Please help! Indoor cat turned outdoor cat is sick :(

[catniper]

Hi,
I just came across this board and could really use some advice/help/support.

I have a 6 year old, female, Tortie cat. She used to be indoors, but was craving to go outdoors. So, for her 6th birthday, we let her get a taste of outdoor life. By the way, before we adopted her, she was a porch cat from time to time with her previous owners, so she is not foreign to the outdoor world.

For a few months she has been doing fine. We have seen her palling around with other neighborhood cats and with our neighbors. She is licensed and wears her collar, in case she gets lost.

Getting to the point:
This week and this week only, for two days, I couldn't find her. Her favorite pillow that I had outside near our entrance was vacant. Then she all of a sudden shows up out-of-the blue after two days and is laying there limp. I pick her up and she is gaunt! She was a 16 lb cat. But felt like a 2 lb cat! She lost a HUGE amount of weight this past week. I have been trying to feed her, although no matter where I put her food, ants attack it. We have hideous ants here where we live. So I would wait for her to show up to eat which she usually does. She didn't come around for a while to eat, but before she pulled her disappearing act, she was still fat and sassy, so I figured she was eating mice, bugs, etc.
Then, when I found her on her pillow, picked her up and she lay almost flaccid in my arms, I realized something was very wrong.
I took her to the vet on an emergency basis, and they ran a blood test and instantly after looking at her knew she was dehydrated because her ears (inside) had a yellow tinge as did her skin. Her eyes were a bit sunken in the sockets as well. My cat had lost 6 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That was a HUGE loss.
The test the Vet ran was NOT cheap, but I knew we needed to get it done. The vet hydrated my cat under her skin with a needle filled with water, and gave me a prescription.
Her blood test came back with disappointing news, in that her liver has an infection and her white blood cell count it low (it should be high if anything!).
The vet hopes she picked up an infection that will be cleared up with the meds and keeping her indoors. But, her vet hopes it is not more serious than that, and it's too early to tell.
My cat is now one day post her vet visit, going on day two. She is eating a little bit. I am giving her tuna because it is fatterning and she liked the lick the water in the can. But, I have not seen her drink much. She is still so lethargic.

So, I am wondering, does anyone have any idea what might happen for my cat in the next couple of days/weeks?
Does it sound like she picked this up from some mangy cat that roams the streets? If yes, how?
Do I need to try and turn her back to a housecat only?
I am just so scared of loosing her and after only trying to let her have a little more freedom! It seems so unfair to her and to me.
Please help anyway you can.
I could use any advice I can get.
My vet would probably charge me!
Thank you,
a sad catniper.

[Yzma]

has your vet told you to feed her the tuna? if he hasn't 9check with him first) i would just stick with canned wet food, maybe you can drizzle some of the tuna water over the wet food to make it more appealing... you can also add a few drops of tuna water to her normal drinking water to make her drink more....

hope she gets well soon...

If i were you, and this is just me i would keep her in doors from now on... BUT that's just me... it's a dangerous world out there... especially if you can't read and write... cats are fine in doors so long as you play with them, make sure they have lots of toys, maybe a cat tree by the window... if you have a porch maybe you can fence/screen it off...

check out this link:
http://www.sspca.org/Cats_IndoorOutdoor.html

[Erica]

I would stick with canned food, preferably getting some A/D from your vet. It'll put weight on her more quickly. Also, get a syringe and start syringe feeding her. She can't go long without a decent amount of food with putting more stress on her liver. Also, if she's not drinking and is dehydrated, ask your vet to show you how to give sub-q fluids, if you're comfortable doing it.

[meowpower]

I am sorry to read that your cat is under the weather like this. A couple of things. The yellowish tinge to the ears and skin is not a sign of dehydration, but a sign of "jaundice" that can occur with liver disease, when there is too much bilirubin circulating in the bloodstream. Bloodwork done on your cat likely showed elevated "liver enzymes" which include bilirubin.

You need to carefully monitor your cat for dehydration because the fluids given under the skin by the vet would have helped but dehydration can recur, especially if your cat isn't eating well (canned food, which contains 70% water). To check for dehydration, slide your finger over your cat's top gums..if they feel sticky or tacky and not moist and slippery (like they should feel in a well hydrated cat), that warrants a trip back to the vet pronto for more fluids, or ask if the Vet can show you how to give them at home. There are many people who have to give their cats subcutaneous (aka subQ or s/c) fluids at home, there's many websites out there that give excellent instructions including step by step pictures, one site even has an online video. If your cat's liver isn't working properly, it's critical that cat is well hydrated, so that it can help to flush out the toxins that the liver would normally be helping with.

The Tuna you are feeding, in truth, is *not* fattening...and there's very very little nutritional value in Tuna for a cat. It's okay for an occasional treat or to tempt an ill cat, but the cat can't live on it. Your cat needs proper nutrition and I am surprised if your Vet didn't send you home with special prescription canned food, like Hill's A/D? Or some type of food that's best for cats with liver problems.

Did your Vet mention the possibility of Fatty Liver Disease, aka Hepatic Lipidosis? You might want to do a search on Google: http://www.google.com (click on that link) and type in: feline fatty liver disease or feline hepatic lipidosis. This is a type of liver disease that's common in obese cats, and even more common in cats who lose too much weight (too much for them) too quickly. Your cat sounds like a perfect candidate as 6 pounds in a week is almost 1/3 of her total weight to begin with.

The treatment for Fatty Liver Disease is aggressive force feeding, people will often have to syringe feed the cat, and in worst case scenarios, in a cat that has this but continues to throw up, they will surgically put in a stomach feeding tube.

I suggest you get back in touch with your Vet and ask about what type of diet you should be feeding here. If your cat won't eat a prescription canned food, then at least something better than Tuna is needed, even if it's Iams or something like that. If you have a Petsmart or Petco or Petland around you, buy some better quality food as opposed to the cheaper ones like 9 Lives, Whiskas...try ones like Solid Gold, Felidae, Eagle Pack, Wellness, California Natural, etc. But if not that, at least try some Fancy Feast. Many Vets stock Fancy Feast, though it's cheap and not the best quality, because even ill cats find it quite palatable. Slightly warming up canned food in the microwave for a few seconds til the food feels just slightly warm makes it more palatable, too...and this is especially important if you're serving refrigerated leftover canned food, it's so cold and can turn some cats off. Add a little water to the food..a couple teaspoons..so cat is getting more fluids. The seafood varieties of Fancy Feast are usually preferred more.

You could also ask about an appetite stimulant, such as Periactin (also known as Cyproheptadine) but I recently read that in cats with liver disease, it doesn't work very well, but who knows.

Is your cat throwing up? Vomiting?

It's really hard to say what sparked all of this. She could have gotten into garbage or eaten something that upset her tummy and made her feel rotten enough so that she stopped eating, then the sudden weight loss started and that resulted in effects to the liver. You might want to ask your Vet about "Milk Thistle" ( sold online from the reputable brand Animal Apawthecary, at http://www.petsage.com and http://www.petfooddirect.com ) ...it helps to restore and heal a damaged liver. My Vets new Vet drug book now lists Milk Thistle (whereas, it used to be unknown to Vets and thought of as more a homeopathic supplement).

Please be sure to keep your cat inside at all times, especially now as you need to keep a very very close eye on her and if she were to accidentally get outside, she could wander off, feeling so ill andyou might never find her again.

The key things here are:

-proper, adequate nutrition (canned food) ..the rule of thumb as per how much to feed a cat, is 20-30 calories per pound per day (in total). You need to get on this right now. If you're using water packed Tuna (not oil packed, ever!), if worse comes to worse you can drizzle the tuna water onto the canned food and mix around to tempt her to eat...but a diet of only Tuna is not good, she desperately needs proper nutrition now, more than ever.

-ensuring proper hydration. Make sure you check daily, like I explained above, for symptoms of dehydration. They say that by the time the gums are feeling dry and sticky/tacky, the cat is already somewhat dehydrated. Keep on top of this. Most cats with Fatty Liver Disease are hospitalized for a couple of days at least, given IV fluids, or if nothing else, sent home with instructions on how to give subQ fluids daily.....keeping the cat very hydrated is essential. Also, dehydration will make the cat feel lethargic, poor appetite, rotten in general.

-you mentioned you were prescribed meds to give. What kind? Antibiotics? Make sure you're given them with food as many can upset the stomach and cause a lack of appetite/nausea..something you don't need in a cat who's already got this liver problem. If you find her lack of appetite is getting worse, you need to notifiy your Vet....either a different antibiotic will have to be ordered or a change in the treatment plan.

Go and read up on Fatty Liver Disease (Hepatic Lipidosis) as I'd mentioned above because the more informed you are, the better. Any cat that loses that much weight, even in a much longer time, will surely get Fatty Liver Disease.

[Traci]

Catnipper, You need to get your kitty seen by a NEW vet IMMEDIATELY!

Unfortunately, your vet failed to tell you how serious liver disease is, and that it can be fatal if not treated agressively at the onset. Hepatic Lipidosis is your major concern here, and your vet failed to give you proper feeding instructions, proper food type, fluids administration, etc. I wouldn't even see this vet again, get your kitty to a NEW vet TODAY for proper, agressive treatment.

I can't stress this enough, your vet was not thorough with you, and if you continue to feed her tuna only, you're going to lose her. She needs a fortified diet fed to her consistently until the liver begins to regenerate itself. Tuna is the worst thing you can feed her right now, she needs a tailored nutritional support plan, fluids and antibiotics.

Get her to a new vet NOW please.

[catniper]

Thank you for the replies.
I am wondering if anyone knows of a vet in Orange County, CA that they trust?
I am so pissed at that Vet right now. They charged me an arm and a leg and my cat IS STILL SICK!
thank you, catniper

[jason]

Thank you for the replies.
I am wondering if anyone knows of a vet in Orange County, CA that they trust?

http://www.cathelp-online.com/phpBB2/vi ... php?t=1273

I am so pissed at that Vet right now. They charged me an arm and a leg and my cat IS STILL SICK!

what exactly did your vet do since you posted? its been four days since immediate attention was suggested, perhaps you could quickly elaborate.

[catniper]

Hi again everyone,
I found a new vet tonight!
NIGHT and DAY from the new to the old!
They treated me with such respect as well as my cat!
My cat is not doing well and her prognosis is bleak.
She has a problem with her liver.
They wanted to rerun the blood test, but I didn't have enough money tonight I hope to be able to bring her back this weekend.
They also recommended IV nutrition and antibiotics. That would cost me $500+ and it isn't a guarantee that she won't die overnight.
Then, the new vet recommended an abdomen ultraound which is $350.
Right now that isn't feasible for my family. So, for tonight, he Sub-Q'd her with water again, gave us some Hill liver diet food (soft which she did nibble on), and told me to finish out her antibiotic. He wants a follow up phone call (no charge) tomorrow.
He honestly does not think my cat is going to live. I am devastated and wish I was rich!!!!! But, I am doing all I possibly can do given my means.
My cat's color is the worst part, she is still bright yellow, very, very jaundiced. and that is the most alarming next to her low food/water intake. The vet did reassure me that allowing her outdoors probably didn't cause her liver problems.
I am so sad tonight and just praying that my cat somehow miraculously survives this ordeal.
catniper

[Kris]

catniper -

I am glad to hear you found a good vet finally and of course sorry to hear of your cat's condition. Please continue to follow the vets guidance, most have been through something like this before and you simply have to find a way to see her through this. Most clinics offer payment options other than the full amount at time of service.

Keep us updated of course, your not alone in wanting the best for her. Time is unfortunatley not on her side, she does need immediate attention as you are (I'm sure) being told by your vet.

[Yzma]

I hope your kitty makes it. Maybe you could ask your vet about what kind of payment options he has... Most, but not all vets have some sort of payment options although sometimes thoses are restricted to their regular customers... I hope this all works out for you guys....