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Rapid Weight Loss in Old, Teeny Tiny Kitty Cat
AbsoluteZero
The new film by Quentin KoopantinoRegistered User regular
The new film by Quentin KoopantinoRegistered User regular
We are already working with the vet on this, but I wanted to see if anyone had similar experience with their fur-babies.
We have an old kitty, she's about 17 years at this point, and she's always been small (7-8 pounds is kindof normal for her, people always think she's not full grown yet). She has been a free feeder her whole life, we leave a bowl of kibble out 24/7 along with water and she comes and goes as she pleases.
About 3-4 weeks ago she started vomiting once a day, every day, like clockwork. We switched her to a sensitive tummy kibble and the vomiting tapered off, and then stopped all together. We thought we were in the clear, but then we notice she's suddenly getting very thin and her energy is decreased. We schedule an appointment with the vet, but one morning I notice she won't even get up out of her sleeping spot, so I drop everything and take her in. She gets a barrage of tests (blood, urine, x-rays) and.... everything looks normal except the vet reports she has some pain in her back/spine area near her hips, but that seems unrelated to the weight loss. Her teeth/gums look fine as well, so it's unlikely that she's having pain from eating. She had a follow-up appointment for another urine test as the vet wasn't confident they got a clean sample, but again it came back normal. Meanwhile, she's down to 4.8 pounds. Just super tiny, fur and bones kitty.
They prescribe pain killers, appetite stimulant, nausea suppressant, and high calorie wet food. She still eats, but she just doesn't eat enough. She still gets excited for treats, but when we give them to her, she just sniffs them but doesn't eat. She's also lost interest in her kibble for the most part. But she does eat the prescribed wet food, she just won't eat enough of it. We are supposed to get 200 calories per day in her, but we are lucky if we can get 80-100 calories.
The vet is stumped. They referred us to a specialist for an ultrasound, but they are pretty booked up and we have to wait 2 weeks before they can get her in. In the mean time, I feel like I'm keeping this kitty teetering on the edge. I realize she is very old and may be nearing the end, but I want to keep her happy and comfortable as long as possible.
Has anyone had a similar experience? What ended up happening? Any advice you can give, particularly with getting a cat to eat more? Also, if anyone has pointers on how to give a cat pills, that would be appreciated. She puts up a heck of a fight and is real good at spitting pills out a few minutes later when I've let my guard down.
We have an old kitty, she's about 17 years at this point, and she's always been small (7-8 pounds is kindof normal for her, people always think she's not full grown yet). She has been a free feeder her whole life, we leave a bowl of kibble out 24/7 along with water and she comes and goes as she pleases.
About 3-4 weeks ago she started vomiting once a day, every day, like clockwork. We switched her to a sensitive tummy kibble and the vomiting tapered off, and then stopped all together. We thought we were in the clear, but then we notice she's suddenly getting very thin and her energy is decreased. We schedule an appointment with the vet, but one morning I notice she won't even get up out of her sleeping spot, so I drop everything and take her in. She gets a barrage of tests (blood, urine, x-rays) and.... everything looks normal except the vet reports she has some pain in her back/spine area near her hips, but that seems unrelated to the weight loss. Her teeth/gums look fine as well, so it's unlikely that she's having pain from eating. She had a follow-up appointment for another urine test as the vet wasn't confident they got a clean sample, but again it came back normal. Meanwhile, she's down to 4.8 pounds. Just super tiny, fur and bones kitty.
They prescribe pain killers, appetite stimulant, nausea suppressant, and high calorie wet food. She still eats, but she just doesn't eat enough. She still gets excited for treats, but when we give them to her, she just sniffs them but doesn't eat. She's also lost interest in her kibble for the most part. But she does eat the prescribed wet food, she just won't eat enough of it. We are supposed to get 200 calories per day in her, but we are lucky if we can get 80-100 calories.
The vet is stumped. They referred us to a specialist for an ultrasound, but they are pretty booked up and we have to wait 2 weeks before they can get her in. In the mean time, I feel like I'm keeping this kitty teetering on the edge. I realize she is very old and may be nearing the end, but I want to keep her happy and comfortable as long as possible.
Has anyone had a similar experience? What ended up happening? Any advice you can give, particularly with getting a cat to eat more? Also, if anyone has pointers on how to give a cat pills, that would be appreciated. She puts up a heck of a fight and is real good at spitting pills out a few minutes later when I've let my guard down.
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The Greenies pill pouches I've found work really well.
Did your cat experience a pattern of improving then degrading appetite and energy level, kind of going back and forth? Or was it more of a steady decline?
Back and forth a bit. One day after he had been diagnosed but before his scheduled surgery, he went completely missing (indoor/outdoor cat) and as far as we could reconstruct events he had wandered off into the woods basically to die, but then came back sheepishly when he didn't. By the time of his surgery he was barely eating anything at all, surgery was unsuccessful and we put him down. (Incredibly traumatic moment for me - I held him as they gave him the shot).
However with my cat they found the cancer fairly quickly. If they didn't with yours it's absolutely probable that there's something else (and hopefully less serious) wrong!
Worrying about potentially losing a loved one can sometimes be harder than the actual event as most people try to stuff their emotions and pretend that they aren't being affected. Don't do this! Even if you don't have time for a good cry or whatever, acknowledging your feelings and validating the reasons you have them is important for your mental health. Lean on your supports, practice self-care, and enjoy some time with your kitty.
You both deserve to be loved!
P.S: Do not use baby food. Or at least check so that it doesn't contain anything from the onion family (garlic, chives, onions etc). That will upset cat digestion.
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
Kitty has been on steroids for about a week and is eating much better but still not gaining any weight. She's a hair over 4 pounds now.
They gave us treatment options but no prognosis. The options are as follows.
Keep giving her steroids and pain medication to reduce her misery until she passes.
Chemotherapy drugs which may prolong her life but it wasn't clear if they would make her more or less miserable.
CT scan to try to find a tumor.
Surgery if a tumor is found and possible to remove, although it's not clear if she is even healthy enough for surgery at this point.
I have no idea what the best option is. I just want her to suffer as little as possible. Any input would be appreciated.
My parents have owned many cats over the years and have a policy, which I find sensible, that they will never prolong the life of a suffering cat.
So my advice to you is to keep her comfortable (as with your first option) and keep a careful eye on her so you know if you need to have her put down, which will be when she exhibits visible signs of distress or simply stops doing anything.
Vets really should not offer cancer treatment to very old cats like this, it just guilts owners who want to do everything for their beloved pet.
(Just this week two of my roommates had to rush across the country to say goodbye to their dying grandmother only to learn that grandpa had unilaterally decided to pull the plug while half the family was still in transit, and none of the local family were even at the hospital. Less than 24 hours later and I'm fielding bi-hourly reports on the nuclear meltdown the entire family is now experiencing. It's not great!)
Thanks again everyone. Definitely helped us think this through.
:bro:
The wife and I are a complete and total wreck today. But I'm glad my little angel isn't suffering, I'm thankful she went peacefully, and I'm doubly thankful I got to be there when she passed.
The grief will keep coming back in waves for a very long time, but in time those waves will also bring a sense of familiarity and comfort, and possibly even leave you with a smile.