Can Stress Make A Cat Become Sick? Latest Update: Ziggy Is Home 6-19-09

[krazyaboutkatz]

The reason I'm asking this question is because I took both Ziggy and Sky to my vet for their annual exams on Sunday. Ziggy always becomes very stressed out. Her temp was 103 something and they told me it was most likely caused by her being so stressed out. She checked out fine and is a big girl at a little over 14lbs.

She's always been a good eater and her nickname is "Ziggy the Piggy" because she's always hungry and would eat all of her siblings food if I let her. I noticed last night that she wasn't finishing all of her food and later she threw up several times. She's thrown up her food before but it was because she's eaten too fast.

She wouldn't touch her food this morning but I was able to get her to lick some canned and some baby food off of my finger. If I put it in a bowl she'd ignore it. She also seems to be a bit lethargic. Before I took her to the vet she was fine. Has this ever happened to any one's cats? I also decided to give everyone some hairball medicine in case this is the cause.

I'll see how she's doing when I get home tonight and if she's still not doing well then I'll have to bring her to the vet again. I'm sure that my vet is booked and she's going to be taking some time off so she won't be in next week. Please send some positive vibes Ziggy's way. Thanks.

[lvpets2002]

Sure it can.. My babies get all stressed out going to the Vet.. Yes I have seen their temps spike & then all will be fine once we are back home.. They can also get sick from stress at home..

[krazyaboutkatz]

Sure it can.. My babies get all stressed out going to the Vet.. Yes I have seen their temps spike & then all will be fine once we are back home.. They can also get sick from stress at home..

Yes, I know this and this is normal. I also know that my Sunny stressed himself out so much when I made him wear a collar that his bladder became inflamed and he became sick. So now no collar no problem.

I mean can it cause a cat to just stop eating and not acting like they normally do? Ziggy was fine when we got home on Sun. and she ate well until last night. In the past she became so stressed that she'd hyperventilate on the way home from the vet. She didn't do it this time so I thought that she had made some progress. She refused to eat her 2nd morning feeding and would barely lick off baby food from my fingers. She refused the canned food too.

If she caught something while being at the vet, then I would think that Sky would also be acting the same way. I just don't need more sick cats right now. Sky's still having runny stools and I brought in a stool sample to have this tested. Thanks for reading this.

[lvpets2002]

Yes I have seen cats not eat due to stress & or depression.. They will also stop eating if they have not pooped in a while & all stoped up.. Now this is why I keep Chicken Broth in the cabinets at all times.. If one gets stoped up then I will get a kitten milk feeder bottle & put some broth in it.. I will make sure at least some gets down the throat.. It works everytime.. This makes them thirsty & then when they start drinking then they will potty good.. You might try that & or talk to your vet.. Wittle Ziggy hope you feel better real soon.. Come on & eat ok.. Keep us posted..

[Moesha]

Did they receive vaccinations? My vet told me this year that they've added a new vaccination for a strain of leukemia (I think it was leukemia) to the shots and it can cause especially kittens, but I've noticed it in Aroara also, to be lethargic and uninterested in food for a day or so. Perhaps that is the situation with yours. If it hasn't improved soon, I'd be calling the vet's office.

[Medusa]

My wonderful vet told me that stress can kill a cat, which is why I tried to keep my Puddy as calm as possible and now my Pidgelet, too. I know this sounds negative and I don't mean it to but I just thought that I should be straight up w/you. Keep the faythe.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks for your concerns but Ziggy is now doing so much better. When I got home tonight she looked a lot more alert and she even sat in my bedroom window and started her teeth chattering noise towards something outside. I knew then that she was feeling much better.

She didn't receive any shots on Sunday. My cats don't get shots any more and my vet approved this since they're indoor only. They only go in for annual exams or if they're sick. When I fed my cats their first feeding tonight, Ziggy was very hungry and ate most of her dry food. I didn't give her as much as I usually do because I wanted to see if she could keep her food down. So far so good.

I had already e-mailed my vet this morning about Ziggy and she e-mailed me back that if I need to bring Ziggy in tomorrow to just call her in the morning and she'd be able to work me in. She's such a wonderful vet. I thought that she was going on vacation next week and that's why she'd be out of the office. No, she has a fellowship at Davis VMTH so she said no vacation for her. I also know that she's working on becoming a board certified surgeon as well so she's a very busy lady. Right now she only works from Sun.-Wed. and Mon. is her surgery day so I usually try to make appointments on Sundays. I also try to make them well in advance because she gets booked up quickly. She's the only vet there that specializes in cats.

Thanks again for all of your concerns. I had never heard that stress can kill a cat. I sure hope that this never happens to one of my furkids. If anything changes I'll be sure to update this thread.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Well I spoke too soon. Ziggy is still acting lethargic and she wouldn't touch her second feeding tonight. She licked a very small amount of canned food from my finger. I had to carry her out to the kitchen for her second feeding. Unless she improves over night, she's most likely going to the vets again tomorrow. I just wish that she didn't become so stressed out at the vets. I need more positive vibes sent my way. Thanks.

[smokey the elder]

I'm afraid to take TicTac to the vet for what I suspect may be asthma because he had such a panic attack when he went in for a checkup. Talk about a catch-22. I know that vet visits can spike a cat's blood sugar, which makes diabetes a tough diagnosis. I hope Ziggy can be sorted out. Maybe some rescue remedy in her water?

[moosmom]

Feliway has worked wonders for me. It contains an enzyme that only cats can smell. It calmed Buddy and MooShoo down when they were transitioning. Expensive but well worth it. Rescue Remedy works well too. You can get a homeopathic version of it at health food stores.

My cats get stressed out when they go to the vets too. Once their home and get a few treats in their system.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Thanks everyone. I've tried Feliway in the past and it worked for a while but then they became immune to it. Ziggy still shows no interest in food so I called my vet and left a voice mail telling her that I would like to be seen today. Her assistant checks her voice mail and she'll call me back to let me know when. I just hope it's a simple case and she can make Ziggy feel better.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I had to end up calling back and I spoke to my vets assistant. I have to be there at 11am but most likely I won't be able to be seen until 12pm. They're considering it an urgent care case but she said that I won't be charged anything extra since I called ahead of time and they're working me in. There's another person doing the same thing. I decided to just take the day off because we're very slow at work any way. I just want my baby girl to feel better and to become her normal self again.

[Pinot's Mom]

Keep us posted!

Stress can absolutely have an effect, though. I seriously think that's why shelter kitties are so sick!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I just got home a little while ago. Ziggy has a mild case of pancreatitis. My vet did an ultrasound on her and her pancreas is a litttle inflammed. She also took some blood to test her liver and pancreas but she said many times the numbers will still be within the normal range even though an animal has pancreatitis. She also tested her blood sugar level and it was normal. I'll find out her other blood results later on. I asked my vet if pancreatitis can be caused by stress and said yes.

She was given 100cc of IV fluids and I brought the rest of the bag home and I'll be giving this to her once daily for the next 5 days. I also brought home some Iams intestinal low residue canned food because my vet said it's very important that I get her to eat. I'll force feed her if I have to. I've done this before with my RB Pepper. I also gave her 1/4 of an appetite stimulant pill and I can give this every 3 days if needed. I also have a bottle of liquid pepcid that I'll inject into the line while giving her the IV fluid and I give her .25ml for the next 5 days.

My vet said that some cats need to be hospitalized for pancreatitis and if she starts vomiting a lot, having labored breathing, and becoming very lethargic that I would need to bring her back in right away. Since she has a mild case I hope to be able to treat her at home. I'm so glad that I decided to bring her in today. I should see improvement in a about 2 days and maybe even sooner. Please send some prayers and positive thoughts her way. Thanks.

[Medusa]

Oh goodness, poor Ziggy and poor you. Of course, we'll keep the prayers going for her complete and speedy recovery. Keep the faythe.