Can't Meow. No Answers From Vets!

[javannalynn]

So Wednesday night we noticed that Princess could not meow. she was pushing out the air but no sound from a normally vocal cat. We rushed off to the emergency vet thinking something was stuck in her throat. They did x-rays of her throat and blood work but had no answers. The vet did say that she had air in her esophagus and her belly but the x-ray didn't show anything obstructing her throat. They wanted to keep her but since she is super fractious i wanted her home where she can relax more. We took her home after borrowing the $650 to pay the bill with no answers. Once home I got her to eat alittle the Thanksgiving morning. We even postponed dinner til today because of her. This morning I took her to her normal vet. They x-rayed her abdomen and she is still full of air. she did have something that could be a blockage but it is hard to tell. The vet recommend an ultrasound and said it would be around $500 and she would find someone that could do it. The also ran another blood test but we won't get results till tomorrow. $650 more for still no answers. The vet called me about an hour or 2 later and told me that the ultrasound can be done but because of the air in her stomach and bowls they will have a very hard time seeing anything. We've decided to just have her x-rayed again tomorrow to see if what could be a blockage moves. She has not eaten since yesterday morning at this point. I'm currently giving her fluids to keep her hydrated. If anyone has any ideas please share!

I have borrowed all the money i can and i am running out of options. We've about to max out our credit cards to try again tomorrow... but can't let my 12 year old baby die. She's just too young. She is my first cat as an adult and I'm not ready for her to go yet. She's been in every apartment and traveled 2,000 miles to Arizona with me.

I'm looking for any help you guys have! any ideas... any prayers...and any donations. I've added a gofundme link. I completely understand if you can not. Please don't bash me this is hard enough....

Gofundme link-- gf.me/u/d8hmza

 

[carebare]

Best wishes. I am going through something similar where I am paying vets for fruitless tests and no answers. I had better luck looking online and asking folks I know, which the vets hate.

When I googled it a few things came up including laryngitis. If she is eating, drinking, pooping, or not showing infection then maybe it will pass. My cats have various meows, and my one cat often moaned quietly instead of meowing but he was rather timid.

 

[Ardina]

I'm so sorry that you and Princess are going through this. Did the vet say anything about syringe feeding until they can figure out what's going on? I'll be thinking of you both!

 

[javannalynn]

She is not eating much or drinking much. i have not seen a bowel movement from her either. although i have other cats that sometimes makes it hard to know who has pooped. I have gotten her to take a few bites a few minutes ago and she has been moving around to different sleeping places which she was not been doing the last few days. they gave her antibiotics today because her white blood cells are banded meaning they are immature. which can be a sign of infection. i have to give her subcutaneous fluids as well.

 

[mani]

Since there is a link to a gofundme page, we need to add the following:

MOD NOTE:

To all members, a reminder that it is your responsibility to check out these solicitations to the best of your ability. Thecatsite.com does not stand behind any solicitation of funds for any reasons that appear in the forums unless explicitly authorized.

Please note that this is a generic note added after all pleas for money.

 

[Ashley23]

Hi there , I have a 6 month , just about 7 month old kitten. He often tries to meow but nothing comes out , just his little mouth opens so he’s trying to push it out or trying to get attention ( he’s a big baby). But most of the time he is able to meow quite loudly, so I think he controls it.. I know that’s not much help for you but just to let you know your not alone !

 

[weebeasties]

So sorry that Princess is ill. Some of her symptoms sounds like something Jasmine went through. Is Princess gagging or drooling at all?

 

[vyger]

This last summer one of my big cats had his voice change dramatically. He got very raspy and gravelly (hard to explain that sound in a cat.) He also lost a lot of weight and was obviously not well. The vet ran blood tests on him and it showed his liver was failing. So he went on a special prescription diet (Hills liver function food) along with several pills a day. In 4 weeks he was much better, picked up almost 4 pounds and his voice returned to normal. He now appears to be just fine. I believe he got poisoned by something in the environment. He was big enough that he survived it and once his liver was given a break it managed to heal. There were a lot of signs that something was off this summer. All the birds disappeared, which never happens here. They were gone for more than a month. The flock of pigeons at one of the grain elevators was gone after having been there for more than 35 years. A lot of the smaller animals like skunks disappeared. And then Fish and Game found a number of deer that had died with no explanation. I also had a smaller gray cat, half the size of my other one that just died for no apparent reason. So there is a good chance that there was some kind of toxin released into the area that had a big impact. The vet said that the liver damage my cat had could have easily been from a toxin of some kind.
Is it possible your cat got into some medication of some kind? Something like a dropped pill that got used as a toy? Just even a small amount of medication could have big effects on a cat. Anyway, that is why my cats voice changed, it was the result of liver damage most likely from a toxin.

 

[weebeasties]

Jasmine's stomach and intestines were full of air. That was actually helpful because they could see her intestines better in an xray and saw no blockage there. They anesthetized her and ran a tube down her throat. It passed smoothly so no blockage in her throat. Her throat was VERY inflamed. They decided to treat her as if it was esophagitis. Was given injections of Cerenia, we gave her at home Sucralfate, Buprinex, Pepcid AC, and sub q fluids. We syringe fed her Gerber chicken baby food. It took 3 weeks of this, but she recovered. Don't know if this is any help, but you could ask your vet about it. Wishing all the best for you.

 

[LTS3]

Just wanted to post these:

No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life
Financial Aid for Pets

 

[javannalynn]

So she has been improving. we still don't know exactly what happened. she has started eating again but is still unable to meow. If she starts purring she starts coughing. We are working closely with our awesome vet who as been calling every day to check on her and looking into other things that it could be. Things are definitely improving and i am so thankful for that.

 

[catsknowme]

I am sorry that you and your cat are going through all this. Perhaps your vet could give you advice on soothing herbs such as licorice root, slippery elm and marshmallow root.