My Little Girl Is So Poorly. :(

I'm so sorry. I'll keep her in my thoughts and prayers, miracles still do happen, don't give up. Just love her all you can right now......

My cat Farley is going through something very similar. He's 13. His ultrasound showed thickened intestines, but a needle biopsy of his lymph node was negative. We aren't sure what he has, but the expensive internist thinks it's small cell lymphoma. He is anemic: low red blood cell count. And his liver, kidneys and blood sugar are all ok.

We are giving him prednisolone twice daily, and famotidine twice daily to help him with excess stomach acid.

He becomes dehydrated easily, so we give him sub q fluids--fluids under the skin every day or every other day. This is like giving B12 shots, but for about 3 minutes at a time. It's much easier to do at home than it sounds. A kit for this that last us 10 days is about $28 from our vet office. He feels so much better after getting it.

Farley also had black stools off and on, which is a sign of bleeding in the GI tract. A medicine given as a liquid slurry called sucralfate fixed this up within 2-3 doses (given every 8 hours.) Must be given on an empty stomach, and not within 2 hours of getting famotidine. It basically turns into a sticky gel when it makes contact with stomach acid and it binds to ulcers along the GI tract.

Edited to add: if Farley doesn't get the famotidine, he won't eat, either. The excess acid in his stomach makes him nauseous. It acts quickly. Within about 15 minutes of getting it, he gets his appetite back. Small cats get a dose of like 2.5mg or quarter of a 10mg tablet. Farley is bigger, so we give him half a tablet. This can be bought at any pharmacy over the counter. I just buy the generic Walgreen's acid reducer. Just make sure that it says famotidine. And if you don't have a pill cutter, those can also be bought at the pharmacy for like $3.

We were also given appetite stimulants, but had mixed luck with those. It made him want to eat, but he was a little nutty on it and had coordination issues.

We feed him whatever he is willing to eat now. Fancy feast, liquid treats, temptations and friskies. He has diarrhea multiple times a day, but that happens whether he's grain free or full of grains, honestly.

Buprenorphine seemed to reduce Farley's appetite. FYI. We don't give that to him anymore. But he doesn't appear to be in pain. We would give it again if we suspect he's in pain.

We thought 3 weeks ago that Farley needed to be euthanized, but he bounced back with the fluids, treats, famotidine given twice daily, and continuing the prednisolone. He's definitely not cured, but his quality of life is acceptable.

I am crossing all my fingers and toes for you guys!!

I'm sorry. I lost my Timmer a year ago to IBD. It happened pretty quickly. I spent $6,000 on him and I don't regret it, but it did not save him in the end. It was hard for me to give him chemo because I am not sure I would take it myself if I had cancer. It was very heartbreaking to say good bye to him. He was the love of my life and is STILL the love of my life. I would never put a cat through a feeding tube. That to me is not quality.
You did all you could. If you can find some hope, God bless you. I hope it does work out for you and your sweet baby.

Timmer said:

I would never put a cat through a feeding tube. That to me is not quality.

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A feeding tube saved Krista's life. I would do it again in a heartbeat! She never minded it except if I put the food in too fast or too cold. Once I figured that out, she was a model patient for all the time we had to use it. I wouldn't say her quality of life dipped at all for having it. She wore a special Kitty Kollar that kept the site protected and the tube strapped down and out of her way. Cat guardians are way more apprehensive about feeding tubes than the cats themselves.

Thank you for your replies. They gave me something for her gut. I’m not sure what it is called. I think it started with an O.
She had to split it down into quarters. She’s had one of those. She’s still not trying to eat.
I’m really worried as tonight she’s started to constantly purr. I tried reading up on this and they do it for comfort from pain? I’m extremely worried now she’s in pain.

I haven’t stopped crying since I got back from the vet. Her decline has been so rapid. The vet was shocked too. Today I got to see one of the vets who first saw missy when she picked back up.
I wish the vet we saw Friday gave us the tablet for her gut. I think she said it helps like one stomach. Incase of bleeding. I’m just praying she gets some appetite back. I’ve got some baby food in chicken to feed through a syringe for her soon is my last resort if she won’t have any of food I’ve put down so far.
I got so hopeful about an hour ago she came ou and went around my legs as if she was smiling at me. She gave a soft little meow and I just broke down.
I kept just saying sorry to her. I kept saying sorry for being a bad mommy. I’ve just got myself into that state of I feel powerless.
Like I can’t somehow magically take it away.

I wanted to thank everyone for being so kind. I feel safe here to explain how I feel about my baby

I hope it helps her! Was the name Orafate? That medication is a huge tablet that is split into quarters. If so, that's another name for the med that helped Farley's GI bleeding/ulcers. It's the same as sucralfate. Did they explain how to give it? It works best if it's crushed and mixed with water into a slurry. It may still work given as a quarter tablet, but my vet said to give it as a slurry.

It works in your favor that she's only recently been diagnosed. Farley had his ultrasound in October 2018 after losing a lot of weight and multiple vet visits. And when I say we were closer to euthanizing him, we were close, within a day or two. That Missy's blood tests weren't too bad is a sign of hope. But she needs to get food in her. I hope you have luck syringing it in. Is she drinking water?

Please keep us updated.

Edited to add: sucralfate/Orafate did not help Farley with nausea for stomach acid, despite helping his bleeding GI tract. Can you call your vet and ask them about famotidine? It's not expensive and it's available in regular pharmacies over the counter.

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Famotidine is extremely bitter and can cause extreme salivation....some people use a gelatin capsule for the (usual) 1/4 tablet dosage.

munch64 - how did you prevent the salivation ?
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white shadow said:

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Famotidine is extremely bitter and can cause extreme salivation....some people use a gelatin capsule for the (usual) 1/4 tablet dosage.

munch64 - how did you prevent the salivation ?
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I have his prednisolone compounded into a chicken flavored liquid medicine, and I grind up the famotidine into a powder and make it into a slurry and use the same syringe with the chicken flavored pred. He gets a total of 15mg of pred a day, which is a lot.

For awhile, I was able to give the famotidine to him in a pill pocket, but he eventually discovered that he could eat the pill pocket off and leave the pill behind. Then he quit even eating those and I had to do something new.

I've also experimented with squeezing out a tiny amount of some chicken flavored liquid treat from Inaba or Catit tubes and mixing that with famotidine or cerenia or whatever med I had to give him and sucking that up into a syringe. He HATES being pilled, but if I mask the taste of liquid meds, he doesn't mind too much.

I'm able to straddle him from behind with my ankles crossed behind me and my left hand on his chest. He can't go forward or backward. And I squirt the syringe in at the corner of his mouth a little at a time. He doesn't enjoy it, but he doesn't hate it, either.

She’s come out for food this morning. She cried for food. I tried about 10 different bowls of food. Encore from tesco won her vote. I’m so happy. I took the advice of the pain relief putting her off her food so I didn’t put it on her gum this morning to see how she went. I felt awful because imnworried her mouth is causing pain but I don’t want her to be put off her food more.
She keeps pulling her mouth still and really grinding her gums. I’ve never heard her do this before.
Could there be a lymph node In her mouth caused swelling or?

munch64 said:

I hope it helps her! Was the name Orafate? That medication is a huge tablet that is split into quarters. If so, that's another name for the med that helped Farley's GI bleeding/ulcers. It's the same as sucralfate. Did they explain how to give it? It works best if it's crushed and mixed with water into a slurry. It may still work given as a quarter tablet, but my vet said to give it as a slurry.

It works in your favor that she's only recently been diagnosed. Farley had his ultrasound in October 2018 after losing a lot of weight and multiple vet visits. And when I say we were closer to euthanizing him, we were close, within a day or two. That Missy's blood tests weren't too bad is a sign of hope. But she needs to get food in her. I hope you have luck syringing it in. Is she drinking water?

Please keep us updated.

Edited to add: sucralfate/Orafate did not help Farley with nausea for stomach acid, despite helping his bleeding GI tract. Can you call your vet and ask them about famotidine? It's not expensive and it's available in regular pharmacies over the counter.

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They didn’t explain the slurry to me. I tried to give her the whole tablet and really struggled as the casing for the tablet pretty big. Do I just open the shell of the tablet mix it with water and give it her through the syeringe?

Thank you

Check with your vet first. I would think it would be better given with a syringe You can also ask if it can be given as an injection, transdermal patch, or liquid. Many meds come in different forms. I'm still praying for you both, my heart cries for what you are going through.....take care.....

T thekittycatz

I made a quick video about sucralfate (orafate) as a slurry:

munch64 said:

T thekittycatz

I made a quick video about sucralfate (orafate) as a slurry:

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Thank you so much for this video. I can’t thank you enough for your help.
The tablets she gave me for the gut are called omeprazole.
They don’t look big in this picture but they are huge. It’s a casing with the little needs inside. Missy can’t swallow these there justbso big. So I’m going to try the slurry for her.

Little beeds inside *

thekittycatz said:

Thank you so much for this video. I can’t thank you enough for your help.
The tablets she gave me for the gut are called omeprazole.
They don’t look big in this picture but they are huge. It’s a casing with the little needs inside. Missy can’t swallow these there justbso big. So I’m going to try the slurry for her.
View attachment 273414

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Ahh! Ok. I think that med is very similar to famotidine, then. I hope Missy reacts well to it and feels a bit better. Please keep us updated!

She had a whole pouch of food yesterday and little treat that’s just like liquid. I was trying not to dance around and scare her.
Little bit more worried this morning again though as before work she refused her food. And hid.
I hate going to work when she’s like this. I’m out for 7 hours. And it kills me.
It’s all I can think about. And if someone try’s to make me happy I get upset. I just start crying. I keep doing this I won’t talk about anything or do anything I just want it help her.

That's wonderful that she ate some yesterday! Yay!

Farley is similar. He will have good days and bad days with his appetite. If he starts to get dehydrated, then he'll lose his appetite. And an hour or two before he has a bout of diarrhea, he will refuse food, too.

Were you able to get the Omeprazole in her? How often does she get that?

If she continues to still have black in her stools, I'd call and ask the vet about getting sucralfate for her. That works very well along with an acid reducer, but like I said before, they must be given separately. Sucralfate reacts with stomach acid to form a gel that sticks to the ulcer and coats it so it can heal. I noticed that within 2-3 doses of that that Farley's diarrhea completely stopped having any black in it, and he perked up more. I think the generic name of sucralfate is Carafate. They may know it by that name.

I still have my fingers and toes crossed for you!

munch64 said:

That's wonderful that she ate some yesterday! Yay!

Farley is similar. He will have good days and bad days with his appetite. If he starts to get dehydrated, then he'll lose his appetite. And an hour or two before he has a bout of diarrhea, he will refuse food, too.

Were you able to get the Omeprazole in her? How often does she get that?

If she continues to still have black in her stools, I'd call and ask the vet about getting sucralfate for her. That works very well along with an acid reducer, but like I said before, they must be given separately. Sucralfate reacts with stomach acid to form a gel that sticks to the ulcer and coats it so it can heal. I noticed that within 2-3 doses of that that Farley's diarrhea completely stopped having any black in it, and he perked up more. I think the generic name of sucralfate is Carafate. They may know it by that name.

I still have my fingers and toes crossed for you!

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Thank you so much for your replies hun.
I really struggled with those tablets there so big and they didn’t mix with water well. they’ve now given me the one you suggested prior so I can make it into a slurry.
I got back from the vets today I took her for check again
Everytime I’ve gone to the vet this week he’s spoken about putting her to sleep. It’s completely breaking my heart. He said that her intensetines are feeling extremely think and we might be dealing with a more aggressive type of cancer. And I May only have a few weeks left with her. I didn’t process this well at all and I’ve spent all evening crying. I feel as a lover of all animals I understand him thinking about quality of life but it’s like they just want to give up and it’s crushing me.
Am I being unrealistic in thinking I have a lot longer with her ?

T thekittycatz I'm so sorry to hear that. :'(

I honestly don't know. It depends on what the cats have, if it's spreading to other places in their body. How much do you trust these vets, and how well do they know Missy? Is it worth getting another opinion? Is she eating, and if so, is she keeping the food down? How much weight has she lost now?

Many people on this site say that it's better to euthanize a day too soon than too late. I've only had to ever euthanize one cat and I was sad for months (am still sad 10 months later.) Her vet was certain that it was time because our girl's kidneys had failed and toxins were building up in her blood making her feel awful. Her tests were literally off the charts. But despite knowing there was no hope for her, it was still so hard to do. She was still walking around a bit, she urinated in her box. But she refused all food and water and was otherwise very weak. It was so heartbreaking.

You could let Missy be your guide. If there is some way you think she'd let you know it's time?

I found this post below so helpful when our sweet Gwennie passed away. Have a tissue handy, it will make you cry, but there is so much truth in it.

When the moment comes...

munch64 said:

T thekittycatz I'm so sorry to hear that. :'(

I honestly don't know. It depends on what the cats have, if it's spreading to other places in their body. How much do you trust these vets, and how well do they know Missy? Is it worth getting another opinion? Is she eating, and if so, is she keeping the food down? How much weight has she lost now?

Many people on this site say that it's better to euthanize a day too soon than too late. I've only had to ever euthanize one cat and I was sad for months (am still sad 10 months later.) Her vet was certain that it was time because our girl's kidneys had failed and toxins were building up in her blood making her feel awful. Her tests were literally off the charts. But despite knowing there was no hope for her, it was still so hard to do. She was still walking around a bit, she urinated in her box. But she refused all food and water and was otherwise very weak. It was so heartbreaking.

You could let Missy be your guide. If there is some way you think she'd let you know it's time?

I found this post below so helpful when our sweet Gwennie passed away. Have a tissue handy, it will make you cry, but there is so much truth in it.

When the moment comes...

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Thank you hunny I’ll read that.
I don’t feel like I trust anyone at the vets. But I don’t know if it’s just how much I’m in denial. My partner tried to talk to me he thinking I’m just grieving and I feel powerless.

It’s all so hard to Believe for me. November she was over 4kg. She’s still my kitten even at her age. Then she just started being sick one maybe twice a week. It got worse and vets ran blood tests and onto the scan which showed the thickened intestine.

I read a lot about ibs and lymphoma. And about it saying the survival time is a year. And it got me thinking we’ve got time left.
I keep struggling with the fact obviously her mouth is very sore. So i think I’ve got in my mind it’s ibs and she’s struggling to eat because of her teeth.
But every time we visit the vet he explains how thickened her intenstines are and were definitely looking at some form of more aggressive lymphoma.
I got stressed because last time we had those more blood tests which didn’t really show much. And I don’t feel like I’m doing enough. That’s the part I’m struggling with. Because of her mouth it’s been hard to get steroids etc into her because she can’t seem to shut her jaw well. The vet said her gums are more swollen maybe an abscess he’s not sure. But because of her condition etc. They can’t do more for her teeth.
She was 2kg yesterday. Shes very thin.
He said she’s deteriorated quickly.
Maybe I am in denial maybe.
All I know is I’m in the viscious cycle of blaming myself. That I should of had her teeth out while ago now when she needs to eat she’s struggling. And that because her teeth are sore tablets are hard to make sure she’s had them without fear of hurting her mouth. So she’s got worse now because of those reasons.
I was spending time with her this morning she came out for a kiss and I was petting her she purred and nuzzled me. I tired to secretly feel down by her intenstines and I could sort of feel what the vet means. It feeels very ballooned.

I don’t know how to process this very rapid deterioration other than to blame myself.