Cat owners, please help *Second Update*

JCbride2015

My cat has been acting increasingly weird for the past week or so.  He normally goes running for food, loves to be with people, and loves to jump and play.  Lately he's been less interested in food-- he leaves food in the bowl, and has to be coaxed into eating his favorite wet food.  He's been hiding in the closet or under the bed frequently.  Today Fi took him out of the closet and tried to play with him, but he just sat on the floor and wouldn't play.

We took him to the vet and she didn't find anything obviously wrong with him.  His teeth and mouth are fine, and he doesn't seem to be in any pain.  They did blood work and we should get it back by tomorrow.  He is already fat, but he's lost a pound since we were there less than a month ago.  So obviously he is eating less, but they couldn't figure out why.

Anybody experienced something similar with their cat?  We are really worried about him.

*Update*

Just got the test results back.  Vet says his bloodwork is normal: kidneys, thyroid, liver all OK.  Urinalysis showed high urine concentration and some crystals (low concentration but still there).  She said the high concentration shows he isn't drinking enough water, and suggested we try adding some tuna juice or chicken broth into water to get him to drink more.  As for the crystals, she said it's a low number but drinking more might help clear it up.

Vet recommended we give it through the weekend to see if he gets better with drinking more water, and if not then bring him in on Monday for more tests (ultrasounds probably).

He is still hiding in the closet and as far as I can tell, has not drunk water or used the box all day.

*Second Update* *Gross alert*

I think better news today!  I took him to the vet this morning.  He had lost another pound since Tuesday and was showing signs of pain in his rear end, and had a fever (temp 103, I think it's normally 101).  They did X-Rays which showed he colon was totally compacted with poop.  He was full of shit!  So they gave him an enema, subcutaneous fluids (camel hump), and a shot of antibiotics in case the fever indicates an infection.

After the enema, he seems much better.  He was poking around his carrier, whereas before he was just a bag of rocks in there.  He went for his spot under the bed when we came home, but he came out when I called him and he just ate a whole can of wet food with no coaxing.  Now he's sitting under the bed grooming himself.  Much more active than before.

Just waiting for him to use the litter box and be up and about a little more.  Vet is sending the X-rays to an offsite radiologist to check for anything she didn't see at first glance.  But we are really hoping he just got compacted and he will feel a lot better after this, especially with the fluids.

Meanwhile, $900 later and we're hoping he's just constipated...

natswild

the vets should check him again, he's showing definite warning signs. He's showing signs of pain. We had behavior changes with each of our cats when each one had gotten sick. Good luck, hopefully the vets find that it's something minor!

jdluvr06

Oh no. That sounds like how my boy was before he was diagnosed with kidney failure. I truly hope that isn't the case for your cat.

pinkcow13

How old is he? (Is this Jack?) If nothing comes up on the blood work tomorrow, I would suggest getting a second opinion. We had different issues with Pesto, and had to take him to a new vet since I was no longer in BK.  She gave us a horrible diagnosis. (Told us he had herpes.) We took him to a different vet shortly after, and he was able to properly diagnose him, and he was back to normal within days.

Has anything changed at home at all? Maybe he has a worm? My friends cat had a worm, and was acting weird because of it. She was placed on antibiotics and was fine after. I can't think of anything else it may be...

JCbride2015

jdluvr06 said:

Oh no. That sounds like how my boy was before he was diagnosed with kidney failure. I truly hope that isn't the case for your cat.

@jdluvr06 I forgot to add that they also did a urinalysis.  So I think that would show if he has kidney problems.  We also lost a cat to kidney failure and it was terrible.

I was thinking because of his weight it might be diabetes or something, but apparently a symptom of that is they eat more, not less.  So I'm really stumped right now.

And @natswild the vet palpated him all over his body, it looked very thorough.  He was actually purring during most of the exam.  She said cats can be really good at hiding pain though, so he might just be being a tough guy.  :-/

RWS2011

Have there been any big changes in the home?  A friend or family member staying over or visiting often?  One of my sister's cats responded to the stress of a new cat followed by 2 house guests this way and almost starved herself to death.  She is fine now, and we also know that Hrududu is a sensitive girl, so sis tries to minimize stress.

pittiemama14

My cat did this a few years ago, not eating, playing, and hiding alot. We took her to the vet, they said it was nothing. A few days later she passed out in her litter box, wouldn't wake up for a few mins. So I took her to a different vet and they found out through a specific test it was her kidney failing. So we had to force feed her with a sryinge for about a week to get her to put weight back on, and give her meds for about two weeks (she is a tiny cat, 6lbs, and was down to 3.5 after in less than a week) and we now give her a pill once a month and she is on a perscription diet of kidney support wet food. Good luck. I'm sorry you are going through this, and I hope your kitty is ok!

jdluvr06

That is good. It was terrible losing my boy like that and I would hate for anyone else to go through it.

firebabe6519

He could also have depression. Its not uncommon in animals. I hope the vet figures it out soon! Poor little guy!

natswild

the reason I mentioned what I did, is that each of our cats had showed those symptoms, and each one died of a different type of cancer. I really hope that it's not serious for your cat though.

SmileDamnit

If nothing comes from the blood work and he's still acting abnormal, I would suggest seeing a specialist (small animal internist) for a second opinion. I work for the ACVIM and would be happy to send you a recommendation if you PM your city. Fingers crossed it's nothing serious and he's back to himself by tomorrow.

JCbride2015

Thank you for the ideas everyone!

@pinkcow13 Yes, it's Jack.  My little tuxedo boy.  I sort of hope it's a worm and easy to take care of.

@RWS2011 We had a friend stay over this weekend, so at first I chalked up his behavior to the house guest.  But, he normally loves people and when I think about it, he was leaving food in the bowl before the friend stayed.  So I don't think that's it.

@niccirf Thanks!  I will update when we get back his blood and urinalysis results.  It's great to know you can recommend somebody if we need it.

So sorry to hear about those of you who have lost your kitties.  I've had cats all my life and I know what a special part of the family they are.

MyNameIsNot

How old is he?  Have there been any changes in your home?  Is he sneezing or puking?  Do you have other pets?

One of my cats started behaving this way a few months ago.  It turned out he had a dental problem, but it sounds like your vet has already ruled that one out.  

PrettyGirlLost

jdluvr06 said:

Oh no. That sounds like how my boy was before he was diagnosed with kidney failure. I truly hope that isn't the case for your cat.

Oh no I hope not, OP!

I'm sorry you lost your kitty @jdluvr06

pinkcow13

I really hope it isn't anything too serious. How is he acting tonight?

JCbride2015

pinkcow13 said:

I really hope it isn't anything too serious. How is he acting tonight?

@pinkcow13 He ate a little bit of his leftover wet food when we came home from the vet, but now he is hiding under the bed. :-/

pinkcow13

Ugh. Hopefully it is something minor like a worm, or tummy bug, maybe even an allergy. Poor kitty, I'm crossing my fingers that it isn't anything serious!

JCbride2015

Thanks!! And Myname, PrettyGirl: He is 6. No major changes in the home lately; we had a house guest for one night this weekend but he normally likes people. No sneezing, no puking. We have one other cat. They grew up together and she is acting totally normal. Hoping for something else minor, hopefully a worm or something else easy to fix!

RWS2011

Sending you and Jack positive vibes!  Keep us posted about what they say at any follow up visits to the vet.  I know how much a sick pet can weigh on one's thoughts!

themuffinman16

If the cat is under a lot of stress, try getting a pheromone diffuser to plug into an outlet. My cat was around another cat and it stressed him out.  He would not be around people after he was around this cat.  I put my  a pheromone diffuser into the outlet and within a day, my cat was feeling better.  Wait for the results of this test, but the diffuser can relax him more. Hope your kitty feels better

88beautymarked

I have no advice OP but I hope everything is okay! We have 2 furbabies, cats, and have been to the vet several times with them over the years, I feel your pain.

Jells2dot0

My kitty had similar issues- not finishing food and hiding. She ended up having an obstruction from a gall stone. It eventually passed on its own, but not before they talked about surgery. I would place a tiny bit of milk in the bowl to see if it's a bowel obstruction first. The milk will soften and hopefully move things through. But, it very well could be the same thing we went through. Fingers crossed!

JCbride2015

Thanks for the ideas everyone!  I will update when we hear back from the vet.  He did not eat this morning, but he wasn't hiding either, and seemed okay with cuddles.  I'm going to try him on a mix of dry and wet food now as the vet suggested.

Emmy1493

If you don't mind me asking, is his breathing regular, or does it look like he is breathing even harder? And if he is losing weight significantly, I would really worry. 

We had a boy cat once and he was about 2 years old and one day I noticed he wasn't eating much. He didn't really hide or anything, but he lost so much weight and breathing was more rapid than usual. We took him to the vet and after some x-rays they found he had a blockage and it made his breathing space limited. It was found that the cause was lymphoma. It doesn't sound like that may be the case, and I sure hope not. Losing your fur-babies is hard to deal with for anyone.Hope your kitty cat gets better and you find the cause. I am all for getting 2nd opinion if need be.

JCbride2015

He's breathing fine and the vet checked for obstructions.

We noticed yesterday that our other cat is now growling and hissing at Jack.  I'm stumped, but I'm hoping this is just because he smells weird after being at the vet.  Can't remember her doing it before, although every once in a while she hisses for no reason anyway.

No news yet on the bloodwork.

Jells2dot0

JCBride2014 said:

He's breathing fine and the vet checked for obstructions.

We noticed yesterday that our other cat is now growling and hissing at Jack.  I'm stumped, but I'm hoping this is just because he smells weird after being at the vet.  Can't remember her doing it before, although every once in a while she hisses for no reason anyway.

No news yet on the bloodwork.

Any time I take one of my cats to the vet, the others hiss at the one that we took. My one with the obstruction was in the hospital for 5 days and when we brought her home, it was nuts! The other cats hissed at her for a few days.

CrazyCatLady3

Jells2dot0 said:

JCBride2014 said:

He's breathing fine and the vet checked for obstructions.

We noticed yesterday that our other cat is now growling and hissing at Jack.  I'm stumped, but I'm hoping this is just because he smells weird after being at the vet.  Can't remember her doing it before, although every once in a while she hisses for no reason anyway.

No news yet on the bloodwork.

Any time I take one of my cats to the vet, the others hiss at the one that we took. My one with the obstruction was in the hospital for 5 days and when we brought her home, it was nuts! The other cats hissed at her for a few days.

Yes!  This happened last time I brought one of mine home from the vet.  They hissed at her for a day.  I think they smelled the vet's office on her!

Emmy1493

JCBride2014 said:

He's breathing fine and the vet checked for obstructions.

We noticed yesterday that our other cat is now growling and hissing at Jack.  I'm stumped, but I'm hoping this is just because he smells weird after being at the vet.  Can't remember her doing it before, although every once in a while she hisses for no reason anyway.

ITB: 

Hmmm, well I do hope that your kitty gets better and his progress in eating, etc, improves!

JCbride2015

Posted an update above.  Copy/pasted here if you don't want to scroll up:

*Update*

Just got the test results back.  Vet says his bloodwork is normal: kidneys, thyroid, liver all OK.  Urinalysis showed high urine concentration and some crystals (low concentration but still there).  She said the high concentration shows he isn't drinking enough water, and suggested we try adding some tuna juice or chicken broth into water to get him to drink more.  As for the crystals, she said it's a low number but drinking more might help clear it up.

Vet recommended we give it through the weekend to see if he gets better with drinking more water, and if not then bring him in on Monday for more tests (ultrasounds probably).

lc07

We spent thousands of dollars on all of the tests you are describing as well as the ultrasound when Kitty was exhibiting similar behaviors. It turned out she had fleas. Duh. We didn't check for them (I would pet her and didn't see any, our house was not infested) but she had a ton of them on her. She acted miserable, understandably so. The vet didn't notice them either and didn't check for it, not even when she stayed overnight. Her brush broke so we got a new one and bought a flea comb, too because our neighbor was complaining about a flea problem. We combed her and there were TONS of them on her. All of her symptoms resolved after we got rid of the fleas.

JCbride2015

lc07 said:

We spent thousands of dollars on all of the tests you are describing as well as the ultrasound when Kitty was exhibiting similar behaviors. It turned out she had fleas. Duh. We didn't check for them (I would pet her and didn't see any, our house was not infested) but she had a ton of them on her. She acted miserable, understandably so. The vet didn't notice them either and didn't check for it, not even when she stayed overnight. Her brush broke so we got a new one and bought a flea comb, too because our neighbor was complaining about a flea problem. We combed her and there were TONS of them on her. All of her symptoms resolved after we got rid of the fleas.

@Ic07 Hey-- wouldn't that be great!  He's an indoor cat so I doubt that's the problem, but you never know.  How do I check besides looking?

We also have a white cat and I feel like I'd see fleas on her if she had them.  Jack is a tuxedo cat.