My 10-year-old cat has recently gone through some big changes. My partner and I are posted overseas and have brought her with us. She seemed to survive the 20-hour flight fairly well, but now she's not eating, she's losing weight, and we're not sure what's wrong. She's always been extremely healthy, with only one other health issue since I've had her (6 years). At first we thought she was just disoriented with the new environment. She went from snowy upstate NY to very hot climate in India. She's drinking a lot of water. And she often seems like she wants to eat, but when food is put in front of her, she licks it a bit, then walks away. She isn't eating more than a couple of teaspoons of wet food a day. There is a spot on her tail where it looks like she's pulled out her fur.
A vet came to see her and he suspected a urinary tract infection. He prescribed an anitbiotic (roscillin 125 ml, 2x daily) and something to stimulate her appetite (it's called nutrolin B, and seems to be some kind of a pediatric B complex syrup, 1/2 tsp 2x daily). This is India, so he prescribed human pediatric drugs because they are easier to obtain. She's only taken about 4 doses so far, but there hasn't been any improvement and if anything, she's eating less. She's thrown up twice this morning, once before and once after taking the medication. Now I'm concerned that she didn't keep the antibiotic down. I am supposed to take her to see this vet again today, but I would appreciate any insights as to what these symptoms suggest and if this vet here is on the right track with his diagnosis and treatment.
We were a bit late in calling in the vet because at first we assumed it was an emotional response to the move and all the changes in environment, etc. Plus, she is normally extremely healthy and the only other time she got sick was when she had an anal absess, so we're not accustomed to looking for signs or symptoms of illness in her. Now we're extremely worried because the not eating has been going on too long and she's losing weight. Help!
cat not eating...
Hi there! I'm afraid I can't help you much in terms of diagnosis, but from what little I know what you describe doesn't sound like a urinary tract infection, more like a stomach bug combined with stress ... For how long has she not been eating properly? She might be drinking a lot because of the heat which she isn't used to.
But I also live in India, so maybe a few tips ...
The vets here are usually NOT small animal vets, often cattle, horses and sheep vets will willingly take on dogs and cats, but really are not able to help much. Where in India are you? In my city, Poona, there are only a handful of vets for cats and dogs. Maybe you could try contact the RSPCA or the Blue Cross and ask if they know a small animal vet in your area. Or ask your vet, look in the phone book etc.
Yes, they do precribe pediatric drugs a lot for cats, not sure if that's alright, Traci (site administrator) will be of better help here when she comes on.
Your vets assumed that your cat has an infection and so prescribed antibiotica. That is the usual way here of going about things. Try this med, try another one, might be this infection, might be that infection ... If you want to get to the bottom of things, you usually have to initiate the necessary steps, any kind of tests, or x-rays etc, yourself. Best is to educate yourself a lot (Internet!) and learn how to read signs of illness and emergency.
Traci will be able to tell you which tests you should be doing (if any). Then you can call your vet and tell him this and he will tell you where the lab is etc.
As I said, to me it looks more likely your cat has problems with her stomach. Are you giving her tap water to drink? The tap water here is not drinking water, and your cat might be reacting to the bacteria it naturally contains and to which it is not used to. Much like we would. She might also be reacting to the change in climate (heat!) and food, what are you feeding her now? I hope you're not give any of the tasty but very very spicy Indian dishes? Does she go to the toilet as usual?
Another thought is, if you didn't take her on board with you in the airplane but had her travel in the luggage area she might have picked up something on the way. Again, tests should be done here. Is she vaccinated?
Can't think of more right now ...
But I also live in India, so maybe a few tips ...
The vets here are usually NOT small animal vets, often cattle, horses and sheep vets will willingly take on dogs and cats, but really are not able to help much. Where in India are you? In my city, Poona, there are only a handful of vets for cats and dogs. Maybe you could try contact the RSPCA or the Blue Cross and ask if they know a small animal vet in your area. Or ask your vet, look in the phone book etc.
Yes, they do precribe pediatric drugs a lot for cats, not sure if that's alright, Traci (site administrator) will be of better help here when she comes on.
Your vets assumed that your cat has an infection and so prescribed antibiotica. That is the usual way here of going about things. Try this med, try another one, might be this infection, might be that infection ... If you want to get to the bottom of things, you usually have to initiate the necessary steps, any kind of tests, or x-rays etc, yourself. Best is to educate yourself a lot (Internet!) and learn how to read signs of illness and emergency.
Traci will be able to tell you which tests you should be doing (if any). Then you can call your vet and tell him this and he will tell you where the lab is etc.
As I said, to me it looks more likely your cat has problems with her stomach. Are you giving her tap water to drink? The tap water here is not drinking water, and your cat might be reacting to the bacteria it naturally contains and to which it is not used to. Much like we would. She might also be reacting to the change in climate (heat!) and food, what are you feeding her now? I hope you're not give any of the tasty but very very spicy Indian dishes? Does she go to the toilet as usual?
Another thought is, if you didn't take her on board with you in the airplane but had her travel in the luggage area she might have picked up something on the way. Again, tests should be done here. Is she vaccinated?
Can't think of more right now ...
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Guest
Re: cat not eating...
Hello, thanks for your response. I am in Bangalore. I asked the vet his specialty and he said small animals (though I suppose he could mean goats, etc) and he does some work with wildlife organizations as an aside. Anyway, he teaches at a veterinary college here in the city and he came recommended by an ex-pat group here.
We are not giving her tap water, but water that's been purified through an Aquaguard. We also shipped over all our own cat food from the US, so we've only been feeding her the brands/food that she's used to, ie, mostly Wellness and Innova canned food. She's not touching her dry food at all. The first few weeks she was here, she kept running out to the garden to eat grass (and vomited immediately after). We don't let her eat it and stop her when we catch her. We've been here with her for a total of 5 weeks. She has been eating less than normal for most of that time, and I would say eating less than a tablespoon a day for 2-3 weeks. She is urinating frequently (and drinking a lot of water), but has very few stools (not surprising as she's not ingesting much food). The stool is small and dark colored.
I, too, chalked it up to the heat and also to the change of environment and stress of the trip, and thought she just needed time to acclimate, but now I think I was mistaken. She traveled with us in the cabin, not in the cargo hold and was never out of our sight and didn't have any contact with other animals. She was healthy when we left and had 2 checkups with our bet before we left NY. She seemed healthy when she first got here. As I said before, she never gets sick and she's never had any eating issues. I've moved a lot before and she's relocated at least 4 times since I've had her, though never such a distance and never via airplane. She's the kind of cat who demands her food and eats it in one go, never really leaving any in the bowl or coming back to it later.
We are not giving her tap water, but water that's been purified through an Aquaguard. We also shipped over all our own cat food from the US, so we've only been feeding her the brands/food that she's used to, ie, mostly Wellness and Innova canned food. She's not touching her dry food at all. The first few weeks she was here, she kept running out to the garden to eat grass (and vomited immediately after). We don't let her eat it and stop her when we catch her. We've been here with her for a total of 5 weeks. She has been eating less than normal for most of that time, and I would say eating less than a tablespoon a day for 2-3 weeks. She is urinating frequently (and drinking a lot of water), but has very few stools (not surprising as she's not ingesting much food). The stool is small and dark colored.
I, too, chalked it up to the heat and also to the change of environment and stress of the trip, and thought she just needed time to acclimate, but now I think I was mistaken. She traveled with us in the cabin, not in the cargo hold and was never out of our sight and didn't have any contact with other animals. She was healthy when we left and had 2 checkups with our bet before we left NY. She seemed healthy when she first got here. As I said before, she never gets sick and she's never had any eating issues. I've moved a lot before and she's relocated at least 4 times since I've had her, though never such a distance and never via airplane. She's the kind of cat who demands her food and eats it in one go, never really leaving any in the bowl or coming back to it later.
Re: cat not eating...
Well, since the cargo, tap water and change of food questions are ruled out, it might be the heat and change of climate, but I find it unlikely since you have been here already for five weeks.
Likely she picked something up in the garden, bacteria she isn't used to, or she has another underlying illness that is now (due to the stress) surfacing.
In any case I would recommend you have urin and stool tests done since the antibiotica you gave her had no effect. You can get sterile jars in the pharmacies and hospitals (sometimes they're not stocked and you have to wait a couple of days). Your vet can tell you where the lab is, or can bring it there for you. If she vomits out the antibiotic he might have to inject her daily.
I would also recommend to not let her in the garden. You never know what she's nibbling at, or what gets stuck to her feed and she licks it off later. India has many small wild animals, mice, many birds, stray cats and dogs, bats, geckos, unusual insects, and they all pee and poo everywhere.
My neighbour had a young cat years ago, and he wouldn't eat, had a virus in the liver the vet said (can't remember what exactly it was called). He got thinner and thinner, vomitted as soon as he was trying to eat. The vet gave antibiotics and a liquid to stop the nausea so he would keep the food down. This went on for weeks. He still ate hardly anything and in the end we force fed him a little so that he wouldn't die. We were all surprised when he pulled through, he had been a mere skeleton in the end.
Power cut coming in 10 minutes, gotta log off!
Likely she picked something up in the garden, bacteria she isn't used to, or she has another underlying illness that is now (due to the stress) surfacing.
In any case I would recommend you have urin and stool tests done since the antibiotica you gave her had no effect. You can get sterile jars in the pharmacies and hospitals (sometimes they're not stocked and you have to wait a couple of days). Your vet can tell you where the lab is, or can bring it there for you. If she vomits out the antibiotic he might have to inject her daily.
I would also recommend to not let her in the garden. You never know what she's nibbling at, or what gets stuck to her feed and she licks it off later. India has many small wild animals, mice, many birds, stray cats and dogs, bats, geckos, unusual insects, and they all pee and poo everywhere.
My neighbour had a young cat years ago, and he wouldn't eat, had a virus in the liver the vet said (can't remember what exactly it was called). He got thinner and thinner, vomitted as soon as he was trying to eat. The vet gave antibiotics and a liquid to stop the nausea so he would keep the food down. This went on for weeks. He still ate hardly anything and in the end we force fed him a little so that he wouldn't die. We were all surprised when he pulled through, he had been a mere skeleton in the end.
Power cut coming in 10 minutes, gotta log off!
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turleyhead
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2005 1:47 am
Re: cat not eating...
Okay, she's back from the vet where she got an IV/saline drip, an injection of ampacillin, and a B complex injection. The vet couldn't take a blood sample tonight because he said she didn't have enough "blood concentration"...not sure what that means. She's pretty out of it now and she has to go back tomorrow morning to get the blood work done. She's really doing poorly and I'm not sure if it's because she's getting worse or because of the antibiotic or both. She's been on the first antibiotic since Saturday evening. She's had a total of 4 doses (2 1/2 days worth) of that and she just got the injection tonight of ampacillin. How long should it take for the antibiotic to start working if it is going to work?
Is there anything else I should be doing or prompting this vet to do? Should I try contacting my vet back home in NY?
Is there anything else I should be doing or prompting this vet to do? Should I try contacting my vet back home in NY?
Re: cat not eating...
Well, I'm no vet so I can't help you much I'm afraid. Traci has not come on yet, so I think it would be a very good idea to call your vet in NY since your cat is so poorly. If I were you I would do that. I wish you good luck! You're in my thoughts!
Re: cat not eating...
The sudden anorexia, lethargy and sudden weight loss are red flags this may be hepatic lipidosis, this is a liver condition that can occur suddenly due to extreme stress, and the number one cause is moving/relocation.
Ask (demand) your vet test kidney and liver function with a biochemistry panel and a CBC, liver enzymes that will probably be off are the ALT, AST, BUN, ALP, bilirubin, possibly glucose. I would also strongly advise that urine and blood glucose testing are done to rule out diabetes.
Hepatic lipidosis needs to be treated agressively with fluid support and nutritional support and antibiotics. It is crucial that these are met on a consistent basis for recovery. The soonest that these treatment measures are implemented, the better. If treated agressively at the onset, the chances of recovery are far greater.
Treatment involves a temporary high calorie/high protein veterinary prescribed diet (to be used until recovery), sub-q fluids that may be administered at home, or IV fluid support if the condition is severe....antibiotics to treat and prevent secondary bacterial infection (usually amoxicillin), and sometimes the temporary use of low-dose prednisone to reduce inflammation. Feeding amounts and schedules should be exact and consistent in order to afford the best chance of recovery.
Don't wait on this please, get your vet to do a complete chemistry panel and CBC to rule out hepatic lipidosis immediately.
Ask (demand) your vet test kidney and liver function with a biochemistry panel and a CBC, liver enzymes that will probably be off are the ALT, AST, BUN, ALP, bilirubin, possibly glucose. I would also strongly advise that urine and blood glucose testing are done to rule out diabetes.
Hepatic lipidosis needs to be treated agressively with fluid support and nutritional support and antibiotics. It is crucial that these are met on a consistent basis for recovery. The soonest that these treatment measures are implemented, the better. If treated agressively at the onset, the chances of recovery are far greater.
Treatment involves a temporary high calorie/high protein veterinary prescribed diet (to be used until recovery), sub-q fluids that may be administered at home, or IV fluid support if the condition is severe....antibiotics to treat and prevent secondary bacterial infection (usually amoxicillin), and sometimes the temporary use of low-dose prednisone to reduce inflammation. Feeding amounts and schedules should be exact and consistent in order to afford the best chance of recovery.
Don't wait on this please, get your vet to do a complete chemistry panel and CBC to rule out hepatic lipidosis immediately.
..........Traci
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turleyhead
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2005 1:47 am
Re: cat not eating...
Traci, thank you for the detailed advice and medical insight. I am going first thing in the morning to the clinic so the vet can take her blood to do the tests. I will ask about everything that you mentioned. She got an initial IV of fluids tonight and the B Complex injection. My vet in NY emphasized the importance of getting some calories into her even if it's by putting honey or sugar in her water. I will try also to get a urine test done.
Thank you and I will keep you posted on her progress.
Thank you and I will keep you posted on her progress.
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turleyhead
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2005 1:47 am
Re: cat not eating...
One more question: If she's not eating, how do you treat her with a high-protein/calorie diet? Just through IV initially until she starts eating?
You can ask the vet about this med for nausea, it was a pediatric drug that the vet that time gave to my neighbour's cat. He then ate a little bit more which was an improvement to nothing at all. We also force fed him a little milk (10ml at a time). Your vet tomorrow will probably know best what to do.
Anway, good luck and keep us posted!
Anway, good luck and keep us posted!