2 Year Old Cat Suddenly Very Sick

Poppysfirstfoster

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Hoping someone here can shed some insight or perhaps just offer empathy during this difficult time!

My 2 year old cat Poppy started vomiting a week ago out of the blue and lost her appetite after not being able to keep down food. I took her to the vet who sent her to the emergency vet. They did X-rays to look for possible obstruction, gave her fluids and an anti nausea and ran blood work. No obstruction, normal blood work, so we came home. No more vomiting for a few days but diarrhea began and her appetite decreased to the point where she wouldn’t eat at all. Last night I found blood in her litter box and she threw up again.

Back to Emergency vet today- ultrasound showed extremely inflamed intestines. The vet suspected possible parasites or IBD. She mentioned cancer but thought not likely since Poppy is only two years old. They sent me with pills to complete the deworming but my sweet girl will not eat anything and is too traumatized to pill by hand.

I’m at a bit of a loss right now and even after all of the vet visits, I am still sitting at home with a cat who can’t eat and pills that I can’t give her.:bawling2:
 

maggie101

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Have you tried anything canned? Even baby food. Can you take her to your vet and have them put a pill in? Can the pill be liquid instead and compounded? Luckily my cat Maggie is used to it. I shut her in the bathroom with me,put her on the counter,tilt her head back,drop it in,close her mouth while still up,then wait for her to swallow, brushing your hand on her throught til she swallow. Sometimes it helps to blow on her noise. There are other tricks.......
 

kittenmittens84

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For pills if they’re not cooperative I usually purrito them in a bath towel, sit on the ground and prop the cat-purrito up on my legs, coat the pill in butter, use one hand to hold their mouth open while the other pops the pill in as far back as possible, then follow up with some tuna water in a bowl to wash the pill down.
A pill popper/pill gun can be really helpful for uncooperative cats because you can get the pill further back in the mouth and you can be quicker.
 
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Poppysfirstfoster

... who became Poppy's mom!
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Have you tried anything canned? Even baby food. Can you take her to your vet and have them put a pill in? Can the pill be liquid instead and compounded? Luckily my cat Maggie is used to it. I shut her in the bathroom with me,put her on the counter,tilt her head back,drop it in,close her mouth while still up,then wait for her to swallow, brushing your hand on her throught til she swallow. Sometimes it helps to blow on her noise. There are other tricks.......
So Poppy has some major fear-based aggression which makes it near impossible for the vet to examine her without sedation, but because she's so sick, I can't get gabepentin down ahead of time. They were unwilling to take her out of her carrier and sent us to the emergency vet... which makes me think they also wouldn't help with pilling unfortunately.

She won't eat anything canned at this point either. I'm hoping she is still just feeling the effects of being fully sedated yesterday for an ultrasound and might potentially perk up this afternoon/evening and be able to eat a treat that I can sneak the dewormer into!

Thank you for the tips, I really appreciate it!
 
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Poppysfirstfoster

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For pills if they’re not cooperative I usually purrito them in a bath towel, sit on the ground and prop the cat-purrito up on my legs, coat the pill in butter, use one hand to hold their mouth open while the other pops the pill in as far back as possible, then follow up with some tuna water in a bowl to wash the pill down.
A pill popper/pill gun can be really helpful for uncooperative cats because you can get the pill further back in the mouth and you can be quicker.
I'll look into a pill popper! She is somehow a ninja at escaping the cat purrito method (might speak to my wrapping abilities more than her agility)
 

neely

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I'm sorry Poppy is not feeling well which makes both of you stressed out. :hugs: My cat is extremely difficult to pill so I always request liquid meds which I find easier for both of us. Here is an Article with tips about how to pill a cat that I thought might be helpful for you:
Pilling Cats: Must-know Tips For Hiding Pills – TheCatSite Articles

Best of luck, please keep us updated on her progress. :alright:
 

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Hi. These are my 'go to' foods for giving Feeby meds. Perhaps try them and see if any will work for you.
1.) 'juice' from canned tuna and chicken, and then give her a piece of the meat as a treat afterward
2.) baby food meats (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut)
3.) lickable treats, such as Applaws, Wholehearted, Tiki Cat Stix, Inaba Churu, Vitakraft - just to name a few
4.) Tiki Cat Mousse (which is complete meal, not a treat)
 

di and bob

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they have Delectable Lickables in the STEW flavors that my cats take all their meds in. i also keep it around to give if one stops eating because they are sick. Available in-store at Walmart and Dollar General, online on Amazon, Target, and Walmart.
 

maggie101

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Hi. These are my 'go to' foods for giving Feeby meds. Perhaps try them and see if any will work for you.
1.) 'juice' from canned tuna and chicken, and then give her a piece of the meat as a treat afterward
2.) baby food meats (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut)
3.) lickable treats, such as Applaws, Wholehearted, Tiki Cat Stix, Inaba Churu, Vitakraft - just to name a few
4.) Tiki Cat Mousse (which is complete meal, not a treat)
This Is too hard because of my shaky hands but you could also use a thin piece of paper crush the pill mix it with Liquid From baby food or Canned tuna
 
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Poppysfirstfoster

... who became Poppy's mom!
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I'm sorry Poppy is not feeling well which makes both of you stressed out. :hugs: My cat is extremely difficult to pill so I always request liquid meds which I find easier for both of us. Here is an Article with tips about how to pill a cat that I thought might be helpful for you:
Pilling Cats: Must-know Tips For Hiding Pills – TheCatSite Articles

Best of luck, please keep us updated on her progress. :alright:
Thank you so much! I was able to get liquid compound of the anti-diarrheal and got that in her mouth tho she did foam a lot afterward. I’m hoping she will drink water or eat something soon... otherwise I’m afraid she will need to be hospitalized.
 
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Poppysfirstfoster

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As an update, Poppy took a turn last night. Her diarrhea was so frequent that she couldn't leave her litter box and laid down in it. The sight of food makes her gag. I am speaking with her vet this morning and will ask them to please hospitalize her as I am unable to give her the medications that she needs here.
 
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Poppysfirstfoster

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Poppy is home!

She was kept in the ICU for several days and given supportive care. But they got her well enough that I was able to bring her home and continue antibiotic treatment here. Her initial diagnosis was acute gastroenteritis with the possibility of IBD. She is able to eat again and has been such a good girl about taking her pills! I am so relieved to have her home.

Thank you for all of the advice and well wishes :heartshape:
 

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