Hi everyone. My dear Jazz has just turned 14 and I'm noticing some changes with him and I'm not sure if I am to blame.
I was a little girl when I got him, and we have always had a very strong bond. He' always been my baby. When I'm not home he is upset. My dad tells me that he waits at the picture window and looks for me. He also meows, or as my dad says, yells at him, until I get home. A year ago I transfered to a college away from home. It's only about 40 minutes away and I have an apartment that allows cats. I naturally took him with me. Now, I don't know if I'm putting too much stress on him. He's aged so much in the last year. He's lost weight (from 10.5 lbs and year and a half ago to about 8 lbs) and his spine is now bone-y. He also kinda lays down oddly sometimes, like a hunch back.
About 6 months ago I noticed he was loosing weight. I took him to my vet and they did a full senior profile on him. (Blood tests, urine tests/culture, and physical exam) and the only conclusion they came to was that one of his kidney's were functioning at the higher end of normal. I switched his food gradually to the dry k/d. He threw up more so I mixed it back in with his old purina one urinary health food and he seems to like it much better.
Now basically, I know he is older. Is this just his age coming out? Or do you think the stress of being at my apartment, away from the place he lived for 13 years? My roommate also has a 3 year old cat, but Jazz has accepted her. I have my own bedroom and that's pretty much his territory. When I have a break from school, like this past month for Christmas, I took him home with me. Is a 40 minute drive too traumatic for him? He sits on the seat next to me and I talk to him and pet him when I can and he seems pretty calm. Or is the change in environment too much?
He hates to be alone. He hates even more to be without me.... but am I hurting him? I don't know what to do. I love him so much and I always want him with me, because then we're both happy. I would love to run back to the vet and have them run more tests, but I don't have another $300+ to spend. Since they found nothing wrong, my father, among others, are just telling me that Jazz is older and this is what happens in older cats. I know that there are people here that have some amazing insight, so any comments are greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading, I didn't intend for it to be so long and confusing.
-Rian
14 Year Old Cat Help
Re: 14 Year Old Cat Help
You said the exact same thing in July last year. "kidney functioning at the higher end of normal", which doesn't make sense. I believe what your vet intended to tell you is that one kidney is losing normal function. By the time renal disease is detected in cats, usually over 2/3 of normal renal function is lost, it can be very rapid or a slow progression.
So, what tests exactly indicated the renal impairment? As advised last year, did the vet check both blood and urine glucose? (this doesn't mean seperate blood and urine tests only, it means combining blood serum test for glucose specifically, with urine glucose testing). As I felt last year, your vet did nothing to address the weight loss, and explained how serious that was, and still is.
If renal failure is diagnosed, it wouldn't be uncommon for a renal impaired cat to lose weight over a course of time, but, in both posts last year and this year, you keep saying his renal function is fine. Even if it is, there is another underlying cause to the weight loss, and it MUST be identified! Being able to visually see kitty's spine and ribs is NOT normal! The hunched or crouched position could indicate pain and discomfort, whether related to kidney disease or soomething else, only a more qualified and comitted vet can determine that.
I strongly adivse you get your kitty to a new, more qualifed vet who is comitted to finding the underlying cause of the weight loss, and determining true renal function. If the current vet felt in the least there was renal impairment last year, then he needed to instruct you to followup on subsequent testing to monitor the kidneys' function and other vital organ function. Oftentimes, a secondary health condition can develop as a result of a primary health condition, and in a 14-year-old cat, you can't ignore this.
Your dad is wrong, while older cats are more susceptible to developing primary health conditions, preventative care and management of a primary health condition are possible, and necessary. Renal disease cannot be reversed or cured, but it can be treated and managed to slow the progression. Frequent followup exams and testing are crucial to monitoring organ function and determining the best course of treatment.
He is also wrong in assuming kitty is meowing because you're gone, etc. This could be due to any number of reasons, such as stress, pain, health illness, boredom or loneliness, and you have to address that by being keenly aware of his needs, both in the environment, and through regular health checkups/testing/followup care.
Instead of taking him with you wherever you go when out of school, etc, consider a trusted friend to stay with both the cats. Cats fair better when they are in their own environment, as opposed to travelling and new stresses associated with travelling. Whomever stays with the cats must be committed to their care, attention, and have strict instructions for feeding, attention giving, cleaning of litterboxes, spending time with them, and of course, having your contact information and that of your vet's clinic.
Yes, the stresses of late could be compounding the situation, particularly if his renal function is compromised (or any other health issue). Any time there is a change in health, behavior, routine, etc, you MUST get kitty checked thoroughly by a vet to ensure that nothing is going on undetected or untreated. Cats cannot handle stress as humans can, and oftentimes it goes unnoticed by owners until it's too late or until a serious health illness develops.....cats hide their pain, and you may not notice until months after, when vital organ function is already compromised.
As for his vomiting with the Hill's K/D, this should have been addressed immediately at the time. How often did he vomit? How long was he fed the K/D? How soon after the prescribed diet did you start mixing it back with the Purina One? You have to give prescription diets time to determine overall effectiveness, and if the cat cannot tolerate the prescription food, then it's incumbent upon you and your vet to choose a comparable veterinary diet. (in another brand). It's crucial the cat likes the diet, or becomes accustomed to it, and that NOTHING else is fed, including other brands/types of diets, because this defeats the purpose of the prescribed diet for which it is intended. The same applies to canned vs dry.....if the cat won't eat canned, choose the dry and vice versa.
Get kitty to a new, more qualified, committed vet TODAY, get a new full blood profile done, including blood AND urine glucose, xray if possible to check for inflammation or masses, oral health to rule out diseased teeth and excessive bacteria in the mouth (which can lead to all sorts of health issues involving vital organ function), and followup regularly with the vet as he/she advises. A feline-only vet is preferrable.
So, what tests exactly indicated the renal impairment? As advised last year, did the vet check both blood and urine glucose? (this doesn't mean seperate blood and urine tests only, it means combining blood serum test for glucose specifically, with urine glucose testing). As I felt last year, your vet did nothing to address the weight loss, and explained how serious that was, and still is.
If renal failure is diagnosed, it wouldn't be uncommon for a renal impaired cat to lose weight over a course of time, but, in both posts last year and this year, you keep saying his renal function is fine. Even if it is, there is another underlying cause to the weight loss, and it MUST be identified! Being able to visually see kitty's spine and ribs is NOT normal! The hunched or crouched position could indicate pain and discomfort, whether related to kidney disease or soomething else, only a more qualified and comitted vet can determine that.
I strongly adivse you get your kitty to a new, more qualifed vet who is comitted to finding the underlying cause of the weight loss, and determining true renal function. If the current vet felt in the least there was renal impairment last year, then he needed to instruct you to followup on subsequent testing to monitor the kidneys' function and other vital organ function. Oftentimes, a secondary health condition can develop as a result of a primary health condition, and in a 14-year-old cat, you can't ignore this.
Your dad is wrong, while older cats are more susceptible to developing primary health conditions, preventative care and management of a primary health condition are possible, and necessary. Renal disease cannot be reversed or cured, but it can be treated and managed to slow the progression. Frequent followup exams and testing are crucial to monitoring organ function and determining the best course of treatment.
He is also wrong in assuming kitty is meowing because you're gone, etc. This could be due to any number of reasons, such as stress, pain, health illness, boredom or loneliness, and you have to address that by being keenly aware of his needs, both in the environment, and through regular health checkups/testing/followup care.
Instead of taking him with you wherever you go when out of school, etc, consider a trusted friend to stay with both the cats. Cats fair better when they are in their own environment, as opposed to travelling and new stresses associated with travelling. Whomever stays with the cats must be committed to their care, attention, and have strict instructions for feeding, attention giving, cleaning of litterboxes, spending time with them, and of course, having your contact information and that of your vet's clinic.
Yes, the stresses of late could be compounding the situation, particularly if his renal function is compromised (or any other health issue). Any time there is a change in health, behavior, routine, etc, you MUST get kitty checked thoroughly by a vet to ensure that nothing is going on undetected or untreated. Cats cannot handle stress as humans can, and oftentimes it goes unnoticed by owners until it's too late or until a serious health illness develops.....cats hide their pain, and you may not notice until months after, when vital organ function is already compromised.
As for his vomiting with the Hill's K/D, this should have been addressed immediately at the time. How often did he vomit? How long was he fed the K/D? How soon after the prescribed diet did you start mixing it back with the Purina One? You have to give prescription diets time to determine overall effectiveness, and if the cat cannot tolerate the prescription food, then it's incumbent upon you and your vet to choose a comparable veterinary diet. (in another brand). It's crucial the cat likes the diet, or becomes accustomed to it, and that NOTHING else is fed, including other brands/types of diets, because this defeats the purpose of the prescribed diet for which it is intended. The same applies to canned vs dry.....if the cat won't eat canned, choose the dry and vice versa.
Get kitty to a new, more qualified, committed vet TODAY, get a new full blood profile done, including blood AND urine glucose, xray if possible to check for inflammation or masses, oral health to rule out diseased teeth and excessive bacteria in the mouth (which can lead to all sorts of health issues involving vital organ function), and followup regularly with the vet as he/she advises. A feline-only vet is preferrable.
..........Traci
Re: 14 Year Old Cat Help
Thank you so much for your response. Jazz has an appointment with a new vet and hopefully they can get to the bottom of his weight loss.
Re: 14 Year Old Cat Help
Jazz had his appointment yesterday.
His new vet is so much nicer and explained a lot of possibilities to me. They did another senior wellness profile, and took some blood and urine. Unfortunatly, my baby is down to an all time low of 6.15 lbs. He's lost a lot of muscle mass in his hind legs. They also found a slight heart murmur and his thyroid was slightly more enlarged than his July visit, which the other vet never had mentioned to me. However, the new vet said it wasn't that enlarged, and if he had to guess he was leaning towards the problem being his kidneys. I did a full senior wellness profile on him again and they took blood and urine. Apparently, Jazz was very vocal when the took him into the back to try and extract it. They said he still had a lot of life and spunk still in him, which made me smile for the first thing all day.
Now, I am just waiting for the bulk of the test results to come back tomorrow. I think the trip stressed Jazz out a lot, he threw up a couple times when I got home. I'm just concrened now since he really hasn't eaten anything and he's hiding under my bed, which he never does. If he's still acting funny when I get home from class, I'll give the vet another call.
Now is really the first time I'm coming to grips with Jazz's mortality. He's been like my shadow since I was eight years old. We have such a strong bond that it kills me that this is most like a problem that isn't going to go away. Sometimes I look at him and think to myself, when did you get so old? Even though yesterday was ironically his offical 14th birthday, I still think of him as my kitten.
His new vet is so much nicer and explained a lot of possibilities to me. They did another senior wellness profile, and took some blood and urine. Unfortunatly, my baby is down to an all time low of 6.15 lbs. He's lost a lot of muscle mass in his hind legs. They also found a slight heart murmur and his thyroid was slightly more enlarged than his July visit, which the other vet never had mentioned to me. However, the new vet said it wasn't that enlarged, and if he had to guess he was leaning towards the problem being his kidneys. I did a full senior wellness profile on him again and they took blood and urine. Apparently, Jazz was very vocal when the took him into the back to try and extract it. They said he still had a lot of life and spunk still in him, which made me smile for the first thing all day.
Now, I am just waiting for the bulk of the test results to come back tomorrow. I think the trip stressed Jazz out a lot, he threw up a couple times when I got home. I'm just concrened now since he really hasn't eaten anything and he's hiding under my bed, which he never does. If he's still acting funny when I get home from class, I'll give the vet another call.
Now is really the first time I'm coming to grips with Jazz's mortality. He's been like my shadow since I was eight years old. We have such a strong bond that it kills me that this is most like a problem that isn't going to go away. Sometimes I look at him and think to myself, when did you get so old? Even though yesterday was ironically his offical 14th birthday, I still think of him as my kitten.
Re: 14 Year Old Cat Help
You never said anything about enlarged thyroid last year, if it was enlarged, why didn't the vet then address that!? And, what is the new vet doing to address that? Did he perform a thyroid function test with the other bloodwork yesterday? If not, it needs to be done!!
Again, if renal disease is present, it can be managed, providing you get followup care and frequent checkups with the vet. This doesn't mean whenever you feel something is unsual, it means scheduled checkups to check renal function, hydration, blood pressure, heart function, nutritional support, and to check thyroid function. The checkups may be scheduled frequently because it's necessary to keep an eye on the kidneys' function and to address any other issues that can develop as a result of renal impairment. Please understand the importance of this. Any primary health condition such as renal failure, can cause secondary health conditions, like thyroid impairment, heart disease, hypertension, or any other condition. If you followup with frequent vet checks, then managing the condition is easier and better for the cat.
Please post what your vet finds on the tests, and if he didn't test the thyroid function, you better get that tested ASAP! Left untreated, the thyroid can cause considerable damage and combined with renal disease, the condition is then compounded.
Again, if renal disease is present, it can be managed, providing you get followup care and frequent checkups with the vet. This doesn't mean whenever you feel something is unsual, it means scheduled checkups to check renal function, hydration, blood pressure, heart function, nutritional support, and to check thyroid function. The checkups may be scheduled frequently because it's necessary to keep an eye on the kidneys' function and to address any other issues that can develop as a result of renal impairment. Please understand the importance of this. Any primary health condition such as renal failure, can cause secondary health conditions, like thyroid impairment, heart disease, hypertension, or any other condition. If you followup with frequent vet checks, then managing the condition is easier and better for the cat.
Please post what your vet finds on the tests, and if he didn't test the thyroid function, you better get that tested ASAP! Left untreated, the thyroid can cause considerable damage and combined with renal disease, the condition is then compounded.
..........Traci
Re: 14 Year Old Cat Help
I was never told about the thyroid last year, at all, and that really upsets me.
.... but I have some bad news. I got some of the results back, and it's not good. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Jazz's kidneys have just about failed. My head is still spinning. The vet I saw yesterday is off today and I will talk to him more in depth tomorrow. Another one gave me the results... all I can remember is something that is supposed to be 30 is a 105.
He's not eating anymore. I don't know what to do. The vet said to give him a little less than a 1/2 teaspoon of Maalox plus and that would help his stomach feel better and would stimulate his appetite. I've tried his food, an assortment of kidney foods they gave me as samples, but he won't eat anything. I bought some cold cuts, some fancy feast food, and some cat treats, but nothing is working. I don't know what to do. I'm pretty much out of money and at the end of my rope. The vet said it was good that he was still drinking a good amount of water and I should try really hard to get him to eat... but I can't. I'm just so heartbroken.
.... but I have some bad news. I got some of the results back, and it's not good. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Jazz's kidneys have just about failed. My head is still spinning. The vet I saw yesterday is off today and I will talk to him more in depth tomorrow. Another one gave me the results... all I can remember is something that is supposed to be 30 is a 105.
He's not eating anymore. I don't know what to do. The vet said to give him a little less than a 1/2 teaspoon of Maalox plus and that would help his stomach feel better and would stimulate his appetite. I've tried his food, an assortment of kidney foods they gave me as samples, but he won't eat anything. I bought some cold cuts, some fancy feast food, and some cat treats, but nothing is working. I don't know what to do. I'm pretty much out of money and at the end of my rope. The vet said it was good that he was still drinking a good amount of water and I should try really hard to get him to eat... but I can't. I'm just so heartbroken.
Re: 14 Year Old Cat Help
When did he stop eating? Did the vets give him sub-q fluids? Or, did they strongly advise getting him on IV fluids and hospitalized? The latter is best when renal failure causes a cat to stop eating, gets severely dehydrated, starts vomiting and is overall lethargic. If possible, I would advise you to get him hospitalized on IV's for a couple days.
Feed him whatever he will eat at this point, but call the vet back and ask for help. If he's not eating, this needs to be addressed!
Check the maalox and make sure it doesn't have subsalicylates in it (this is an aspirin derivative), if it does, don't use it, it's toxic to cats! Your vet has better medications he could have, and should have prescribed! There are medications that can curb gastric upset, prevent acid reflux, prevent nausea and vomiting and stimulate appetite, maalox isn't going to do that!! Call the vet back NOW and ask about these medications! (periactin, or pepsid, or sucralfate, or antibiotics if necessary, especially if his teeth are in bad shape or excess bacteria in the mouth), and ask about sub-q fluids, they can show you how to give these at home. Don't wait on this, anorexia can lead to serious complications very quickly! Call vet back IMMEDIATELY.
Feed him whatever he will eat at this point, but call the vet back and ask for help. If he's not eating, this needs to be addressed!
Check the maalox and make sure it doesn't have subsalicylates in it (this is an aspirin derivative), if it does, don't use it, it's toxic to cats! Your vet has better medications he could have, and should have prescribed! There are medications that can curb gastric upset, prevent acid reflux, prevent nausea and vomiting and stimulate appetite, maalox isn't going to do that!! Call the vet back NOW and ask about these medications! (periactin, or pepsid, or sucralfate, or antibiotics if necessary, especially if his teeth are in bad shape or excess bacteria in the mouth), and ask about sub-q fluids, they can show you how to give these at home. Don't wait on this, anorexia can lead to serious complications very quickly! Call vet back IMMEDIATELY.
..........Traci
Re: 14 Year Old Cat Help
Dear Rian,
I'm so sorry to hear that Jazz is not well and you both are going through this. Jazz is gorgeous and I am praying that he gets though this crisis soon.
Traci is great and really knows her stuff...please follow through on what she advises if you can..Traci was a godsend to me with my dear Angel Smokey...her advise is always on target...
(((HUGS)))
Lisa
I'm so sorry to hear that Jazz is not well and you both are going through this. Jazz is gorgeous and I am praying that he gets though this crisis soon.
Traci is great and really knows her stuff...please follow through on what she advises if you can..Traci was a godsend to me with my dear Angel Smokey...her advise is always on target...
(((HUGS)))
Lisa
Lisa, Angel Smokey and little Caz
Re: 14 Year Old Cat Help
He stopped eating on Sunday as far as I can tell. I've tried everything to get him to eat something... but he still refuses. He tuns his head away and backs away. The more I pursue, he gets up and tries to hide. I've blocked off underneath my bed, but he tries desperately to get underneath there. I don't know what else to do.
The vet did mention sub-q fluids briefly... however, I don't know what that's going to cost, and I feel like a horrible person for saying that. If I had hundreds of dollars, I wouldn't hesitate... but I'm a college student... I've already returned and skipped text books to pay his vet bill.... but maybe I can work something out if they really feel like it will give him the chance to be healthy again.
The Maalox doesn't have that in it. I'll be calling the vet first thing in the morning. The vet that saw him yesterday wasn't in today, so the vet I talked to today was not the one that examined him and has never met him. I'll be talking to his actual vet who will reexplain everything to me since I was in a state of shock. I've been crying all day... I just hope tomorrow will be better.
And thank you Lisa, your prayers mean the world to us.
The vet did mention sub-q fluids briefly... however, I don't know what that's going to cost, and I feel like a horrible person for saying that. If I had hundreds of dollars, I wouldn't hesitate... but I'm a college student... I've already returned and skipped text books to pay his vet bill.... but maybe I can work something out if they really feel like it will give him the chance to be healthy again.
The Maalox doesn't have that in it. I'll be calling the vet first thing in the morning. The vet that saw him yesterday wasn't in today, so the vet I talked to today was not the one that examined him and has never met him. I'll be talking to his actual vet who will reexplain everything to me since I was in a state of shock. I've been crying all day... I just hope tomorrow will be better.
And thank you Lisa, your prayers mean the world to us.
Re: 14 Year Old Cat Help
Rian, you need to understand the seriousness of this, if he isn't eating, and hasn't since Sunday, it's most likely because he is nauseous, dehydrated and overall feeling bad....this MUST be addressed/treated by your vet AT ONCE in order for Jazz to feel better and to start eating. There ARE treatments that are effective to address the symptoms, and the sooner they are treated, the better the outcome. The vet should have told you that yesterday, and should have advised you bring Jazz in immediately for a re-evaluation, fluids, and nutritional support.
Ask the vet about payment arrangements or post-dated checks. If you're an established customer in good standing, most vets work hard to work with the client with payment arrangements.
The important thing is getting Jazz treated immediately, and I mean TODAY. The sooner he gets fluids and nutritional support, the sooner he could feel much better to start eating on his own and feeling better. If he could be hospitalized with continuous IV fluid for a couple days at least, this might help bring down the high BUN and creatinine levels enough to start managing the renal disease more effectively. Many cats must be hospitalized with IV fluids initially, to get the kidneys functioning well enough to continue management at home.
Please know that renal disease is painful when accompanied by anorexia, dehydration, weight loss, vomiting, etc. Fluid therapy and proper nutritional support can do wonders for kitty, but you must get him re-evaluated to address these symptoms TODAY!
Ask the vet about payment arrangements or post-dated checks. If you're an established customer in good standing, most vets work hard to work with the client with payment arrangements.
The important thing is getting Jazz treated immediately, and I mean TODAY. The sooner he gets fluids and nutritional support, the sooner he could feel much better to start eating on his own and feeling better. If he could be hospitalized with continuous IV fluid for a couple days at least, this might help bring down the high BUN and creatinine levels enough to start managing the renal disease more effectively. Many cats must be hospitalized with IV fluids initially, to get the kidneys functioning well enough to continue management at home.
Please know that renal disease is painful when accompanied by anorexia, dehydration, weight loss, vomiting, etc. Fluid therapy and proper nutritional support can do wonders for kitty, but you must get him re-evaluated to address these symptoms TODAY!
..........Traci