# Poorly kitty



## chaps89 (23 October 2018)

My lovely big cat is about 16 or 17 now. He's had a heart murmur for years and has been on 5mg of felimazole a day for maybe the last 2 years.
Over the last 6 month's or so he's been intermittently sick, maybe once every 3 weeks or so. He's seen the vet, all his blood work is normal, heart no different and vet isn't concerned.
But in the last month he's started being sick every couple of days and today bought his breakfast and his dinner up.
He seems absolutely well in himself and bright and perky, just not keeping food down. 
I'm going to get him to the vets asap.
I've had this wonderful amazing cat for 11 years and he's been with me through an abusive relationship and several ups and downs in my life. Unlike most cats, he is an utter people person and his favourite pastime is to see how firmly he can wedge himself into you (and in more normal cat territory, wake you up at 5am with demands for breakfast... the less said about that the better maybe)
I'm just really really hoping he is ok. In the meantime does anyone have any ideas on anything bland I could feed him? He gets James wellbeloved senior biscuits in the AM and Royal Canin digest sensitive in the PM normally - it's the biscuits that usually disagree with him but previous diet changes have resulted in a runny bottom even when done gradually, so I've been reluctant to change anything too much.


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## horselib (23 October 2018)

poor kitty! Bland diet is usually cooked chicken, white fish and boiled rice. Perhaps you could  feed this in very small amounts say a tablespoon every few hours. Hope you get him sorted he sounds a real sweetie.


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## Shady (23 October 2018)

It's difficult to say but your lovely cat is getting on a bit now and like people they can get digestively sensitive. If you can't take him off the dried try soaking it or sticking to just one and seeing if that makes a difference. Whenever mine throw up it is usually because they were hungry and scoffed too many biscuits too quickly . Good idea to have the vet check him over. xx


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## Amymay (24 October 2018)

Could the medication be causing him issues?


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## BeckyFlowers (24 October 2018)

Yes I would also try him on a bit of cooked chicken, just a small amount, and see if he keeps it down.  If he has a dicky belly before after changing his food I would give him just a couple of chunks at a time.  Hope he gets better, let us know how it goes, and what the vet says.


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## FinnishLapphund (24 October 2018)

Sending lots of virtual {{{Hugs}}}, I hope the veterinarian was able to help your cat.


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## chaps89 (24 October 2018)

Thankyou everyone
He has his thyroid levels checked every 6 moths to check that the medication is doing it's job and he gets kidneys and liver checked at the same time to check it's not compromising their function.
I do fear it is old age catching him up, always hard to reconcile when they're as bright as a button but there body is letting them down.
He's booked into the vets for next week but if he gets any worse I will absolutely be taking him sooner. 
In the meantime I will absolutely try him on plain chicken and white fish - I suspect he'll be very happy with that!


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## chaps89 (3 November 2018)

I thought I'd just do a little update.
He's lost a fair amount of weight and his heart rate is faster than usual although no change in the murmur. The vet couldn't feel anything abnormal so we ran his bloods.
His thyroid levels are now at 120. The vet said normal is 10-30, when he was first diagnosed his levels were 60 and up until his last blood test in July were back to normal (16 in July) 
So we're doubling his meds and back for blood tests in 3-4 weeks.
Poor kitty


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## FinnishLapphund (3 November 2018)

It's so worrying, and difficult, when you're basically only waiting, and hoping that the medication helps. {{{Hugs}}}


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## Pearlsasinger (3 November 2018)

Poor puss!  At least you know what is wrong with him and can increase the medication.  I have a human friend whosw Dr wasn't sure that she needed any meds for her thyroid problem and started her on a very low dose.  After a few reviews, where the meds were increased every time she was on a doe about 10 times higher than the original.  I guess animals are the same.

I hope he responds well to the increase.


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## Shady (3 November 2018)

Pearlsasinger said:



			Poor puss!  At least you know what is wrong with him and can increase the medication.  I have a human friend whosw Dr wasn't sure that she needed any meds for her thyroid problem and started her on a very low dose.  After a few reviews, where the meds were increased every time she was on a doe about 10 times higher than the original.  I guess animals are the same.

I hope he responds well to the increase.
		
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 Pearls right, the heart's racing because the thyroid function has changed again, upping the meds should help level him out .
Hope it works too. xxxxx
One of mine has developed very bad gingivitis, probably breed related and i'm really stressed about it , animals are such a worry


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## chaps89 (6 November 2018)

Thankyou everyone. 
I forgot to give him his extra tablet the first morning but have remembered since. Waiting for them to kick in now as he's still telling me he's constantly starved!

Shady, I'm sorry to hear that. If it helps, mine had that and had a dental and most of his teeth out and hasn't looked back. As you say, it is such a worry isn't it. I hope yours is alright.


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## BeckyFlowers (7 November 2018)

chaps89 said:



			Thankyou everyone.
I forgot to give him his extra tablet the first morning but have remembered since. Waiting for them to kick in now as he's still telling me he's constantly starved!

Shady, I'm sorry to hear that. If it helps, mine had that and had a dental and most of his teeth out and hasn't looked back. As you say, it is such a worry isn't it. I hope yours is alright.
		
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Is he keeping his food down now?


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## Myloubylou (7 November 2018)

Cats have amazing ability to appear to be at deaths door & then perk up. My 17 year old has CRF & gets renal dried food along with normal biscuits, vet suggested wetting slightly & he loves it like wet food. Grain can cause cats to be sick so might want to check that. When my boy is feeling low I give the recovery wet food you get from the vet to get weight up & then back to normal diet. Hope yours picks up


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## chaps89 (7 November 2018)

He's only been sick once a tiny little bit in a week - but he's also been on chicken and rice and I cut the biscuits out so not sure if it's the diet change and/or the increased meds. 
Either way I'm glad for both of our sakes that there's been a let up in the vomiting! Asides from the endless hunger he seems happier too which is good 
I didn't realise cats have 2 thyroid glands - the vet thinks only 1 was affected originally and now the 2nd one is too and that's why we saw such a change in him. Every day is a school day as they say.


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## chaps89 (7 November 2018)

Ps - it won't let me edit my post but thankyou for asking too


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## chaps89 (8 December 2018)

I thought I'd do a little update - he went back to the vet this week to have his bloods re-tested.
Since going on two tablets a day he's decided he doesn't like taking them quite so easily so we've had to be a bit creative with how we give them! We still have odd days where he spits one out but he's mostly better at having them again now, and he's not being sick either   
Anyway,  blood tests have come back and are back to normal limits which is good news.


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## Shady (8 December 2018)

chaps89 said:



			I thought I'd do a little update - he went back to the vet this week to have his bloods re-tested.
Since going on two tablets a day he's decided he doesn't like taking them quite so easily so we've had to be a bit creative with how we give them! We still have odd days where he spits one out but he's mostly better at having them again now, and he's not being sick either  
Anyway,  blood tests have come back and are back to normal limits which is good news.
		
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That is really good news Chaps
I used to have a Siamese who would go through all the motions of taking and swallowing her tablet then saunter off and spit it out under a chair or the bed. My friend always hangs hers from a bath towel so they can't get you with their claws. I have no special pill taking secret that I can share with you, I go for the no nonsense get it down the throat as quick a possible approach! xxx


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## chaps89 (8 December 2018)

We use pill pockets  very fuss free and much less traumatic for both us than actually trying to give it to him! 
We've just had to start to mush a bit of a treat/ham/cheese into it too since he started saying no thankyou to them but so far it is doing the trick.
I did have to wimp out and get the vet to worm him whilst he was there - I'd tried one in a pill pocket but failed to take into account how much bigger the tablet was than his felimazole, so it was spat out. Vets make it look so easy!


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## Shady (8 December 2018)

Well I never! pill pockets! these did not exist when i was younger, you just shoved the pill in a bit of chicken and hoped for the best!
I used to have this massive tabby British Short Hair that had had a hard start in life and getting him in a box involved my OH putting his biker jacket on and welding gloves and then you'd get him to the vet and he'd be all, '' hi, i'm a really nice cat......'' even the poor dog was terrified of him and i dreaded him ever needing tablets!. My current gang are super easy, phew!


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## BeckyFlowers (8 December 2018)

Great news, glad he's feeling better! I too shall have to check out pill pockets.

Shady, the thought of a fully grown man in a biker jacket and welding gloves coming towards a cat to put him in his box is making me do a big LOL.


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## Shady (8 December 2018)

BeckyFlowers said:



			Great news, glad he's feeling better! I too shall have to check out pill pockets.

Shady, the thought of a fully grown man in a biker jacket and welding gloves coming towards a cat to put him in his box is making me do a big LOL.
		
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Lol, He put his welding mask on too once and his leather apron!!!


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## BeckyFlowers (8 December 2018)

Shady said:



			Lol, He put his welding mask on too once and his leather apron!!!
		
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That demonstrates the sheer power and danger of kitties.  All 3-8kg of them.


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## SEL (8 December 2018)

Chaps - my mum's cat is also on thyroid meds and she has to buy him a steak every week to get them down him. Little bit cut off, fried and tablet hidden it. What we do for our pets! Glad yours has bounced back.


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## chaps89 (17 December 2018)

Shady, loving the thought of your OH dressed up like that to administer a cat their meds. I can totally understand it too!

Kitty is poorly again - he's had a very upset stomach since last Friday. I'm struggling to get him to eat his tablet and he's left his breakfast this morning (unheard of) 
Off to the fish counter today to buy some plain fish (vet recommended coley fish previously - as a cheaper alternative to a more common fish that I can't remember the name of but I'm hoping the person in Tesco will know what I mean if they don't have coley) to see if he can be tempted by that.
He's already on a chicken and rice/sensitive diet 
Poor soul is very quiet.


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## BeckyFlowers (17 December 2018)

Poor love â˜¹ï¸ Fingers crossed he starts to get better soon x


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## chaps89 (19 December 2018)

Thankyou. No improvement so we're back to the vets tomorrow morning :-/ maybe I'm fussing too much but he's not eating all of his food and still has a very poorly tummy the poor mite so back we go.


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## Shady (19 December 2018)

Fingers crossed he improves Chaps. I always keep some Pro Kolin when mine get upset tummy's . It's excellent and if that doesn't work I then go to the vets. In your case though, you are doing the right thing by going to your vets first. Hope he's ok. xxxx


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## chaps89 (27 December 2018)

Thanks Shady  I'll have a look into pro kalin and look at keeping some just incase. It's funny, I'd just bung some protexin down the horse but with the cat I've realised how little I know about basic ailments.
I thought of your OH in his welding kit earlier- We were trying to get the last of his anti biotic and a felimazole into him and he said no. Attempts to put it in his mouth were unsuccessful and left us with a pissed off kitty and us feeling bad! OH made a trip to the pet shop for treats to assuage the guilt!
We've had 2 more vet trips and some antibiotics and he seems to be on the mend. In fact, he is currently curled up on my OH purring for Britain. 
The bloods have shown one of his kidney functions is now slightly impaired but only very marginally so the vet has suggested we keep an eye on that but otherwise there was no apparent cause to his poorly tummy.
It's sad his age may be catching up on him but I'm going to treasure him whilst he's here and hope that this is the last vet visit for a wee while.


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## Shady (27 December 2018)

Bless him, yes, they just start winding down after a certain age but don't forget that antibiotics affect cats digestion just as they do humans so getting a bit of balance back in the gut is necessary. They can also do ok with less kidney function, again a bit like people until it goes past a certain point. Hopefully he will level out again and you will have lots more time with him xxx


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