Cats Not Eating, Vomiting Clear/Foamy Liquid, Lethargic

[zoomango]

Two of my cats have abruptly stopped eating today. Their last meal was this morning, and usually I feed them every 6hrs. It's been roughly 12hrs now. One of them has vomited clear/foamy liquid twice now. The other is just sleeping and hiding more than usual. Both seem more sleepy than usual. When I pick them up, they make a whimpering meow sound as if to say they're not comfortable. Usually they're comfortable being held and very much enjoy it.

The only things I can think of are:
- I'd been adding a little extra fat to their food for the past few days, to help alleviate constipation, because their diet was previously very low in fat. Their bowels improved from pellet poop once every 2-3 days to nice healthy logs 1-2 times every 24-48hrs. The diet change was gradual. No diarrhea etc. The cat who vomited twice just had a healthy poop about an hour ago. But the poop had a log piece that had some orange/mucus in it. Couldn't tell if this was from pumpkin or related to digestive issues? Googling cat pancreatitis implicates orange poop, though the whole poop wasn't orange.
- There was a cockroach last night that somewhat alarmed them. But they had seen a cockroach before in the past (many times). I wonder if it had roach poison on it and if they came into contact with it possibly?
- My schedule has been erratic and last night I slept very little (due to other problems with a baby kitten)
- Cat who vomited also licked the counter today and I know there were pieces of previously dried canned food on the counter that I hadn't cleaned. But this wouldn't explain why both cats have the same issue.

I have another nursing cat with kittens who are eating different food and do not have this issue. That's why I'm thinking it's diet-related. Is possible they have acute pancreatitis? The only other thing I can think of is the duck pate, which seemed to cause a slight allergic reaction in one cat (upper lip became more pink) and when I gave it to the nursing cat (before noticing the other cat's reaction), she also seemed to become a bit sluggish after. Now I'm connecting the two situations, not sure if they're related.

I simply can't afford the vet at this point. I've spent thousands of dollars on a pregnant cat with nonstop problems with her kittens and I'm literally at a vet / urgent vet 2-3x per week now. The urgent vet would be at minimum $1k right now.

Other concerns with going to a vet / urgent care is... they may find something unrelated and think that's the cause, or give/prescribe harsh medications that come with their own host of side effects, making the problem far worse. I want them to be diagnosed but not hurt further.

Any way I can treat this at home? I can't get them to eat but I've been trying to syringe feed them water with a bit of their daily vitamin powder mixed in. They were totally fine just yesterday, very active and playful.

Really appreciate any help. Thanks.

 

[Margot Lane]

All I can think is my cat once foamed at the mouth from lavender oil, the kind you find in perfumes which is more concentrated. So definitely toss it if you have any. Do you set out poisons for roaches? If it were actual poison, I think their behavior would be even worse. If you can’t afford a vet not Sure what to say…I read somewhere that milk can act as an alkaloid to poison, though definitely doublecheck me on this. With my cat, all he needed was time.

 

[zoomango]

Thanks for the response, I did actually possibly have oil of oregano spilled on the counter, which one of the cats may have licked today. He licked the counter, and ate an old piece of food (I didn't realize that part of the counter wasn't clean). But not sure if it also had the oregano oil, and not sure how both cats would have licked the same spot. But still appreciate the possible idea. I'll keep this in mind.

I actually will be taking them to the vet tonight. I found one that's a bit further away with better reviews. Will be pricey but hopefully will get some sort of diagnosis. It seems it could be anything and don't seem to have a choice.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Maybe the food has gone bad, or whatever you are adding for this extra fat. If this extra fat was the pumpkin, that has varying impacts on each cat.

 

[zoomango]

Maybe the food has gone bad, or whatever you are adding for this extra fat. If this extra fat was the pumpkin, that has varying impacts on each cat.

That’s interesting you mentioned that, I checked the food and the Koha duck pate has an expiration of January 2022!! But I bought it online from the Koha website on April 26, 2023.

I noticed after one cat ate it, he got some pinkish upper lip, so I didn’t give it to him again. The other cat liked it a couple times but stopped eating it. I noticed they started becoming more reluctant to eat gradually.

But the nursing cat also ate some of the same expired duck pate. I’m not sure if all cans are expired, I’ll have to check. I noticed she became a bit sluggish and had a bit of a less eager appetite too but not quite as much.

I’m at the vet now. They say one cat may be blocked and they’re not sure about the other one. Now I’m waiting on tests.

 

[zoomango]

Insanity.

They want to charge $5k for the potentially blocked cat and $1.5k for the other cat. I had to discuss every line item. Like I don’t want to hold him overnight and medicate him with everything under the sun immediately before getting test results. I don’t even get what is the point of tests if they already want to administer all the medications ans treatments up front. I feel like I am getting scammed, it seems shady. They don’t seem to care to find the root cause. They just hone in on 1 problem and it’s not even the cat I initially came in for!

This is why I hate these money-hungry vets. This is robbery. I may be taking a risk here but will immediately take them to a vet tomorrow morning to get a second opinion. May get out of here with a total of $2.5k.

I’m sure a blocked cat would have other symptoms like straining to urinate, etc. but he has none of these. Yet they’re convinced he’ll die if I don’t splurge $5k right now. Is this normal for everyone’s experiences? How can anyone afford this?

 

[zoomango]

And the kicker is, they say he’s blocked due to stress!? So me bringing him to the vet does what? It gives him more stress. This has me so upset. I may just leave and not get the tests, as the more we wait here the more it gives him stress.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am so sorry you are going through this. I don't know enough personally, but you need to judge what you do know and what doesn't make sense. Please keep us posted.

 

[zoomango]

All I can think is my cat once foamed at the mouth from lavender oil, the kind you find in perfumes which is more concentrated. So definitely toss it if you have any. Do you set out poisons for roaches? If it were actual poison, I think their behavior would be even worse. If you can’t afford a vet not Sure what to say…I read somewhere that milk can act as an alkaloid to poison, though definitely doublecheck me on this. With my cat, all he needed was time.

They're not foaming at the mouth, just one cat vomited clear and occasionally foam. I never set poison for the roaches, but it's possible the previous tenant had.

I am so sorry you are going through this. I don't know enough personally, but you need to judge what you do know and what doesn't make sense. Please keep us posted.

Thanks, I appreciate just being able to talk this through with someone. These 2 male cats are literally my life, my only family.

I got the results back, and it's so frustrating. Turns out Bob has a 'supposedly' blocked bladder that's hard and small. And his test results showed blood in his urine. I wrote 'supposedly' because his urinalysis was clear and he had no crystals or anything else. He didn't have any bacteria detected... and yet they prescribed him antibiotics, what the...

They also noted his 'supposedly' low white blood cells, which indicated panleukopenia... but how could that be possible if he's vaccinated for FVRCP and none of the other cats have it, and he's never been outside in his life? Panleukopenia is highly contagious. How is it possible I brought in 2 cats, both of which live with each other, for years and only one has that?

They gave him like 5 medications - antibiotics, pain medication, I lost count... I'm afraid to give them because they each come with risks. If he doesn't have bacteria in his urine, why should I give him antibiotics and risk further issues? Why should I give him pain medication and risk not being able to tell the difference between the lethargic side effects, lack of appetite that could cause, and/or whether his actual condition is improving. Does blood in urine automatically indicate pain? Who knows if the side effects of these could further induce more stress, etc.

I will pay close attention to the blood in the urine and his urination habits. He has not peed outside the box, he has not strained, he has not had any issues until the past day or so hours when he was mostly sleeping, not eating and stopped peeing. I've also never seen blood in his urine, though I'm guessing it's on a microscopic level.

Jimmy, the one who vomited clear liquid twice apparently had nothing at all wrong in his tests except dehydration. It's just strange that they both lost their appetites simultaneously, and both due to stress all of a sudden? They've been in the same situation, eating the same food, etc. nothing has significantly changed. Maybe some of their food has changed slightly? The only thing is the stray cat I brought in roughly 4 months ago. They're used to her at this point, even though they don't like her. Her presence or the kittens presence hasn't changed. Her and the kittens are in their own closed off room for the last 4 months. Maybe I'm just not spending enough time with them. I'm going to make sure to be around them as much as possible from here on.

I paid roughly $2,200 for this visit, and they wouldn't even print out the lab tests. I had to insist that they give me the test results before I leave. I really wish I could find a vet I can trust. If I could actually trust them I'd happily pay $15k to cure my cat. It's just that it's so shady, I have to constantly dispute and keep an eye on what's happening or get not only ripped off but could potentially harm/kill my cat making a small situation much worse. It really could have happened, they wanted to hold Bob for 24hrs and sedate him immediately...

Good news though! Both of them peed when we got back! Initially I thought Bob hadn't peed, but I've since put webcams on continuous record on the litter boxes in the house, and I must have not noticed earlier, but Bob did pee! It seems he peed for the brief moment I left the room to get them food. So he's not blocked, just has blood in his urine, which may be due to stress. Still will keep the cameras rolling to log their pee/poop habits and will keep syringe feeding water just in case.

Both also nibbled on some food. Bob ate roughly 1.5oz of chicken, but Jimmy only nibbled. I have to make sure Jimmy eats more.

 

[FeebysOwner]

This vet has put you in a position to HAVE to take him somewhere else for a second opinion, IMO. I don't know where you are located, but if you have the Next Door Neighbor web site, that might be a good place to ask for vet referrals from other pet owners. I'd also check with family/friends/co-workers for referrals as well.

This vet gave you the urinalysis results, but the footnote suggests they must have done blood work too. They didn't give you those results? Copies of all the test results are yours for free - given you technically paid for them when you paid for the actual tests. What the heck did they do that cost over $2K? You need to demand copies of EVERYTHING. And, when you find another vet, they would likely also ask for the records from this vet too.

I do think cystitis can be painful, it usually involves inflammation of the bladder wall and sometimes is even accompanied by bladder spasms. That isn't an absolute, because every cat is different. Some of the meds may have been prescribed due to the low white blood count, but that should have been explained to you. Panleukopenia isn't the only disease/illness than can cause a low white blood count. But it can mean there is an infection somewhere in the body, even if it is a viral condition. Antibiotics are prescribed because often there can be a secondary bacterial infection.

You need to get both of them to eat.
How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again - TheCatSite

I wish I had more to offer.

 

[sheridragonfly]

Two of my cats have abruptly stopped eating today. Their last meal was this morning, and usually I feed them every 6hrs. It's been roughly 12hrs now. One of them has vomited clear/foamy liquid twice now. The other is just sleeping and hiding more than usual. Both seem more sleepy than usual. When I pick them up, they make a whimpering meow sound as if to say they're not comfortable. Usually they're comfortable being held and very much enjoy it.

The only things I can think of are:
- I'd been adding a little extra fat to their food for the past few days, to help alleviate constipation, because their diet was previously very low in fat. Their bowels improved from pellet poop once every 2-3 days to nice healthy logs 1-2 times every 24-48hrs. The diet change was gradual. No diarrhea etc. The cat who vomited twice just had a healthy poop about an hour ago. But the poop had a log piece that had some orange/mucus in it. Couldn't tell if this was from pumpkin or related to digestive issues? Googling cat pancreatitis implicates orange poop, though the whole poop wasn't orange.
- There was a cockroach last night that somewhat alarmed them. But they had seen a cockroach before in the past (many times). I wonder if it had roach poison on it and if they came into contact with it possibly?
- My schedule has been erratic and last night I slept very little (due to other problems with a baby kitten)
- Cat who vomited also licked the counter today and I know there were pieces of previously dried canned food on the counter that I hadn't cleaned. But this wouldn't explain why both cats have the same issue.

I have another nursing cat with kittens who are eating different food and do not have this issue. That's why I'm thinking it's diet-related. Is possible they have acute pancreatitis? The only other thing I can think of is the duck pate, which seemed to cause a slight allergic reaction in one cat (upper lip became more pink) and when I gave it to the nursing cat (before noticing the other cat's reaction), she also seemed to become a bit sluggish after. Now I'm connecting the two situations, not sure if they're related.

I simply can't afford the vet at this point. I've spent thousands of dollars on a pregnant cat with nonstop problems with her kittens and I'm literally at a vet / urgent vet 2-3x per week now. The urgent vet would be at minimum $1k right now.

Other concerns with going to a vet / urgent care is... they may find something unrelated and think that's the cause, or give/prescribe harsh medications that come with their own host of side effects, making the problem far worse. I want them to be diagnosed but not hurt further.

Any way I can treat this at home? I can't get them to eat but I've been trying to syringe feed them water with a bit of their daily vitamin powder mixed in. They were totally fine just yesterday, very active and playful.

Really appreciate any help. Thanks.

A thought... I mop floors with a shark steamer and distilled water

what a animal walks on they lick their paws and most household cleaning products could make them sick .

I also use nothing but hydrogen peroxide on counter tops and commodes and wipe down with wet paper towels to rinse and dry surfaces

We buy grain free chicken indoor hairball dry food for lily


Even their food bowls we hand wash in seventh generation Free and clear
Dishwashing soap and rinse very well

I hope your cats feel better and you figure it out at home I understand the cost and stress and possible side effects of what could be given in medication or shot Form

Sheri and lily

 

[sheridragonfly]

Okay I reread your post
The fat to me not good
I have ibs
And fat and milk cheese make me feel
Horrible

On the constipation
I have bought laxotone malt flavor and put it on my finger and she will lick it off three times a week

I am using iams hairball chicken dry food and lily is not constipated just started it three weeks ago

The grain free dry indoor hairball and weight maintenance in the peach colored bag by blue wilderness is excellent for preventing constipation

Due to buying it two years the cost

we just switched to the indoor iams hairball
Chicken dry food and it’s working well


All dry or cat food that days hairball formula does not always work to help constipation
That was Lily’s problem

Dogs or cats can have pumpkin canned added to wet food daily a tiny amount to prevent constipation

Lily will not eat wet food daily

Hope this helps

Sheri and lily


I

 

[zoomango]

This vet has put you in a position to HAVE to take him somewhere else for a second opinion, IMO. I don't know where you are located, but if you have the Next Door Neighbor web site, that might be a good place to ask for vet referrals from other pet owners. I'd also check with family/friends/co-workers for referrals as well.

This vet gave you the urinalysis results, but the footnote suggests they must have done blood work too. They didn't give you those results? Copies of all the test results are yours for free - given you technically paid for them when you paid for the actual tests. What the heck did they do that cost over $2K? You need to demand copies of EVERYTHING. And, when you find another vet, they would likely also ask for the records from this vet too.

I do think cystitis can be painful, it usually involves inflammation of the bladder wall and sometimes is even accompanied by bladder spasms. That isn't an absolute, because every cat is different. Some of the meds may have been prescribed due to the low white blood count, but that should have been explained to you. Panleukopenia isn't the only disease/illness than can cause a low white blood count. But it can mean there is an infection somewhere in the body, even if it is a viral condition. Antibiotics are prescribed because often there can be a secondary bacterial infection.

You need to get both of them to eat.
How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again - TheCatSite

I wish I had more to offer.

Thanks a lot. I wish the vets would care an ounce as much as members of this forum. At least this has been helpful to be able to post here. They did provide all the tests after I demanded to get copies. They did blood tests too. But initially they'd said they would email me the results within a few days. I needed them immediately. I needed to see for myself because they were talking so fast it seems they were intentionally glossing over things.

Unfortunately I'm going to have to keep them at home and just keep an eye on them for now to reduce their stress at least. I initially took them in because Jimmy seemed worse off, and at the vet they directed all their attention to Bob. Fortunately Bob is mostly back to normal eating (not full meals yet, but getting there) and peeing though still not that frequently. Jimmy hasn't peed since 1am, so it's getting close to 24hrs for him. 7 more hours and then it will be 24hrs. He's nibbling on dry and wet food though, which I'm offering once every couple hours, but every time he eats he goes to hide. There's a thunderstorm outside now, which also doesn't help the situation. He hasn't eaten since it started. He's very scared of thunder and it's not out of the ordinary for him to hide all day. I wonder if for that reason, thinking back, I may be overreacting, because there were past times when Jimmy would hide for many hours and not eat or poop/pee. And then he'd lose his appetite and I could only get him back to normal by starting slow with snacks.

I also wonder if me syringe feeding them water was part of what was stressing them out. I've stopped doing that, but I'm really not sure what to do at this point. It's stressing me out because if I keep waiting, I'm risking his health, and yet if I take him to a vet, it's going to be another $500-$1000 of misdirection and more stress that will make things worse. So basically, risking his health if I wait, risking his health if I go to a vet. The only thing that probably helped was the subcutaneous fluids they gave him. If only I could just get that done and nothing else.

I'd love to get a second/third opinion, but I just don't know how I'll afford this. I'm being ruined financially by these vet visits and all the costs surrounding them. I don't have friends/family to ask for referrals, but Nextdoor seems like a good idea, thanks.

A thought... I mop floors with a shark steamer and distilled water

what a animal walks on they lick their paws and most household cleaning products could make them sick .

I also use nothing but hydrogen peroxide on counter tops and commodes and wipe down with wet paper towels to rinse and dry surfaces

We buy grain free chicken indoor hairball dry food for lily


Even their food bowls we hand wash in seventh generation Free and clear
Dishwashing soap and rinse very well

I hope your cats feel better and you figure it out at home I understand the cost and stress and possible side effects of what could be given in medication or shot Form

Sheri and lily

Interesting that you mention this. Appreciate the advice. I also use seventh generation free & clear for washing and dishwasher, and typically don't clean the floors.... but, very recently I did spray windex on the floor. I'd read that it could help remove their scent trail, which it did, but I did not realize how dangerous it could be if the cats licked food off the floor. Gosh, it's likely they licked some of the residue, at least Bob could have since he frequently eats spills and eats off the floor.

Now I've been keeping them in my bedroom since they got home, but they've wanted to go out / downstairs. When they went downstairs they seemed totally spooked as if they'd seen a ghost. There's something there that's really causing them stress. They've been stressed in the bedroom as well but not quite as stressed. Earlier today they were looking out the window and lounging on their cat tree like old times.

The biggest problem I have is, the vets are ignoring the fact that the cats are not blocked. They are stressed and holding their urine. There is a difference. Blocked cats have symptoms of being blocked, such as straining to urinate, urinating outside of the box, etc. There seems to be little info online about how to deal with a cat holding their pee voluntarily.

One thing that's helped Bob quite a lot is hemp oil. He seems a lot more relaxed now. I've been giving it to Jimmy too but he's stressed to the max and it doesn't seem to help him as much.

 

[Kflowers]

Windex has a strong scent to it. It has ammonia in it, which may smell like a stranger cat has peed in your house. A stranger cat is a stressor to them. If you can find the spot you used the Windex on and rinse it with plain water, or or white vinegar, they are used to it might help to get rid of the ammonia smell.

You really don't want to use ammonia for cleaning if you have cats. Some cats will take it as a territorial threat and pee on the ammonia spots. This is why it doesn't work to use it when a strange cat has peed on the outside of your doors.

I hope you find a better vet soon.

 

[Binxie]

If you need to get additional fluid into the cats you might try HyrdaCare, I used this for a cat a couple of years ago that needed extra fluid and he licked it up easily.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Not much help again, but you can get sub-Q fluids to administer at home - assuming they are really needed. The vet may do that just because you ask for them, but I don't know what it might take for them to agree. I give them to my cat, but that is for her CKD and possible pancreatitis, although there are other situations when they can be helpful, such as nutritional deficiencies brought on by lack of proper nutrition (hepatic lipidosis). Multiple water dishes placed anywhere they might go can sometimes help to get them to drink more.

If you managed to get the blood work results you can share them here - if you want.

I am not sure how you are determining that either one of your cats are holding their urine. I could only do so when I gave my cat an additional litter box in the room she seems determined to spend her life in. She started using it, so that is my only way of thinking she was holding her urine so as to avoid venturing out of her 'room' to go to where her 'old' litter box was/is.

I can only surmise that the vet(s) are saying blocked when they mean something else. A bladder doesn't typically get blocked, it is the urethra that leads from the bladder to outside the body that gets blocked, or perhaps the ureters that lead from the kidneys into the bladder. In either case, they would likely be deathly ill with no urine produced at all. I am not a vet, I am just using my common sense, which means I still have the chance of being wrong to a degree.

 

[downton ali]

Thanks a lot. I wish the vets would care an ounce as much as members of this forum. At least this has been helpful to be able to post here. They did provide all the tests after I demanded to get copies. They did blood tests too. But initially they'd said they would email me the results within a few days. I needed them immediately. I needed to see for myself because they were talking so fast it seems they were intentionally glossing over things.

Unfortunately I'm going to have to keep them at home and just keep an eye on them for now to reduce their stress at least. I initially took them in because Jimmy seemed worse off, and at the vet they directed all their attention to Bob. Fortunately Bob is mostly back to normal eating (not full meals yet, but getting there) and peeing though still not that frequently. Jimmy hasn't peed since 1am, so it's getting close to 24hrs for him. 7 more hours and then it will be 24hrs. He's nibbling on dry and wet food though, which I'm offering once every couple hours, but every time he eats he goes to hide. There's a thunderstorm outside now, which also doesn't help the situation. He hasn't eaten since it started. He's very scared of thunder and it's not out of the ordinary for him to hide all day. I wonder if for that reason, thinking back, I may be overreacting, because there were past times when Jimmy would hide for many hours and not eat or poop/pee. And then he'd lose his appetite and I could only get him back to normal by starting slow with snacks.

I also wonder if me syringe feeding them water was part of what was stressing them out. I've stopped doing that, but I'm really not sure what to do at this point. It's stressing me out because if I keep waiting, I'm risking his health, and yet if I take him to a vet, it's going to be another $500-$1000 of misdirection and more stress that will make things worse. So basically, risking his health if I wait, risking his health if I go to a vet. The only thing that probably helped was the subcutaneous fluids they gave him. If only I could just get that done and nothing else.

I'd love to get a second/third opinion, but I just don't know how I'll afford this. I'm being ruined financially by these vet visits and all the costs surrounding them. I don't have friends/family to ask for referrals, but Nextdoor seems like a good idea, thanks.



Interesting that you mention this. Appreciate the advice. I also use seventh generation free & clear for washing and dishwasher, and typically don't clean the floors.... but, very recently I did spray windex on the floor. I'd read that it could help remove their scent trail, which it did, but I did not realize how dangerous it could be if the cats licked food off the floor. Gosh, it's likely they licked some of the residue, at least Bob could have since he frequently eats spills and eats off the floor.

Now I've been keeping them in my bedroom since they got home, but they've wanted to go out / downstairs. When they went downstairs they seemed totally spooked as if they'd seen a ghost. There's something there that's really causing them stress. They've been stressed in the bedroom as well but not quite as stressed. Earlier today they were looking out the window and lounging on their cat tree like old times.

The biggest problem I have is, the vets are ignoring the fact that the cats are not blocked. They are stressed and holding their urine. There is a difference. Blocked cats have symptoms of being blocked, such as straining to urinate, urinating outside of the box, etc. There seems to be little info online about how to deal with a cat holding their pee voluntarily.

One thing that's helped Bob quite a lot is hemp oil. He seems a lot more relaxed now. I've been giving it to Jimmy too but he's stressed to the max and it doesn't seem to help him as much.

FWIW, My cat did not strain to urinate at all the 2nd time he was blocked. His symptoms included abnormal behavior such not sleeping with me, sleeping only in the loaf position, he looked uncomfortable and growled when I picked him up. He was not eating and was lethargic. Once he tried to eat, he vomited. That was THE signal to get him to the vet asap (per the ER vet's instruction).

I was able to see my regular vet fortunately. He observed that my cat had a small bladder, so the vet didn't think he was blocked again. Upon further examination he was fully blocked. It was an emergency situation. Surgery was recommended, because my guy's urethral opening was tiny, and he would likely get blocked over and over again.

1st time he was blocked, the emergency vet cost about 2700 (I think).
2nd time he was blocked, the vet cost just about 2k. That included surgery, meds, all follow-ups, etc. It was much, much cheaper to see my regular vet.

I inquired about the hefty fees as well. The bloodwork, in part, checks their kidney function. If the function of the kidneys is impaired, I think it would've meant that surgery may not have been worth it as his health would've been irreparably harmed. I have no knowledge about panleukopenia unfortunately.

A block can kill a cat in as little as 12-24 hours. Please keep us posted.

 

[zoomango]

Windex has a strong scent to it. It has ammonia in it, which may smell like a stranger cat has peed in your house. A stranger cat is a stressor to them. If you can find the spot you used the Windex on and rinse it with plain water, or or white vinegar, they are used to it might help to get rid of the ammonia smell.

You really don't want to use ammonia for cleaning if you have cats. Some cats will take it as a territorial threat and pee on the ammonia spots. This is why it doesn't work to use it when a strange cat has peed on the outside of your doors.

I hope you find a better vet soon.

Thanks all really appreciate the care here, I don't know what I'd do without your help!

I actually realized I don't think it's the Windex. I had used it a few times before weeks ago without issues. I've figured out the issue by going back through the days and trying to remember what I did, etc.

I have a nursing cat/kittens, and the night before this all happened, I threw out the nesting cave that was drenched in cat urine. I had to carry it from the nursing cat/kitten room through the house to the garage. Then it sat in the garage for a couple days before the trash pick up. That's exactly when the problems started. I wonder if the house still has a lingering smell of urine. But that thing was soaked, I mean absolutely soaked in cat urine. Bob and Jimmy have already been quite stressed by the kittens, and while I never set the cave down on the floor as I was carrying it through the house, I wonder if the scent of the urine somehow lingers in the air or if any urine may have dripped while I was carrying it out.

Also, I had to go and clean up the floor where the cave was, and I noticed Bob & Jimmy had almost this scared expression of me. So today I showered after I visited the nursing cat/kittens, and I wear shoes to go to their room.

Bob & Jimmy are doing a bit better today but it's so random. Bob is nearly fully back to normal, eating, peeing and pooping. Just not as much of an appetite and not playing. They're both eating more dry food, and actually stopped eating wet food. I had to get them to eat and they were more willing to eat kibble, but now they're not drinking any water. I have a water fountain in the room (they would otherwise love drinking from it, but have not been drinking from it). So I went back to syringe-feeding them water, since realizing this is not the stressor... but they're not taking it as easily today.

I think I have to take them to the vet again to get subcutaneous fluids. Besides the lack of hydration they're fine.

If you need to get additional fluid into the cats you might try HyrdaCare, I used this for a cat a couple of years ago that needed extra fluid and he licked it up easily.

Thanks for the 'HydraCare' recommendation. I don't think they would take it. They've become very finnicky in their appetite. I've tried giving them all sorts of hydration type food packets, but they won't touch them.

Not much help again, but you can get sub-Q fluids to administer at home - assuming they are really needed. The vet may do that just because you ask for them, but I don't know what it might take for them to agree. I give them to my cat, but that is for her CKD and possible pancreatitis, although there are other situations when they can be helpful, such as nutritional deficiencies brought on by lack of proper nutrition (hepatic lipidosis). Multiple water dishes placed anywhere they might go can sometimes help to get them to drink more.

If you managed to get the blood work results you can share them here - if you want.

I am not sure how you are determining that either one of your cats are holding their urine. I could only do so when I gave my cat an additional litter box in the room she seems determined to spend her life in. She started using it, so that is my only way of thinking she was holding her urine so as to avoid venturing out of her 'room' to go to where her 'old' litter box was/is.

I can only surmise that the vet(s) are saying blocked when they mean something else. A bladder doesn't typically get blocked, it is the urethra that leads from the bladder to outside the body that gets blocked, or perhaps the ureters that lead from the kidneys into the bladder. In either case, they would likely be deathly ill with no urine produced at all. I am not a vet, I am just using my common sense, which means I still have the chance of being wrong to a degree.

Thanks yeah I'm going to try this exactly. I'm just worried they're not getting enough water now. I determined they're holding their urine because when we got back from the vet that day they immediately both peed. They've never strained or shown any signs of being blocked besides simply not peeing for that day. Last night I had to rub Jimmy's bladder to get him to pee (he did it himself, but I had to encourage him). Today he peed normally himself, and like I mentioned Bob is peeing and pooping regularly now. I'm more worried about Jimmy, stress really is the worst for him. When he's stressed he just spends the day sleeping and won't eat or drink. I initially took them to the vet because of Jimmy, all this misdirection about Bob being blocked isn't the problem. He wasn't blocked and now he's back to normal. WBC being low and blood in urine for him as I've read online are also stress-related. I will have to get those retested but still the major concern is with Jimmy. That's why I'm frustrated by the vet. It's like taking your car in for a brake problem and then being told you have a major engine issue that needs immediate repair and then you never get the original problem fixed. It's shady. I'll post the blood test results here when I get a chance later, really appreciate the help.

Really appreciate you all here pointing out the possible windex/ammonia connection. I really think that's it. Today I put vinegar over every place I'd put windex, just in case. But I think I'd already walked over it and also walked everywhere, carrying the trail. Same with where the urine-drenched nesting cave was carried. So I've also bought some natural odor-eliminating gels that I'm going to place all over the house and after that I'll be plugging in Feliway diffusers in 10-15 of the outlets around the house. Maybe I should also spray catnip spray all over too?

 

[zoomango]

FWIW, My cat did not strain to urinate at all the 2nd time he was blocked. His symptoms included abnormal behavior such not sleeping with me, sleeping only in the loaf position, he looked uncomfortable and growled when I picked him up. He was not eating and was lethargic. Once he tried to eat, he vomited. That was THE signal to get him to the vet asap (per the ER vet's instruction).

I was able to see my regular vet fortunately. He observed that my cat had a small bladder, so the vet didn't think he was blocked again. Upon further examination he was fully blocked. It was an emergency situation. Surgery was recommended, because my guy's urethral opening was tiny, and he would likely get blocked over and over again.

1st time he was blocked, the emergency vet cost about 2700 (I think).
2nd time he was blocked, the vet cost just about 2k. That included surgery, meds, all follow-ups, etc. It was much, much cheaper to see my regular vet.

I inquired about the hefty fees as well. The bloodwork, in part, checks their kidney function. If the function of the kidneys is impaired, I think it would've meant that surgery may not have been worth it as his health would've been irreparably harmed. I have no knowledge about panleukopenia unfortunately.

A block can kill a cat in as little as 12-24 hours. Please keep us posted.

Thanks a lot for sharing this, good to know that those symptoms can indication blockage. Still I don't think they're blocked as they've been peeing/pooping now, and not vomiting, just not eating much. And only eating dry kibble, very little of it. Also the reason I don't suspect blockage is because their urinalysis was totally negative for Jimmy. His only 'issue' was dehydration based on blood / test results. He was the one vomiting (which I suspect due to an empty stomach / anxiety). And the fact that Bob, the supposedly blocked cat is totally fine peeing/pooping (well besides reduced appetite). Bob never vomited, and hasn't since maybe last year.

They seem to be more stressed every time I go visit the nursing cat/kittens, because I suspect theirs been urine all over the floors of that room (took a while to litter train the kittens because they kept trying to eat the litter). In the morning they're fine, and then as the day goes on and I've been to the kittens room and back to our bedroom, their stress seems to increase and they stop eating again. I just don't know how to get rid of the urine smell or the residue from the floors. At least for the garage, I've turned on a strong UVC lamp that kills pretty much every bacteria/virus/smell. I'm afraid to use that indoors because of the ozone residue it produces, and because we'd need to leave when it's turned on.

I may try to sprinkle baking soda on the carpets/floor. But besides that I hope the odor removers and feliway diffusers help.

I'm taking them to another vet today, trying to see if I can just get sub-Q fluids to at least keep them hydrated. I also bought HydraCare online, which arrives tomorrow morning, so I'll try that too.

 

[Kflowers]

When you sprinkle the baking soda on the carpets, use a scrub brush to scrub it deep into the carpet. You don't want your cats walking in it and washing it off their paws. If you use it on the tiles, when mixed with water baking soda can get very slippery (that's mostly with you in mind) and rinsing it isn't all that easy. It can be done, but not easy. White vinegar is a nice cleaner and the smell dissipates when it dries.