Cat ill - mixed vet messages - any suggestions as very worried!

[Bonkers Mad!!!]

 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I do so hope  whatever time you have left with him, however short, is as good as it can be in the circumstances

giving him a peaceful and painfree end is your final gift to him, his reward for all the love you have shared during his life   

     

I second what Kay has said and your decision will let him fly to the Bridge knowing how much he was loved.

Its the hardest thing to do but the right one when you know Rico is ready 

[Kay and Penny]

I do so hope  whatever time you have left with him, however short, is as good as it can be in the circumstances

giving him a peaceful and painfree end is your final gift to him, his reward for all the love you have shared during his life   

my cat drowned when her lungs filled with fluid, and it was horrible for both of us - you are doing the right thing        

[yoshi8]

I am so terribley sorry but so pleased that vet has acted quickly for him because you now know that the time he has with you is very special and every day is a bonus for you to love him with all your heart. I so wish it could have been better news 

Please tell us his name.

Thank you for your support. My cat is called Rico and he is a short white hair cat with pebble markings. He was the runt of the litter and I only took him as he was the only other male after I choose his brother and wanted two male cats. As our relationship grew I fell hand over heart in love with him, we were a perfect match. I was at a time in my life where I really needed love and warmth and that is all he wanted. I did not just love him, I am in love with him. He is my closest and longest relationship I have ever had. I know tomorrow is probably going to be out last time together and I don't want him to suffer any longer, I want him to go feeling at peace, this is about him now and not me.  He has advanced cancer and chest was full with liquid which made it difficult for him to breath.

I am so, so grateful I found a vet that relieved him of his suffering and diagnosed him with in two hours. Where the other vets has spent three weeks messing around and in the day before i took him to the new vets it was obvious to anyone he was in extreme discomfort with a heart rate of 120 and using his abdominal muscles to breath as his chest was full of liquid. They sent him away in this state as if it was ok. I am so glad I said no this is not right and went for second opinion and the new vet was so shocked at their incompetence but could not say anything for legal reasons which says it all. I will pursue this as people need to know.

He has had his chest drained and is full of pain killers, steroids and seems comfortable now. He has at most 5 days but seeing him today he is now just waiting to die. I will see how he is in the morning but will most likely for his benefit be saying good bye to my precious boy tomorrow. I will miss him more than my tears can express.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I am so terribley sorry but so pleased that vet has acted quickly for him because you now know that the time he has with you is very special and every day is a bonus for you to love him with all your heart. I so wish it could have been better news 

Please tell us his name.

[Dawn F]

oh how terrible 

[yoshi8]

Sending loads of good wishes and hope the second opinion gives a better indication of what is wrong,

Try to write down all your questions and what you have been told, cos in the stressful situation one tends to forget stuff.

I do hope that your boy can be helped 

Took him to new vets today who were brilliant and acted fast and did a ultrasound scan. He has a build up of fluid in his chest and they are testing this now. They think its either FLP or a tumour looking at the liquid.  Either way they said there would be no treatment as the fluid would come back after a few days to a week. I thought cancer could be treated but perhaps its too far gone I don't know. There is a slight chance it could be thyroid issue. I am devastated and I pick him up today at 2 and will only have him for a week at most it is looking likley... I can not stop crying I am a mess.... my poor boy.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Sending loads of good wishes and hope the second opinion gives a better indication of what is wrong,

Try to write down all your questions and what you have been told, cos in the stressful situation one tends to forget stuff.

I do hope that your boy can be helped 

[yoshi8]

I am afraid I would be panicking by now and would go for a second opinion, like immediately.

To me and maybe its just me, I dont think your vet is taking this seriously enough. is he 24/7?

If not I would be looking for one that is and feel that right now your boy needs to be on a drip at least but something very proactive needs to be done now.

I am going to go for a second option with a different vets tomorrow. Even if they just confirm what is being done is correct for my own peace of mind. He is clearly very ill and when I was asking questions it felt like I was being rushed out of the surgery to an extent and also just the basics of checking temperature and asking if he was drinking was skipped. I agree I feel I they are not taking it serious enough. I know I am a worried owner and they see hundreds of animals in a week and I am just one of many. However I as a human being have been in a heighten state of anxiety, stress, worry and broke down in tears every day. I do not feel like there has been  a clear and definite approach which has left me feeling everything that is being done is being done. In large part to the conflicting messages from the different  vets in the same practise and just a general sense of caring. When you share your life with an another living being who your completely in love with everyday for 13 plus years its not just a cat it's part of the fabric of me and me of him.

[yoshi8]

Welcome to Purrs and so very sorry you have found us under such worrying circumstances 

I am now waiting on second blood test results to confirm or rule out this.

To rule out Pancreatitis? 

They have said his heart is working harder due to illness but think they are saying next step would be an x-ray with a fluid to they can see what is going on.

Did they mention barium?  I'm guessing this is to try and exclude certain possibilities?

http://www.petplace.com/cats/abdominal-radiograph-x-ray-in-cats/page1.aspx

Not sure how long your 13 year old cat (what's his name?  ) has been off his food but please bear in mind a cat can survive quite some time time without food but needs liquid.  There can of course be complications from not eating but waiting a few days more for blood tests may be best depending very much on how long he has been off his food and whether you can get even a little food into to him in the meantime.

Cat milk can help fill the nutrition/fluid gap but a drip is a must if he shows signs of clinical dehydration 

My brother has recently been through a similar trauma for a few weeks with one of his cats, Tango.  Many many tests (including barium X ray) finally revealed nothing but thankfully Tango appears to have come through OK and eating OK again.  I very much hope your much loved boy turns the corner very soon 

Yes the second test is to rule out /  confirm  Pancreatitis. They did not mention barium by name just that they would give him some fluid. I will ask about clinical dehydration  and thanks for your support. I have pretty much made my mind up I will take him to another vets for a second option.

[yoshi8]

Welcome

I have used catmilk in the past bottle feeding one of my then 7yo as the vet wanted to PTS as he was so ill but I weas in at the vets daily to bottle feed my boy and got him home after 4 days and now 3 years on its like nothing was ever wrong with him, cat milk is high in calories which he will need

I think if he is that ill I would be asking for some sub Q fluids to ensure he is hydrated that also helps as dehydration is also not good, I have been doing it with our Boris kitten the soul survivor of a litter from a feral Mum and is easy to do once you are shown although Boris is tiny and the needle takes a bit of getting used to

Maybe see if your vets could hook him up to a drip for a day as that also helps

Thanks for your reply. I have managed to get him to eat some hill A/D from my hand and also been giving him cat milk warmed with A/D which he has been drinking which I am pleased about. I will definitely ask again if he is dehydrated.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I am afraid I would be panicking by now and would go for a second opinion, like immediately.

To me and maybe its just me, I dont think your vet is taking this seriously enough. is he 24/7?

If not I would be looking for one that is and feel that right now your boy needs to be on a drip at least but something very proactive needs to be done now.

[Rosella moggy]

Welcome to Purrs and so very sorry you have found us under such worrying circumstances 

I am now waiting on second blood test results to confirm or rule out this.

To rule out Pancreatitis? 

They have said his heart is working harder due to illness but think they are saying next step would be an x-ray with a fluid to they can see what is going on.

Did they mention barium?  I'm guessing this is to try and exclude certain possibilities?

http://www.petplace.com/cats/abdominal-radiograph-x-ray-in-cats/page1.aspx

Not sure how long your 13 year old cat (what's his name?  ) has been off his food but please bear in mind a cat can survive quite some time time without food but needs liquid.  There can of course be complications from not eating but waiting a few days more for blood tests may be best depending very much on how long he has been off his food and whether you can get even a little food into to him in the meantime.

Cat milk can help fill the nutrition/fluid gap but a drip is a must if he shows signs of clinical dehydration 

My brother has recently been through a similar trauma for a few weeks with one of his cats, Tango.  Many many tests (including barium X ray) finally revealed nothing but thankfully Tango appears to have come through OK and eating OK again.  I very much hope your much loved boy turns the corner very soon 

[Liz]

Welcome

I have used catmilk in the past bottle feeding one of my then 7yo as the vet wanted to PTS as he was so ill but I weas in at the vets daily to bottle feed my boy and got him home after 4 days and now 3 years on its like nothing was ever wrong with him, cat milk is high in calories which he will need

I think if he is that ill I would be asking for some sub Q fluids to ensure he is hydrated that also helps as dehydration is also not good, I have been doing it with our Boris kitten the soul survivor of a litter from a feral Mum and is easy to do once you are shown although Boris is tiny and the needle takes a bit of getting used to

Maybe see if your vets could hook him up to a drip for a day as that also helps

[yoshi8]

high white cell count means infection of some sort. If his heart rate and breathing rate are increased, have they not done an ECG? Years ago one of my cats had a heart attack but I rushed him to the vet and found he had fluid on his chest due to cardiomopathy (enlarged heart muscle) he was 7 at the time but had fluid drained on and off over 11 years and was on meds till he had fatal heart attack aged 18. If his breathing is bad, and he is very weak I would not sit at home and wait, but then again I am neurotic when my cats are ill

Thanks for the reply. No an ECG has not been discussed and did not know you could get them for cats. They have said his heart is working harder due to illness but think they are saying next step would be an x-ray with a fluid to they can see what is going on. I did ask about fluid on chest but they said when listening to his chest it does not sound 'fluidity' which I guess they can hear to an extent.

[Angiew]

I hope all goes well and be patient , it may take a few weeks.

Thanks for advice on this.

Just got him to eat some Hills AD from my hands and also drink 20 cl of cat milk from syringe so pleased about this at least. Going to do this again a couple of hours to make sure he is getting fluid and calories. I think like you I am a worried owner and would take his illness as mine with out a second thought.

amen to that!

 Well done on getting some food down him. AD is wonderous stuff, not sure about the cat milk though I guess if its something he tolerates then thats OK.

[yoshi8]

I hope all goes well and be patient , it may take a few weeks.

Thanks for advice on this.

Just got him to eat some Hills AD from my hands and also drink 20 cl of cat milk from syringe so pleased about this at least. Going to do this again a couple of hours to make sure he is getting fluid and calories. I think like you I am a worried owner and would take his illness as mine with out a second thought.

[heather sullivan]

high white cell count means infection of some sort. If his heart rate and breathing rate are increased, have they not done an ECG? Years ago one of my cats had a heart attack but I rushed him to the vet and found he had fluid on his chest due to cardiomopathy (enlarged heart muscle) he was 7 at the time but had fluid drained on and off over 11 years and was on meds till he had fatal heart attack aged 18. If his breathing is bad, and he is very weak I would not sit at home and wait, but then again I am neurotic when my cats are ill

[Angiew]

Welcome to purrs - even under such worring circumstances.

It sounds as though you vet is doing what they can to try and find out what the problem is. I think its a matter of just being patient and noticing any new symptoms that might lead to a diagnosis.

Its always worth discussing what they are trying to find out by doing a treatment and then deciding if you want to go ahead with it. For example vets do like to suggest MRI brain scans but the reality of it is surely , what good does that do the cat?

I think pancreatitis is one of those things vets say when they really don't have a clue (yet). I also believe this can take quite a while to settle down, if you do a search you may find a thread or two.

I'm the worst person in the world when one of mine is ill, so not really the best to give any advice but hopefully someone with more experience will be able to help you.

I hope all goes well and be patient , it may take a few weeks.

[yoshi8]

Hi, one of my cats started (aged 13)to show signs of illness about 2 weeks ago. It started when he went off his food and started moving very slowly and cried before jumping down from sofa or bed. The vet suspected it might be a soft tissue injury and him not eating was how he was handling pain. The vet give him injection of painkiller / anti inflammatory and a course of loxicom (meloxicam). He seemed to perk up and after this and started eating again but in smaller amounts. The next day I noticed a sore bald spot that was weaping near his neck which I thought was a reaction to the injection. The vet said it was not and was just an invection from like a scratch or something. I treated this with hot salt water and this soon healed but cat went back to not eating or eating little and being lethargic. Back to vets again and they have taken blood for test and it does not appear to be a soft tissue wound as they thought now. The blood tests showed high while blood cell count but negative for other things like cat leukemia. He was given antibiotics (clavaseptin) and been on this for few days now but shown no improvement. He has also been given mirtazapine for appetite which helped the first time but the second dose 3 days later had little effect. I also noticed his breathing rate has shot up from 44-46 at rest to now 58 at rest but closed mouth but his nostrils so flare. This I noticed after giving mirtazapine but vet thinks its unlikely this is the reason but does not know why his breathing rate has went up other than due to whatever is wrong with him. One of the vets suspects pancreatitis the other thinks it more to do with his chest /heart. I am now waiting on second blood test results to confirm or rule out this. Then next step is full body x-ray although I am concerned about the anesthesia this would involve as he is now very week. I have been feeding him at times with syringe and hill AD although other vet today advised against this due to his breathing and may cause phenomia if it goes down the wrong way but I need to to eat so I am trying to get him to lick from spoon or I am going to try put small amount of undiluted food on his tongue.

I am concerned of the mixed messages from the vets and that it is all taking so long as my cat gets weaker by the day, losing weight and the vet I saw today did not seem really concerned with his current state (as in not being emergency)and just said she would call me in a couple of days with blood results. Any ideas on a) what could be wrong with him? b) should i take him to another's vets for a second option or is it simply they just don't know till they run the tests / x-ray. I really want to get this sorted but also do the right thing by my cat as he is very weak and high breathing rate. Am I overly worrying and that i just have to go through the steps? any help /advice appreciated.