I was in a similar situation as you this past summer.

A rail-thin cat collapsed on my back patio one evening and I took him in. I mean, he was skin and bones. Period. I had seen him occasionally over the winter but he would never let me approach. When I brought him in, he could not sit up or stand/walk very well because he was so weak. He would urinate on his bedding. He would get up to eat and poo in the litterbox. He initially gained some weight, but in follow up vet visits, it was shown he was losing weight and the vet suspected cancer.

I did not do many tests (no x-ray or sonogram) other than extensive and comprehensive blood testing. I felt he just needed to be "fed-up" and he would get better. Well, I ended up having him euthanized when he showed no improvement with weight gain while eating very good food, and a lot of it.
It was very upsetting for me to lose him after only a few weeks...BUT...I feel he came to me to help him on his way and show him kindness and love before he left us.

IF you lose this kitty, rest assured that you did the right thing for him when he needed the help.
Wishing you and this kitty the best,
Heidi

 

I am so sorry about your poor kitty being sick

The only piece of advice I would have is do NOT give him a booster shot - he is sick, his immune system is already under strain, and vaccinating him now could make him a lot sicker... only healthy animals can handle the pressure put by the vaccine on their system. If he is an indoor cat he won't need this shot anyway.

Personally, I would ask for further tests to make sure it really is cancer... steroids are pretty brutal medicines, and I would look into every other possibility before shooting in the dark with it. Do you know any other good vet that you trust, and from whom you could get a second opinion?

Concerning the URI, what type of food does your cat eat? Does he eat any dry at all? I am asking because dry food is really bad for cats with URIs, and feeding him canned food only, adding a little water to it, would help dilute the urine and help clear any infection in the urinary tract. If you google URI you will find plenty of very useful advice - even lately on this part of the forum we had a good number of members deal with the same problems.

I hope this helps somewhat...

EDIT: mea culpa, just noticed you said two CANS of food per day... nevermind the dry food question.

 

Heidi, thanks for the kind words. I have never had to have a pet euthanized, right now the cat acts normal except for it being deaf. It saddens me to think about him becoming so sick that he needs to be put down.

Nini, I will probably skip the booster. Especially since he became sick after the first round of shots.

I didn't know that steroids were that bad, the vet thinks he might have an inflamed digestive tract?

I am only doing this because she said if he were her cat she would do the same.

I will probably end up getting additional tests if things don't improve.

 

Found this for you, maybe it can help you observe what signs your cat shows or does not show:
http://www.petplace.com/cats/urinary-bl ... page1.aspx

 

How kind of you to care for this stray cat. I am sorry that she is ill. What ever time she has left you are doing her a truly wonderful service by showing her so much love and attention.

 

Thanks Leazie, but the cat is a boy, the vet is a woman . The cats name is Pierre. He is a nice cat, he even likes going to the vet.

Nini, the only symptoms he has now are the blood clots and weight loss. He lost about a pound in a couple weeks, but he still acts hungry.

He only had trouble peeing yesterday afternoon, I don't know if the antibiotics helped or if the bleeding is intermitent.

 

It's so wonderful that you took Pierre in like you did. If he is not meant to be with you for long, he'll have love and comfort in his time of need. Bless your heart.

 

Thanks Leazie, but the cat is a boy, the vet is a woman . The cats name is Pierre. He is a nice cat, he even likes going to the vet.

Sorry about that...some days I am more blonde than others .

 

Maybe I'm wrong, but how can a Vet "suspect" Bladder Cancer without tests? He could be totally wrong, or he could be right, and maybe something can be done. My Dr. Jean'll see this thread.

I am so sorry this is happening. *Hugs* But you have a very good heart in taking him in.

 

The vet suspects cancer because of the blood clot I brought in. She thinks the clots could be caused by bladder cancer or bleeding disease from poisoning.

 

Ok, but still, if it were me, I'd have my cat tested. Just to be sure.

 

Aww, you must have a great big heart to take this kitty in.

Your comment about the emergency vet 'thought it was a UTI' doesn't sound very definitive. Has his urine actually been tested? I'm asking because I did a little research and clots may also be a symptom of crystals in the urine. He has a lot of things going on here with the clots, the weight loss and the diarrhea, but I wouldn't assume it's all interrelated when you don't have any history on the cat. I hope that the vet can figure this out quickly and it's not cancer and you get to spend many years together.

Welcome to the forum, wish it was under better circumstances for you....

 

I agree about the blood clots not always being a sign of bladder cancer.
An inflamed bladder (cystitis) may also have clots.

As for the weight - thyroid panel and a blood sugar (to look for diabetes) would be high on my list. Even borderline diabetes can cause weight loss and the high blood sugars make it difficult to get rid of infections.

Thank you for caring for Pierre. Here's to a long and healthy life for him.

 

Hey guys, I had the cats urine tested at the emergency vet, they said no crystals were present, or bacteria. I think I had thyroid tested at the vet, and I am sure he tested negative for diabetes.

I think my vet said she felt a lump on the thyroid, but that it was common in older cats.

I am most likely going to get the tests done. The vet said everything would be about $200, I already spend $450 on him so a couple hundred more isn't much :lol:

I fed Pierre 3 cans of food yesterday, and he already had two cans today. I just gave him some catnip and now he is cleaning himself on his bed.

The vet said Pierre was anemic, can I feed him cooked liver?

 

The vet said Pierre was anemic, can I feed him cooked liver?

I am so glad that you are taking such good care of Pierre... he is lucky to have you!

You can feed him raw liver in small chunks, or pureed, if he will eat it. You could mix it into his canned food. If he does not like it raw, then yes, cooked is next best

I really hope that vet made a wild guess and was completely wrong, and that Pierre will turn out to have something treatable instead *fingers and paws crossed*

 

I hope she is wrong too, she tends to give the worst case scenario. But there is still a chance she is right. Either way I would like a definitive answer.

 

Either way I would like a definitive answer.

I know... especially with such a scary diagnosis... well I really hope the tests can bring more information, and help make a firm diagnosis of what is wrong with your kitty.
If he really is anemic, you can also use kitty vitamin drops, like Pet Tinic. It would help replenish his iron levels, and it's easy to administer.

Hope he feels better soon... any blood in his urine since he's been home?

 

Glad you're getting the tests. I hope that it's something else treatable, and not cancer. *Fingers Crossed*

How has Pierre been doing? If he's eating, that is a good sign. Now, could it be something like a Kidney stone, or are Kidney Crystals the same as stones?

 

Pierre is doing well, he hasn't had blood in his Urine since Monday. Besides the blood in the urine and the weight loss he didn't act sick at all.

 

That sounds like good news to me!

 

Concerning the lump on the thyroid --- hyperthyroidism in older cats is usually caused by a benign tumor on the thyroid gland.

Also, when my Maggie had cystitis and bladder inflammation, she passed clots almost daily until it was cleared up.

 

Pierre is doing well, but it looks like his diarrhea is getting worse. It might be from the antibiotics. He has also been going outside the box is this a sign of anything besides him not wanting to mess up his litter box?

I read that people like Nutro food on the forum so I bought him some Natural Choice. He really liked it. It sure smells better then the 9 lives I have been feeding him. His appetite is really good, maybe it is from the steroid shot.

I am going to setup another appointment with the vet tomorrow or Saturday.

I want to thank everyone on the forum for their time and concern, I am a chronic worrier and this place helps a lot.

 

He has I am a chronic worrier and this place helps a lot.

I think everyone here can relate to that

I am glad to hear Pierre is doing a little better... glad he likes the new food too! One thing you can try for his diarrhea is to add a little bit of plain canned pumpkin to his canned food. It adds bulk to the stool and most kitties don't seem to object to the taste too much.

 

Since he's on an antibiotic I would recommend give him some acidophilus to help keep the population of the good bacteria in his digestive tract at the right level. Some digestive enzymes wouldn't hurt either. You can mix both in canned food, a whole capsule of the acidophilus and an 1/8 tsp of enzymes per meal. You can get both in any health food store.

Nutro is much better than 9 Lives. Did you slowly transition him over, the food change could be affecting digestion too. Also, fish flavors could cause diarrhea.

And Nini's pumpkin suggestion may help as well. Get regular canned pumpkin (in the baking area of the grocery store), make sure there's no spices in it though.

 

Pierre is doing well, but it looks like his diarrhea is getting worse. It might be from the antibiotics. He has also been going outside the box is this a sign of anything besides him not wanting to mess up his litter box?

I read that people like Nutro food on the forum so I bought him some Natural Choice. He really liked it. It sure smells better then the 9 lives I have been feeding him. His appetite is really good, maybe it is from the steroid shot.

I am going to setup another appointment with the vet tomorrow or Saturday.

I want to thank everyone on the forum for their time and concern, I am a chronic worrier and this place helps a lot.

Nutro is much better than 9 Lives. Good you switched!

Lisa's right. If you didn't slowly transition him over, the food change can be affecting him.