My cat is pretty sick :/

[Muttly]

So my cat has been sick off and on for weeks. He's had a whole variety of symptoms, the biggest being vomiting. At some point he was vomiting so much and hard he was just bringing up bile and blood. I work at a vet clinic which is a blessing right now, since all my cats vet care has been price reduced or free. It's also kind of a curse because I know too much. I have access to the reports that are written about him.

Anyway, today he got an ultrasound and while there's still one last test pending, the picture of what is going on with him is fairly clear. He has inflammatory bowel disease, which is sort of the feline version of Crohn's disease. It is fairly mild, but it's also a lousy thing to have. There's no cure, but there are treatments that can help. He also, most likely, has the start of kidney disease. It's definitely early for that, so it's really good to know and help be proactive. There's no cure for that either. Sigh. I figure he's about 8.5 years old. He's not that old.

I held him during the ultrasound. I was fine. I got through work. I was fine. Now I feel like bawling. The kidney disease is bad, but it's so early and I've seen cats live years with that and do well. And there's was probably more advanced. I'm not at all happy, but not freaked out. The IBD is rough. It's so hard sometimes to find the right diet/meds that manages the symptoms. And my guy will be his own worst enemy. He likes to escape and then eats grass and stuff he shouldn't. And he is prone to hairball and hates hairball medicine. Hairballs will definitely make his issues worse.

So yeah, I'm just... not shocked but was really hoping for better news. I am relieved it's not worse. Also, for those of you who deal with hairballs (hopefully your cat and not you) what do you use to treat it? Any creative ideas out there? As I said, my butthead hates all the remedies I know, except for hairball food but that's not going to work with the other issues he has going on.

 

[Tinyflame]

I'm sorry @Muttly I know little about cats but I know how you love your animals and I'll be pulling for you both. :hug:

I'm sure others will weigh in soon, hang in there, that is horribly stressful. :(

 

[littleoc]

Poor baby. What an awful disease for a cat to end up with. I’m sorry he has to deal with that, and really happy he has you.

I don’t know that all the tricks I know for hairballs aren’t things you already know, but I’ll try anyway, in case there’s something new for you?

First and foremost is to brush the coat once or twice a day, depending on how much he sheds, to reduce the amount of fur he injests. Second I do is offer some kind of treat/oil to sort of lubricate the digestive tract — I’m not sure that would help much of the oils are an IBD trigger. Sounds like grass doesn’t agree with him. But maybe you could try growing your own cat grass and/or catnip without anything in it but plant (and dirt) to see if upping his fiber would help? (unless he’s having a lot of diarrhea, then that will make it worse.) Supplements might work really well for hairballs and IBD, since both conditions might be related or trigger each other.

If you can find a way to get him to stay super hydrated, that will help a TON.

Medications will calm down his digestive tract (hopefully) and may also consequently help with the hairballs? (I’m no vet, though. Don’t quote me.)

A food with absolutely no grains in it may help a ton. I’d definitely ask the vet about that, though, instead of taking my word for it, because switching foods is always a sensitive thing for cats and it would probably get him sick again.

Anyway, if nothing else, I hope the right medicines are found soon. :hug: IBDs are so horrible and painful. So unfair for an innocent little cat to end up with it, so I’m very, very glad he’s with someone who cares about him. :)

 

[Missycat]

@Muttly so sorry you are both going through this.
I would agree with @littleoc suggestions above. My elderly cat (18) tends to stay in the house more and we dont have grass in the front or back yard so we got a grass plant from the pet shop - grow your own grass , that worked for a bit but then she stopped eating it. She is now on a grain free diet and the dry food she is on is designed for cats that have kidney or bladder problems (she got crystals in her pee) - in addition to regular brushing we have seen a big improvement.
I hope you are able to find something that works , i truly understand what your cat means to you .

 

[knuckles]

Sorry about the struggles for you and your cat.

I had a cat with kidney disease. She did okay with the diet (Hill's k/d + mobility and wet food with added extra water), but was not happy about the medicin. I chose to value quality of life over quantity, which ment some medication was dropped, and some of her favourite routines (including treats/food less ideal for her condition) was kept. She eventually developed a UTI which didn't respond to medication - and I had her put to sleep.

As for hairballs I must say I don't do much. They are sometimes given a malt paste as a treat when brushing their teeth, but other than that I don't target the hairball issue. They do throw up hairballs now and then, but usually no more than once every other month, and though one of them tends to vomit once or twice the day before the hairball, they generally don't seem to be negatively affected by them. But I can see how it would be a different scenario if IBD was involved.

As for eating grass I have two who are not affected by it and one who will vomit if he eats more than a few blades of grass. I previously had one who would vomit after eating half a blade of grass - he was a very sensitive cat in many ways.

I think I would try to establish a grooming routine, to help keep the cat from ingesting too much fur. Like @littleoc mentioned I would guess most of the anti-hairball "lubricants"(pastes and liquids/oils) are counterproductive when it comes to IBD.

Maybe looking into calming supplements, if the stress of the physical imbalance causes excessive grooming (and generally just exacerbates his conditions). I have had good experiences with Bachs rescue remedy (added to their drinking water), as well as zylkene (capsules), serene-um (tablets) and feliway diffusers - though it varied which products had the best effect on each individual. Something as simple as soothing music (I like Music for Cats and friends) and regular routines also might help keep him calm and content. Generally just seeing if there are external stressors that you can eliminate or alleviate.

Glad you have a kind team of vets supporting you.

ETA: if you can speak to a feline nutritional expert it might be worth looking into the nutritional values of the various kidney diets. Personally I didn't like the very low protein levels of some of the kidney diets avaliable. I wanted to find a product with as much highly digestable protein as possible rather than go for a diet with as low a protein level as possible. I wanted to look into raw feeding at the time, but couldn't keep my head straight - and she was never much eating raw food. Hope you find something that works well for both you and your cat.

 

[whiteraven]

Oh @Muttly, I'm so sorry your kitty is sick.

My tabby was diagnosed with IBD 6 or 7 years ago via scope. She wasn't throwing up or anything like that, really. She just stopped eating. She didn't eat for 4 days and they couldn't get her to eat in the hospital. Had to give her IVs. Took me 2 months of force feeding to finally get her to eat again on her own, but once she did, she pretty much ate whatever she wanted.

She is almost 16 and in really good shape. She does have a hairball problem, though. Seems she might be allergic/sensitive to fish, which is all she will eat. She is constantly overgrooming. The only thing that has ever helped her is the sticky paste you put on their feet - it's a laxative, I think, that they can lick off. Problem is, though, she would never lick it off. LOL Instead, she'd just walk around the house getting everything sticky until it was gone. I started putting some on the tip of her nose and THAT works! I also brush them every day. I think she overgrooms, at least in part because she is sensitive to the fish she eats.

My other cat has not been diagnosed yet - I can't afford the testing - but she used to throw up constantly and had recently started having really nasty stools. Her liver and white counts were off, so I took her to an internist. He changed her food and, when she eats it (she hates it), she doesn't throw up at all and her stools are back to normal. Still struggling with that, though, as she does NOT like it.

 

[somerandomguy]

Sorry to hear about your cat. But he has the best friend he could possibly have in you. ?

 

[Muttly]

Thank you all for your replies. We have switched his food, on the recommendation of the vet and he's went a week without vomiting. That's an improvement from where we were. He did vomit a little bit. I will ask the vet about indoor grass for him. I'm not sure if that will help or hinder.

As far as the laxatone or other hairball medicines, I've tried so many things. If I stick it on his foot he just flings it off, same with his nose. Or, as as @whiteraven mentioned, just walk around tracking it everywhere. I know someone who swore by butter, but he doesn't like it. I'll keep experimenting and find something.

I am sorry my reply is so short. I really did appreciate all the thoughtful answers. I'm now sick myself and don't seem to have many words.

 

[Deanna]

There are these treats by Temptations, with a litter pan, cat and a brush on the front for hairball control.

I give one to my cat every few days. Dogs will specifically eat grass in order to puke.

 

[littleoc]

I hope you feel better soon too :hug: No worries about short replies! We wouldn’t mind even if you weren’t ill.

 

[Sanctuary]

My heart goes out to you.
The unconditional love that cats give is beyond measure.
Just been in the garden and my bubba who has pasted should be sitting with me but she's in heaven.
Just started crying the pain is so bad without her.
Do all you can for your baby.

Bubba used to love a ribbon grass for hairballs. It's a marginal water plant that I kept in a pot in water.
Or can be grown in the ground.
(phalaris arundinacea picta or common name gardeners garters.
They can't digest it and just eat the tips and then throw up purging hairballs.
It's a grass that animals graze on. It's safe for them.

I know what worked for her, as in the past she ate the wrong grass! and it got suck in her palette.
Cost me £160 injection to save her, from pampas grass! Don't go near it!
Some plants are very toxic to cats, like Lilys, hyacinths,
But cat grass and catnip plants you can grow in the garden are helpers.
Wishing you hold your baby close and hug her, every day is precious.

 

[Muttly]

He's curled up beside me at the moment and making it bit hard to type :) He's vomited a few times the last day. Sigh. The new food seemed to be helping. I am definitely going to try the hairball treats. I have never known him to turn down a treat. heh. I plan to pick them up today.

I think this is one of those cases where too much knowledge is hard. I know all the things that can go wrong. I have read the reports and seen the ultrasound. So, it's hard to let go and chill out. But right now, he is purring in my lap and seems happy. That's what's important