Unwell Cat - Need advice from cat owners please.

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icedbullet

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Hey all

I know this is a tech forum but I have seen some pet threads in GD before so I'm hoping some experienced pet owners will see this.

Our beloved family pet Bella is having some issues with her health. Shes around 10-11 months old, she has been spayed and vaccinated/microchipped. She was found outside our house when she was 6 weeks old where she almost died from dehydration due to diarrhoea.

She is suffering from diarrhoea and retching vomiting (a thick, rough looking paste). We have also noticed that clear liquid is leaking from her anal passage and it seems inflamed.

I have contacted the vet and have been advised to starve Bella for 24 hours, then to slowly introduce bland foods such as boiled chicken, boiled white fish, rice etc, slowly back into her diet. The vet believes this to be colitis possibly due to an overactive digestive system or triggered by something she's eaten outside.

The thing is I feel she needs a trip to the vet as its my understanding that colitis is inflammation of the bowel/intestines most likely caused by a pathogen, the vet doesn't agree at the moment and believes she is ok to stay at home for now. Bella's behavior is fine, apart from when she's using the litter tray, she is playful, bright and lively. She is a little miffed about not getting to eat though, shes been starved since 9pm last night and has only been allowed to drink water.

Has anyone else experienced something like this with their cat? I'd really appreciate any tips on how to keep her comfortable and what to expect if her condition deteriorates. Should I contact another vet for a second opinion?
 
Personally I would contact a second vet. My cat was registered with one veterinary practice and I started to realise things weren't that great. I then registered her with another, albeit more expensive, vet and the results have spoken for themselves. A few worrying things were spotted that the other vet didn't diagnose.

I was happy to pay a little more and also pay for an emergency consultation. My cat is worth a lot to me.
 
This is a medical thread so you shouldn't expect medical advice beyond "go see another vet". Don't call them. Go and see them. Let them examine the cat and I wouldn't mention what another vet has said.
 
Throw it in a bin?












edit - Disclaimer: this is only a bad taste GD joke based on the thread about the woman and the bin. I hope your cat is ok, best to go see a vet and make sure.
 
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SiriusB said:
This is a medical thread so you shouldn't expect medical advice beyond "go see another vet". Don't call them. Go and see them. Let them examine the cat and I wouldn't mention what another vet has said.
Click to expand...

+1

Not all Vets are equal , second opinion required
 
I would simply book an appointment with a second vet and take the cat there. If it turns out to be unnecessary, you're out maybe £40 - £50 and half an hour of your time. A small price to pay for piece of mind IMO.
 
Let us know how it goes and if the 2nd vet gives a different diagnosis. It would be interesting if the diagnosis/prognosis was completely different.
 
Going to the vet can be very stressful for pets so it may be that your vet wants to give her stomach a chance to recover before bringing her in. My vet is the opposite though, I called yesterday about my cat having a slightly swollen eye which appeared on Sunday and I was advised to bring him in rather than give extra time for it to recover.
Ironically my cat was worse for a while after bringing him home because stress triggers a cold-like virus for the poor thing :(.

If you're unhappy with your vets judgement then look for a second opinion. There's only so much that they can say without seeing the animal and if you want her to be looked at then really your vet should make an appointment.
 
div0 said:
Throw it in a bin?








edit - Disclaimer: this is only a bad taste GD joke based on the thread about the woman and the bin. I hope your cat is ok, best to go see a vet and make sure.
Click to expand...





curse you
















I wanted to say that ! i would have done it without the disclaimer to :p
 
Murray had something very similer a few weeks back, sick all the time with diarrhoea, he really wasn't well at all, lively etc etc but couldn't keep anything down.

You need to make sure they have water available in a few locations and when you do rice and boiled chicken don't use much rice at all, think tea spoon quantity as they won't eat much of it.

You are right to goto the vets though mate just to be sure but chances are if she is bright and playful it's just a bug that needs to pass through.

Really if she had eaten rat poison you would know because after 24 hours I would expect her to be dead not lively and playful.
 
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OP - worst case scenario it could be palvo-cat virus... in which case it's in the lap of the gods from my experience. It's not untreatable, but the young and the old are particularly susceptible. Though as you say your cat is lively and fine until she has to use the litter tray, we can probably rule out the virus as it tends to make the animals very listless.

However, leaving aside the doom and gloom for a bit, one of my cats (ok ex's cat that she took away) was an incorrigible dustbin; he would eat anything and everything which would result in the most god awful runs - stinky brown water all down the back of his legs, on the carpet, the sofa, the window ledge and on anyone's lap he happened to sit on before he could be stopped. And gas like your granny had been eating sprouts for a month...

The vets advice about bland food is a good one. Also if it continues, you will be able to get some tablets from the vet which will help with the problem (the name and exact nature of which escapes me). There are also 'sensitive diet' foods available from your vets and places like 'pets at home' etc. Be warned, it's bloody expensive stuff ~ 20-30 quid per bag. You can explore the possibilities of these after consulting with your vet :cool:
 
Thanks for all the posts guys, I appreciate the input.

I took Bella to the Vet's earlier and after all the prodding, poking, and putting thermometers where thermometers were not supposed to go :eek: she was declared fit and healthy.

She was however prescribed Koagel to help settle her stomach and an antiworming tablet to give once she has fully recovered.

Now I just have to wait for Bella to forgive me for the thermometer incident...she is very wary of me at the moment. I don't blame her LOL.
 
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