Can this be his teeth??

[Twocoastscat]

First of all, I want to emphasize that I’m not trying to substitute proper vet care by asking questions here. Sadly my 13 year old neutered male is a disaster at the vet. Even pre-medicated he’s so aggressive that staff have refused to get him out of the carrier and I’ve been turned away and I know he won’t let me do it without harming me because he’s so distressed.

Last January a vet took pity on me and despite her better judgement due to his age she managed to anesthetize him and ended up extracting several teeth due to resorption. I’ve noticed two things and I’m wondering if they could be tooth-related. I’m finding small spots on my sheet where he sleeps - not sure if from his mouth or his rear but doesn’t smell like poop - brownish mixed with saliva I believe - maybe food remnants? But he’s also had a few loose poops which is not typical for him. No change in food. He gets both soft canned and dry kibble and he’s eating as well as ever. Could both or one or the other be related to a recurrence of the resorption which I know can return?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I have a cat who gets tooth resorption and have never ever seen any blood occur with that. And at one point he had four teeth removed because they were resorbing.

So....I would say these spots are probably from something else. What, I cannot say. If they don't smell like poop, then probably not that either. But having a few loose stools is concerning, especially if they have been going on now for more than just a day or two. Cats can get things like humans do, but they should correct themselves quickly. If not, then it's time for intervention. When my cats get loose stools, I start out by giving them small amount of plain yogurt because that contains live cultures of what good for all our digestive tracts, even cats. If that doesn't help, you could try adding other forms of probiotics to his food. Lots of us here on TCS use human probiotics for our cats, we just cut back on how much to give. I usually give 1/2 capsule in the a.m and the other half at night, mixed into wet food. S. Boulardi is another thing that we highly recommend for diarrhea, although it doesn't seem to have progressed to that stage yet.

As far as going to see a Vet, if you call ahead and tell them he is a terror during an exam, they can actually prescribe something (urually Gabapentin) for you to give before the visit to calm them down. Sometimes there is absolutely no choice but to get an animal to a Vet, especially as they age. Not saying this is warranted right now, but as cats age, their health often declines, and that's where visiting a Vet can come in handy.

 

[Twocoastscat]

Thanks - Last year when I brought him to the vet the first time - we had just moved - they wouldn’t treat him because he was very aggressive and they wouldn’t even try to get him out - so they gave me both gabapentin and trazodone. I gave him those prior to the next visit and he was STILL terrible but the vet asked me to sign a waiver regarding the risk of anesthesia for such a senior cat and she and her staff managed to sedate him and then she did the extractions. After that I brought him to a cat dental specialist since he had a “kissing lesion” where his bottom canine was hitting his gum where the top canine had been extracted - that fortunately healed. Medicated him the night before and again that morning and same thing - he started hissing and growling and attacking the carrier door as soon as I carried the carrier into the office so they turned me away. I’ve set up the carrier, as someone on this site suggested, with twist ties so the top can just be lifted off and presumably staff can then grab him with a blanket or towel long enough to administer the sedative but I know they’re extremely reluctant. I don’t blame them but I am really at my wit’s end; I want to be responsible for both preventative care and treating illness but it’s become an extremely difficult situation to say the least.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Wow! That's not good. One of mine growls like crazy AFTER his dental when they start to remove the IV, then all the way home, and for several minutes after he gets home, but they have never even suggested he get dosed prior to any visits. But last time I could hear him growling all the way to the waiting room when I went to pick him up. I was just sure someone was going to be all scratched up and/or bitten when everything was said and done, but apparently he is all growl and no bite

I do know there are vets who know how to handle feisty cats. I think they wear really thick gloves that go up to their shoulders to handle them. Maybe try calling around if you ever find yourself needing one.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I don't normally recommend a cat-only vet, because I am just not sure how much real benefit they provide overall, but in your case, I would look for one. I realize there are cats that can be very difficult to handle but I would never go to a vet again who turned away my cat - primarily because if they are that reluctant then I can't imagine trusting my cat to their care.

When you look for vets, make a list of the meds he has been given, and the dosages, and talk about his reaction There are likely other meds that can be tried. I am not talking about sedation for a medical treatment, like tooth extraction, I am talking about for general health visits. Do note that the other thing that likely makes your cat worse is when he is exposed to vets/vet techs that already have some aversion to dealing with an uncooperative cat as they are actually exacerbating his reaction.

I won't address the primary issue you posted about, as I think mrsgreenjeens pretty much covered that aspect.