Watching Slim get thinner and worsening...

[les26]

Slim is a cat that we brought in from our back yard many years ago, he is one of the last ones alive from that group. He is all black, and when we would feed them outside I noticed his thin legs and told him "you're a slim little fella", so the name fit. A few years ago he put on weight so I used to joke "the name doesn't quite fit anymore" but lately he is having rapid weight loss, has been crying a lot, has been doing that for awhile now, and throws up at times and you can feel his bones, but he still eats and drinks but walks so slow. I know you are asking why we don't take him the the vet, but like Simba, the 23 year old that I posted about doing the same things, we are so so hesitant to take him, we are so afraid that he will get so upset and have a heart attack and die at the vet like his sister Sabrina did last year, we don't want him to be suffering but we don't want to relive that. And years ago his brother Skipper whom we also brought in many years ago, was crying one day, it took a lot for us to catch him but we were able to take him to the vet, they ran tests and couldn't find anything, gave him an antibiotic shot wondering if he had an infection like a UTI or something else, we brought him home, he was crying but not as much, we thought it might take time, only to come home from work the next day to find him dead!! So that is why we are so hesitant to take him, and what would they do anyway, if it is something really bad? We just want him to be okay, not in pain, and if it is him time we pray that he just drifts off in his sleep, this is so so tough to deal with...especially since Simba is also so thin but he is still spry and spunky, and at 23 that is a miracle.

Please keep little Slim in your hearts and thoughts, that he is okay one way or the other.

Thank you

 

[neely]

Please keep little Slim in your hearts and thoughts, that he is okay one way or the other.

Sending special thoughts and caring vibes your way for Slim. Can you call your vet tomorrow, explain the situation and ask their advice. If you had to bring him in they could give you something to relax and calm him. I know we all have different opinions and I sincerely hope Slim is not in pain but if it were me I'd want to know if he's suffering. Whatever you decide we will be thinking of Slim and you.

 

[les26]

Sending special thoughts and caring vibes your way for Slim. Can you call your vet tomorrow, explain the situation and ask their advice. If you had to bring him in they could give you something to relax and calm him. I know we all have different opinions and I sincerely hope Slim is not in pain but if it were me I'd want to know if he's suffering. Whatever you decide we will be thinking of Slim and you.

We have Composure treats that we use when we have to take Sylvester to the vet for his grooming and checkups. Deb and I talked about doing this, but we (especially her) are so afraid that he will regardless get so stressed out and have a heart attack and die like his sister Sabrina did, we don't want to take that chance as that would really sink our spirits which are already very low thanks to this and other stressors in our lives.

 

[les26]

He came upstairs and stood in the kitchen with the rest of the cats while Deb was feeding them. He then threw up some foul smelling vomit, but then went to eat and laid down. We are wrestling with the thought of taking him to the vet tonight or what to do.

 

[IndyJones]

Foul smelling how? Like death or flesh smell or more fishy cat food?

It could suggest GI perforation if it smells like death/flesh.

I will be kind of blunt, he needs to see a vet sooner rather than later. Foul smelling vomit suggests an infection in the gi tract.

 

[Furballsmom]

I will be kind of blunt, he needs to see a vet sooner rather than later. Foul smelling vomit suggests an infection in the gi tract.

I agree.

I understand your concerns from the previous experience, but he's starting to suffer and this could be something that's treatable.

 

[FeebysOwner]

It probably has already been mentioned, but perhaps you can find a mobile vet to take blood for testing. Maybe even give them some of the vomit, if you preserve it.

You are so afraid of Slim dying of a heart attack due to a vet visit, but do you really have any valid reasons for feeling that way, or you just can't get past that it happened to his sister so you automatically think it will happen to him? As said above, there are so many things that could be going wrong with Slim that are very, very treatable.

 

[les26]

Well we made the decision to take him to the 24 hour vet that Sylvester used to go to when he was having eye issues. He was VERY ramy in the carrier, which showed me that he had spunk, but we were so hoping that he wouldn't have a heart attack like his sister Sabrina did. They actually told us that it is very rare for that to happen, and were sorry that we had to endure that, and they understood our reluctance to bring him in. Deb thought this was it for him, but I didn't, and even said it could be something treatable, but she was a mess about it, she said "Slim is to me like Sylvester is to you" and I surely get that, but we made the decision to go and we took him in, they did bloodwork and talked to us, even before the bloodwork the vet said "he defintiely has some things going on, but I don't think that he is at deaths door", but ran the bloodwork and he does have Hyperthyroidism like I suspected for awhile now, she said normal readings are around 4 and his was 17 so that was definitely a huge part of it, said his pancreas has some inflammation going on but should be treatable, his white blood cell count was up but his red cell count was fine, and said "for a 17 year old cat his bloodwork looked pretty good", said his stomach and all felt normal. So they gave us the option to take him home with meds and try to start giving it to him here, but if you read between the lines you could tell she was "suggesting" that it would be better to keep him for a day or two, start him on fluids and the meds and said "they usually perk up quickly", and I had said that all along to Deb, that maybe they can keep him and perk him up, so that is what we did. This is the FIRST TIME in 17 years that he won't be home here with us, but it is the best place to be, they will take care of him and we'll go from there.

She also told us they have to watch as we treat the thyroid to make sure it isn't "masking" some other issues like kidney or heart, but she said his kidney function was normal, his blood pressure was normal, but she said we will watch for things if they develop, so that's where we are at.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am so glad you took Slim into the vets!!! In seeing what you are telling us, this is the absolute best thing you could have done!! I know you will miss him not being home, and he will miss you - but ideally, he won't be there for long at all! Tbh, at Slim's age, this is pretty good news overall.

Keep us posted!

 

[les26]

The vet just called with an update, said they have him on fluids and started meds and he is "coasting right along" so that is good. They did an x ray "to make sure it was safe to give his meds" as they saw he had some gas and some fluid build up but saw no obvious obstruction, said it was probably from the pancreas and that's why the vomit smelled bad, said his kidneys are okay but one is smaller than the other, said at his age he most likely does have some kidney disease but isn't too worried about it, but all in all said he is doing okay and hopes that he will perk up quickly.

I hav to get to bed, I have to get up at 5:15 tomorrow morning. Between this stuff and the stress I have been under with my elderly parents and nursing homes and hospitals and lawyers and banks it's a miracle that I don't have any major health issues....

 

[neely]

I am so glad you took Slim into the vets!!!

I second that!

In the back of my mind I wondered if Slim had hyperthyroidism due to the symptoms you mentioned in your first post, e.g. weight loss and crying a lot. I'm thankful the vet saw him tonight, did bloodwork and diagnosed him. Fingers crossed starting him on meds and fluids will work wonders and he will start to feel better. There are many of us, myself included, whose cats have a diagnosis of H-T so we're here for support and guidance. Get some rest and please keep us updated when Slim comes home.

 

[catsknowme]

Thank you for the encouraging update! Sending prayers and vibes for TEAM Slim (I am sure that every member in the team could use support in many ways considering that life's obligations tend to converge all at once).

 

[les26]

The vet's office called Deb today and said he is doing "okay", but is not interested in eating and is salivating which they said most likely is from nausea, but who would feel like eating if they don't feel well from vomiting, were stressed out of their minds last night, are in a different place with strangers, away from your home and family for the first time in 17 years etc...but he is on fluids so he is getting some help. I think it is going to take awhile for the little guy to rebound, not 1-2 days like they said many do, I think more like a week.

They said they want to do an ultrasound of his abdomen to see if there is any blockages or God forbid cancer, they will do that tomorrow, so naturally we are stressed to the limit now waiting on this. If he has an issue that is bad we have to make that horrible choice, but if he doesn't have any issues we'll keep hoping and praying that he'll respond and rebound. That's about all that we can do right now....

Thank you for the support and replies...

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am sorry he isn't rebounding more quickly. Maybe they will let him come home, once he is fairly stabilized, without everything being totally resolved. Hie might eat better at home?

They said they want to do an ultrasound of his abdomen to see if there is any blockages or God forbid cancer, they will do that tomorrow,

To spare possible additional ultrasounds down the road, ask them about setting up a pre-authorization for a fine needle aspiration (FNA) should they find any suspicious tissue they can collect to analyze. It really doesn't make it any harder on Slim to have that done if it is needed. It will cost more, but only if they find something to do the FNA on.

 

[les26]

I am sorry he isn't rebounding more quickly. Maybe they will let him come home, once he is fairly stabilized, without everything being totally resolved. Hie might eat better at home?

To spare possible additional ultrasounds down the road, ask them about setting up a pre-authorization for a fine needle aspiration (FNA) should they find any suspicious tissue they can collect to analyze. It really doesn't make it any harder on Slim to have that done if it is needed. It will cost more, but only if they find something to do the FNA on.

Well they were going to let us take him home last night if we felt comfortable trying to start him on the Thyroid meds and all, but I felt as did the vet that he should be kept there and as she called it "started" there on the meds, plus I felt it would be good to get some fluids into him via I.V. which they are doing and also monitoring him and his vomiting. I guess it will all hinge on the findings of this ultrasound, if they don't find anything bad they may let us bring him home, depending on how they say he is doing otherwise. But I want him to be well enough to come home, so he doesn't have to go back in again if it is too soon.

I am going to call and check on him right now, see how the little guy is doing.

 

[les26]

They are doing their rounds now, they won't have anyone to talk to me until after 10:00 but I'll be in bed before then, so drained and tired as today was an early day following that awful episode last night, and it was pouring rain last night too which didn't help! But I said I'm sure he's stable, and she said yes, they would've called if he wasn't, so we'll talk to them tomorrow after they get the results of the ultrasound.

We pray that they don't find any tumors, blockage or cancer...

 

[iPappy]

They are doing their rounds now, they won't have anyone to talk to me until after 10:00 but I'll be in bed before then, so drained and tired as today was an early day following that awful episode last night, and it was pouring rain last night too which didn't help! But I said I'm sure he's stable, and she said yes, they would've called if he wasn't, so we'll talk to them tomorrow after they get the results of the ultrasound.

We pray that they don't find any tumors, blockage or cancer...

Whenever mine have been hospitalized, I remind myself that they are in better hands than I could offer when I'm sleeping at night. I hope for a good update in the morning.

 

[neely]

We pray that they don't find any tumors, blockage or cancer...

We'll be praying right along with you. May Slim have a restful night and be able to come home to Deb and you tomorrow.

 

[les26]

We got bad news today, we had to put Slim down. I am going to post it in the "Rainbow Bridge" thread.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Oh no. I am so very sorry.