Hoping Someone Else Has Dealt With This Too

[Lmd0524]

i have a 13 cat who 2months ago decided she wasn’t going to eat anymore. She wanted food badley but would refuse what ever I tried. She dropped weight fast and started throwing up every day. We have taken her to three different vets, have had several blood tests, X-rays and ultra sounds over the last 2months. They all agree they can’t find anything wrong with her that’s she’s in great shape with no concerns for her age and have no idea what’s going on. They all prescribed a appetite stimulant which has worked tremendously and has gained some weight back. We have 7 more pills and 15 days to go before her next follow up where he wants to take her off the pill. I’m nervous to take her off bc I’m afraid it’s the only thing making her eat. She still gets sick every morning and I was told it’s bc the pills they aren’t supposed to be a long term solution that it’s hard on her tummy. She’s on prescription urgent care diet as well for the last 2 months
When vets are baffled, I’m hoping someone out there has some ideas or expierence in this situation.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated

 

[Furballsmom]

Hello
Im sorry that I don't have any worthwhile ideas, but I'm sending all my good thoughts that she is stable after the meds are done

 

[stephanietx]

Did they check her teeth and do any kind of bloodwork to check her kidneys?

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ I assume the all the doctors did a dental exam ? The "can't find anything wrong" diagnosis has happened all too often with me - only to find out it was something simple or to have kitty die .
Your cat is getting old. In elderly people mood disorders - depression in particular - can cause loss of appetite. Stomach/digestive disorders ; dementia ; chronic pain can also kill appetite.
Is your cat lonely ? Have you tried steaming chicken ? I have had a few very old cats get lethargic and loose interest . I gave them more attention, held them and talked to them more. I would fuss over them and they responded by being more interested in life.
You'll get more ideas from others here. Good luck ...

 

[Lmd0524]

Are cats that mysterious that idk i common diagnosis? Yes she’s been checked for everything even food allergies. One dr did tell me “she’s old and just be prepared” that didn’t go over to well with me

 

[JamesCalifornia]

One dr did tell me “she’s old and just be prepared” that didn’t go over to well with me

~ Yes that's true - 13 is old for kitty cats. Like people they get tired, stiff and perhaps a little arthritis. Some age more quickly than others.
I would fuss over her and I think she will enjoy the attention. Give her treats like sardines in olive oil, canned salmon. One woman I know gives her cats canned mackerel for a treat. Now I do it also when it's cheap ( $1. )
Cat crazy people like us spoil our pets and worry a lot. Many here have had older cats live 20 years. If they feel wanted they are happy.

 

[posiepurrs]

Did the vet try anything for nausea? A cat won't eat if nauseated. Also, did they check to see if the cats nose was clear (no polyops)? A cats appetite is triggered by smell mostly so if they can't smell the food they don't eat. I have a girl (almost 16 years old) who periodically stops eating. Vet never found the cause. I just syringe feed her until she decides to eat again - usually about a week. Beef broth can be used to feed. It isn't the broth you buy though. Take a piece of beef and place in a heat proof jar. Put the lid on loosely, but tight enough water can't enter the jar. Place in a pot of simmering water and simmer until all of the juices in the meat are extracted and the meat looks dried out. Discard the meat. You can use this broth for extremely ill cats. If the cat won't lap it up, use a syringe to feed her.

 

[Maria Bayote]

I don't know if this will help. When one of my cats lost her appetite, the vet told me to try to feed her boiled chicken liver, mashed or grated, mixed with her cat food, in small quantities. It worked.

Goodluck. I hope your cat gets better with her appetite much soon.

 

[Jem]

The top 4 reasons (that I've noticed) for a cat to stop eating are pain/infection (from ANYWHERE in the body), nausea/tummy upset, stress, and lack of sense of smell.
So my questions for you are...
If you present her with food, does she lick her lips or smack her mouth at all?
Have you notice (over time) if she is less active, not jumping as high, not stretching out as much, not grooming her lower body as much?
How is her fur and skin condition? Does she shed a lot?
Is she overweight?
How are her pooping habits? What do the stools look like?
Have you tried hairball treatments?
Did the vet mention anything about trying antacids? Maybe with her age she has developed acid reflux???
What does her vomit look like? Hairballs? bile? undigested regurgitation? And when does she seem to throw-up? Before a meal (if she ate) after a meal, after not eating for a while?
Did the vet do a thorough exam of her mouth? Not just the teeth? perhaps she has an ulcer that is not easily seen?
I would consider doing an ultrasound of her throat/larynx to check for tumor, polyps, irritation....as well as her nasal passages to check for the same.
Does she drool? Swallow more?
How are her eyes? are they runny/watery (with or without colored discharge)?
have you noticed extra mucus in her vomit? or any sneezing, or runny nose?

I can't think of anymore questions right now, and sorry for all the details I'm asking of you, but the more details the better

 

[Lmd0524]

Thanks for the ideas of food and things to ask the vet to take a further look at. Jem a lot of those questions no ones ever asked me so I will be asking lots of questions on her next visit thank you!!!

 

[Lmd0524]

Went for another visit today . More X-rays and lots of different meds were sent home. Still no diagnosis.
I’m trying to look up the meds they gave us but google isn’t that great at locating cat meds or I’m doing it wrong. Does anyone know of a website that will explain what the meds are for any any side effects or warnings?

 

[Furballsmom]

Umm, petmed ?

 

[Lmd0524]

Umm, petmed ?

Never thought to go strait to the source. I’ll give it a try, thanks for the suggestion

 

[Jem]

One thing I've noticed is many medications (at least from my experiences) are human meds in small doses. Anytime I've ever looked up a medication online, I just typed the full name of the medication and it usually pops up with what it's used for.
Also, anytime I was given medication it came with documentation about the medication, did your vet or pharmacist not provide you with the documentation?

If you don't mind, list all the medications your kitty is getting. Some people here might be able to help you out.

 

[Teri122]

13 certainly is not old for a cat .What kind of vet would even say this?!

 

[Lmd0524]

I’m also used to getting those multiple page documents with people meds but not this time. But this is also my first sick animal so I don’t know what’s normal. I’m sure they tried to tell me what they were for but there’s 9 meds and all at once it was a little overwhelming to say the least. I want to thank everyone for their time and thoughts and ideas here. Someone gave me a great idea to take her to the college in my state so that’s what we are doing. Sadly 5 week wait. Ugh.
I know there was also someone else on here having the same or close to the same issues and I hope your kitty is doing better.

 

[Furballsmom]

Someone gave me a great idea to take her to the college in my state so that’s what we are doing.

I'm sending all my good thoughts and prayers that your kitty hangs in there, and that the people there are able to help you

 

[LTS3]

I’m trying to look up the meds they gave us but google isn’t that great at locating cat meds or I’m doing it wrong. Does anyone know of a website that will explain what the meds are for any any side effects or warnings?

A lot of medicines prescribed for pets are actually Human medicines used off label. The label on the package of medicine should say the name of the medicine, such as Metronidazole or a common brand name (Flagyl is the common brand name for metronidazole). Google that plus "cat" (Metronidazole for cats). That should give you some results.

Wedgewood Pharmacy has a list of common medicines prescribed for pets and info on each: Medication Information for Pet and Horse Owners

It's a good idea to keep a list of all the medications a pet is on as well as the dosage and frequency for each and what the medicine is for.

 

[Lmd0524]

I've learned a very valuable lesson with all of this. Family veterinarians are great for wellness checks and vaccines but I would highly recommend to anyone who has a sick animal to just skip the fam vet and find an internal medicine vet. Porkchop saw 5 different vets and one er vet, had multiple X-ray's, blood work and ultrasounds just to keep being told we can't find the root of her problem here's some meds to treat the symptoms. If you're lucky enough like I was and live in driving distance to a veterinarian college...go there. I had no idea this was even an option when it was suggested to me after 3 months of trying to help Porkchop. I hope all the other fur kids here that were asking about similar issues I was talking with have been able to get the help they needed. Thank you to everything here who helped me.

 

[Furballsmom]

So what happened? What did they say? How is porkchop?