Poorly cat

[Birker2020]

Friend at work's cat, 2 year old male found under bed yesterday, dramatically dropped in weight, won't eat or drink, been sick and foamy in mouth.
She took to the vets and the vet said the cat looked healthy, couldn't feel any blockages after palpatation, gave the cat a steroid injection and said there was something she could put on his fur, an oil that would prevent any build up of fur balls but had none in stock. Was going to sort out today.

Saw friend today who said the cat is still not eating, he's licking liquid of her fingers but won't eat. Vet looked in its mouth but couldn't see anything. My friend says it looks like he wants to eat but can't.

Any ideas?

 

[Quigleyandme]

How distressing. Maybe he ingested something toxic? I really hope he recovers.

 

[pinkfluffy]

Have a sick cat myself although his issues are a very special heart - all I can offer is syringe plenty of water in gently (side of mouth, trickling, wait for him to swallow) to keep him hydrated because most cats are constantly almost dehydrated as it is, and it may help 'move things along' in gastro-intestinal tract. Cats won't pant like dogs and humans necessarily but foaming/ being sick can be signs of resp. distress and heart issues - any coughing, wheezing? - but if he's been to the vets I assume they must have been ruled out?
Dental issues?
Although sudden collapses can happen with serious disease - it does sound more like a toxin of some kind - it is anti-freeze season! Cats are surprisingly sensitive to so much dogs/people aren't.
Hoping he recovers well.

 

[Quigleyandme]

I just had a very random thought? Lily poisoning? It’s Christmas. Has your friend been gifted a lily house plant?

 

[Birker2020]

Thanks for the suggestions and well wishes, I'm not a cat person but I know how much her cats mean to her.

Quigleyandme: She has no lillies in the house, she already knows about potential posioning.
Pinkfluffy: He is a house cat so doesn't go out. Sorry I forgot to mention this so no antifreeze.
She says she's given him a purina pate recently and didn't know if it was that that had upset his stomach. It was duck and spinach, ingredients below.
This morning he had a bit of water and a tiny mouthful of a gourmet pouch of purina but she says can hear his mouth foaming up like he's gong to be sick and then he spat up bile. She won't syringe water into his mouth, I have no idea why, I think she is worried she will choke him.
She did think he might have dental issues, the vet took a very quick look in his mouth, I assume he would have smelt an infected tooth.
I think she's concerned it might be kidney issues as this is what happened to the last cat and he had dramatic weight loss. Vet just didn't seem concerned. She's going to take him back in later. It cost her £100 last night for the consultation and she doesn't have a lot of money (is our cleaner at work) but is very fond of this cat.

Is anyone aware of issues with Purina cat food?

 

[scats]

There’s antifreeze in snow globes, are there any Christmas decorations up in the house?
Other than some sort of poisoning, I would imagine some sort of liver or kidney failure. Poor little thing.

 

[Ratface]

My beloved Madam Kat became very lethargic during the day that she had to be pts. Prior to that, she had been her usual dignified, elegant self. I took her to the vet immediately and she was diagnosed with kidney failure due to age - approximately 22, according to my lovely vet. I felt her heart stop as I held her whilst she was helped on her way to Cat Heaven.
Three months later, a friend told me that an abused street cat was being delivered by a mutual friend. Enter Kevin The Tyrant Kat. A huge, swaggering, confidence trickster! He's been with me for 14 months now and is hilarious, demanding, vocal company! Also, an excellent smarm monster, with victims the length of the pontoon, and a lovely black girlfriend.

 

[Birker2020]

My beloved Madam Kat became very lethargic during the day that she had to be pts. Prior to that, she had been her usual dignified, elegant self. I took her to the vet immediately and she was diagnosed with kidney failure due to age - approximately 22, according to my lovely vet. I felt her heart stop as I held her whilst she was helped on her way to Cat Heaven.
Three months later, a friend told me that an abused street cat was being delivered by a mutual friend. Enter Kevin The Tyrant Kat. A huge, swaggering, confidence trickster! He's been with me for 14 months now and is hilarious, demanding, vocal company! Also, an excellent smarm monster, with victims the length of the pontoon, and a lovely black girlfriend.

Yes she is wondering about kidney issues herself. Sorry to hear about Madam Kat, but what an amazing long life. Kevin sounds like a real dude.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Is he using the litter tray - is he urinating? Has he been playing with tinsel and eaten some? Does he have a temperature? Blood profile OK? If he is a house cat, it is more likely that he has ingested something he shouldn't - does his owner sew? Playing with cotton and swallowing the needle is a feat that cats can easily achieve. He needs to be hydrated if he really won't eat, and when I was vet nursing, we used to inject fluids under the skin rather than admit and put on a drip if cost was an issue.

 

[Lynnfigaro]

I am not a vet so am only going on my experience with my own cats.
One of my cats used to get terrible diarrhea after eating any purina brands, my other one didn't.
He is now on a different brand with no issues.
If your friends cat is bringing up bile it could be because he is not eating so there is nothing in his stomach.
I think an indication of dehydration is very yellow or orange urine, but again I am no expert so could be totally wrong.
Hopefully the vet will be able to help.

 

[Shady]

Very difficult to advise Birker, but there is a whole fb group dedicated to how awful Purina has become, so it's very possible the cat has reacted badly to the food. It's called 'cats recently affected by felix . I can honestly say that when Purina changed something in 2021 in felix as good as it looks all my cats were very ill and I won't have anything from Purina in the house now.

I know from experience that even a bit of bad cat food can make cats look and act really poorly , really quickly and you rush off to the vets thinking they are at deaths door only for them to be perfectly ok a day or two later when their system has settled again. The bile wouldn't worry me at this point
There's a difference between wanting to eat and can't eat and wanting to eat but won't eat, the latter usually because of feeling sick or smell being affected by something. Have to know what the poo is like too to get a better idea of what's going on.
For now I would monitor if the cat is just quiet, and keep an eye on what comes out , if anything , from both ends.
After if no improvement or a deterioration I would blood test , kidneys first and then I guess you have to consider a tumor somewhere/ thyroid possibly. It's impossible to say really
You can rule out many things because it's an indoor cat and i'm not sure why the vet has focused on fur balls to be honest

 

[Birker2020]

Is he using the litter tray - is he urinating? Has he been playing with tinsel and eaten some? Does he have a temperature? Blood profile OK? If he is a house cat, it is more likely that he has ingested something he shouldn't - does his owner sew? Playing with cotton and swallowing the needle is a feat that cats can easily achieve. He needs to be hydrated if he really won't eat, and when I was vet nursing, we used to inject fluids under the skin rather than admit and put on a drip if cost was an issue.

I suspect he might need to be put on a drip. I'm not sure if his owner is confusing him being dehydrated as looking like he's lost weight, she said he looks like he's lost weight literally over night, I can't see how this is possible. She needs to syringe fluid in. She's taking him to the vets after work. I'm not in tomorrow but I will find out next week if he is okay, I hope he is, she's still very upset about the last cat.

 

[Burnttoast]

One of our cats had exactly these symptoms in September and an abdo ultrasound showed a mass on her liver unfortunately. We had her PTS the same day. She had gone downhill very suddenly.

 

[Birker2020]

Shady/Lynfigaro - we have both seen the stuff about Purina and the Felix type in particular, he's not had that but the Gourmet range instead but he had 'quite a bit' of kibble a couple of days ago which her daughter gave him and I believe I've read something about that being dodgy too.

Yes I believe he's using the litter tray Shady.

Yes its weird why the vet has focused on this oil for fur balls if he didn't think he had them but she said he didn't think there was a blockage. Confusing. This is the problem when trying to diagnose someone else's animal, there are so many questions and variables. I said I'd come on here for her in case there was anything she might have missed as I know there's quite a few cat owners on here but she's up and down from the office to the welfare on site so I don't see her for many hours to ask, but I'll see her before I go so will ask her about the snow globe/litter tray/poo colour. He's very lethargic she said. I expect he will be because he's dehydrated, this is why dodgy horse sellers with hold water from horses prior to viewings because it makes them docile and dopey.

 

[Birker2020]

One of our cats had exactly these symptoms in September and an abdo ultrasound showed a mass on her liver unfortunately. We had her PTS the same day. She had gone downhill very suddenly.

Oh gosh, that's very sad Burnttoast. So sorry for you x

 

[Burnttoast]

Oh gosh, that's very sad Burnttoast. So sorry for you x

Thank you. She was my favourite of course!

 

[Shady]

Shady/Lynfigaro - we have both seen the stuff about Purina and the Felix type in particular, he's not had that but the Gourmet range instead but he had 'quite a bit' of kibble a couple of days ago which her daughter gave him and I believe I've read something about that being dodgy too.

Yes I believe he's using the litter tray Shady.

Yes its weird why the vet has focused on this oil for fur balls if he didn't think he had them but she said he didn't think there was a blockage. Confusing. This is the problem when trying to diagnose someone else's animal, there are so many questions and variables. I said I'd come on here for her in case there was anything she might have missed as I know there's quite a few cat owners on here but she's up and down from the office to the welfare on site so I don't see her for many hours to ask, but I'll see her before I go so will ask her about the snow globe/litter tray/poo colour. He's very lethargic she said. I expect he will be because he's dehydrated, this is why dodgy horse sellers with hold water from horses prior to viewings because it makes them docile and dopey.

Lethargic can just mean the cat feels like crap. I'm guessing temperature was checked
My cats literally take to their beds and huddle looking awful inbetween getting up to throw up more bile. They look dehydrated and tucked up. I leave them be unless the weather is really hot, then i'll try and get a bit of liquid into them, which usually gets thrown up again. If by the end of day two there is no independant drinking and a little perkiness I would take to vet on day 3. If there is runny poo as well as vomit I would get some kaolin into them . Vomit and nasty poo is nearly always food related if it comes on suddenly and the cat was perfectly ok before and is not doing anything else really scarey. I'd check temperature too.
Its difficult to know what to say Brker as much depends on the cats health prior to this

 

[pinkfluffy]

Syringing water in is very simple and safe to do - my cat with advanced heart disease (at 4 yrs old) requires water after meds and to generally make him feel better. In a relaxed position place the syringe to the side of cats mouth, release a tiny bit and let the cat wet their mouth/lick their lips etc and remember they need water - they do forget sometimes! My little boy comes running for his water - little and often is the rule.
I feed him a Purina Vet diet (although that's about to change for medical reasons) and Gourmet as his 'treat' food - and have never personally had a problem with it. He has enough problems already.
I also don't understand hairball treatment - I had a cat with hairball issues and she never presented like the description. Not eating and foaming sounds like an obstruction somewhere - I agree with the 'cats eat things they shouldn't' theory.
Hope little kitty recovers.

 

[Birker2020]

Thanks everyone.

I hope he's okay, just asked her and she said he hasn't poohed but wee'd yesterday in litter tray. I got it wrong, she hasn't booked him in the vets tonight - she was waiting on the vet ringing her to say the fur ball oil has come in, daughter had gone to collect it. I think the vet wanted to see if he was any better rather than book an appointment last night but has said that if he's not eating or drinking by tonight at 5pm he will have to come in but they have no appointments left so it will be emergency cost as it will be out of hours so £50. No snowglobes or tinsel that he could have eaten, vet was sure it wasn't a blockage but reluctance to drink/eat does sound like it might be either a dental issue or an obstruction in the throat.

She's very worried about him, its hard when she's at work and he's at home.

 

[Griffin]

I am sorry to hear about your friend's cat. I think if it was me, I would be seeking a second opinion from a different vet (either at the practice or somewhere else) because that sounds more serious than a furball.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I had a male cat who got cystitis from eating too much kibble. He had to avoid it ever after.
He had to go twice to the vet, first time the vet dismissed it, the day after, he said that if I hadn't taken him back his bladder was so full it would soon have ruptured. If she is still concerned the cat needs to go back to the vet.

 

[Shady]

If the cat is known to be constipated then fur balls are possible at a stretch, but I have no idea what the oil is all about because if there is a fur ball you want to get it pushed through using a better/quicker method than that. The cat is lethargic , it won't want to groom by the sounds of it.
An obstruction in the throat would have more clinical signs from my experience, however a tumor further down just making itself known can cause reflex vomitting after eating . I would expect signs of something being wrong before now
Dental/gum issues would probably have been noticed by the vet unless it's below the gum line, but even then there would be something going on before that that the owner would see. To affect other organs ,the problem would be fairly advanced.
Do hope it's nothing serious. It does all sound a bit confusing to be honest

 

[SEL]

Mine got a bit like this with a virus. I had to drag her out from under the bed because she has barely moved for 24 hours. She got popped on a drip overnight and given a drug to make her eat. I was getting water in via a syringe before they admitted her

Can your friend get hold of a small syringe and try and get water in? The vets do a sort of paste that can be syringed too if needed (mine did anyway)

 

[FinnishLapphund]

I hope all goes well with the cat. Everything I would worry about have already been mentioned, so instead I want to add two suggestions regarding the eating.
Try to heat up the food a little, e.g. by adding warm water, it can make the food smell more yummy.
If the cat still won't eat, my family's last resort is to open a can with mackerel in tomato sauce. If the cat don't eat that, there's nothing else in our house that they'll eat.

 

[Fjord]

Any update on the cat today?

 

[Birker2020]

I hope all goes well with the cat. Everything I would worry about have already been mentioned, so instead I want to add two suggestions regarding the eating.
Try to heat up the food a little, e.g. by adding warm water, it can make the food smell more yummy.
If the cat still won't eat, my family's last resort is to open a can with mackerel in tomato sauce. If the cat don't eat that, there's nothing else in our house that they'll eat.

I was off work today but will let her know Monday if it's still alive. Hopefully the vet will have seen it last night.

 

[Birker2020]

Any update on the cat today?

Sorry been on A/L and as she's a work colleague, I don't have her number.

 

[Birker2020]

UPDATE: So my friends come in to work today and said the cat started eating on Thursday night so didn't go back to the vet. Over the weekend its been quiet but eating and drinking but today has been sick in two places in the house. Owner is putting this cream/oil on its paws and in its mouth so shift what the vet thinks is a fur ball although vet not diagnosed cat with this as such.

Now her other cat 'has gone quiet too' although that's eating and drinking too.

Mystery.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Thank you for the update.
One of the downsides with owning pets is this type of mysteries. Maybe both of them are having problems with fur balls, maybe both of them have been doing something they shouldn't, and for some reason it affected one earlier than the other, maybe the second is simply feeling down because the first one isn't well, or maybe it's something completely unrelated... Who knows.

Glad to hear the cat is still alive, and is eating, and drinking. Please keep us updated if you can.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Think if it were my cat I might consider changing the brand of food, especially as the other cat is showing symptoms. Could be a bad batch.... Thanks for the update.