Fever, Lethargy, Loss Of Appetite

[abby2932]

Hey guys,

My little man is not feeling too well. He's usually very energetic in the mornings and wakes me up for breakfast and eats enthusiastically. But I noticed yesterday they he wasn't really "into" his dinner. He did eat it all but this morning he did not take a bite out of his breakfast. Trust me, that is so weird for my cat. He lives to eat. I also noticed that he felt a bit warm, as if he had a fever.

I brought him to the vet this morning (4 hours ago). The vet confirmed that he does, in fact, have a fever and he also felt something hard in his abdomen. Vet said could be a hairball? They gave me an antibiotic called Veraflox to administer once daily and said if he's not feeling better within 48 hours, we'll need to do an ultrasound. We also did a full Senior Profile (CBC, chem panel, urinalysis, etc) since he is due for one. I actually had an appt. scheduled for this weekend to have this done but we had to go in a few days early since I noticed he was sick.

I really dislike giving antibiotics without testing to ensure that they are needed but I'm doing what I'm told. Hopefully, it's just one of those things that passes but will keep you posted on the progress. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he eats something when I get home in a few hours since he hasn't eaten since last night =(

 

[duckpond]

Best of luck to him. i hope he is much better when you get home this evening. keep us updated.

 

[abby2932]

Best of luck to him. i hope he is much better when you get home this evening. keep us updated.

Thanks so much!

 

[abby2932]

He's not doing well. I'm pretty sure his fever is gone but he still has no appetite. I did give him some raw goat milk about an hour ago but he only drank about 1 tablespoon, which is not enough. I am going to try to syringe feed him an ounce of food and see if he keeps it down.

If he doesn't keep it down or if he does not gain an appetite by tomorrow morning, I will call the vet and ask if I can bring him back in. I'm really worried.

I lost a cat (his littermate) in 2008 to hepatic lipidosis and I don't want to go through that again. It's only been 24 hours since his last full meal but I still get too anxious if they go this long without eating.

 

[abby2932]

The vet sent me to an animal hospital in Baton Rouge. It's about an hour and 40 minutes away from my house. Malibu needs a sonogram to determine what's going on inside. I just checked in. Hopefully we'll know what the problem is today

 

[Timmer]

Good luck. Keep us posted, please.

 

[abby2932]

We got his bloodwork back from the draw yesterday and they are concerned that his Bilirubin levels are elevated. I don't think it is because of Hepatic Lipidosis because his last full meal was Monday evening and we did the blood draw on Tuesday morning.

I am still at the specialty hospital in Baton Rouge. They said they are going to sedate him, do more bloodwork to double check the bilirubin levels (and a few other things) and do the ultrasound/sonogram.

I am so, so worried right now. They said they won't get to him until about 3 or 4 (or maybe even 5pm) so I left to go get some lunch and I'll head back in a bit.

 

[abby2932]

They say they think it is Large Cell Lymphoma They took a biopsy and I should have the results tomorrow.

My whole world is rocked and I feel so sad and empty. I know i still might have a little bit of time left with him but I always imagined I'd have another decade with him by my side. He's only 12....I'm not even close to ready. He wasn't supposed to leave me this soon.

 

[abby2932]

I had to put my best friend to sleep on Saturday morning (3/17/18). It was the morning of his 12th birthday. It's heartbreaking how these things just happened so fast and out of the blue. Malibu was so happy and healthy up until Monday.

I noticed he was feeling warm on Monday but he still ate his entire breakfast & dinner. He didn't eat breakfast on Tuesday morning so I brought him in to the vet immediately that morning. The vet sent me to a specialist for an abdominal radiograph on Wednesday. They told me that based on their findings, they suspect Large Cell Lymphoma but took samples from several organs while he was under anesthesia to confirm. They called me with the news on Thursday to say it is what they suspected. The cancer had spread to his spleen, lymph nodes and liver. Prognosis was poor. They offered their condolences.

After that phone call, my vet contacted me and we started discussing our options. Chemotherapy was on the table. But before we could do that, we need to get him on prednisolone immediately to help bring his bilirubin levels down. Since his liver was in such critical condition, he wouldn't be able to handle the chemo with it in that state. He told me the prednisolone and appetite stimulant would help with the inflammation in his GI tract and he should start feeling better. Once his levels were stable, we would discuss what the next steps were. I started the meds on Thursday.

We never had a chance to find out what would have happened. Malibu was still not eating. I was trying to assist feed with syringes for days but he wasn't taking any of it in. On Friday afternoon, I thought the meds were starting to work. He was walking around, talking a little bit. Loving on me. But Friday night was the worst night of our lives. He was suffering. Couldn't get comfortable. He weakened tremendously. I knew it was going to be our last night together. I didn't get a moment of sleep. I sung him Happy Birthday at midnight and I cried and I held him and I told him the last 12 years were the best of my life because of him.

I brought him to the vet first thing Saturday morning and freed him from his pain. I don't know if it was the worst birthday gift in the universe or if he was thankful. Either way, it was necessary. I loved him too much to let him feel that way a moment longer.

I am so heartbroken and lonely. I did everything to make sure my cats are healthy. I have an excellent pet insurance policy and I would have spent thousands of dollars saving his life if I could have. But it didn't matter how much money I had. I couldn't help him. In less than 5 days my entire life changed.

 

[foxden]

I'm so sorry for your loss. There's no way to prepare when they fall ill so suddenly.
You showed your love and devotion for him and allowed him to leave you.
That's the hardest decision a pet owner ever has to make.
I lost Kiki in just 3 days almost a year ago. The vets could not stabilize her enough to find out why she crashed.

 

[Monk'sMom]

abby2932, I am heartbroken reading this.
You did the right thing, but doing the right thing doesn't make anything easy.
And the most right thing of all was that you loved him.
Hugs.

 

[laura mae]

I'm so sorry. That's the worst to expect years with a friend and watch them go so quickly. Of course, there wasn't anything different you could do. While it may not be of great comfort when you simply wish it had been different, you did everything you could and right away.

 

[Antonio65]

I knew it was going to be our last night together. I didn't get a moment of sleep. I sung him Happy Birthday at midnight and I cried and I held him and I told him the last 12 years were the best of my life because of him.

These few lines say a lot about the love you had for each other.
These few lines made me burst with tears

You did everything you could, but Heaven needed Malibu beacause he was wonderful. Your dedication to him in his last days is outstanding. Thanks for giving him all the love of this world, he will forever grateful for this.

RIP Malibu.

 

[geodevos]

I had to put my best friend to sleep on Saturday morning (3/17/18). It was the morning of his 12th birthday. It's heartbreaking how these things just happened so fast and out of the blue. Malibu was so happy and healthy up until Monday.

I noticed he was feeling warm on Monday but he still ate his entire breakfast & dinner. He didn't eat breakfast on Tuesday morning so I brought him in to the vet immediately that morning. The vet sent me to a specialist for an abdominal radiograph on Wednesday. They told me that based on their findings, they suspect Large Cell Lymphoma but took samples from several organs while he was under anesthesia to confirm. They called me with the news on Thursday to say it is what they suspected. The cancer had spread to his spleen, lymph nodes and liver. Prognosis was poor. They offered their condolences.

After that phone call, my vet contacted me and we started discussing our options. Chemotherapy was on the table. But before we could do that, we need to get him on prednisolone immediately to help bring his bilirubin levels down. Since his liver was in such critical condition, he wouldn't be able to handle the chemo with it in that state. He told me the prednisolone and appetite stimulant would help with the inflammation in his GI tract and he should start feeling better. Once his levels were stable, we would discuss what the next steps were. I started the meds on Thursday.

We never had a chance to find out what would have happened. Malibu was still not eating. I was trying to assist feed with syringes for days but he wasn't taking any of it in. On Friday afternoon, I thought the meds were starting to work. He was walking around, talking a little bit. Loving on me. But Friday night was the worst night of our lives. He was suffering. Couldn't get comfortable. He weakened tremendously. I knew it was going to be our last night together. I didn't get a moment of sleep. I sung him Happy Birthday at midnight and I cried and I held him and I told him the last 12 years were the best of my life because of him.

I brought him to the vet first thing Saturday morning and freed him from his pain. I don't know if it was the worst birthday gift in the universe or if he was thankful. Either way, it was necessary. I loved him too much to let him feel that way a moment longer.

I am so heartbroken and lonely. I did everything to make sure my cats are healthy. I have an excellent pet insurance policy and I would have spent thousands of dollars saving his life if I could have. But it didn't matter how much money I had. I couldn't help him. In less than 5 days my entire life changed.

 

[geodevos]

You could not have known but that is little comfort I know. I have been there. I lost my Dinque (dinky) cat to bone cancer and after all these years I still feel pain and guilt. They blessed our lives with their lives. Dinque lives in my heart forever as Malibu lives in yours.

 

[javi3]

I'm so sorry for your loss of Malibu. I realize this was around a month ago but I know it still hurts very much. This really broke my heart. What a beautiful friendship you had.

 

[duckpond]

I am sorry for your loss. It always hurts to loose a loved one! Wishing you all a peaceful day!

 

[abby2932]

Thank you guys. This community has been such a vital help in these sad times.

I was so blind sighted and I miss Malibu terribly. We really had a strong connection and true love for each other. Sometimes I can't help but to "ugly" cry. It isn't every day, though. Everything feels so different and I'm still trying to adjust to life without my love bug in it.

I'm doing alright, though. Thank you all for reaching out and offering support with your kind words.

 

[javi3]

I know, it is so sad and it feels like a big part of your life has been ripped away. BTW, I look ugly when I cry hard too (I think most of us do). You will see him again, I firmly believe that. Lots of love.