When it rains, it pours. Now Mac is ill.

[katladyd]

My :love: kitty, Mac, has stopped eating and just isn't acting like himself. Sometimes he seems pretty normal and other times he goes into his hidey hole and refuses food or water. I want to ask this: For those of you who sent me Paypal money for Ming (who is quite healthy now and ruling the house with a velvet Siamese paw), would you mind if I used these funds to get Mac into the vets? I've been force-feeding him, but I don't want to keep on doing that. If it is his time to go to the Bridge, I can live with that, he's an old cat who has earned his Rest. But if there is something they can do (within reason) I want to know. I just don't want him living like this. Do you guys think it would be okay to use your donations (or part of them anyway) for Mac?

[sasvermont]

Surely do what you need to do with the money I sent. It was a gift. I don't usually donate so easily, but for some reason, I felt as though I should. So have at it. I know how expensive it can be to keep a pet healthy. My last bill to have Chloe the cat's teeth clean was nearly $700. Yikes!

[kuhio98]

Surely do what you need to do with the money I sent. It was a gift. I don't usually donate so easily, but for some reason, I felt as though I should. So have at it. I know how expensive it can be to keep a pet healthy. My last bill to have Chloe the cat's teeth clean was nearly $700. Yikes!

Ditto. The $$ was a gift, not a loan.

[Catty1]

Same here! It's a gift, not a loan. I just got back from holidays so I hope Mac checks out ok.:love:

[katladyd]

He's not hiding any more and he is drinking normally. He still isn't eating on his own and I won't have time to take him to the vet until Friday. Oh well. He is alert and active, just very thin and it looks like he is slowing down. He doesn't seem to be in any pain, but I will find out more at the vets.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear this.:( I know how things can be when you have more than one cat. I sure hope that he recovers on his own and that he'll start eating on his own again. If you do end up taking him to the vet, I hope that whatever is causing this can be easily diagnosed and treated. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way.

[katladyd]

Do iany of you have any idea what would make a cat stop eating? He's not vomiting, he doesn't seem to be in any pain (you can pick him up and move his limbs and no protests). The only time he seems to be upset is when I force food down him. I have a test tomorrow morning for a second job I would LOVE to have and I can't miss that! So Friday is the only day I can take him. My current job is giving me MANY hours now, so time to take Mac to the vet is limited. Why, oh why, do they have to grow old?:(

[sasvermont]

I would make sure his mouth is examined by someone. He may have dental problems, although my vet said that doesn't usually stop cats and dogs from eating.

I did have once cat that stopped eating and was ALSO unable to drink. She had a lump in her mouth that turned out to be cancer. I fed her water with an eye dropper for a couple of days until she could be sent off to the Rainbow Bridge. She was a dear, dear kitty named Mandy and was my first Abyssinian cat. She was around 10 when this happened and the vet could not operate as the tumor was on her tongue. Kitty's cannot live without their tongues. I didn't even have a choice. Poor Mandy girl. There is a funny story about her passing. I took her to be put down, brought her sweet furry body home and put it on my bed because I couldn't deal with it just yet. Hours later when I decided to bury her, her body WAS STILL WARM TO THE TOUCH. I thought she was still alive and freaked out. Here I had left the electric blanket on and it had kept her warm. I figured it out after a few minutes. She was such a sweet girl and it was so sad to see her struggle to eat. My heart was broken when she left this earth.

Sorry to get off topic. I would try to pry his widdle mouth open and take a look. Look UNDER his tongue too. This may be impossible but make sure the Vet looks under there too.

Good luck and keep us posted.

:love::love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

I really don't why he'd just stop eating either unless for some reason he's just decided that he now hates the food that you're feeding him or he has an underlying illness. I'm going through something a bit similar with Alani & Blaze but it's mainly Alani. They both used to come running for their food and now usually only Blaze will come running for it. I have to go find Alani and take him to his food. I then watch to make sure he's eating which he is but he doesn't finish all of his food. He used to also try to steal Blaze's food. Now both of them have been leaving some of their dry food behind. I've mentioned this to my vet. Alani did recently have an eye infection which I gave him drops for but he's over it now so I just don't understand what's causing his problem now either. I sure wish that they could talk to us and let us know what's wrong.

When you bring him to the vet maybe your vet can give him a vitamin B12 shot because this is supposed to help to stimulate the appetite. Ziggy had to have some of these when she stopped eating and it really helped her. More prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way. Please take care.(((HUGS)))

[phesina]

Oh, dearest Mac, we are all saying our prayers for you and sending along good wishes and healing energies that whatever is going on is not serious and can be fixed up without too much trouble or expense. We hope you are back in fine form very soon!

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love: from Pat and cats

[krazyaboutkatz]

So how is Mac doing today? Is he eating on his own yet?

[katladyd]

No, not yet. But, he is drinking and using the litterbox on his own. Today he hid for part of the day, then came out and has been sociable in the living room. I am truly puzzled by this. He seems fairly normal except for the not eating. He is getting thin and I have been force-feeding him twice a day. He seems to take Gerbers meat and veggies baby foods the best (thanks for the tip on that, you guys!) He is alert, just not eating. I'm thinking a dental problem, but it could be something else. He doesn't seem to be in pain when you pick him up, so who knows? :confused:

I called my vet on Thursday and she didn't have an opening until Monday morning, so Mac is going in then. I'm really worried, but I need answers. KAK, I may need help paying for this if it's a dental problem or if he needs bloodwork. I know you offered before, but if they will treat him before my check from Paypal comes in, I should be able to afford this. I just didn't need this right after Ming's vet bill, but I guess that is just the way life goes sometimes. I willl keep updates coming, I promise. If you guys could spare a good thought for my little orange guy:love:, I would really apprectiate it.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm sorry to hear that he's still not eating.:( I sure hope that whatever is causing this is easy to diagnose and also easy to treat. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way.

My Alani is eating better but he's still not acting like himself either. He's sleeping a lot more than he normally does. I'm hoping that he'll also improve too.

[katladyd]

KAK, I'm sending good thoughts out to Alani and the rest of your crew. Life just isn't the same when one of them isn't quite right.:(

[krazyaboutkatz]

KAK, I'm sending good thoughts out to Alani and the rest of your crew. Life just isn't the same when one of them isn't quite right.:(

Thanks.:)

[kaycountrygal]

You asked if anyone had a cat that didnt want to eat. What I'm going to say will not give you comfort or make you feel better. Last month my Luke cat went from eating alot to barely eating to not eating. He drank some liquids and mainly slept. I took him to vet for blood work & xrays and was told he had liver and kidney failure. Bottom Line: he was dying and a few days later he was so weak he had trouble walking and I had to have him PTS. I'm sure he had been sick awhile but I didnt notice it until he stopped eating. Maybe your cat will be lucky and not be critically ill.

[katladyd]

i had Mac to the vet today and they could find nothing really wrong with him. His heart was strong, teeth were great, not masses found, and he is in no obvious pain. They took some blood and are running some tests on it today. They will let me know tomorrow sometime if they find anything. He hasn't lost as much weight as I thought he did, he still weighs 6 lbs, he's only lost a pound or so. They gave him an appetite stimulant and we are going to see how that works. The vet told me she didn't think it was anything that serious, his heart rate is good and she said she doubted it was a thyroid problem. Well, I guess the bloodwork will tell the story. Keep the good thoughts coming.

[phesina]

This sounds promising! Good thoughts and prayers are coming from us that the vet is right and there isn't anything that serious going on here.

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm relieved to hear that he seems to be in good health other than his loss of appetite. Hopefully the blood work will tell you something and if it does I hope it's easy to treat.

Like I mentioned before, maybe he just doesn't like his old food any more. I used to feed most of my cats Wellness Core dry. Then for some odd reason my RB Storm, Ziggy, & Pearl refused to eat it. Only Sky would still eat it. I had to switch to a different grain free brand so now I feed everyone Merrick's Before Grain Chicken dry. I can now even feed Alani & Blaze this food and they have very sensitive tummies. It's also much less expensive. They didn't all like the Before Grain canned food though so I'm sticking with the Chicken & Turkey grain free Wellness canned. Here's a link to the Before Grain Chicken dry http://products.merrickpetcare.com/product/consumerproduct.jsp?id=46&description=Adult/Cat/BG-Chicken and it also comes in Salmon & Tuna dry too.

Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent Mac's way.:love:

[katladyd]

I just got the results of Mac's bloodwork. He has hyperthyroidism and will be put on meds. No cancer, no kidney failure (yea!), just something treatable. I'm leaving in a few minutes to pick up his meds (which aren't expensive, thank God!). The vet is a bit concerned about the lack of appetite, but hopes the meds will pick him up in a couple of days. Thank all of you for your kind thoughts and prayers. Now, on to getting my :love: cat on the road to health!

[phesina]

That's great! Mac, you are receiving the very best of care, aren't you!

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

[katladyd]

I love my vet! She is a bit expensive, but she has brought both Mac and Ming back from the brink on more than one occasion. Mac is now on Tapazole and an appetite stimulant. He has eaten on his own this morning and is now sleeping on the bed, cuddled up to Ming.:D My two miracle babies. Have any of you had any experience with a cat on Tapazole? He has to go back to the vet in 3 weeks for more blood work, but that's okay by me. By the way, thank you all for your generous donations to my Paypal account. These funds will completely cover Mac's expenses. Again, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!:love::love:

[Catty1]

Yay! I am so glad it is something treatable, and that your expenses were covered. :D Please give your miracle babies some cuddles from me!:love::love::love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

Whew! I'm so glad to hear that he has something that can be treated. I hope that the pills will do the trick and that he'll return to his old self very soon.:) My RB Storm also had hyperthyroidism but he was put on Methimazole 2.5mg and he was on 2 pills a day. He'd get one in the morning and one in the evening. I would wrap them in part of a pill pocket and he just thought that he was getting a treat. Before he was diagnosed, I do remember that he was drinking a lot more water than usual and he seemed hungrier too. He had also lost some weight which I didn't even realize because of his long fur coat. He never needed an increase in his doseage like some cats do and he was also on pred which also increased his appetite because he also had small intestinal disease. I thought his medicine was kind of expensive but I did buy 200 pills each time so that I didn't have to keep going back to buy refills so often. I actually still have some of his pills left over. I hope Mac is easy to pill. Good luck.:)

[katladyd]

I looked up Tapazole, Tracy, and it is just another name for Methimazole. Mac is on 2.5 mg. twice a day, just like Storm. He is also on an appetite stimulant which is working fairly well. My vet gave me a very nice pill popper, so pilling him is a breeze! According to my son, Mac ate quite a bit of dry while I was at work today. This is on top of the few mouthfulls he ate this morning. If he keeps eating, he gets more of the appetite stimulant on Thursday. Today, he was back to being a lap kitty, he hasn't climbed up on anyone's lap in about 2 weeks. I hope these meds work. So far, so good.

By the way, I only had to pay about $20 for a 30 day supply. I am going to order his next bottle from Pet Meds. That is where I get Ming's Amitriptyline. I get 100 of those babies for about $10.