Older Kitty Wont Eat or Drink..... (kitten, eating, male, vomiting) - - City-Data Forum

DreDre4 · 08-03-2010, 08:50 PM

I took my precious baby Emma to the vet four days ago....

Emma is 13 years (still plays like a kitten) old and I took her into the vet because I noticed she was drinking a lot more water than usual. I did a little research on-line and freaked out that she may have kidney problems. I took her in and they ran a senior screen which checked her blood, urine,sodium, liver test and some other random stuff. The results came back pretty normal with the exception of the kidneys, they showed a little concern but her doctor said she is older and this is normal "her kidneys are hanging in there"?
So, I get her home and naturally she's not happy with me but got over it quick and was eating and drinking like normal. The following day she threw up three times. It was a lighter beige color, no food in it and it was almost mucousy. She threw up again last night at least three times. Now today she hasn't eaten much and puked twice. I called the vet and he said to keep an eye on her. I went and got her nuti-cal and force feed her a little. Now she's hiding in the closet. Is it possible that she caught the kitty flu from the vet or is there something else I should worry about here? Has this happened to anyone else's babies?

catman · 08-03-2010, 11:37 PM

Not THAT much. I think the vet needs to do more than have you 'keep an eye on' poor Emma.

Best of fortune with her!

luvmycat · 08-03-2010, 11:54 PM

Have you called the vet back and told him about what's been going on since Emma's visit? I definitely don't like that he said the kidneys are "hanging in there" if the screening showed reason for concern...kidney issues are no joke, and he seems to be making light of a possibly serious condition. I would probably go to a different vet to get a 2nd opinion if I were in your shoes...it COULD be that she caught some kind of cold there, but I'm more inclined to think they missed something along the way...has she been using the litterbox normally? Does her tummy look/feel normal, (ie: no lumps or indications of a too-full bladder?) Does she tend to eat things she's not supposed to (like foam under the couch, etc.)? Sometimes blockages cause behavior like you've explained, which is why I ask...I'd request x-rays just to be on the safe side. It could also be some kind of toxicity making her nauseous...lots of possibilities here!

Wishing you and Emma the best of luck for a speedy recovery!!!

DreDre4 · 08-04-2010, 02:43 AM

Thanks for the suggestions. She finally came to bed last night and snuggled as she usually does. I woke up around 3 due to being so worried and decided i would try and she if she would eat. I mixed some canned tuna with her wet food and she ate it and drank some water. Lets see if she keeps it down! Either way I plan to take her back to her old vet in the morning.

steel7 · 08-04-2010, 03:20 AM

PLEASE keep us updated. Kidney failure is very common amongst older (senior) cats. I wish emma the best.

chaseystarz · 08-04-2010, 12:28 PM

I wish the best for you and Emma right now. Keep us posted.

DreDre4 · 08-04-2010, 04:23 PM

Update on Emma-I took her back to her old doctor (she hated the long ride) and I'm glad I did. He said she has a very full bladder and that they couldn't get her to urinate. I had them do an X-ray and it showed that her bladder was so full it was pushing on her intestines and this is why she wouldn't eat or drink and why she was vomiting. The ran a urine test and said that there were no crystals or blood. He couldn't figure out why she couldn't go and now believes that there might be some blockage. The X-rays showed a little darker area but he wasn't able to tell if it was some sort of mass?

They ended up keeping my poor girl over night to observe her. Hopefully she can pee on her own. I don't even want to think about what will happen next if she can't go.

I miss her :-(

Daveydoe · 08-04-2010, 04:29 PM

If you are relaying everything accurately then both of your vets sound questionable at best

1. 13 is not old for a cat, they can live up to 18yrs these days
2. Renal disease always needs a urinalysis for confirmation and more specific diagnosis -- was this done at your first vet?
3. It is extremely rare for a female cat to be obstructed -- it is more likely that your cat is drinking more than usual due to kidney disease and was stressed from the car ride/vet visit and was holding her urine -- if your vet thought she was obstructed it would be an EMERGENCY to IMMEDIATELY place a urinary catheter. If they could not figure out what was going on then she should have had a bladder ultrasound to check for masses and/or stones.

I could go on...I hope your cat is doing well and please provide an update when you are able

lemaybell · 08-04-2010, 04:37 PM

Good luck with Emma. I had a male cat, Rowdy, (7 yrs. old) who had a urinary tract blockage. The vet was able to unblock him and send him home, but then he'd block back up. We finally had to have surgery which re-routed his tubes. He lived for another 7 years. I was thinking that Emma should be checked for Diabetes since she was drinking so much water, but it sounds like a blockage maybe. I hope she feels better when you see her.

Daveydoe · 08-04-2010, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lemaybell

Good luck with Emma. I had a male cat, Rowdy, (7 yrs. old) who had a urinary tract blockage. The vet was able to unblock him and send him home, but then he'd block back up. We finally had to have surgery which re-routed his tubes. He lived for another 7 years. I was thinking that Emma should be checked for Diabetes since she was drinking so much water, but it sounds like a blockage maybe. I hope she feels better when you see her.

Female cats do not get common urinary obstructions like male cats due to urethral size. An obstruction would need to be caused by either bladder stones (easily seen on ultrasound if not evident on radiographs) or a mass (requires ultrasound). Your cat's obstruction was likely due to crystals which are too small to obstruct a female.