Hello everyone. Its been a long time since I've posted here. The cat I had when I was growing up is now 14 years old. He went to live with my dad 7 years ago while I went to college and we felt it was in his best interest to remain there. I still love him though and it pains me to see him going through this.
In the last 5 months or so he's really lost a lot of weight. He is downright bony and he used to be on the hefty side. He just won't eat. This all started when he got really backed up. The vet felt a mass and they realized he was extremely constipated. So they gave him some meds to clear him which seemed to work. They thought he had a tooth that needed to be taken out so they went ahead and did a full dental. It turns out the tooth did not need to be extracted after all but there was a lot of cleaning needed. This didn't work! He picks at his food and eats less and less. My dad has gotten all kinds of different foods and he will nibble and then the next day he won't eat it anymore (both wet & dry). His favorite treats he will eat out of your hand and sometimes you can hand feed him some kibble but he won't eat much.
He's now developed a limp which I'm starting to think is from malnourishment. The vet did x-rays and there is nothing structurally wrong. I asked my dad to call the vet to verify that he was given a dewormer at his last physical. The sudden weight loss and malnourishment (he's an indoor/outdoor cat) could be a sign of worms and maybe even the constipation but I would have thought the vet would have taken care of that first thing so I doubt this is the cause.
Can anyone give me any ideas? My dad has put quite a bit of money into this and my dad is not the type of person to spend much on an animal and I know he won't tolerate anything to expensive. Yet I know he's having a hard time seeing Clover like this.
Oh he has a heart murmur as well...could that be a factor at all? The vet monitors it but not much they can do.
My dad is leaving for 3 weeks due to family illness. He normally has a neighbor come feed him but thinks with so little attention he will not make it over the 3 weeks. I said that I will take him and put him in my spare bedroom but this is really not ideal. I have 4 cats and they don't like "intruders" even if I keep the door shut. However, I think its his best shot so I can really monitor the litter box and be more hands on (I live a bit far to stop by daily).
Sorry its so long. We really don't know what to do.
In the last 5 months or so he's really lost a lot of weight. He is downright bony and he used to be on the hefty side. He just won't eat. This all started when he got really backed up. The vet felt a mass and they realized he was extremely constipated. So they gave him some meds to clear him which seemed to work. They thought he had a tooth that needed to be taken out so they went ahead and did a full dental. It turns out the tooth did not need to be extracted after all but there was a lot of cleaning needed. This didn't work! He picks at his food and eats less and less. My dad has gotten all kinds of different foods and he will nibble and then the next day he won't eat it anymore (both wet & dry). His favorite treats he will eat out of your hand and sometimes you can hand feed him some kibble but he won't eat much.
He's now developed a limp which I'm starting to think is from malnourishment. The vet did x-rays and there is nothing structurally wrong. I asked my dad to call the vet to verify that he was given a dewormer at his last physical. The sudden weight loss and malnourishment (he's an indoor/outdoor cat) could be a sign of worms and maybe even the constipation but I would have thought the vet would have taken care of that first thing so I doubt this is the cause.
Can anyone give me any ideas? My dad has put quite a bit of money into this and my dad is not the type of person to spend much on an animal and I know he won't tolerate anything to expensive. Yet I know he's having a hard time seeing Clover like this.
Oh he has a heart murmur as well...could that be a factor at all? The vet monitors it but not much they can do.
My dad is leaving for 3 weeks due to family illness. He normally has a neighbor come feed him but thinks with so little attention he will not make it over the 3 weeks. I said that I will take him and put him in my spare bedroom but this is really not ideal. I have 4 cats and they don't like "intruders" even if I keep the door shut. However, I think its his best shot so I can really monitor the litter box and be more hands on (I live a bit far to stop by daily).
Sorry its so long. We really don't know what to do.