LoveToKnow Cats:AllComments

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Hi Krin,

It is hard to say what might be causing her condition. It is likely that the vaccines and timing of her illness really is just a coincidence, however. Since she is lethargic and still not eating, I would go ahead and see if the vet can figure out what is wrong with her. It sounds fairly serious if left untreated. I hope she gets better soon.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hi, I have a 13 year old female domestic shorthair who has been sassy and healthy until about 8 weeks ago. I believe she started her illness right after she received her rabies and distemper boosters doing her annual visit to our vet. She experienced hair loss at the site of injection and the area was very warm to my touch. In the following few days, she began vomiting several times a day and was lethargic. I took her to our vet after the second day of vomiting and she had pronounced weight loss. Our vet said that it wasn't a vaccince reaction. The blood lab work came back normal. She was given metoclopramide for nausea. Within the next few days she threw up two large hairballs which seem to be very hard and dense and I thought this blockage was the root of her problem. We went back to the vet to verify the weight loss and my cat had a +20% weight loss. She was eating and drinking but with reduced appetite. We switched to an allergen free food and she would only nibble at it. The vet did a full body xray and kidney biopsy which all came back normal. He suggests an endoscopy and/or a sonogram to see if he can figure out what is wrong but has stated he doesnt know what is going on. I re-started the Fancy feast canned food thinking I could stimulate her appetite and have been mildly successful. Thing is I do not want to put my kitty through any procedures without having some direction as to what we are looking for. As it is now, she is affectionate seeking comfort, eating and drinking a little and lethargic. Although it may sound a little gross, my other pets smell her behind with interest where they may have done this just in passing before. Can any one help with some insight?

-- Contributed by: Krin

Hello, we have quite a mystery with our 15 year old male maincoon cat Mickey. For at least a year now he has had GI problems which include vomiting and diahrrea multiple times a day. He has been to the vet with full workups, all negative. He has had medications from the vet, and we have tried every available diet, including cooked chicken which he loves. None of this has helped. He is really skinny, weight about 8-9 pounds, but he is full of energy and always hungry, not at all withdrawn. He plays with our two spaniels, always wants to be in the same room with them. He does not have any signs of illness, except being skinny and not digesting his food. He frequently vomits and has diahrrea at the same time - today he was standing on the kitchen counter to do this. He also rarely uses the catbox. We changed to natural litter, it seemed to help for a few days, but not anymore. We have a second female maincoon cat from the same litter who is just the opposite. She is really heavy, sleeps alot, doesn't like the spaniels, and is a lap cat, but no GI problems. Always uses the catbox. They eat the same diet. It's a puzzle. Thank you for any advice. We have spent thousands on vet, exams, special diets with no change.

Hi Stacy,

I'm not a vet, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt. Has your vet checked your cat's digestive enzymes? It's possible that something is out of balance. I'm assuming that your vet has also done a thorough check for parasites, amoebas and the like.

The only thing I can suggest food-wise is to try adding a spoonful of plain canned pumpkin to your cat's daily dinner. Pumpkin is high in fiber, and may help firm the stools if your cat is able to keep it down.

I truly hope your vet is able to figure out the cause of this disturbance so your cat and your family can return to a normal life. Best wishes.

-- Contributed by: Stacey

My cat stopped eating around Christmas time and lost quite a bit of muscle mass. I didn't notice until after mid-January. Then I took her to the vet, who felt a lump near her liver area, took blood samples and x-ray. X-ray revealed a lump and white blood cell count (seg. neutrophils) was high. Ive been hand feeding her Hill's a/d canned food diet with the use of a syringe since. Appetite stimulants didn't help (cyproheptadine) and vet now asked me to try novo-mirtazapine (free of charge as an experiement). However I checked on the internet that there may be side effects, some serious, with this drug. Can you advise about it and other appetite stimulants, and what else I can do to make my cat eat on her own. I haven't had an ultrasound or biopsy done for my cat because of cost considerations. But is there any way to at least temporarily solve her eating problem without hving those done? Thanks, Pat

Hi Pat,

Your vet is certainly the expert in this situation, so I would discuss using this medicine in greater depth with him/her. I certainly understand your concern over using any experimental drug, free or otherwise. Is your vet doing anything else to treat the growth?

I'm not qualified to make recommendations on medications, but I can give you some advice that may tempt your cat to eat on his own. Have you tried offering your cat boiled chicken? Many cats find this too tasty to resist. If your cat is willing to eat it, you can also start adding in a small amount of brown rice while you're boiling the chicken. You can also substitute ground beef for the chicken. Hopefully the home cooking will restore your cats appetite.

Thanks for your question, and I'll keep your cat in my thoughts.

-- Contributed by: Pat

Hi Brett,

The poor cat. I can't imagine feces that long in a human, much less a cat. Since you have changed his food, it's hard to understand what might be causing this. Older cats and obese cats seem to be more prone to the condition.

It is possible that he has developed megacolon. This basically means that the muscles that normally move the matter through the colon are not working. The fecal matter then stays in there and becomes dry and hard. The reason you are not getting a clear answer from vets is because veterinary science has not yet isolated the cause of this problem.

Discuss with your veterinarian adding some dietary fiber in the form of Metamucil (it is important you discuss with the vet, as he can give you the proper dose for your cat). While you change the diet, you also will want to discuss medications that have had some minor success in treating these problems:

Lactulose - A stool softener
Propulcid - Modifies motility
Ranatidine - Does not always work, but is another option

The best success typically is from both a diet change and the addition of medication. All of this should be discussed with a veterinarian before treating your cat.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hi Nutso's Mom,

Were you able to take Nutso to the vet? If the soft food is new, then he may just have an allergy to it. It might be better to take it away and stick with the dry. Please check back and let us know if he's okay.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

I have a 15 lb mixed cat that is 10 years old and has been having a problem. About 2 years ago, he got very constipated, with large feces stuck in his colon. He was cleaned out by a vet and seemed fine for about a year.

Last year, he was in & out of a vets office 5 times with a very compacted digestive track. He was diagnosed with mega-colon, and I changed everything in his diet. For the last 6 months, he has eaten nothing but high quality (no fillers, grains, by-products) canned cat food. The first 2 types I gave him worked perfectly, then were promptly discontinued by the manufacturer.

For the last 2 months, he has been eating a very good cat food mixed with extra water & olive oil, but is now having digestive trouble again. I have tried Cisipride, Vaseline, Laxatone, Vetasyl, Magnesium Citride, and Slippery Elm. His waste sits in his system so long, the intestines draw out all the water and leave large, rock hard feces that sometimes need to be broken up before he can pass them.

After not eating or going to the cat box for days, I gave him some cat food mixed with tuna juice, Vetasyl, Magnesiun Citrate, and Slippery Elm. twenty minutes after eating, he started to slightly moan. I put him in the bathroom with a clean cat box, and left him for 20 minutes. Wheh I came back, I could tell by the smell he had gone. When cleaning the cat box, he left 1 continuous feces 17" (yes, seventeen) long and probably close to 2" in diameter!

My question is, what can I give my cat to keep him going to the bathroom regularly? No vet I ask seems to understand this is a digestive problem, and all are of very little help. Is there a food or additive that will keep him much more regular and a lot less constipated?

Thank you.

-- Contributed by: Brett Bennett

Hi, I'm really worried about Nutso. He's been getting more finnicky about his food lately, he's always been quite the hog hounding me about until I've fill his plate, he'll nibble and then leave it until he's really hungry. But lately, it's the soft food, I am having a problem with, he might eat most of it but that's very rare lately. It's as if he doesn't like any type of soft food, though I see him attempt and try to eat it. His hard food is always out along with water. I've picked up vomit here and there from him for about 2 months now. Today, however, he's vomiting a few times too many and I am quite alarmed. He's not been eating the soft food at all this week. After seeing him like this today, I removed all the foods, and have just left the water out. Please advise what I should do.. I cant take him to the vet until this evening what can I do in the interim?

-- Contributed by: Nutso's mom

Hi Jacki,

Cats sleep quite a bit, even when young and healthy. Is she sleeping more than normal? It sounds like she has probably lost a lot of weight from the vomiting. Five pounds for a Maine Coon is tiny. No wonder you can see her poor spine!

Many of her symptoms sound like those of a cat with renal failure, so it may just be a result of that illness. However, there are some tests you could have run to rule out any blockages or cancer. Tests like X-rays and sonograms will make it clearer what is going on inside your cat's body. However, they are costly tests to run. Sixteen years is an elderly cat, so you have to weigh the costs of the tests against the fact that she already has kidney failure. Did the vet give you any indication of the progression her disease might take? This might help you decide whether to have more tests run.

Never be scared to get a second opinion from another vet in the area. He or she may tell you the same news, or you may get a new diagnosis. You have to do what you feel is best for your cat. I hope she feels better soon.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hello, I have read the above article, my 16 year old Maine Coon weighs 5lbs, throws up at least once a day. Her spine is noticable, she has been diagnoised with kidney failure.Can't seem to get enough to eat. Her litter box always has a lot of urine and not so much feces.Lately it seems her grooming has dropped off.I am giving her canned chicken, she didn't like the food the vet gave her for her kidney failure.My husband thinks she has some kind of intestinal problem. We really wonder if she is in pain.Doesn't hide but curls in a ball for most of the day. Thank you for any advice.

-- Contributed by: jacki
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