Sick cat- ideas?

[alainax]

I'm just looking for any ideas or thoughts of what could be going on here. 7 year old spayed female oriental, otherwise healthy.

Dramatic weight loss followed by sudden onset of acting very hungry. Lots of food in bowls. Very runny poo. Food swapped to different brand, no difference so off to vets. Bloods ran, checking blood cells, liver kidney function, thyroid etc everything came back good. Given some palatable food to try. Weight loss continued, now 2 weeks into when it started so vet sedated her, xrayed, shaved and ultra sound... nothing. Bloods ran again. Everything looks normal. Given anti inflammatories. That was last week. Now week 3 She is due back in again tomorrow but there is still no change. She's 3.05kg

She is looking terribly thin. I've gave her selection of different foods to try, she will have a nibble at everything but it's all running right through. My second cat is unaffected.

Vet said last week that the next step is she would go to the hospital for more tests, possibly surgery to "look inside". She is a very very timorous wee thing and is terrified with all the vet visits.

I've racked my brain about what it could be but I'm totally stuck, and she's fading away I was happy the vets didn't find anything on her scans but now just so want an answer and to help her. I know it's silly asking on a forum as the vets will know best, maybe it's just a virtual hug I need...

Edit to add- I worry that me switching foods is making the diarrhoea worse, but it's catch 22 trying to find anything she will eat, but then it runs right through her!

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Sending a massive virtual hug to you and puss. I hope the vet is able to get to the bottom of it.

Assume internal parasites have been ruled out too? My sisters cat has had similar thing recently although she is an older cat but the vet couldn't find anything with her either.

Is it so horrible when pets become ill and stressed when trying to help them. Sending get well soon vibes too. X

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Oh gosh, poor girl, you must be beside yourself with worry. It's not something that I have come across so I don't have any suggestions but I hope that she recovers.

*hugs*

 

[alainax]

Sending a massive virtual hug to you and puss. I hope the vet is able to get to the bottom of it.

Assume internal parasites have been ruled out too? My sisters cat has had similar thing recently although she is an older cat but the vet couldn't find anything with her either.

Is it so horrible when pets become ill and stressed when trying to help them. Sending get well soon vibes too. X

Thank you.
Do you know if parasites would have shown up in the blood work or ultrasound? She's an indoor cat ( although I know that doesn't mean can't get them).

 

[alainax]

Oh gosh, poor girl, you must be beside yourself with worry. It's not something that I have come across so I don't have any suggestions but I hope that she recovers.

*hugs*

Thank you, I'll update tomorrow with what the vet says.

 

[alainax]

I think a smear was also done and her temperature is fine. All of the tests have been fine

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

No idea with the bloods I'm afraid. I hope tomorrow provides some answers. X

 

[GirlFriday]

TBH I'd be asking for vet to refer to a colleague/different practice in these circs. It may make no difference but it is like asking on here - a fresh pair of eyes. And rather better qualified ones than ours! No good vet will mind if they see an animal they can find nothing 'wrong' with deteriorating dangerously. In fact they often read up on the notes later to see if there is anything for them to learn.

 

[texas]

Sending hugs. My mum's cat at one point stopped eating but was being sick. Tests all fine. We declined opening her up and opted for a course of steroids instead. Vet said this would likely be long term, but about 6 months later she wouldn't take the steroids anymore and is fine providing she only eats whiskas or nature's menu. Everything else makes her sick again. But at the time, the steroids definitely broke the cycle/healed things/got her appetite back. Hope she's feeling better soon.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I'm just looking for any ideas or thoughts of what could be going on here. 7 year old spayed female oriental, otherwise healthy.

Dramatic weight loss followed by sudden onset of acting very hungry. Lots of food in bowls. Very runny poo. Food swapped to different brand, no difference so off to vets. Bloods ran, checking blood cells, liver kidney function, thyroid etc everything came back good. Given some palatable food to try. Weight loss continued, now 2 weeks into when it started so vet sedated her, xrayed, shaved and ultra sound... nothing. Bloods ran again. Everything looks normal. Given anti inflammatories. That was last week. Now week 3 She is due back in again tomorrow but there is still no change. She's 3.05kg

She is looking terribly thin. I've gave her selection of different foods to try, she will have a nibble at everything but it's all running right through. My second cat is unaffected.

Vet said last week that the next step is she would go to the hospital for more tests, possibly surgery to "look inside". She is a very very timorous wee thing and is terrified with all the vet visits.

I've racked my brain about what it could be but I'm totally stuck, and she's fading away I was happy the vets didn't find anything on her scans but now just so want an answer and to help her. I know it's silly asking on a forum as the vets will know best, maybe it's just a virtual hug I need...

Edit to add- I worry that me switching foods is making the diarrhoea worse, but it's catch 22 trying to find anything she will eat, but then it runs right through her!

not saying it was the same but my cat was loosing weight and vet dismissed it and just said monitor his weight - that was January 2015 June 2015 ultra sound found intestinal cancel - we lost him as he died overnight after starting |Chemo. I would ask vet for an ultra sound to check anything he might have eaten which is lodged or other things.

 

[BeckyFlowers]

Poor kitty. Have you tried giving her plain food like chicken breast, scrambled egg or white fish, rather than a proper cat food? This may help with her diarrhoea. I second the post about asking to refer her to another vet, and insist they are feline specialists. If you are close to any good vet schools it might be an idea to ask if she can go there. Hope you get to the bottom of it all. Keep us posted.

 

[Blackwijet]

I'd do the same as Beckyflowers has suggested, keep it plain & simple - small amounts of chicken breast bit of scrambled egg rather than different cat foods and definitely ask for referral. If your vet has done all he/she can they won't object, but do ask for feline specialist. Fingers crossed for you!

 

[alainax]

TBH I'd be asking for vet to refer to a colleague/different practice in these circs. It may make no difference but it is like asking on here - a fresh pair of eyes. And rather better qualified ones than ours! No good vet will mind if they see an animal they can find nothing 'wrong' with deteriorating dangerously. In fact they often read up on the notes later to see if there is anything for them to learn.

Sorry I forgot to add we had another appointment with a different vet at the same practice half way through. Didn't find anything different. She has already hinted at getting her to a specialist at the hospital, so I guess that might be where we are going next.

Sending hugs. My mum's cat at one point stopped eating but was being sick. Tests all fine. We declined opening her up and opted for a course of steroids instead. Vet said this would likely be long term, but about 6 months later she wouldn't take the steroids anymore and is fine providing she only eats whiskas or nature's menu. Everything else makes her sick again. But at the time, the steroids definitely broke the cycle/healed things/got her appetite back. Hope she's feeling better soon.

That's interesting thank you.

not saying it was the same but my cat was loosing weight and vet dismissed it and just said monitor his weight - that was January 2015 June 2015 ultra sound found intestinal cancel - we lost him as he died overnight after starting |Chemo. I would ask vet for an ultra sound to check anything he might have eaten which is lodged or other things.

Thank you for your input, sorry to hear that

She had an ultrasound, all clear. They did mention about there could be tumours, but didn't find any.

 

[alainax]

Poor kitty. Have you tried giving her plain food like chicken breast, scrambled egg or white fish, rather than a proper cat food? This may help with her diarrhoea. I second the post about asking to refer her to another vet, and insist they are feline specialists. If you are close to any good vet schools it might be an idea to ask if she can go there. Hope you get to the bottom of it all. Keep us posted.

No I haven't tried this yet, thanks for the suggestion.

I'd do the same as Beckyflowers has suggested, keep it plain & simple - small amounts of chicken breast bit of scrambled egg rather than different cat foods and definitely ask for referral. If your vet has done all he/she can they won't object, but do ask for feline specialist. Fingers crossed for you!

Thanks

 

[Sussexbythesea]

Agree with suggestion for feline specialist. Could you get a referral to somewhere with an MRI as it might pick up something more subtle than the other tests and better than invasive surgery just to have a look?

Only other thought was had they looked at teeth and throat to see if anything there was causing an issue?

Hope you find an answer and it’s treatable.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Sorry to hear your cat is unwell. Has she been checked for colitis? Runny tummy with slimey poo sometimes with blood in it and a very distinctive smell.

 

[rara007]

Refer and or ex-lap to take biopsies Feline intestinal diseases are often pretty diffuse so CT/MRI is often not that rewarding.

 

[Shady]

Sorry to hear your cat is unwell. Has she been checked for colitis? Runny tummy with slimey poo sometimes with blood in it and a very distinctive smell.

This is a good point because the sort of poo she is doing can often narrow down the problem.
Have you checked for Giardia Alainax? i bought 2 Orientals over here from what i thought was a good breeder, both had terrible poo's and after months of investigation and no help at all from the breeder here i asked a long term Oriental breeder in England and she suggested having the test done. It came back positive .
Do you have other animals with access to outside? it's not common but cats can get it from dogs if they share the same water.
I don't know what else to think as she's an indoor cat and you've ruled out virus's and tumors. Could be diet but you would get her doing half and half poo's normally where they start to form and can't, liquid is a serious reaction to something.
I will try and run it past my breeder friend, she's had Orientals for 40 years. xxxx

 

[alainax]

Agree with suggestion for feline specialist. Could you get a referral to somewhere with an MRI as it might pick up something more subtle than the other tests and better than invasive surgery just to have a look?

Only other thought was had they looked at teeth and throat to see if anything there was causing an issue?

Hope you find an answer and it’s treatable.

Teeth was my first thought, typical horsey thought lol. Teeth etc all fine.

She had now been referred to the Vet school in Glasgow.

Sorry to hear your cat is unwell. Has she been checked for colitis? Runny tummy with slimey poo sometimes with blood in it and a very distinctive smell.

I don't believe she has, thanks for the suggestion I'll check with the vet.

Refer and or ex-lap to take biopsies Feline intestinal diseases are often pretty diffuse so CT/MRI is often not that rewarding.

They have apparently been feeling a "thickening" of the intestine at one part. They initially put it down as just being poo. After 4 examinations over 3 weeks it's still in the same place, so are concerned as to what that could be. Although the unltra sound and X-ray were clear, she said their ultrasound wasn't the best for seeing bowels.

This is a good point because the sort of poo she is doing can often narrow down the problem.
Have you checked for Giardia Alainax? i bought 2 Orientals over here from what i thought was a good breeder, both had terrible poo's and after months of investigation and no help at all from the breeder here i asked a long term Oriental breeder in England and she suggested having the test done. It came back positive .
Do you have other animals with access to outside? it's not common but cats can get it from dogs if they share the same water.
I don't know what else to think as she's an indoor cat and you've ruled out virus's and tumors. Could be diet but you would get her doing half and half poo's normally where they start to form and can't, liquid is a serious reaction to something.
I will try and run it past my breeder friend, she's had Orientals for 40 years. xxxx

The poos are like korma sauce. Sorry if that puts anyone off their dinner! I've not heard of that will look it up. Yes we have a dog. Thank you for asking your friend


Breast of chicken for dinner tonight which she loved. Her weight is the same as last week.

 

[BeckyFlowers]

That's great that she is in vet school, I really hope she gets better xxx

 

[Shady]

Ok Alainax, Korma sauce poo's? so they are pale , yellowy or beige. This would tell me there is an absence of bile salt so i would be thinking Giardia infestation, liver or gallbladder disease.
Have left a message with friend but i have a sneaky feeling she is away. Will keep trying. xx

 

[alainax]

Ok Alainax, Korma sauce poo's? so they are pale , yellowy or beige. This would tell me there is an absence of bile salt so i would be thinking Giardia infestation, liver or gallbladder disease.
Have left a message with friend but i have a sneaky feeling she is away. Will keep trying. xx

They did a blood test on the liver and gallbladder and apparently came back functioning well. Sometimes we get darker brown thick gravy style too. Sorry for foody descriptions!

 

[LadySam]

When my cat had these symptoms it turned out his gut flora was completely out of balance - not just a bit squiffy tummy, but badly out of whack. I don't know if any of the tests you've had done looked at this. Short course of tablets and he came good.

 

[Shady]

They did a blood test on the liver and gallbladder and apparently came back functioning well. Sometimes we get darker brown thick gravy style too. Sorry for foody descriptions!

Poo descriptions are good, really important too! i ended up photographing my 2 cats poo and sending them to my friend to see what she thought, i made beef curry one night and included one of that, amazing how similar it looked! My cats poo was dark and the smell was shocking
Right back to yours..
Had a quick reply from my friend and will respond tomorrow, she says vets are missing the T. foetus(TF) infection in cats and not testing for it but she also said unlikely if your cat is indoor only unless you have introduced a newbie recently?( very common in kittens but a growing problem in adults now)
I will talk to her tomorrow for you. In the meantime i would give her Pro Kolin to see if you can settle her tummy in case it's dietary. This always helps mine and keep her on bland food, don't keep changing it.
If your other cat is fine then probably not Giardia either.....

 

[alainax]

When my cat had these symptoms it turned out his gut flora was completely out of balance - not just a bit squiffy tummy, but badly out of whack. I don't know if any of the tests you've had done looked at this. Short course of tablets and he came good.

That sounds positive thank you I wonder if they Pro Kolin mentioned below would help that.

Poo descriptions are good, really important too! i ended up photographing my 2 cats poo and sending them to my friend to see what she thought, i made beef curry one night and included one of that, amazing how similar it looked! My cats poo was dark and the smell was shocking
Right back to yours..
Had a quick reply from my friend and will respond tomorrow, she says vets are missing the T. foetus(TF) infection in cats and not testing for it but she also said unlikely if your cat is indoor only unless you have introduced a newbie recently?( very common in kittens but a growing problem in adults now)
I will talk to her tomorrow for you. In the meantime i would give her Pro Kolin to see if you can settle her tummy in case it's dietary. This always helps mine and keep her on bland food, don't keep changing it.
If your other cat is fine then probably not Giardia either.....

I really appreciate your suggestions No newbies, other cat is fine.

That Pro Kolin looks good, do you think it would be best to check with the vet first before giving her that? I was thinking about worming also, just in case.

 

[BeckyFlowers]

I would check everything with your vet first

 

[Shady]

That sounds positive thank you I wonder if they Pro Kolin mentioned below would help that.



I really appreciate your suggestions No newbies, other cat is fine.

That Pro Kolin looks good, do you think it would be best to check with the vet first before giving her that? I was thinking about worming also, just in case.

I would just get her some, it can only do good and i would definitely worm her just in case. I'm surprised that the vets haven't put her on a broad spectrum antibiotic as they have no idea what's wrong with her.
I will send a quick message to friend to say your girl is indoor/ no newbie ,see if she can think further on it. xx

 

[alainax]

Just to add, she is eating loads of the plain chicken breast, thanks for that tip!

 

[alainax]

She is absolutely scoffing the chicken, can't say how glad I am that she is eating again! One sticky gravy poo in the litter from yesterday, will keep an eye on how they continue.

 

[BeckyFlowers]

Bless her, so glad to hear she's eating again!