Lethargic but Eating & Drinking

AyashiVJ

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I found this webpage while searching for the subject matters . This is my first time posting . I hope to learn new responses and advices .

This is for my 7 years bi-color cat (tuxedo) . His name is Miu Miu (male & neutered) - now 7 KG in weight .

In Sept 2019 he had a very bad lung infection . I managed to send him to a vet for blood test and saved him just in time from the breathing difficulty attack . It was nerve-wrecking that time . He did not eat nor drink . He was positioning himself trying to gasp in oxygen . He was out of energy . Fortunately with the right meds , he recovered well in one month’s time and become normal again .

Long story short , fast forward to present day (after about two years) . Just in May-2021 , I realized he has a bit of runny nose and sneeze once in awhile . Brought him to vet and a 14-days of antibiotics is prescribed . I put him on boarding for monitoring . While starting the medication , on day 2 , the boarding vet clinic informed me they have a kitten tested positive for parvo which is in the same boarding room with my cat . I bring my cat home immediately . Since then , it has been more than two weeks by now . No signs of vomit not diarheaa till to date . So another vet I seek help from said he is safe . While on the remaining days of antibiotics , I have this new vet to visit my cat almost everyday until the antibiotics has been completed . During this period , we also did gradual transitioning to Royal Canin Stage-1 from his usual Royal Canin Fit32 + abit Royal Canin Gastro Fiber . After completion of antibiotics , we introduced supplement Cordy Plus to enhance his respiratory health . He still sneeze abit once in alternate day . Probiotics has also been introduced on alternate day . And also Cordy Hep+C which he seems not keen . Also have him walk outdoor more often now (as compared to last time) under my close supervision , hopefully he can reduce some of his weight .

Note that we did a urine strip test for Miu Miu . There r mild concern on his diabetes (1st lowest color code) , liver health (1st or 2nd lowest color code) and bladder health (1st or 2nd lowest color code) . If u check on the sept 2019 blood test report embedded , his glucose is high . Also the pancrease reading . Not too sure if it was some medicine that caused the spikes at that time . So it is strongly adv by vet to do another blood test to confirm .

What I have noticed these few days , he seems lethargic / less energetic . Usually he is very excited seeing me back home from work . Recently he just sleep in and has not greeted me whenever I am home . He will greet me (less excited version) if I walk up to him and call him . His antibiotics completed on 9th June . Now waiting to do blood test on 24th June . Just felt that he has been sleeping a lot BUT is eating and drinking somewhat normal. He finishes his food or snack I gave him . But if I put the Cordy Hep+C supplement in his dry food , he will not finish up his dry food . I am not sure if it’s due to the recent changes (antibiotics , supplement , gradual transition of Royal Canin dry food , more outdoor walk) or is he sick internally 😢

I also have two different vets tostethoscope check on him . Both vet said normal - lung and heart .

A challenging factor that really stress me is that in my country , there r no vet with X-ray or MRI or CTscan . None . I am afraid the blood test could not be sufficient to diagnose the mystery .

I’m feeling pretty stress out while need to wait till next Thursday for the blood test . And result will be out after another three days .

Hope to receive some feedback / thoughts out there .
 

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FeebysOwner

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Hi and welcome to TCS! I think you need to wait for the results of the upcoming blood tests before you get too worried. Blood tests from 2 years ago might not mean anything now. The fact that he is eating and drinking fairly normally are good signs.

How long have you been walking him? If it hasn't been that long, it could be that he isn't used to it and it is tiring him out. And, of course, his weight may be contributing to that.

If you are concerned about his exposure to parvo - if he has been vaccinated in the past for it, it will likely not be an issue. He is also not demonstrating the typical signs outside of lethargy which could be related to just about anything. The vet should be able to test for it when you have the blood tests done, if that will put your mind at peace.
 
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AyashiVJ

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Hi and welcome to TCS! I think you need to wait for the results of the upcoming blood tests before you get too worried. Blood tests from 2 years ago might not mean anything now. The fact that he is eating and drinking fairly normally are good signs.

How long have you been walking him? If it hasn't been that long, it could be that he isn't used to it and it is tiring him out. And, of course, his weight may be contributing to that.

If you are concerned about his exposure to parvo - if he has been vaccinated in the past for it, it will likely not be an issue. He is also not demonstrating the typical signs outside of lethargy which could be related to just about anything. The vet should be able to test for it when you have the blood tests done, if that will put your mind at peace.
Thank you for your reply .
Yes he is yearly vaccinated and dewormed . I also double checked with his past vet (which has been transferred to a far away city) about his vaccination against parvo ; he confirmed it .

I let him walk outdoor for averagely 6 times a week now (started beginning of Jun 2021) . Each time about 1 hour . As compared to last time it was about 3 times a week .

Because I almost lost him once in Sept 2019 , I become quite paranoid now .

I hope I stop being so anxious as there are still days till Thursday blood test plus 3 more days waiting for result . Urgh ! This is driving me crazy .
 
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AyashiVJ

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:hangin:Hang in there! Overall, it doesn't sound bad. Keeping my fingers crossed that he at least stays 'status quo' until you can get the blood work done and see the results. :vibes::vibes::crossfingers::crossfingers::crossfingers::crossfingers: Keep us posted, please!
I have just fed him . He did come to his usual meal spot waiting for breakfast . Poo and pee all normal . No vomit no diarheaa . After eaten , he sit up awhile and go back into his bed to sleep . He looks tired . His self-grooming seems lesser than usual too .

Other behavior I noticed ; recently when I let him outdoor to roam nearby , he stay within our garden . The usual him , he would roam to neighbor’s garden . Recently he has not . And when there’s stray cat fight nearby , he seems to run opposite direction of the noise . Usually he would walk up towards the noise to see what’s wrong .

Will keep you posted .
 

FeebysOwner

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I will say, in his favor, he knows he is not wanting to take a chance of getting into any squabbles, so very wise of him to stay away from that. Ask the vet if there are any other tests that they can run regarding to his energy level besides the standard blood work.
 
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AyashiVJ

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I will say, in his favor, he knows he is not wanting to take a chance of getting into any squabbles, so very wise of him to stay away from that. Ask the vet if there are any other tests that they can run regarding to his energy level besides the standard blood work.
Hello again .
There an update on Miu Miu . I noticed he has his left rear leg limping . This symptom just show today . No external injury . I do not remember seeing him jumping from heights these few days . Three days ago I did notice his tail is waggling at an unusual ‘style’ . My guess was perhaps he is unwell so the tail is showing such behavior . If it is a muscle / bone injury , will it only show after few days later ? He is sitting in such a way to avoid much pressure apply to his left leg . I do not know if there’s any swollen even if by looking .

He seems to be in the mood to outdoor today . I did let him out . He walked abit , rest and repeat 4-5 times until he finds himself a comfort spot and chill there .
 

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He may have injured his leg more recently than you think. With his weight and lethargy, he could have attempted a move that irritated some muscles or one of his joints. You could try massaging his leg and see if it bothers him for it to be touched/moved. Cats who carry extra weight tend to be affected by arthritis earlier in life.

I don't know how you can go about it, but I would be searching for an animal hospital or other animal resource center for an x-ray. Surely, someone has to have one somewhere. I wouldn't have thought an x-ray would be necessary as a routine part of a check up for him, until this limp came about. But, it could also very easily resolve itself in a few days if all he did was aggravate a muscle or joint.
 

fionasmom

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Is this an actual limp or is he down on his hock? I have had two diabetic cats and while his glucose is in a low range it is in a general area to be watched. One of my cats was overweight, did not groom, and was lethargic. I hope that this is not another issue you could be facing, but I would stay on top of the question of diabetes.
 
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AyashiVJ

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He may have injured his leg more recently than you think. With his weight and lethargy, he could have attempted a move that irritated some muscles or one of his joints. You could try massaging his leg and see if it bothers him for it to be touched/moved. Cats who carry extra weight tend to be affected by arthritis earlier in life.

I don't know how you can go about it, but I would be searching for an animal hospital or other animal resource center for an x-ray. Surely, someone has to have one somewhere. I wouldn't have thought an x-ray would be necessary as a routine part of a check up for him, until this limp came about. But, it could also very easily resolve itself in a few days if all he did was aggravate a muscle or joint.
I got the Vet for home-visit yesterday . His right leg was seen limping and left leg abit swollen upon palpated . But there are improvement day-by-day ; he walks better . So suspect muscle sprain . We shall see again in these two days .

He is also seen less lethargic . Im kinda relieved for now .

On that same day I noticed his limping hind legs , I also realized black dots on his fur . Yes ! Bad sign of bugs . It was confirmed by Vet he got fleas and has spread over to my other 3 cats . Sigh ! Spot-on meds has been applied to all my cats yesterday . The best I can do now for them .

If Miu Miu's hind leg limping is gone by Thursday , his blood test appointment shall continue as per planned .
 
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AyashiVJ

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Is this an actual limp or is he down on his hock? I have had two diabetic cats and while his glucose is in a low range it is in a general area to be watched. One of my cats was overweight, did not groom, and was lethargic. I hope that this is not another issue you could be facing, but I would stay on top of the question of diabetes.
Hello . Thanks for your message . As soon as u mentioned he could be walking on his hocks , I researched via google and came across something about Diabetes Neuropathy . Luckily it has been confirmed by Vet yesterday he is not walking on his hocks . And there are actually improvement seen on his limping condition the next day . Hope he recovers fast . All I need to wait now is the blood test appointment .
 

fionasmom

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Yes, I did mean diabetic neuropathy but it has a very specific look which is very identifiable. If your cat has a true limp, and your vet has agreed, you are all clear on that account.....thankfully!
 
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AyashiVJ

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Yes, I did mean diabetic neuropathy but it has a very specific look which is very identifiable. If your cat has a true limp, and your vet has agreed, you are all clear on that account.....thankfully!
His limping is almost completely gone ! Im so glad ! And he is not looking lethargic anymore .

But still , worry for the fleas and upcoming blood test . I have applied NutriVet Defense for Cats on Sunday night . Today is Tuesday morning . And I noticed he got irritation on the spot-on area . Urgh ! Frustration . Neverending problems ! Told my vet about it . We just have to wait some more and observe for the time being . My other 3 cats also used the same spot-on med same time . They do not have red irritation but just scratch a little .

My worries seems to be neverending :'(
I am anxious about the blood test , also paranoid about the cat fleas because Im somewhat a clean freak ...
 

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fionasmom

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Don't use any additional flea preparations now as you just treated your cats. Reactions to these products can vary from cat to cat. I have one cat who breaks out from Revolution, but no one else does.
 
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AyashiVJ

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Hello . Sorry for the late updates .

The blood test result has been received last week . It seems like I'm just being paranoid . However, their liver reading seems slightly over the border / ideal range . They need liver supplement to boost its wellness . And my cats are now naughty and energetic like usual .

Two issues I'm now encountering ...

1) They avoid the bitter liver supplement (very smart of them !) . I can't seems to feed them with it . Tried few different methods . Feel guilty to force into them . So now my last option is to get those empty capsule (made of gelatin) and hide inside their food . I will order it as I can't find in my town . Should be receiving them end of the month .

2) The fleas problem ... Spot-on med was applied on 20th June . These recent days , I see abit black dots on their fur . I wonder if the spot-on med is working ? effective ? Or this is normal , in the sense of killed fleas will surface up ?
 

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If the supplement is bitter won't they taste it in their food if you open the capsules? Try some strongly flavored food.

Pilling Cats: Must-know Tips For Hiding Pills – TheCatSite Articles

The spot on might be working just fine, but it won't prevent new fleas, which it should kill, from jumping on your cat. Don't reapply before the next due date unless you specifically talk to your vet. It is possible to see flea dirt but not have active fleas.
 
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