wondering if maybe he has a sore tooth or maybe a canker sore -- do cats even get them?  They did look at his mouth the best they could but he is, uh ...let's just say he's the original grumpy cat and on a good day he wouldn't let the vet near him with a ten foot pole.  If they had to sedate him some to get a good look in his mouth I'd be fine with that.  He was purring for a bit and gave me some head butts.  His being so wobbly earlier ... might that be from being dehydrated (although they gave him fluids yesterday) or from the throwing up?  Dizzy maybe?



wow, at 15 he doesn't have a bad BUN or high creatinine level? thats one lucky cat


ulcer maybe?


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## Sunshine (Aug 30, 2013)

Trajan said:


> Zoom-boing said:
> 
> 
> > Oh shoot, forgot to add that info.  Yeah, they just did a 'senior' blood panel about six weeks ago and all results were fine.  I was expecting that to show some kind of kidney issue but all the numbers were good.
> ...



My vet said these indoor cats are living into their mid 20s.


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## JakeStarkey (Aug 30, 2013)

Sunshine said:


> Trajan said:
> 
> 
> > Zoom-boing said:
> ...



That's super!  PAWS - Keeping Cats Safe and Happy Inside Your Home 

PAWS - People Helping Animals  Cats & Dogs  Resource Library*  https://www.google.com/#q=indoor+cats+will+love+to+twenty+years
.


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## Sunshine (Aug 30, 2013)

JakeStarkey said:


> Sunshine said:
> 
> 
> > Trajan said:
> ...



One day, I decided the next time I found someone giving away kittens at Wal Mart I was going to take one and name it Kathmandu.  The next week, there was someone doing that and I took one.  She had worms, coccidian, and a respiratory infection.  But she got well and has done well since. That was in 2006. She is good company.  After years of listening to teenagers and their friends yammering all the time, I got a cat that is MUTE!~  It was meant to be!

There is another cat that comes around and hangs around outside the glass door twice a day every day.  If she is asleep, I say 'Kathmandu, the big kitty is here' and she gets up and runs to the door.  She had a doggie friend, but he died this spring.


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## JakeStarkey (Aug 30, 2013)

If one wants a 'silent' cat, the manx is the way to go.  Very rarely will their trills or general rumble be noticeable at all.  The plus sign is if you hear a meow, go check it out.


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## Zoom-boing (Aug 30, 2013)

Sunshine said:


> Trajan said:
> 
> 
> > Zoom-boing said:
> ...



The cats I grew up with lived to be 18 (he got hit by a car) and 22.  They were inside out cats, never had a shot. Greatest cats evah.


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## mudwhistle (Aug 30, 2013)

You might want to try Slippery Elm. 

My cat Ko-Ko had some circulatory problems and every time we used it he recovered. It works wonders on the digestive system. It also helps prevent dehydration.

Slippery Elm for Dogs " Pets

I go out in the woods and get mine. The inner bark is stripped off and I put in a jar, fill it with water and after a week it makes a jelly like substance. I mix this with warm water and give it to Ko-Ko with a dropper. Two droppers full usually does the job. You can also mix it in with their food.


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## syrenn (Aug 30, 2013)

Sunshine said:


> JakeStarkey said:
> 
> 
> > Sunshine said:
> ...



one of ours was silent for 15 years. He would pur, but not yowl or squeak. When he got sick the last time, the vet gave him an appetite stimulant.....



it started with one meow.... then it turned into signing..... all night and all day.  He found his abyssinian voice and never shut up.....


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## mudwhistle (Aug 30, 2013)

syrenn said:


> Sunshine said:
> 
> 
> > JakeStarkey said:
> ...



Ko-Ko hardly made a sound. He couldn't even purr. Now he wakes me up at night if I forget to leave the bedroom door open for him. He still doesn't meow though. He sort of mumbles.


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## Zoom-boing (Aug 30, 2013)

mud -- thank you for that info, I will be looking at our holistic pet store to see if they have some.  I read that it also comes in a powder form, which would work better for Shadow.  I'll double check with the vet too.  I find it odd that vets never ask what we feed our pets, just if they are eating normally.  

Sy --   too funny!


Got an entire 3oz jar of ham baby food plus some chicken baby food into him today.    Feeding him many small bits a day might be what he needs.  No vomiting. I'm wondering if he ate something (no clue what) that made him sick.  We don't have any type of bug traps around or anything like that, any type of cleaning product or borax or anything like that is put away.  Maybe something out of a trash can?  I really don't know, he isn't prone to eating things that aren't food, except chewing on plastic bags (and promptly vomiting them up on a light colored fabric) when his food is not satisfactory.  Finn will try to eat non-food things, but he's only one and still full of kitten.


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## MikeK (Aug 30, 2013)

Zoom-boing said:


> mud -- thank you for that info, I will be looking at our holistic pet store to see if they have some.  I read that it also comes in a powder form, which would work better for Shadow.  I'll double check with the vet too.  I find it odd that vets never ask what we feed our pets, just if they are eating normally.
> 
> Sy --   too funny!
> 
> ...


Cats (and some dogs) will eat live insects some of which are extremely toxic -- such as brown recluse spiders.


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## Zoom-boing (Aug 30, 2013)

Mike -- You know what?  A couple of months ago our new cat, Finn, ate a thousand legger (house centipede) that was in the basement. The cat was only about 8 or 9 months old at the time. I found the few leggy remains of the bug -- it was BIG.  He threw up everything he ate for a day or two but other than that he was fine.  But I'm pretty sure the bug is what made him vom.  

I wonder if Shadow ate such a bug and it made him sick?  Or even a spider, but they don't last long in here because ... well, they're a freakin' SPIDER!   

P.S..My toes curled up when I read 'brown recluse spider'..  Ack, they just did it again.


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## Kooshdakhaa (Aug 31, 2013)

Samson said:


> Wolfsister77 said:
> 
> 
> > Did they do any blood work to look for kidney issues or something like that?
> ...



When one of my cats needed his urine tested, the vet gave me some special beads of plastic...you put them in a cat box instead of kitty litter. Then you can keep the cat locked in a room with the box, if necessary, until he pees in it.  Then you can bring the pee, beads and all to the vet.


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## Sunshine (Aug 31, 2013)

Zoom-boing said:


> Mike -- You know what?  A couple of months ago our new cat, Finn, ate a thousand legger (house centipede) that was in the basement. The cat was only about 8 or 9 months old at the time. I found the few leggy remains of the bug -- it was BIG.  He threw up everything he ate for a day or two but other than that he was fine.  But I'm pretty sure the bug is what made him vom.
> 
> I wonder if Shadow ate such a bug and it made him sick?  Or even a spider, but they don't last long in here because ... well, they're a freakin' SPIDER!
> 
> P.S..My toes curled up when I read 'brown recluse spider'..  Ack, they just did it again.





MikeK said:


> Zoom-boing said:
> 
> 
> > mud -- thank you for that info, I will be looking at our holistic pet store to see if they have some.  I read that it also comes in a powder form, which would work better for Shadow.  I'll double check with the vet too.  I find it odd that vets never ask what we feed our pets, just if they are eating normally.
> ...



Mine has completely rid my house of the house lizards that had taken over.  No one lived in this house from the time it was built in 1978 so they thought they owned it.  They would come in under the glass doors.  She caught one over the track and it peed in the track.  Haven't had one since.  I think it gave off an odor.  But she does catch all the insects that are fool enough to come it.  There is nothing she loves better than catching a fly.


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## Zoom-boing (Aug 31, 2013)

Shadow ate about 1/4 can of Friskies turkey cat food some time over night!!  Fingers crossed that today is a repeat.  Plumber is here right now  ... both cats are in hiding for the duration.


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## jon_berzerk (Aug 31, 2013)

Zoom-boing said:


> Shadow ate about 1/4 can of Friskies turkey cat food some time over night!!  Fingers crossed that today is a repeat.  Plumber is here right now  ... both cats are in hiding for the duration.



good luck to your fur kid


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## Zoom-boing (Aug 31, 2013)

Just a quick update.  Shadow's appetite has picked up tremendously.  He was mainly on the baby food, then ate cat food last night and just ate his third cat food meal today.  On Tues and Wed I was sure his days were numbered; now he seems like himself again. He's even snoozing on the sofa instead of holding up in my daughter's room.  Hopefully this isn't a false improvement but so far, he seems like he's over it though.  Don't know what the cause of his illness was or if it was something weird he got a hold of and ate.  A mystery to ponder.  Thank you all so much for you input and well wishes! 

Oh, the vet did call me back today and sounded just as surprised as we were when I told her he was eating again.


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## jon_berzerk (Sep 1, 2013)

Zoom-boing said:


> Just a quick update.  Shadow's appetite has picked up tremendously.  He was mainly on the baby food, then ate cat food last night and just ate his third cat food meal today.  On Tues and Wed I was sure his days were numbered; now he seems like himself again. He's even snoozing on the sofa instead of holding up in my daughter's room.  Hopefully this isn't a false improvement but so far, he seems like he's over it though.  Don't know what the cause of his illness was or if it was something weird he got a hold of and ate.  A mystery to ponder.  Thank you all so much for you input and well wishes!
> 
> Oh, the vet did call me back today and sounded just as surprised as we were when I told her he was eating again.



sounds like good news


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## JakeStarkey (Sep 1, 2013)

Good news for you and kitty, Zoom.


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## Surfer (Sep 1, 2013)

He's 15. That's really old for a cat--especially any kind of pure breed. I did not read the whole thread so hopefully you solved the problem by now. I have owned all breeds of cats forever. Usually after age 14 they REALLY slow down--kidney, bladder, diabetes issues. I would have had the vet run the whole panel of tests. Tell them you want a huge discount for this. (Most tests are cheap). Cats are like humans in that they usually do show marked improvement just before they relapse and go to kitty Heaven. Hope yours is all better...


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## Surfer (Sep 1, 2013)

syrenn said:


> ...24k later after all was said and done.....and he still put him down.    i was very sad.



You spent $24,000 on your cat? You are a better person than I am. Wow...


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## Starlight (Sep 1, 2013)

Zoom-boing said:


> No, he's been an inside only cat his whole life.  He has snuck out on occasion.  Once he was out for about 18 hours (we didn't know he was out over night).  He came in, grumpy and hissing, and made a beeline for the litter box.  Ding dong didn't even know he could use the dirt for that.  lol
> 
> He ate 1/3 jar of baby food two hours ago.  I think for the weekend I'm going to stop trying to get him to eat wet cat food and just concentrate on getting him to eat the baby food every three or four hours. He just isn't going for wet cat food at this point so I'll hold off on it.  I'll stick w/the baby food and maybe a bit of ham or turkey or cooked chicken to see if he takes it.
> 
> ...



X 2   So Very, Very, Sorry Jake.    (((((((((HUGS)))))))


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## Gracie (Sep 6, 2013)

Yay, zoom! I firmly believe in the power of prayer..and I know many here, including myself, were doing a lot of it.


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