Hey all!
I have a sweet kitty I took in a few years ago, Ashwin, and I've been worried about him. He was diagnosed with kidney disease awhile back and so far is just on a special diet, no fluids or other treatments. But I've been really worried about his health, and I'm not sure if I'm just worrying too much.
1. He has a number of cysts on his body, the most obvious one being one by his eye. The vet says there's nothing they can do about it.
2. Behavior-wise, he is very, very clingy. I don't mind this, but I worry that it's a sign of something bad? He's been clingy since I first took him in -- he was a stray and it was honestly the only reason why I took him in because he would not leave me alone, haha.
3. He gets very vocal at night -- caterwauling even. I don't know why, but I worry that he's in pain? The howling doesn't bother me other than me worrying about why he does it.
4. He's been losing weight. Still eating a decent bit though. He currently weighs about 7 lbs, and it looks to me that a healthy weight for him would be at least 9 lbs.
5. He sheds a lot and doesn't take care of his fur. I brush him to keep him looking neater/clean, but it worries me that he's not doing it himself.
He was at the vet last month. I told them about his behavior, they saw what he looked like, and they noticed the weight loss, but they didn't seem concerned.
Do I have anything to worry about right now, or should I get a second opinion?
The other thing I should mention that I have no idea how old he is -- he could also be an elderly cat for all I know. I know he's at least 7 because he has a microchip registered in 2014 (the registrant was uncontactable so I still have him), but he seems much older than that to me.
I have a sweet kitty I took in a few years ago, Ashwin, and I've been worried about him. He was diagnosed with kidney disease awhile back and so far is just on a special diet, no fluids or other treatments. But I've been really worried about his health, and I'm not sure if I'm just worrying too much.
1. He has a number of cysts on his body, the most obvious one being one by his eye. The vet says there's nothing they can do about it.
2. Behavior-wise, he is very, very clingy. I don't mind this, but I worry that it's a sign of something bad? He's been clingy since I first took him in -- he was a stray and it was honestly the only reason why I took him in because he would not leave me alone, haha.
3. He gets very vocal at night -- caterwauling even. I don't know why, but I worry that he's in pain? The howling doesn't bother me other than me worrying about why he does it.
4. He's been losing weight. Still eating a decent bit though. He currently weighs about 7 lbs, and it looks to me that a healthy weight for him would be at least 9 lbs.
5. He sheds a lot and doesn't take care of his fur. I brush him to keep him looking neater/clean, but it worries me that he's not doing it himself.
He was at the vet last month. I told them about his behavior, they saw what he looked like, and they noticed the weight loss, but they didn't seem concerned.
Do I have anything to worry about right now, or should I get a second opinion?
The other thing I should mention that I have no idea how old he is -- he could also be an elderly cat for all I know. I know he's at least 7 because he has a microchip registered in 2014 (the registrant was uncontactable so I still have him), but he seems much older than that to me.