Problem cat. Any suggestions?

[denverbill]

OK, so we have this cat, Toby. He was taken in years ago as a stray. We have no real idea how old he is, but he is starting to look pretty darned old.

Last summer he started to lose weight and his coat got all mangy looking. We took him to the vet, who diagnosed him as hypothyroid and some virus also. The cat had been peeing everywhere, pooping everywhere, and losing weight. Anyway, the vet put him on thyroid medicine, which didn't really help.

He started getting real picky about food. Rarely eats dry food, sometimes chows on canned food, sometimes licks it and ignores it. The peeing has improved greatly after we put a litter box upstairs. He still frequently poops outside the box, but sometimes hits the box. He seems to occasionally get constipated and will just walked around in a funky 'pooping' position - all four legs tightly packed together and back arched.

He also throws up almost every single morning, only foamy water 90% of the time.

Lastly, he meows almost CONSTANTLY.

Has anyone had a similar cat and figured out how to deal with it? I don't think he's in any pain. Anyone have any clues what could be causing his problems other than 'old age'?

[reprehensor]

1. Try hairball remedy.

Specifically, Hartz malt hairball remedy. Our cat was a voracious eater, but a puker. Vet didn't have a clue.

[denverbill]

3. Actually, I bought some of that 2 days ago.

Read about it on a thread here. I'm kinda hoping he's just had a major hairball problem for the last 6 months. I guess it can't hurt:).

[nini]

6. I hope that's it...

poor baby

[nini]

2. If the virus is FIP.. you may want to consider putting him down

My cat that had FIP lost the weight as you describe and had more intestinal issues also. I didn't realize he had FIP until his symptons were so severe I had no choice to put him out of his misery.

Maybe try another vet and get a different opinion. Maybe the first vet is missing something.

good luck - I know how hard it is to see them miserable.

[aquart]

5. Definitely a new vet.

There's something else you can do. Put the symptoms into a google string with the word "cat."

Should give you a very good idea of what you're dealing with.

[curlyred]

7. actually, I believe that is the virus

and we did have the geriatric blood test ran on him.

In a way, I hate to spend any more money on him...those vet visits with all the tests get expensive. On the other hand, if there is something we can do it seems cruel not to do it!

I don't think he meows all the time because he is in pain. He's just gotten extremely demanding in the last few months. The minute he sees Bill in the morning he starts up, even if I have just give him a plate of food.

[denverbill]

13. If we just cooked ham and/or roast beef everyday, he'd probably be fine.

But if it's leftover, it's snubsville.

[nini]

14. I'm not sure how treatable it is.. I know it's not 'curable' but..

treatable ? not sure.

a new doctor is a good idea. Then they can at least tell you if it's worth putting some money into. Those bills can add up quickly and if it's only prolonging the inevitable and he's misserable, then you have no choice. We'll all be here for you if that's where you end up - hopefully not and there's some meds that will help and not break the bank.

:hug:

[TEXASYANKEE]

4. First and foremost

Take the cat back to the vet (or a different one). Thyroid problems mask kidney and liver problems. That could be why you're seeing an increase in urination. The pooping could be any number of things, as can the vomiting.

He's meowing constantly, vomiting foamy water, peeing alot, pooping (usually outside the box) alot, and he's advanced in years ... get that cat back to the vet! Now! Ask them to run a geriatric blood test on him.

I'll hope for the best. BTW, my eldest cat (now 13) went through the thyroid situation 3 years ago. I had radiation surgery done on her and she recovered completely. Hopefully your little feline will be 100% in no time.

[denverbill]

11. Well, he already was diagnosed with early kidney disease.

The vet mentioned that too (forgot that). He recommended a 'kidney friendly' diet, but the foods he supplied us were totally snubbed by the cat.

[pilsengirl]

8. hypothyroid

My 15 year old cat George was diagnosed in May. He has all the same symptoms as your cat except for the peeing and pooping. His breath smells like death and he yawns in my face all the time. Just make sure he constantly has food. Mine goes through 6-8 cans of Fancy Feast Tuna (his current favorite) a day. The throwing up happens when the bowl gets empty and he freaks and then snarfs down the new food too fast. Dry food expands in his stomach causing him to puke every time he eats is. Does he ever briefly pass out when he throws up the foamy water? Mine does.

[denverbill]

10. Well Toby definitely has the breath of death.

The annoying thing with him is he might go through 2 cans of food in a day, but he mostly just licks the food. He'll sit there and meow and meow even though we JUST put food on his plate. Other days, he'll just sit there and eat and eat.

Toby usually only pukes in the morning, mostly before we get up. I almost get the feeling that he is throwing up BECAUSE his stomach is empty.

[GR]

9. One, Be Sure The Food Is Near His Bed...

We have a kidney formula dry food which is supposed to improve appetite...It's Hill's Feline K-D We mix it with her regular dry food...Iams also makes a high nutrition canned food which is much richer than ordinary food which you can get only at certain vets offices...Our cat likes baby food, chicken and beef, for example.

She's 21 and survived a vicious attack by an unknown animal last September. It was touch and go for a couple of months and she was down to 4.6 pounds. She's gained weight lately though, but was never very large.

As for the pooping and peeing and throwing up, don't let him go outside. Our cat always throws up when she eats grass. But unfortunately, as they get older, there are more accidents. We clean up a lot, but we still love her.

As for fur, if that's a problem, get a grooming brush and use it. They just can't clean themselves as well as they get old. We had a real problem and got a pet groomer to come to our house and completely shave her. She looked awful but it grew back and looked much better. I think she felt better about herself too, better self image...
Good luck

[denverbill]

12. Toby won't eat much dry food.

Occasionally, when I buy a new brand, he'll eat a few pieces. Or he'll eat dog food, which is fine, since the dog eats his food :rolleyes:

We have tried a lot of things for this poor old guy: baby food, gravy, etc, to try to get him to eat and gain weight, but he snubbed the baby food and gravy. Maybe we'll try again sometime.

[Mikimouse]

15. Our vet told us that type of behavior usually

means that they are trying to tell you something. I have a very old cat (24), and he started doing similar things about two years ago. The vet checked him out and allwas well, except his teeth. He had so much plaque built up that he had started to wear an ulcer in his cheek. Since he was not eating, I had no choice but to take the chance with the anesthesia. He came through it like a champ, and is doing fine. Make sure that his teeth are OK.

[denverbill]

16. Hmm. Given his breath, a cleaning certainly wouldn't hurt.

[nini]

17. 24 ??????????????????????????????????

:wow:

[Mikimouse]

18. He is an amazing animal...

and yes, he is 24 years old, and still going strong. He's definitely daddy's best friend, and fur confidant. I have had him since 1997, when his previous owners abused him and he appeared at my door. He hasbeen my cat since then (the previous owners were my neighbors). I have his Vet. records, and my own Vet. verified the age (I guess by dentition, or some such). He is huge and very loveable, but definitely the Alpha cat in a group of three.

[Bertha Venation]

19. Get a second opinion, denverbill.

Sounds like he's quite ill. If your vet doesn't seem interested in digging a little deeper for Toby, try another.

If you can't afford a big vet's bill, ask the vet if s/he thinks Toby is suffering, and make whatever decision is best for the cat.

Good luck.

[mouse7]

20. Abcess tooth (sp?) is possible

That sure caused the breath of death in my old cat. It would make him a picky eater, because it obviously hurt when he ate.

Maybe a bad tooth in combo with other problems, too.

[PrestoChango]

21. Very similar symptoms with my cat...

Maggie is 17-ish and has been diagnosed with thyroid condition, but I think it's hyper... could have misheard that one though. She was down to 4.8 pounds when I took her in, thinking it might be her time.

The vet perscribed meds in a small dose in order not to aggrevate her kidney problems she has. She is always asking for food, and will sometimes eat the wet cat food, sometimes just lick it. Will always eat meat, like turkey or ham, and I occasionally mix in egg yolk (which I saw on another cat thread here) with her food when she shows less interest, which she seems to enjoy.

She was peeing on the floor and rarely using her cat box, so I had to block off all the rugs in the house so she would not pee on them. I put down a layer of plastic with a layer of paper towels on top and she has gotten really good about using that for peeing and pooping. When I have had that down, she has only gone on the floor a couple times, and seems to have stopped entirely over the past few days. And yeah, she does that poop-position where she struggles for a while to get the poop out.

She yowls when I am at work, apparently very loudly. She meows at me when I get home, but only when I am not feeding or petting her. Anyway, I wish you luck. It has been kind of annoying, but I try to remember how much love she has given me over the years whenever I get frustrated, which helps.