Gastroenteritis

[azshua]

Recently, my fifteen year old kitty, Meejee, was diagnosed with gastroenteritis. The vet did blood work and tested his thyroid, and to his (and my) shock, the results were excellent. He was given a shot of Depo (I can't remember the full name) and antibiotics. The vet said that Meejee also has a high heart rate, 270 beats per minute. He's still eating, though not as much as he should be. If he eats dry kibble, he usually throws it up. I've been giving him Lil Shakes mostly (he usually scarfs them down) and other types of wet food, though he only nibbles at anything that isn't a Lil Shake. My fear is that the wet food might be what set all of this off because it didn't seem to be a major issue until I started giving the cats wet food daily rather than as an occasional treat, but he doesn't eat enough kibble alone. I'm wondering if anyone might have any advice? He's skinny and I'm really concerned. Also, is this something that might have to be treated with the Depo shot on a regular basis in some cases? I can't call his vet because they're closed for vacation. I'm just wondering what others have experienced with this sort of thing as this is new to me. I'm afraid it might be close time to say goodbye, but the blood work being normal has me confused. He has had problems with throwing up most of his life (not a daily thing, more like a time or two a week), so maybe it's a food allergy causing it? I did see a video (unrelated to cats as it was about a boy who died from an allergic reaction to fish) where they listed a few symptoms of food allergies, and it included nausea, diarrhea, and rapid heartbeat. These cats have been putting me through the wringer this year. I'm also currently waiting for results to come back on a mass removed from another cat's mouth. Hoping it's not cancer in him or Meejee. Thank you for reading and for any advice that can be given.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. At 15 yo, a cat can have issues with no specific thing to pinpoint it to. I can't imagine that wet food alone would cause this, as many cats are fed a wet food only diet all their lives and don't experience gastroenteritis. Yes, it is true that any cat can develop an allergy to food at any point in time of their lives, so you certainly can't rule that out. But food allergies would cross over from dry food to wet food if it were protein-based related. There are also fillers in both kinds of food that could become a culprit.

Depo Medrol - is a steroid and is often used when gastrointestinal issues come to play, especially ones that cannot be connected to any one specific thing. Hard at this point to tell if he will need them on a longer-term basis.

The rapid heartbeat could also be tied to the vet visit (anxiety). You can check his heart rate at home by counting his breaths per minute - most ideally when he is resting or sleeping. One inhale/exhale counts as one breath per minute, and you just count by the rise and fall in his chest as one count. Do it for 30 seconds and multiple by 2 to get the total breaths per minute. Mid 20s is ideal, but under 30 is acceptable.

My cat loves Lil Shakers too, but as far as I know they are not complete cat food. See if he might like Tiki Cat Mousse - similar in consistency, but complete nutritionally.

I am also including a link below of previous posts about gastroenteritis should you want to look through them while you wait to hear from others on the site.

Having good blood work results is a positive thing for Meejee, so I'd keep working at a solution for now. Keep the faith, hang in there - with regard to both of your cats, and keep us posted with updates/questions.

Search Results for Query: gastroenteritis | TheCatSite

 

[azshua]

Hi. At 15 yo, a cat can have issues with no specific thing to pinpoint it to. I can't imagine that wet food alone would cause this, as many cats are fed a wet food only diet all their lives and don't experience gastroenteritis. Yes, it is true that any cat can develop an allergy to food at any point in time of their lives, so you certainly can't rule that out. But food allergies would cross over from dry food to wet food if it were protein-based related. There are also fillers in both kinds of food that could become a culprit.

Depo Medrol - is a steroid and is often used when gastrointestinal issues come to play, especially ones that cannot be connected to any one specific thing. Hard at this point to tell if he will need them on a longer-term basis.

The rapid heartbeat could also be tied to the vet visit (anxiety). You can check his heart rate at home by counting his breaths per minute - most ideally when he is resting or sleeping. One inhale/exhale counts as one breath per minute, and you just count by the rise and fall in his chest as one count. Do it for 30 seconds and multiple by 2 to get the total breaths per minute. Mid 20s is ideal, but under 30 is acceptable.

My cat loves Lil Shakers too, but as far as I know they are not complete cat food. See if he might like Tiki Cat Mousse - similar in consistency, but complete nutritionally.

I am also including a link below of previous posts about gastroenteritis should you want to look through them while you wait to hear from others on the site.

Having good blood work results is a positive thing for Meejee, so I'd keep working at a solution for now. Keep the faith, hang in there - with regard to both of your cats, and keep us posted with updates/questions.

Search Results for Query: gastroenteritis | TheCatSite

Thank you so much for your reply and for the link. His breaths per minute are normally around thirty (mostly spot on thirty the times I've counted). I'm so paranoid about cancer because several family members have had it, as have I, though up until this point, out of all the cats I've had over the years, none have been diagnosed. I'm hoping it remains that way. This has been a bad year for my kitties getting sick (all nine have gotten sick with various issues).

I did forget to mention that he had tapeworms a couple of months ago, which I treated, so the vet did a fecal and didn't find anything there, either. I also wonder if it's common for cats with gastroenteritis to meow when they go to the litter box. Not meowing when he actually uses it, but he'll wander around and meow, get in, get out, and so on, though not every time. I do wonder if he knows that's one way to get my attention and get his way, lol, because he'll often look at me to see if I'm looking. And he also will do it after I've told him no when he tries to knock stuff off the table. I know cats can be smart with things like that. Another worry I have is hepatic lipidosis. I'm aware it's an issue that can happen, though I don't know how common it is. I'm just a bundle of raw nerves, LOL.

I will get some Tiki Cat Mousse as you suggested and see if he will eat that. I'm considering adding water to some regular wet food in a blender and turn it into something like the Lil Shakes. He (like the others) can get picky with wet food, which is so frustrating. Yet they'll eat the same kibble day after day.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I also wonder if it's common for cats with gastroenteritis to meow when they go to the litter box. Not meowing when he actually uses it, but he'll wander around and meow, get in, get out, and so on, though not every time. I do wonder if he knows that's one way to get my attention and get his way, lol, because he'll often look at me to see if I'm looking. And he also will do it after I've told him no when he tries to knock stuff off the table. I know cats can be smart with things like that. Another worry I have is hepatic lipidosis. I'm aware it's an issue that can happen, though I don't know how common it is.

Still eating, even though not his 'regular' amount probably would preclude hepatic lipidosis. Take that off your worry list for now, IMO. The meowing, especially while not specifically in the litter box, could be a lot of things. Some of it might have to do with just not feeling great, and the meowing is telling you so. It could also be a sign of some degree of arthritis. Is he on any sort of supplements for that?

I will get some Tiki Cat Mousse as you suggested and see if he will eat that. I'm considering adding water to some regular wet food in a blender and turn it into something like the Lil Shakes.

I think adding some water to his food and blending it is a very good idea!!

 

[iPappy]

Thank you so much for your reply and for the link. His breaths per minute are normally around thirty (mostly spot on thirty the times I've counted). I'm so paranoid about cancer because several family members have had it, as have I, though up until this point, out of all the cats I've had over the years, none have been diagnosed. I'm hoping it remains that way. This has been a bad year for my kitties getting sick (all nine have gotten sick with various issues).

I did forget to mention that he had tapeworms a couple of months ago, which I treated, so the vet did a fecal and didn't find anything there, either. I also wonder if it's common for cats with gastroenteritis to meow when they go to the litter box. Not meowing when he actually uses it, but he'll wander around and meow, get in, get out, and so on, though not every time. I do wonder if he knows that's one way to get my attention and get his way, lol, because he'll often look at me to see if I'm looking. And he also will do it after I've told him no when he tries to knock stuff off the table. I know cats can be smart with things like that. Another worry I have is hepatic lipidosis. I'm aware it's an issue that can happen, though I don't know how common it is. I'm just a bundle of raw nerves, LOL.

I will get some Tiki Cat Mousse as you suggested and see if he will eat that. I'm considering adding water to some regular wet food in a blender and turn it into something like the Lil Shakes. He (like the others) can get picky with wet food, which is so frustrating. Yet they'll eat the same kibble day after day.

Feeby's Mom summed it up so well, but I'm so sorry that you've had such a rough time with your health, the health of your family and your cats getting sick.
My cats go nutso for Tiki Cat anything. It's a delicacy around here! I hope he enjoys it as much as mine do!
IDK what it is about kibble, but cats seem to imprint on a favorite early in life and stubbornly cling to it. I had a cat who would touch nothing else except Purina Cat Chow, and another who was life threateningly stubborn about only wanting dry Meow Mix!
It's weird how we go from living our lives and things are cool and normal, then our pet(s) get sick and our routine changes in a second and our lives revolve around how they're feeling. I can't speak for anyone except myself, but I don't think that feeling of being a bundle of raw nerves is anything most pet lovers haven't experienced before so please understand you're not alone in that! I really hope things improve and your little guy feels better very soon.

 

[azshua]

I'm happy to report that he is feeling much better today. He's eating more and being a ham for attention. I gave him colloidal silver yesterday and today in his food and plan to make a weaker solution so I can give it to him daily from now on, or maybe just for a while and see how he does without it for a few days. I also discovered one of the cans of wet food I bought the other day is a very soft pate by Pure Harmony, the turkey and giblets recipe flavor. Also, no puking since yesterday so far! And no acting weird about the litter box. I'm praying my heart out, too!

Still eating, even though not his 'regular' amount probably would preclude hepatic lipidosis. Take that off your worry list for now, IMO. The meowing, especially while not specifically in the litter box, could be a lot of things. Some of it might have to do with just not feeling great, and the meowing is telling you so. It could also be a sign of some degree of arthritis. Is he on any sort of supplements for that?

I think adding some water to his food and blending it is a very good idea!!

Thank you for the reassurance! He's not on any kind of supplements. He seems to get around fine, doesn't appear stiff or anything. Or are they really good at hiding that, too? And thanks! I did it in the past when having to syringe feed cats (he was one of them back in 2015 when he had mycoplasmosis). I've had to syringe feed four cats this year alone (he was one, too, though only for a day or two).

I was reading a few other threads in this forum and saw others talk about their kitties having something like a stomach virus, which is what we've been experiencing here. Most of mine continued to eat dry kibble (not as much as normal), but wouldn't touch wet food while they were sick. I've found myself wondering if they might not have caught covid, since it has weird symptoms. A few had eye issues and some were sneezing, but not all of them. It has been an odd year, to say the least, haha.

Feeby's Mom summed it up so well, but I'm so sorry that you've had such a rough time with your health, the health of your family and your cats getting sick.
My cats go nutso for Tiki Cat anything. It's a delicacy around here! I hope he enjoys it as much as mine do!
IDK what it is about kibble, but cats seem to imprint on a favorite early in life and stubbornly cling to it. I had a cat who would touch nothing else except Purina Cat Chow, and another who was life threateningly stubborn about only wanting dry Meow Mix!
It's weird how we go from living our lives and things are cool and normal, then our pet(s) get sick and our routine changes in a second and our lives revolve around how they're feeling. I can't speak for anyone except myself, but I don't think that feeling of being a bundle of raw nerves is anything most pet lovers haven't experienced before so please understand you're not alone in that! I really hope things improve and your little guy feels better very soon.

Thank you! Yeah, my cats really like the Purina Naturals Kitten Chow (I grabbed a bag of it by mistake because they look the same, and they decided they preferred it over the adult, lol). But now they're getting some of that and a freeze dried raw coated kibble that they really love. I was worried they wouldn't eat it. Well, one of them still prefers the kitten chow. She's a VERY picky eater and will only eat a few types of wet food. I've gradually moved the rest to eating more of the raw coated kibble. It's a bit difficult feeding nine cats when there are different issues with them. One is allergic to artificial ingredients, one is intolerant to them, and two can't have white fish. Meejee will immediately throw up after eating anything with white fish in it, but he can have tuna and salmon.

It does help to know I'm not alone with being a bundle of raw nerves. Of course, I would prefer to be alone in that since not being alone means others have to suffer from it. I guess it's part of the territory. I've been watching vet shows (my daughter got me hooked) and see many others who are the same.