I feel horrible.. help me

amandag1

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My 3 year old ragamuffin cat has severe HCM. Thankfully he has been stable at home on atenolol, blood thinner (xarelto), and lasix.
Occasionally, he has appetite issues, but they told me he wouldnt make it past a few months back in April 2019 when I first learned of his cardiac issues when he went into heart failure.

this past week , he has been eating less and less, and I remember this was a telltale sign of heart failure.
I tried everything, he was basically only eating 1/3rd or less of his normal intake (which is 1-2 cans a day and some dry Orijen). He peed twice outside his box and I thought maybe he has a UTI?

I took him into the vet tonight, they wouldnt let me in with him due to covid19 & I had a bad feeling about this.
He is EXTREMELY anxious, 24/7, not just at vets, all the time. Wont let my husband touch him. Runs from everyone, hides.
Stress and anxiety are the worst for cats with HCM as a stressful situation can propel them into heart failure or throwing a blood clot.
They took a chestxray, bloodwork, urine, and brought him back to me. Almost a minute after they left he started gasping, choking, heavy coughs bulging eyes and I thought they’d killed him.
He spit up pink liquid from gagging & I called them out again FRANTIC.
They took him, put oxygen to his nose (they didnt have a damn oxygen tank!!!!!) and finally let me in.
He was on oxygen for maybe 10 minutes and started to get rowdy and anxious. They gave him a lasix IM shot, and I scooped him up to bring him home so he is less scared.
He took gabapentin so he is drowsy but he looks so terrible at home, not labored breathing but fast breathing, and he urinated on himself and pooped but missed the box.i
I feel like I never should have put him in a stressful situation and just tried to ride it out at home.
He was not eating well at all but I feel like I screwed up and made him worse now.
Help me I am sooo terrified.
 

dkb817

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Please rest easy and know that your furbaby was likely already in a rough place with not feeling so hot and that you taking him to receive medical care was NOT the wrong move. I'm very much like you in that I play the "What if? This is all my fault!" game every time something goes wrong with my cat - but taking him to see that vet tonight might very well save his life in the long run.
 

Jcatbird

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Just sit quietly and let him understand he is home and all is well again. Can you try to visualize a calm place while with him? Someplace beautiful and restful that you love. Maybe just picture laying with him beside you and purring. You did the right thing by seeing to all his needs. We cannot all be vets so we must depend on them to provide the help. You did not abandon him, throw him away or cast him out. You did the most loving thing that any of us can do! You sought help. I wish every person who has a cat would show as much love as you are showing him. He does know that you are his rock. Just keep being his rock right now. He will feel that and become calmer. Let him rest and rest with him. Your regular breathing will be something he can hear and feel. It will be comforting to him. Much like a mother’s purr. We all sending healing purrs your way. :vibes::alright: Please do keep us updated.
 
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amandag1

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Thank you
Hes been wobbly due to the gabapentin but I feel like I messed up big time and put his heart into overworked mode.
What if he throws a clot and its because of this? 😫😖😢
 

Jcatbird

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What if this is exactly what he needed? What if you had kept him home and he had done worse? You would kick yourself for not taking him. He should be feeling pretty relaxed right now. The stress is gone and he is where he wants to be. I know it’s hard to make these decisions but sitting and doing nothing when your instincts told you to do something would be worse. Trust your instincts. You know him better than anyone I feel you knew he needed to be seen. None of us ever take them unless we feel the need. You did the right thing and he may benefit from what the vet saw. Give him and yourself a break. While he is medicated, try to take this time to take a deep breath and just rest. You probably need some.test. You must be rested to be there for him later. Let him enjoy being medicated and when he is alert again, maybe try hand feeding something he likes. Don’t give up! Cats often surprise us with their strength and durability.
 
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amandag1

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Update: he is doing better at home, drinking, walking, sleeping alot
But still not eating
No bloodwork results yet & his xray showed same HCM issues but not alot of fluid on his lungs....
He licks up some treats but really will not eat and I have tried ALL FOODS.
 

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I know you said all foods but I thought I would just list some things I use on my kitties when they need a boost. Did your baby get any sub q fluids or is that contraindicated? How about the lickable treats? Fancy feast pouch Broths? Gerber 2nd foods all meat baby food? Canned chicken breast all meat in water? (No onions or garlic etc.) Tuna canned in water? I know you may have already tried these things and they aren’t a balanced diet but if any of these might tempt kitty into a bit more nourishment, that would be so great. These things have worked for some of mine when they would not eat anything. I find that licking good off my finger or even a spoon seems interesting to them sometimes. I guess it just gives them a feeling of more attention. It sounds like your baby is actually doing much better than before. Drinking, walking and sleeping are all healing. I hope that will lead to more of an appetite. I will have you all in my thoughts and hopes.
 
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amandag1

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Thank you. He will have some lickable treats, squeeze ups.
I havent tried tuna or chicken in water, I will.
He ate a tiny bit of dry last night.
But he has been peeing outside of his box :(
I shampooed the carpets and used urine destroyer and this morning found he peed again.😞😞
 
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amandag1

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Heres the lab results
Vet said urine looked fine and he didnt seem concerned about any of the bloodwork values
He said kidney values are high but thats to be expected due to constant daily lasix
My baby still is not eating much & urinating outside his box....
The urinating outside the box is driving up us the wall. Ive scrubbed, used enzyme cleaner...... this isnt good :(
He goes in the box few times then out!
70BE248C-E1F3-4801-AFC8-8EFC0FD76F2E.jpeg

anyone have any input :(
I
 

Jcatbird

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Urinating outside the box can be fit many reasons. Check what stephanietx stephanietx asked about. As for cleaning, try putting puppy pee pads under the box to help with cleaning. They are cheap at Dollar General and easy to toss. Also, if the urine smells strong to kitty, then that is something cats will always avoid. That might be why the box is used a few times and then the next time is outside the box. You can try scooping it as often as possible. I hope some of the food choices will help. Sorry I wasn’t here to respond earlier. I have a sick kitty myself and a lot on my plate but I will be checking in regularly. :alright: You aren’t alone here. There is a time difference for many of our members who live far away but others will be along as they see your post.
 
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amandag1

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Thank you all <3 Last night he ate some more, but it was fancy feast purely natural s chicken and tuna. Anytime he has fish his stool gets looser, he had a loosy stool in the box this morning.
The vet seemed to not be concerned about the high kidney values because he is on a high dose of furosemide (lasix) which stresses his kidneys alot. As for high amylase- didnt comment.
I spoke to his cardiologist who sadly after his last cardiology check in March moved to a location way too far for us, he was kind enough to call me after I found his new practice.
He told me that I could try Pepcid 10mg and also Entyce.....any experience with Entyce?
Louie is already on mirataz/ mirtazepine .
 
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amandag1

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I am loosing this battle
Today he barely licked up the food.
He had 5 pieces of dry...
I got fortiflora sprinkled it on some Sheba... had a few licks and done
Boiled chicken.... few bites last night and done
Wont touch the a/d
Drinks alot of water.... pees... has daily bowel although today it was loosey (i suspect from all the tuna)
Tried crappy dry food like meow mix and kaboodle... nope
Fancy feast with cheese.... nope
He like licks his lips but wont eat. 😭😭😭😭😭😭
I ordered oxygen tank from pawprintoxygen.com , Im terrified he will have a heart failure/breathing issue

ive been giving him Hi calorie gel and squeeze up delectables... thats about all he will have
Hi calorie gel i have to squeeze directly into his mouth
 
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amandag1

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He isnt showing signs of extreme lethargy, he still roams the house, played a bit this morning , watched tv with us tonight but dang it wont eat!!
 
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amandag1

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He isnt showing signs of extreme lethargy, he still roams the house, played a bit this morning , watched tv with us tonight but dang it wont eat!!
I think the vet dismissed my claims that he isnt eating because on Fridays xray he said his stomach is full and colon is full....but that was from me chasing him down with treats that day and he emptied his colon on himself after that horrible visit :(
 

jefferd18

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I think the vet dismissed my claims that he isnt eating because on Fridays xray he said his stomach is full and colon is full....but that was from me chasing him down with treats that day and he emptied his colon on himself after that horrible visit :(

Could he be nauseated?
 
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