Mystery Kitten

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T.O.

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I could scream into the void. The brother (creator of the Craigslist ad) of the kid I got Billy Ghost from is telling me his brother fed the cat well and he was never at this other home. And anything peculiar about the cat is due to his personality and adjusting to his new home.
!!!
Friday vs Wednesday
 

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I could scream into the void. The brother (creator of the Craigslist ad) of the kid I got Billy Ghost from is telling me his brother fed the cat well and he was never at this other home. And anything peculiar about the cat is due to his personality and adjusting to his new home.
!!!
Friday vs Wednesday
Being plucked out of bed and brought to the litter box, water bowl, food bowl vs. playing
 
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Being plucked out of bed and brought to the litter box, water bowl, food bowl vs. playing
Sleeping all day vs. checking out his new space
Having to have food pushed in his mouth vs. eating over a can of wet food a day
 
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People never like to admit they've done anything wrong, particularly where animals are concerned.

You saved him, we all know that.

:rock:
I also have a wicked temper. So 🤷‍♀️
Who here wouldn’t recognize a sick cat on first site? Who here doesn’t know how a cat acts to a new environment? Nothing. Nothing about this is normal. I thought he was going to die the first night.
 
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We are having a less than ideal day. His appetite dropped off. Idk if that’s because he got up to the weight he needed and is self regulating? But he’s a little more sleepy today. A little less playful. I finally got something in him by mixing kitten formula with sour cream, of all things. I did start noticing possible signs of a cold on top of everything else. A little goop in the eyes (not much) and some wet delicate sneezes, you’d almost miss them if you weren’t holding him.

But dang! If he was running a virus over ear mites that’d explain a lot.
 
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That happens. It will take a while for his body to adjust to having regular food, so his appetite will go up and down.

Try a few different treat and keep them only for days when he's reluctant to eat anything else. Steamed chicken breast is usually a winner. Dry treats like Mon Petit Crispy Kisses work wonders if any of mine are off colour. It's not the sort of thing you'd feed regularly, but if you're really struggling to get a cat to eat something like that can help.

Has anyone mentioned Gerber's stage 2 baby food plain meat flavours yet? Commonly known as kitty crack on the forums.

Did you get chance to speak to your regular vet yet?
 
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That happens. It will take a while for his body to adjust to having regular food, so his appetite will go up and down.

Try a few different treat and keep them only for days when he's reluctant to eat anything else. Steamed chicken breast is usually a winner. Dry treats like Mon Petit Crispy Kisses work wonders if any of mine are off colour. It's not the sort of thing you'd feed regularly, but if you're really struggling to get a cat to eat something like that can help.

Has anyone mentioned Gerber's stage 2 baby food plain meat flavours yet? Commonly known as kitty crack on the forums.

Did you get chance to speak to your regular vet yet?
Thank you!!! I feel like I’m losing my mind.
 
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I am so disappointed. Despite the TLC. The obvious signs of feeling better. Better muscle tone. Grooming. Playing. Healthy appetite. Alertness. Everything on the outside looking good. His recheck on the liver values wasn’t. One of the numbers apparently went down while the other went up. We went from 160 to 360. And his kidneys are also showing high numbers now. Image of the results for people who know how to read this stuff.
Is he going to break my heart?
 

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FeebysOwner

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Maybe it is just going to take more time for him to rebound. If I were you, I would compare these results with his last, make a list of questions about what you see and ask to have a dialog with the vet. Do you have a list of what these items are so you have a basic understanding of them? If not, here is one (see below). There are tons of similar documents on the internet, but I thought this one in particular was helpful.
 

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Maybe it is just going to take more time for him to rebound. If I were you, I would compare these results with his last, make a list of questions about what you see and ask to have a dialog with the vet. Do you have a list of what these items are so you have a basic understanding of them? If not, here is one (see below). There are tons of similar documents on the internet, but I thought this one in particular was helpful.
Ugh! Thank you. I tried to look up congenital liver issues because that’s what this vet keeps suggesting ... but he has literally zero of the symptoms.
 

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Ugh! Thank you. I tried to look up congenital liver issues because that’s what this vet keeps suggesting ... but he has literally zero of the symptoms.
I have no way of knowing that, but I am curious why the vet is talking 'congenital' as opposed to fatty liver disease brought on by starvation (prior to your care). Especially since Billy Ghost has improved so much.

Also, a lot of times an ultra sound will be done to take a better look at the liver and its structure - even a simple x-ray might help, which generally doesn't require sedation. There are ton of stuff that can be behind issues with the liver, not necessarily because of the liver itself. And, many, if not most, are very treatable.

If not mentioned before, you might consider getting a copy of all Billy Ghost's records and getting a second opinion (from a vet in an entirely different practice, in order to avoid colleague bias). I know you said previously that you don't think that vets should have to run so many tests to determine issues with a cat, but hopefully you are starting to see that is probably the opposite of true. Vets can only speculate based on their education/training - their speculations can generally only be proven/disproven through testing.
 
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I have no way of knowing that, but I am curious why the vet is talking 'congenital' as opposed to fatty liver disease brought on by starvation (prior to your care). Especially since Billy Ghost has improved so much.

Also, a lot of times an ultra sound will be done to take a better look at the liver and its structure - even a simple x-ray might help, which generally doesn't require sedation. There are ton of stuff that can be behind issues with the liver, not necessarily because of the liver itself. And, many, if not most, are very treatable.

If not mentioned before, you might consider getting a copy of all Billy Ghost's records and getting a second opinion (from a vet in an entirely different practice, in order to avoid colleague bias). I know you said previously that you don't think that vets should have to run so many tests to determine issues with a cat, but hopefully you are starting to see that is probably the opposite of true. Vets can only speculate based on their education/training - their speculations can generally only be proven/disproven through testing.
This vet did say we could do an ultrasound... but he doesn’t do that in his office. I’d have to go to an emergency vet about two hours away for that. I’m not against testing. I’m against across the board testing without using your knowledge to hone in on the issue. I have met vets in the past who would run every test rather than think about the problem at hand. I don’t want to go to the doctor and pay for tests unrelated to my healthcare issue. The vet should know their business. Idk how exactly to explain the difference between a vet who will do unnecessary treatments and tests and one that won’t.
 
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I should add we are currently living on the road... so it gets more complicated than it needs to be in seeking veterinarian care. We lingered in an area longer than we wanted to get that follow up appointment. I do have the info I need to follow up with my vet at home or a vet on the road (if need be).
 

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Idk how exactly to explain the difference between a vet who will do unnecessary treatments and tests and one that won’t.
I tend to think running a CBC and Chemistry Profile is necessary. Then, a vet should take the results, factor in the 'symptoms' and 'history' to determine what the next viable steps would be. As you said, a vet should be able to hone in on what to do next - with the above 3 elements.

I didn't mean anything by what I said to you, honestly. I just think that because the liver can be affected by so many other things, more testing is needed before a vet could possibly say it's congenital.

I also wonder if Billy Ghost won't continue to make improvements as time passes! It's good to know that whatever you do/where ever you go, you have his records with you!!
 
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I tend to think running a CBC and Chemistry Profile is necessary. Then, a vet should take the results, factor in the 'symptoms' and 'history' to determine what the next viable steps would be. As you said, a vet should be able to hone in on what to do next - with the above 3 elements.

I didn't mean anything by what I said to you, honestly. I just think that because the liver can be affected by so many other things, more testing is needed before a vet could possibly say it's congenital.

I also wonder if Billy Ghost won't continue to make improvements as time passes! It's good to know that whatever you do/where ever you go, you have his records with you!!
No offense taken. I think the philosophy is challenging to convey in snippets on a text thread.
I did decide to check the Yelp reviews about this vet... we didn’t in the first place because it was the only place we could get into.
Confirms my initial suspicions. This one is a dud. He can do general vetting. But he’s not there for the love of his work. As an animal lover I feel very lucky to come from a region with so many passionate, talented veterinarians. I can see outside of my region it’s not always a guarantee.
 
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You guys!
I made an appointment with my regular vet for when we get home and sent all the information on Billy Ghost to them with an email explaining the last few weeks.
He said: I’ve seen this in starvation cases and they need a little time. that’s obviously not his official diagnosis, but I feel so much better.
 

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You guys! I made an appointment with my regular vet for when we get home and sent all the information on Billy Ghost to them with an email explaining the last few weeks. He said: I’ve seen this in starvation cases and they need a little time. that’s obviously not his official diagnosis, but I feel so much better.
:clap2: I know it can't be 'official' but it still sounds like a reasonable - and good - assessment!!! Thanks for letting us know. And, continue to keep us posted!
 
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:clap2: I know it can't be 'official' but it still sounds like a reasonable - and good - assessment!!! Thanks for letting us know. And, continue to keep us posted!
I will! I can’t tell you what a sanity saver this site has been, for me and everyone around me (because I get obsessively anxious about these things). I wish I’d found it a year ago when my Mister was first getting symptoms... might of been able to save his life.
 
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