Sudden health issues (fluid in lungs, enlarged heart)

[FeebysOwner]

I am sorry to hear that, but it doesn't have to be nothing but doom and gloom right now. You just need some time to digest it all. All of us feel so helpless when our cats are diagnosed with diseases/illnesses - whether or not they are somewhat treatable. You just need to do what you can do to help as you can. Make sure the vet is OK with the ubiquinol being given to him with his other meds.

Try to do the best you can to act as normal as possible - for both of your cats' sake that are being impacted by this, as well as your own. The other cat knows something is wrong and is likely taking some of their cues from your behavior.

Keep us posted and we will try to help in any way we can.

 

[BluOnyx]

I'm trying. I don't want to upset the other cats.

I just have concerns now because the "coughing" is a symptom and I thought it was a hairball thing but my ragdoll does it as well and I know HCM is more common in ragdolls and my mind is just spinning.

I'm just scared. He will be coming home shortly. I want to try to stop crying and being upset. I don't want him to be upset because of me.

 

[iPappy]

I am so sorry it's heart failure. I managed heart failure in one of mine, and he lived for years with appropriate medications and some supplementation that my vet recommended, as well as some minor lifestyle adjustments. Remember, the vets are there to help guide you through this and should be happy to answer any questions you have. It's OK to be upset and it's OK to cry.

 

[BluOnyx]

He has an appointment with his standard vet tomorrow which was a follow up for his UTI. I think it should be rescheduled so he can rest. I will have to see what they say and hope his vet is in still tonight.

 

[BluOnyx]

Thank you everyone for being kind and helpful. Any advice from anyone who is caring for a cat in the same position would be appreciated. One of the vet's told me the coughing the ragdoll does is very unlikely to be heart related but he will get checked anyways in the near future just to be sure. I know his parents were genetically tested for it but I am still paranoid.

I am going to do everything I can to give him the best life possible and help him.

 

[Mary_M]

Not with a cat, but I did have a dog with similar symptoms that turned out to be cancer
Just one day I noticed his breathing was labored. Took him to the vet the next day and his lungs were filled.
They said it was like a damn that just burst.
I hope not. Hope you friend gets better soon.

 

[BluOnyx]

Not with a cat, but I did have a dog with similar symptoms that turned out to be cancer
Just one day I noticed his breathing was labored. Took him to the vet the next day and his lungs were filled.
They said it was like a damn that just burst.
I hope not. Hope you friend gets better soon.

He had the ECG, it is his heart. I am sorry for that diagnosis. I went through it with a different cat in 2021. Spent over a year trying to figure out what was wrong with him because his blood work and everything was fantastic, especially for his age. He ended up having bladder cancer.

They got a lot of fluid out of him, so much so I can visibly see the difference. I just hope the medication helps him. I will make sure he gets fish oil daily to support his heart and the vet approved the used of ubiquinol (active form of coQ10).

 

[iPappy]

He had the ECG, it is his heart. I am sorry for that diagnosis. I went through it with a different cat in 2021. Spent over a year trying to figure out what was wrong with him because his blood work and everything was fantastic, especially for his age. He ended up having bladder cancer.

They got a lot of fluid out of him, so much so I can visibly see the difference. I just hope the medication helps him. I will make sure he gets fish oil daily to support his heart and the vet approved the used of ubiquinol (active form of coQ10).

Ugh, I am sorry for what you went through in 2021. I had a similar thing happen with my Tag (a Papillon dog), 2 years worth of mystery symptoms, only for a cancer diagnosis.
How is he acting now that he's back home?
I too used uniquinol/CoQ110, and fish oil. I feel it helped. Check the fish oil and make sure it has Vitamin E added (most do). I was told that the two work very well together, and Vitamin E is very good for the heart.

 

[BluOnyx]

Ugh, I am sorry for what you went through in 2021. I had a similar thing happen with my Tag (a Papillon dog), 2 years worth of mystery symptoms, only for a cancer diagnosis.
How is he acting now that he's back home?
I too used uniquinol/CoQ110, and fish oil. I feel it helped. Check the fish oil and make sure it has Vitamin E added (most do). I was told that the two work very well together, and Vitamin E is very good for the heart.

The fish oil I have is the Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Pet. It doesn't seem to have any vitamin E in it.

He is just laying down. Hasn't purred yet. I am not sure if the medicine might be making him feel bad or not. He ate, took his meds, drank some water, and is just resting. I keep checking on him but I don't want to bother him too much. I want him to sleep.

I read studies with the ubiquinol being better over the coQ10 since it was already converted so I got the Dr. Mercola Ubiquinol Liquid Pump for Cats & Dogs. The doctor right away said the fish oil is good to stick with and she uses it for all of her cats.

He made more friends at this other clinic. Because they weren't busy in the one room he was able to have an entire room to himself and people kept visiting him and petting him. He didn't have to be in a cage which I was happy to hear and he was an amazing patient. Very calm and easy to work with. I was thinking back to when I adopted him. The woman told me he had such a big heart. I just wish it was only figuratively. I think moving forward I will just get the test done on any cat I adopt at the age of 2 or 3 so I know that checks for heart issues.

I love him so much. I am praying I have years with him yet, not months. It all depends on how his body handles the medication.

 

[BluOnyx]

I am looking into treat options and found something on freeze dried beef heart treats being super beneficial for cats and dogs for a lot of reasons, including heart trouble. I already feed him mostly freeze-dried treats because of his chicken allergy so I think I will give these a go. It is not cheap, seems to be one of the most expensive freeze dried treats but I can get more for less buying the dog kind and just breaking them to smaller pieces.

Does anyone know anything about pork or pork liver? Should I just avoid that? I normally just get him turkey and salmon freeze-dried treats. I got some rabbit and duck as well but he is already sick of those. Doesn't like tuna at all.

 

[iPappy]

If the label has "D-alpha tocopherol" listed, that's vitamin E. I looked at Nordic Naturals (excellent brand btw, my vets recommend it highly) and it looks as though they include it.
If he ate, took his meds, drank some water and is resting comfortably, I'd consider those good signs. He's had a rough few days and probably just wants to rest. I had a cat with some pretty serious health problems that was hospitalized often, and when he got home he spent about 24-48 hours just sleeping it off. He was at a hospital with some of the best and most caring staff I could have ever wanted, but the experience wore him out, just like a stay at the hospital can wear us out. It's totally cool that they let him have the entire room to himself to avoid feeling totally confined! That was so sweet of them!
My little guy handled the medications quite well, and I hope the same for yours. What has helped me in the past is keeping a "health journal" of sorts, just writing down the date, the time, and what you observe, or noting anything out of the ordinary. As time goes by, you'll be able to look back and have a concrete record. It has really helped me notice problems early on.
I hope you both get some good quality sleep tonight.

 

[BluOnyx]

If the label has "D-alpha tocopherol" listed, that's vitamin E. I looked at Nordic Naturals (excellent brand btw, my vets recommend it highly) and it looks as though they include it.
If he ate, took his meds, drank some water and is resting comfortably, I'd consider those good signs. He's had a rough few days and probably just wants to rest. I had a cat with some pretty serious health problems that was hospitalized often, and when he got home he spent about 24-48 hours just sleeping it off. He was at a hospital with some of the best and most caring staff I could have ever wanted, but the experience wore him out, just like a stay at the hospital can wear us out. It's totally cool that they let him have the entire room to himself to avoid feeling totally confined! That was so sweet of them!
My little guy handled the medications quite well, and I hope the same for yours. What has helped me in the past is keeping a "health journal" of sorts, just writing down the date, the time, and what you observe, or noting anything out of the ordinary. As time goes by, you'll be able to look back and have a concrete record. It has really helped me notice problems early on.
I hope you both get some good quality sleep tonight.

Thank you. He just ate his last meal for the night. He gets treats before we go to bed. He just keeps resting in the same spot so I will let him be until we go to bed. I am just reading about diet options and other things. I want to give him the best shot.

Yeah they loved him at both clinics he was at. Everywhere he goes he makes friends. He is just relaxed and loving. The most laid back yet outgoing (friendly) cat I have ever known. He came from a hoarding situation where the women kept him in some sort of hamper with a lid on it. I think he was just so starved for attention when he was rescued.

I am going to try to sleep soon. I am hoping he falls sleep well like last night. He starts on all meds Monday but for right now, he is on 3 and one will be reduced Monday as well (twice daily instead of every 8 hours). He goes back in 7 to 10 days to see how his kidneys are handling things. They said he has very healthy organs so I am hoping his body handles everything well.

 

[iPappy]

I am looking into treat options and found something on freeze dried beef heart treats being super beneficial for cats and dogs for a lot of reasons, including heart trouble. I already feed him mostly freeze-dried treats because of his chicken allergy so I think I will give these a go. It is not cheap, seems to be one of the most expensive freeze dried treats but I can get more for less buying the dog kind and just breaking them to smaller pieces.

Does anyone know anything about pork or pork liver? Should I just avoid that? I normally just get him turkey and salmon freeze-dried treats. I got some rabbit and duck as well but he is already sick of those. Doesn't like tuna at all.

Beef heart (as well as chicken, turkey, etc.) is very high in taurine and B vitamins. Be sure there are no "extra" ingredients in the treats meant for dogs vs. cats, and you should be good to go.

Thank you. He just ate his last meal for the night. He gets treats before we go to bed. He just keeps resting in the same spot so I will let him be until we go to bed. I am just reading about diet options and other things. I want to give him the best shot.

Yeah they loved him at both clinics he was at. Everywhere he goes he makes friends. He is just relaxed and loving. The most laid back yet outgoing (friendly) cat I have ever known. He came from a hoarding situation where the women kept him in some sort of hamper with a lid on it. I think he was just so starved for attention when he was rescued.

I am going to try to sleep soon. I am hoping he falls sleep well like last night. He starts on all meds Monday but for right now, he is on 3 and one will be reduced Monday as well (twice daily instead of every 8 hours). He goes back in 7 to 10 days to see how his kidneys are handling things. They said he has very healthy organs so I am hoping his body handles everything well.

I am glad he is with you. If he were still at the old place, he wouldn't be getting this level of care!
If you're going to give him some freeze dried beef heart, you could look into getting some freeze dried kidney, too. Mine that had heart disease was on a lot of medications, and luckily his kidneys were never affected by them. I hope you both had a good night.

 

[BluOnyx]

Beef heart (as well as chicken, turkey, etc.) is very high in taurine and B vitamins. Be sure there are no "extra" ingredients in the treats meant for dogs vs. cats, and you should be good to go.

That is what I was thinking. Anything to help his heart and some studies suggest that them having heart in their diet can help. This seems to be the easiest way to give it to him since he enjoys freeze dried treats already.

I am glad he is with you. If he were still at the old place, he wouldn't be getting this level of care!
If you're going to give him some freeze dried beef heart, you could look into getting some freeze dried kidney, too. Mine that had heart disease was on a lot of medications, and luckily his kidneys were never affected by them. I hope you both had a good night.

Me too. The woman I went through the adoption process with was glad I adopted him as he had some issues at first that a lot of people would not have taken the time to figure out. I had to change his diet around and monitor him to find out what he was allergic to, it took 3 weeks. I am able to find more chicken free food now than back then at least. Treats are still fairly hard to find unless I do freeze dried which I typically end up going with since everything else chicken free he gets bored of.

I had lost a senior cat before adopting him. I took him in when he was already much older, only having him for 5 or so years together but I was attached to him. He too slept with me every night. I went with the intention of adopting an older cat or just a cat that was least likely to be adopted. I knew most people would never adopt an FIV+ cat so I took him. I decided within 2 minutes in fact.

I'll see if I can find some freeze dried kidney. I have seen liver but not kidney. I'll be getting some today, hopefully the pet store has both.

He had another good night of sleep which I am happy about, his eyes are less red and he seems more calm today. He took all his meds with his food again, even the one the vet said he is very unlikely to take on his own. I am so glad cause I don't want to force him to take something.

 

[iPappy]

That is what I was thinking. Anything to help his heart and some studies suggest that them having heart in their diet can help. This seems to be the easiest way to give it to him since he enjoys freeze dried treats already.

Me too. The woman I went through the adoption process with was glad I adopted him as he had some issues at first that a lot of people would not have taken the time to figure out. I had to change his diet around and monitor him to find out what he was allergic to, it took 3 weeks. I am able to find more chicken free food now than back then at least. Treats are still fairly hard to find unless I do freeze dried which I typically end up going with since everything else chicken free he gets bored of.

I had lost a senior cat before adopting him. I took him in when he was already much older, only having him for 5 or so years together but I was attached to him. He too slept with me every night. I went with the intention of adopting an older cat or just a cat that was least likely to be adopted. I knew most people would never adopt an FIV+ cat so I took him. I decided within 2 minutes in fact.

I'll see if I can find some freeze dried kidney. I have seen liver but not kidney. I'll be getting some today, hopefully the pet store has both.

He had another good night of sleep which I am happy about, his eyes are less red and he seems more calm today. He took all his meds with his food again, even the one the vet said he is very unlikely to take on his own. I am so glad cause I don't want to force him to take something.

Isn't it awesome when you see one and you just immediately know you'll be taking them home? I feel that's more than a coincidence! When I found my tortie I decided to keep her because she was so sick, I didn't feel it was right adopting her out and she stole my heart in no time flat.
He doesn't tolerate chicken, but what about turkey and/or duck?
This says it helps with pickiness too, something that might be nice to keep in mind should he go off his food for any reason. (I've never used this brand, personally.)
Momentum Beef Kidney Seasonings Food Topper for Dogs & Cats, 3.75-oz Bag | NaturalPetWarehouse.com
I am very glad for you both that he's taking his meds with food, that makes things SO much easier and less stressful on everyone.

 

[BluOnyx]

Isn't it awesome when you see one and you just immediately know you'll be taking them home? I feel that's more than a coincidence! When I found my tortie I decided to keep her because she was so sick, I didn't feel it was right adopting her out and she stole my heart in no time flat.
He doesn't tolerate chicken, but what about turkey and/or duck?
This says it helps with pickiness too, something that might be nice to keep in mind should he go off his food for any reason. (I've never used this brand, personally.)
Momentum Beef Kidney Seasonings Food Topper for Dogs & Cats, 3.75-oz Bag | NaturalPetWarehouse.com
I am very glad for you both that he's taking his meds with food, that makes things SO much easier and less stressful on everyone.

Yeah he can eat turkey and duck. Doesn't care much for duck though. His diet is mostly beef and turkey wet foods. I rotate some flavors. He gets 3 beef, 2 turkey, and one fish. He only ever had an issue with eating one time and it was due to a hairball. I guess he had an upset stomach from it but once he got it out, he started eating again.

I'll keep that one in mind if I can't find any kidney at the pet store.

And yeah, I knew so fast like you. They took him out the cage and he hugged me. He won my heart over that fast.

 

[BluOnyx]

Was able to get some beef hearts but no kidney. I will have to find that online or go with that food topper.

I got him more salmon and some turkey liver since it was on sale. I let him try some of the beef heart and he really seems to like it which is good. I am going to start him on his ubiquinol when it arrives today. Hoping it gets here before his dinner.

He is still a bit sleepy today but he is more snuggly and seems to be more relaxed.

 

[iPappy]

Was able to get some beef hearts but no kidney. I will have to find that online or go with that food topper.

I got him more salmon and some turkey liver since it was on sale. I let him try some of the beef heart and he really seems to like it which is good. I am going to start him on his ubiquinol when it arrives today. Hoping it gets here before his dinner.

He is still a bit sleepy today but he is more snuggly and seems to be more relaxed.

He's probably very tired from the past few days, as I bet you are too. Maybe a Sunday afternoon nap should be on the schedule tomorrow for both of you!

 

[BluOnyx]

He did another good day with taking all his meds. He seems a bit down though. He came and sat with me for a bit but he kind of just goes from one spot to the other and just spaces out. He gets excited when it is time to eat though and his eyes get real big.

I am going to have to ask the vet about the red eyes. I don't know if the medication could be doing that or not as they still seem quite red. I ordered him some steps to help him get into the swing the cats have easier. It is just one of those human swings with the netting and a cushion, I can't remember what it is called.He doesn't seem to have any issues jumping up but I want him to have an easier time getting around and on certain things.

Hoping I can sleep better tonight. Between the worry and my back issue acting up, I am not sleeping much.

My middle boy, the one that bonded with him the most seems to be snubbing food more recently, since he was taken to the ER in fact. Do you think this is down to worry/concern for his brother? He is acting normal otherwise. He is basically turning his nose up almost every meal he gets (I rotate 9 flavors) but eventually eats it after 20 minutes to an hour.

 

[fionasmom]

If the middle boy eats, he is probably okay, but keep your eye on him. I have seen a lot of odd behaviors with bonded pets which seem to arise from some concern for the sick one.