This past weekend we took our pet cat, her name is Zoe (see picture below of her taken today), to the vet. We went to the vet because we noticed that she has lost a lot of weight in the past few weeks. She also has not been eating much and is staying in one room for most of the day. Zoe is a quiet, gentle, but friendly cat of 15 years old.
The vet took some blood work, an x-ray, and gave her 1000mL of liquid via I.V. The x-ray showed that her liver, kidney, and spleen are all mis-shapen. Blood work came back indicating that although her liver levels are not normal, her white blood count is not so high as to be worried about the big C.
It has been a struggle the past few days to encourage Zoe to eat food and drink her water. We've got her on an anti-biotic and an appetite stimulator as well as treating her to I.V. infusions at home. She is showing signs of getting her appetite back.
It's agonizing to watch a loved one go through this. I know I'm talking to you about a cat here, but she has been part of our family since she was a baby.
Best of luck. Hopefully she'll start eating again soon.
I understand where you are coming from. The wife and I have 2 cats we brought into our marriage almost 15 years ago. Both are a little over 15 and were only a few weeks old when we met. One is active as ever (and still mean as ever), the other is little more than skin or bones but the Vet says she is healthy, just old. She eats good, only one that gets canned food in an attempt to keep her weight up, but the arthritis is really setting in on her. She does get around ok for the most part and can jump as high and as far as ever but you can tell she's in pain by the stiffness in her movements.
Fortunately winter here is over so we are figuring the summer heat will help her with the arthritis but we both know her health will slowly go downhill overall from this point on. We just do our best to keep her comfortable till her time comes.
I hope yours recovers and enjoys many more years with you.
Beautiful cat. Hope she gets better soon.
Its painful - Tabitha, our last moggie passed away a year ago, she was 19 years old and her loss hit us hard.
It could be that she is loosing her sense of smell and this is aalso reducing her appetite.
Go out and find the foulest smelling brand of canned tuna/cat seafood and see what happens with the offering.
Gussy-poo might be able to recommend a brand... :o
Can't help with cats...dogs I can.
Huh. Maybe try feeding the cat some dog food. The cat's instinctual contrary nature just might kick-in and it will eat it!
Zoe looks like a real sweetie. May she recover quickly and fully.
Hey guys, thanks for the well wishes and the compliments. So far things seem fine today and is eating some food. The vet told us to try stage 1 baby food which Zoe seems to like.
Windi
Our cat seems to still have a keen sense of smell because yesterday and the day before she rejected her normal wet cat food. We think it's because she picked up the scent of the crushed pills hidden in there. But just to make sure I will try that test you suggest.
bob
I feel for you and understand what you mean about getting hit hard.
Glad the appetite is recovering. She sounds like a fighter! You and Zoe will be in my prayers. As a lifetime owner of cats, I currently have a gang of three, I know how you must feel. Hang in there! And my crew sends Zoe their best wishes.
Mrs Bob just saw this thread, and the piccie of Zoe, and said GET WELL SOON.
Quote from: W8taminute on April 18, 2012, 02:08:51 PM
Hey guys, thanks for the well wishes and the compliments. So far things seem fine today and is eating some food. The vet told us to try stage 1 baby food which Zoe seems to like.
Windi
Our cat seems to still have a keen sense of smell because yesterday and the day before she rejected her normal wet cat food. We think it's because she picked up the scent of the crushed pills hidden in there. But just to make sure I will try that test you suggest.
bob
I feel for you and understand what you mean about getting hit hard.
Mackerel - smelly oily fish.
When our cat was down sick it would go for spaghetti in turkey broth. The only problem was after the good life it would sniff at, then try to cover up regular cat food with imaginary dirt. Then take a few steps away and shake it's back leg like it had crap on its foot.
Best wishes W8! I know if anything happens to my boy (a 10 year old Norwegian Forest Cat), I am a mess. He is a special needs cat in that his diet is very restrictive unless we want to give him terrible stomach aches and loose stool. So we have to make sure he eats regularly. But he's a member of the family, so we take care of him!
All the best to Zoe from me and also from my 20 year old (!) tabby cat Fred.
Yep, Fred is still alive despite my concerns last Spring. :)
Hope the kitty makes out OK - we have two in our family and even my Old Man likes them !! I was totally surprised... he usually prefers to gun down furry critters !
When our oldest cat was sick I gave her a small piece of bologna and it seemed to kick-start her eating again. All the best dude !
My folks had a border collie in a pretty similar situation a few years ago. He was so easily distracted that he wasn't a big eater to begin with, but he started dropping weight and it turned out to be some sort of a liver issue. After a few days of his new meds, he started eating more heartily than he ever had before.
Hopefully the result is equally good with the cat.
Glad to hear that Zoe is improving W8taminute. I hope that she is with you for many more years.
My wife and I recently lost both of our old cats to age related diseases and really miss them. Fortunately our two dogs are still healthy but both are geriatric cases (one is 15, the other is 12) so we are aware that their days are numbered. :(
Thanks again everyone for sharing your stories and your well wishes.
Zoe continues to show good signs of eating. We even tried that stinky fishy smell test but it didn't phase her. She ate the tuna anyway so we continue to crush her pills and mix it with her food. We're still treating her to fluids via I.V. infusions but hope to stop that soon.
Tuesday of next week it's back to the vet for a follow blood work analysis. Hopefully, the results will show the antibiotics are helping.
We fought hard to keep Zoe going but tonight she lost her struggle. I feel like a part of me died tonight but I know the hard decision that I made was for the better. The tough part will be telling the kids the news in the morning.
Sorry for your loss. As a fellow cat-guy, I can sympathize.
Quote from: W8taminute on September 08, 2012, 01:27:14 AM
We fought hard to keep Zoe going but tonight she lost her struggle. I feel like a part of me died tonight but I know the hard decision that I made was for the better. The tough part will be telling the kids the news in the morning.
oh man, sorry W8 - been there - hope it goes well today
My sympathies- sad news. I know how you feel, having lost my own cats, one this summer, the other a few years ago. It's like losing family. :(
So sorry to hear that. We've been through it, so I know the empty feeling you get. Its very painful but remember that you have a lot of friends here who share your grief.
I'm sorry for your loss W8.
Sorry for your loss W8, I hope you and your family have many fond memories of her that you can hold with you.
Sorry to hear that. We lost our cat a few years ago. I'm not a cat guy, I'm a dog guy, but losing any pet is difficult, and moreso when you're really attached. I'm truly sorry.
You and your family have my condolences, W8. I cried all day when they put my dog down a few years back.
Thank you guys for your kind words of support. It sincerely means a lot to me. It sounds like a lot of us have been in this situation and only a pet owner can truly understand the grief of losing a loved pet. I'm grateful to know you guys.
The kids took the news well. They cried a little but were soon over it. Mrs. W8taminute and myself are another story though. We're thinking of adopting another kitten. Later on today we're going to the local animal shelter to see what's what. I'm not sure I'm ready to replace Zoe so soon but many have told us the best medicine is to adopt again. Zoe will never be forgotten and perhaps a new kitten will help us move on.
I'm going out now to find a spot in our backyard for a burial site.
W8T sorry to about Zoe. I think a new kitten might just be what you need. Sure the new kitten will never replace Zoe, but it will bring some new energy to your house.
Every time we have lost a pet we think about not having another one to have to go through this again someday. Then we end up getting one anyway.
We have found that more than one is better than one. Yes there is an increase in vet bills and food and care but having someone to play with seems to be a benefit.
Zoe's passing is sad news, W8. My condolences.
W8taminute - Sorry to hear about Zoe. It's very hard to lose a pet, especially one that's been part of your life for many years. Was Zoe a Russian Blue? She was a beautiful cat.
Glad to hear you're going to the shelter for a kitten. So many critters need a good home. My wife and I currently have 3 spoiled rotten cats (found one in a trash bin as a kitten, one from a shelter and inherited one when my wife's Dad passed).
W8taminute, I can only second what the others have said: I'm sorry to hear about Zoe's passing, but I'm glad you're going to adopt another kitten (especially from the animal shelter -- lord knows those guys always need a good home).
W8 i know exactly how it feels ... had a cat for 16 years ... was not able to get a new cat since a decade then :'( ... the Expensive Other brought a little dog with her ... which i now love very much :)
(when we have a quarrel and its off time in this complicated unhealthy on/off relationship ... i miss the dog sooner then her ;) )
so maybe switching from cat to dog and then maybe cat again helps to cope with the pain watching a pet which would 'react' like the missed one ... well not exactly because all cats (and dogs too) are all unique
Sorry to hear about Zoe, W8. :(
But if you're ready for a new kitten, a shelter is a great place to get one. Just don't make your choice based on "Hey, that one actually came up to the cage door and called out to me!" Because it will keep doing that. All the time. Forever. At 3 o'clock in the damn morning.
Sorry to hear the news, W8. I lost my 16 year old puppy in November and I know it's hard. Condolences to you and your family, brother.
Quote from: Arctic Blast on September 08, 2012, 03:20:04 PM
Sorry to hear about Zoe, W8. :(
But if you're ready for a new kitten, a shelter is a great place to get one. Just don't make your choice based on "Hey, that one actually came up to the cage door and called out to me!" Because it will keep doing that. All the time. Forever. At 3 o'clock in the damn morning.
My last dog was literally plucked out of a garbage dumpster in Anchorage, Alaska in January 1995 by a friend who heard an odd noise and found a box of puppies tossed in the trash. All survived and she found homes for each. Ours lived 16 years and was the best dog we've ever had. She turned out to be half boxer, a little pit and God knows what else, but was brighter and better behaved than the full-blood Aussie we had before and had paid hundreds for. So that's my own shelter story, as it is :)
Quote from: MikeGER on September 08, 2012, 01:31:17 PM
W8 i know exactly how it feels ... had a cat for 16 years ... was not able to get a new cat since a decade then :'( ... the Expensive Other brought a little dog with her ... which i now love very much :)
(when we have a quarrel and its off time in this complicated unhealthy on/off relationship ... i miss the dog sooner then her ;) )
Off topic, but Mike your comment made me thing of the lyrics of a song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF01Kr24wsU
The line I'm thinking of starts about the 1:10 mark :)
Hey guys,
Here is a picture of Mr. Socks, our new addition to the family. I'm still dealing with my loss but this little guy is a bundle of energy. Mr. Socks is 5 months and was a stray that someone brought into the animal shelter in Sterling. He will be loved and have a safe and happy home now. :)
@steve58
Zoe was indeed a Russian Blue and yes she was beautiful. We went to two shelters today and at the first one there was a 6 month old female Russian Blue. I had to leave the area as it was a bit too painful for me to see. We did adopt as you can see at the second shelter though!
@Steelgrave
Great story brother and thanks for sharing. It sounds like you saved a life and gave that old girl a good home with lots of love.
Quote from: MikeGER on September 08, 2012, 01:31:17 PM
so maybe switching from cat to dog and then maybe cat again helps to cope with the pain watching a pet which would 'react' like the missed one ... well not exactly because all cats (and dogs too) are all unique
You are right MikeGER and I thought about your advice. In the end though my family and I all agreed a new cat was the best choice for us.
Cannot see the images buddy.
Oops, sorry about that. I must have forgotten to include the attachment. It's fixed now.
Looks like a good cat with plenty of toys.
Cute kitten, W8. But based on how disproportionately long it's tail and legs are, that cat is likely going to end up being HUGE. :)
A "tuxedo" cat, nice. He does look like he's going to grow into those long legs and tail. Enjoy the little monster...
W8, its hard to lose a member of the family. We had a st. Bernard named Zoe 6 yrs ago. My daughter, who was 6 at the time, talked about her for several years afterward.
Mrs Bob loves your new kitten, now she has the urge for a cat again. Its been over 2 years since our dear Tabitha passed away, she was 19, and we really miss having a cat around.
Quote from: bob48 on September 09, 2012, 11:05:48 AM
Mrs Bob loves your new kitten, now she has the urge for a cat again. Its been over 2 years since our dear Tabitha passed away, she was 19, and we really miss having a cat around.
Go get the lady a cat Bob.
How could i say no?....... :)
Quote from: bob48 on September 09, 2012, 11:09:57 AM
How could i say no?....... :)
No.
However if you want a few days of good graces, I'd get the cat and sneak in a purchase of Guild Wars 2 too. Its the best coverfire for such a purchase you'll see for such an unannounced purchase.
Devious Bison, very devious - I like it!
I could lend you my dog, if you like.
Can he do moggy impressions?
Quote from: LongBlade on September 08, 2012, 05:13:48 PM
Off topic, but Mike your comment made me thing of the lyrics of a song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF01Kr24wsU
The line I'm thinking of starts about the 1:10 mark :)
LB on a side note
this Country song comes to my mind when i evalute the rollercoster ride of times past by
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbMEb1T8CN0&feature=relatednow back to the pets :)
http://youtu.be/MQ-ZUEp2--s
...a freshly trimmed
Ivenhoe vom Rauenstein tackling a bottle of -of course- 'Wuff Clicquot' his size and weight (minus the fur)
...and brings it to the kitchen of the women-cave to get opened like her favorite Veuve Clicquot ;-) http://youtu.be/d28RSKS6GJ8
a slowmo of Fetch!-training filmed with GoPro Hero 2
now i am a cat and a dog person :)