concerned about my cat

ollietuxedo

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Hi all,

A little while ago I posted about concerns about my cat, which I thought were behavioral, but replies encouraged me to take him.to the vet as they suspected dental problems

Well he became worse, he spends almost all of his time in a corner of the living room in behind his cat tree. he completely avoids interacting or being near me me expect for meal times and I felt a lump on his side near his back legs....:(

He finally saw a vet a few days ago, but I had to get someone else to take him as I caught COVID. Apparently he freaked out and fought the vet so they couldn't examine him properly. So they gave him zofran tablets thinking he might not be eating because of nausea. and he has began eating again. but all of the other behavior is still there.

i cant stand seeing him like this and that lump is really worrying me...but how can we help him if he fights the vet??
 

noani

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Can you contact the vet again so you can work together on getting him properly examined?
Calming products, mild tranquilizer, so that he is calmer and accepts a proper vet visit?

It's great that the nausea seems to have been "addressed" as a a symptom and he is eating better, but he should still have a full check up.
 

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Hi all,

A little while ago I posted about concerns about my cat, which I thought were behavioral, but replies encouraged me to take him.to the vet as they suspected dental problems

Well he became worse, he spends almost all of his time in a corner of the living room in behind his cat tree. he completely avoids interacting or being near me me expect for meal times and I felt a lump on his side near his back legs....:(

He finally saw a vet a few days ago, but I had to get someone else to take him as I caught COVID. Apparently he freaked out and fought the vet so they couldn't examine him properly. So they gave him zofran tablets thinking he might not be eating because of nausea. and he has began eating again. but all of the other behavior is still there.

i cant stand seeing him like this and that lump is really worrying me...but how can we help him if he fights the vet??
I'm suprised That the Veterinarian didn't give the cat a sedative So Kitty could be checked out more thoroughly. Maybe a phone call is In order before your next Vet visit to ensure that all your concerns get addressed .
 

game misconduct

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you might have to pay extra to get him sedated for the duration of the check gf and i have to do that with graycie to get her nails trimmed adds about another 100 bux or so :rolleyes:she is also on her last strike at the vets fr biting and clawing them
 

vansX2

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you might have to pay extra to get him sedated for the duration of the check gf and i have to do that with graycie to get her nails trimmed adds about another 100 bux or so :rolleyes:she is also on her last strike at the vets fr biting and clawing them
Maybe its time to change Vet's. $100 for claw trimming that's ridiculous. I had Jackpot into the Vet last Monday for a eye issue. I asked for a pedicure too. That portion of the bill was under $20
 

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Maybe its time to change Vet's. $100 for claw trimming that's ridiculous. I had Jackpot into the Vet last Monday for a eye issue. I asked for a pedicure too. That portion of the bill was under $20
its for the sedationdrugs plus nail trimmingi would pay more if i had to just to get her nails trimmed peaceful without the stress to her freaking out fighting the vet and staff every time
 

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There are a couple possibilities. The vet can give you something to give to your cat at home before the visit, like gabapentin. I do have to warn you that it might mean pilling him, or putting it on his food. Both of those can be fraught with issues, especially as it does not taste good. Your vet may have another idea as to what to administer.

I don't know what kind of carrier you used, but I have done a lot of TNR and brought wild ferals in to be fixed. The vet just sedates them through the bars of the trap and goes on from there. It might be possible to do the same thing for your cat in his carrier.
 

vansX2

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its for the sedationdrugs plus nail trimmingi would pay more if i had to just to get her nails trimmed peaceful without the stress to her freaking out fighting the vet and staff every time
My squirming Wormy Jackpot was held tightly by a Tech vet during his pedicure. The doctor Was quick with his clippers.
 

game misconduct

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My squirming Wormy Jackpot was held tightly by a Tech vet during his pedicure. The doctor Was quick with his clippers.
yeah my vet is to they also allowed me inside to be with graycie until covid hit after that she had to go in alone no familiar voices or scents around her just strangers no surprise she would be pissed and fight back
 
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ollietuxedo

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Thank you for the replies.

noani - It's weird because she mentioned she might have to give him sedation before she examined him,,,but then she didn't? hard to know what exactly happened because I wasn't there.

vans x2 -They did ring me while he and the other person was there and I told her all of my concerns in great detail. and she said yeah I'm going to examine him and do a blood test and I might have to sedate him...but then I don't know what happened, but she rang me again 10 minutes later and said he fought her and she couldn't examine him or do the blood test. He\s on fluoxetine daily which is supposed to calm him as well.

game misconduct - she didn't mention that sedation would be extra but maybe they do charge extra. He does need his nails clipped too which I mentioned and its about 25 Australian dollars and he's had that done there before with minimal problem, but that time although I was not allowed to go inside I at least was able to come with him for the car ride to and back and wait outside for him. yeah it makes sense he freaked because I wasn't there at all.

fionasmom - that's a possibility, he already gets fluoxetine in his food.. The carrier doesn't have bars, its a fabric one similar to this:
1643026739621.png



it puzzles me because these are cat specialist vets so I would have thought they would know how to deal with a difficult/anxious cat??
anyway I will contact them again and discuss the options.
 

fionasmom

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Me, too. This is not the most insurmountable cat problem that a vet ever faces and I am surprised that they are not working with you. If you are comfortable with sedation for him, maybe give permission up front so that they know it is okay to proceed?
 
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ollietuxedo

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an update:

We managed to get him back in to the vet. Saw a different vet but same clinic. I was able to come with him and be present for the examination and while he wasn't exactly happy about it, he was a lot more cooperative and they were able to get bloods from him without sedation.

She thinks he might have back pain, because he reacted very strongly when she pressed his back and hind legs. She also said that his gums are pale, which is a sign of anemia. But blood tests where normal except the kidney numbers where a bit elevated. She wants to so an urine sample to see if there's anything showing up there about the kidneys. She doesn't think it's too serious though, that it might be just a bit of dehydration (it has been almost constantly humid where we live at the moment), But when she examined him she said his skin was elastic and so not dehydrated?
In the meantime she gave me buprenorphine syringes which are meant to go in his gums for pain relief. Which has been a challenge to get it in him! but they seem to make him eat and play a bit more.

the other thing I've been noticing lately is I've been finding small bits of hard poo in random places on the floor. but most of it he does in the litterbox.

anyway no real answers but a few things to investigate.

any thoughts?
 

fionasmom

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Going back to the beginning....does he have a dental issue that has been identified? What about the lump on his side? I would probably do the urine sample, since you are this far along with the investigation. Is there a next step with the vet?

Small, hard poop is generally considered to be constipation. There can be lots of reasons, not all serious. This may or may not be related to what else is going on with him.

Everything You Need To Know About Constipation In Cats – TheCatSite Articles
 
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ollietuxedo

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The vet looked at his mouth, the only comment she made about his teeth was that there is a bit of tartar build up.
She also said that there is no lump, that what I felt was a mat in his fur...but it didn't feel like a mat to me, it felt like a lump of flesh.
But I'm new to owning cats, I don't really know what's normal or not.

the next step is to take him there again for a urine sample next week to see if that shows anything about the kidneys, I tried to do it at home but he refused to use the litterbox when the beads are in there.

Yes he has a long standing problem with constipation, they told me a while back to put osmolax in his food for it and while hes better with it he still only goes every 2-3 days and sometimes still small hard poos. But finding bits outside the litterbox is new. She said when feeling his stomach there's no build up of constipation there.
 

fionasmom

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I have seen mats on some long haired dogs that assume the look of a mass because they are so dense and, over time, have woven themselves together and are closely affixed to the skin/fur root. When you go back, ask if they can remove the matted fur, not necessarily groom the cat, but just get the mat out. Say that you have not had any luck trying or something. That should clear up if it is fur or not.

Lots of cats don't want to use the beads. My cat vet, and dog vet for that matter, get the urine specimen in the office.

If a cat associates pain with the litter box, they will often stop using it or use it only sporadically. He may have discomfort from the hard stool, so moves away from the box, or starts out in the box but keeps moving as the stool does not easily come out.
 
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ollietuxedo

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We went back to the vet and got a urine sample from him - he has an urinary tract infection. She showed it to me in the tube and it was red. I went "Oh shit." She said "Did you not notice that?" I said it no I didn't, it just looks like water in the litter box. I felt bad though like I should have noticed it. Who knows how long he has been peeing blood like that? Poor bubba.
So now he is on Clavamox and Metacam for 10 days then re-test

fionasmom - ah I see, yeah I'll ask them to do it at some stage, he needs his nails clipped as well.
 

fionasmom

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It is very hard to determine what is in the litter box, so don't beat yourself up. He is being treated now and will get better.
 
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ollietuxedo

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Thank you fionasmon. I really appreciate you replying to each of my messages.
re-test was negative yay!
The vet mentioned though, that the urine still had a little bit of blood in it. So I'm worried there's still something going on.
He's doing heaps better though, eating and playing and being affectionate again.
 

silent meowlook

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Please be careful with the Metacam. Look up Metacam in cats. In the US it has a black box warning.
 
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