The health of my older cat

[erinnyes]

Hi! I felt like posting here due to having some concern about my older cat, Woobie. The problem is, she just seems in generally poor health. She's been to the vet, and when she had bloodwork done they told us that she did have some liver function issues but that it wasn't serious yet. She's been on the Hills Perscription K/D diet for a while now (almost a year), and it seems her health is going very gradually downhill.

Our family has had Woobie for many years and I realize that some of these problems may very well just be due to natural aging. I believe she is about 15 now, however, and can't help but feel that her downhill spiral is a bit premature? She seems to have very little energy and very little appetite. She's always been an extremely picky eater and will not touch canned foods. She eats the Hill's Diet with moderation and used to really enjoy snacks like popcorn, a little milk or chicken, which we stopped giving her once she started her special diet. But she is very, very thin now. I monitor her eating habits very carefully to be sure she hasn't stopped, but she vomits rather frequently. You can pet her and feel bones sticking out under her fur, and her coat itself is dull, a little scraggly, and lately she's been losing very large clumps of it. Also, her claws seem to grow very erratically, which I thought was a sign of kidney problems? But I'm not sure.

I am definitely taking her to the vet again, but thought I might ask for people's viewpoints here as well? Maybe others have experienced similar problems with an older cat and know something that helps, or at very least makes her more healthy. I've heard that some cats really respond to different foods, especially canned foods with few byproducts, but I haven't yet been able to get her to eat any.

Thank you for reading my little novel here. I hope some of you might know what to do!

[Medusa]

My blackie, Boo, is thin and I can feel his bones, too, but I had his senior blood work done not too long ago and he's fine, just in advanced years; he's 18. Your vet told you, however, that Woobie has some liver function problem, so I'd say that it's good that you're having him checked again. I don't have any suggestions for you, just prayers that all will go well. Please keep us posted.

[kb2yjx]

Did Woobie have a T4?? To check thyroid function...Also, to tempt her to eat, try chicken baby food. I use that as the ULTIMATE bribe food....Please keep us posted on your Woobie! I have Norton, who is 17, a thyroid and kidney kitty. He refuses to eat the kidney food. To me, this is OK, I rather have him eat something, than not eat the prescribed diet...Norton has been eating Pet Promise Chicken, and he kidney values have been excellent(he also get sub q fluids three times a week).

[krazyaboutkatz]

Welcome to PT. I'm so sorry to her about your cat. It's so hard to watch them age and have health problems. So far I haven't had a cat with kidney problems but I've heard that giving them pepcid will help to stop or decrease their vomiting. You might want to ask your vet about this. A vitiamin B12 shot might also help her coat and it may also give her more energy. I hope that her vet visit goes well and that you'll be able to make her as comfortable as possible. I'll keep her in my thoughts and prayers.

[erinnyes]

Hello again! Thank you for all your advice! I read and wrote down a lot of the suggestions. As far as tempting her to eat different foods, I have tried, but she seems to only really want to snack on greasy or salty things, like cooked chicken skin and popcorn, and those are out for the obvious reasons. I have bumped up her vet appointment to Monday because she's freaking me out a little, losing very large clumps of fur on her underbelly and legs. I have been watching her very carefully (easy to do when her favorite hangout is a pillow on my bed), but I've pretty convinced it's not a case of overgrooming, she just seems to be losing big chunks of fur. To compensate I've put a space heater in my room to make sure my skinny kitty doesn't get any chills, so I hope that's helping rather than making more hair fall out.

I've written down to suggest the t4 and vitamin b12 to the vet. Those seem like good ideas, and I can't recall if she's been checked for thyroid health before or not. I want to say she has, but I will find out when I see the vet. I'll also try some chicken baby food and maybe organic canned foods and see if those entice her a little more. She eats her current K/D food with great disdain.

Thanks for all the thoughts! I will let everyone know what happens on Monday!

[kb2yjx]

Npw that you mention the Woobie eats K/D(canned???), our Tina Peepers, who was eating Royal Canin canned Duck for allergies, was put on the canned K/D when her labs came back indicating early kidney disease. THEN I noticed that Tina was pulling out her fur(which had grown back nicely while she was on the Royal Canin Duck). I decided that at 12 and a half years, I want her to be comfortable and not itching to death, so despite the little higher protein in the RC duck, I switched her from the K/D to the RC duck. She is considerably LESS itchy and her fur is growing back. My vet agreed with the switch. Maybe your Woobie is allergic to the K/D....please let us know what happens at the vet!!! Sorry I was so wordy...

[funny felines]

I don't know if it is the same for cats, as with humans but if she vomits and can't eat at times, I wonder if it could be a problem with her intestines? ask your vet...
good luck I hope she gets better soon.

[erinnyes]

Okay, I just got Woobie's results today from the vet. He told me that everything looked normal and stable, after he did the blood test for kidney and thyroid function. He said Kidney was slightly elevated, but only by one or two points, so very minorly. So after he assured me all that was fine, I'm like "... So why is she pulling her hair out?" I asked if she should be taken in for x-rays now, but my vet said it wasn't necessary. Yet I feel dissatisfied... I have been going to this vet for years and truly trust his judgment, yet I read on this very site the story of someone who's vet said the same thing to them about the same problem, and it turned out it was a larger issue.

So, I guess I'm looking for a little advice? The other vet in town is thorough and very expensive. Should I trust my vet or get the second opinion, potentially to find nothing?

So confused!!

[Catlady711]

Okay, I just got Woobie's results today from the vet. He told me that everything looked normal and stable, after he did the blood test for kidney and thyroid function. He said Kidney was slightly elevated, but only by one or two points, so very minorly. So after he assured me all that was fine, I'm like "... So why is she pulling her hair out?" I asked if she should be taken in for x-rays now, but my vet said it wasn't necessary. Yet I feel dissatisfied... I have been going to this vet for years and truly trust his judgment, yet I read on this very site the story of someone who's vet said the same thing to them about the same problem, and it turned out it was a larger issue.

So, I guess I'm looking for a little advice? The other vet in town is thorough and very expensive. Should I trust my vet or get the second opinion, potentially to find nothing?

So confused!!

While the other vet may be expensive you've already said he/she is very thorough.
If it was my cat I'd try the other vet for a second opinion, be sure to get the records faxed over there so they don't have to repeat any lab work which will save you a bit of money.

Sometimes you get what you pay for in a vet. Some vets are cheap but they lack the higher tech equipment to find things, and some lack the more up to date information on current heath topics, which may be why they are cheaper.

Since your current vet has given you no information as to why your cat seems scruffy looking, hair loss, weight loss, and did not offer thyroid testing up front without you suggesting it first, I'd strongly want a second opionon if it was me.

While you may trust your vet with other issues you've already expressed doubt on this issue and it may be that your vet simply lacks the experience to deal with this particular issue on this particular cat.

If the second vet costs more and also finds nothing but reassures you as to what is causing the issue being a normal part of aging, wouldn't that extra cost be worth the peace of mind? To me it would.

Good luck.

[GILL]

I agree go for a second or even third opinion. Our ET was taken to a very high priced vet that we had used for over 30 years, but something didn't seem right. I took her to another that was highly recommended. After 3 visits and two different vets at the new clinic. She passed and we found out it was cancer. I at lest know that I tried.
We have had hair loss and it almost always comes back to diet. Good luck and please let us know how she does.

[moosmom]

My Mollie Rose, who will be 16 on Mother's day is VERY thin. Her bloodwork came back normal and the vet said it was due to age. I make her scrambled eggs with cheese and turkey every morning, and she noshes on that throughout the day. I also give her most of a can of cat food at night (splitting the remains between the other 4 cats). She's doing fine. She does drink alot of water and pees alot. But the vet didn't seem worried about it. If she stops eating or drinking water then I'll worry.

[Medusa]

I heartily concur w/the others; get a second opinion. Vets are human and sometimes just plain miss things. A second opinion will give you peace of mind and can possibly help your cat to get over this mystery.

[catmandu]

Sad to say bit Our Cats do have different biologiacl clocks , and some Ctas like JJJ3 , Michael the Dream , and Princess the Purrfect are still going strong at 18, while Bo Bo the Bodacious , Moose the Magnifi Cat and many Younger Found Cats are Angels.
All we can do is Our Best.
Prayers are coming for Dear Woobie from All Of Us!!!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I agree that you should get a second opinion. I had to do this when my Starr was very sick and if I hadn't he wouldn't be with me today. My new vet does charge more but they also have all of the high tech equipment and are also an emergency hospital too. Good luck.

[erinnyes]

Hello again everyone!

Well, looks like I'll be taking your advice. I gave it a little time but Woobie is just pulling out more fur and seems lackluster. I called my vet today to ask if he'd do an x-ray and see if there's something else wrong, but they said it wasn't necessary. Maybe it's just me, and I am HARDLY an expert in such matters, but I'm a little worried about not checking and so I've decided to take my cat to the other vet in town for their opinion as well. I absolutely hope that the first vet is right and it's nothing, but I would feel awful if it ended up being a sign of a more serious problem and I did nothing on the advice of one vet.

Thank you all for your advice! It's SOOO much easier to make this decision (especially since the other vet will probably be a significant cost! ) when you have the advice of others to back you up. Thank you again!