Can't sleep...sick kitty

[MaggieTheCat]

One of our girls, Yume, was diagnosed with kidney disease about 3 years ago. We have been able to manage it pretty well and she has been doing well up until a few months ago. She stopped eating and was throwing up bile and saliva. We had her hospitalized for a day so our vet could give her fluids, antibiotics, and vitamins. She came home and has bounced back okay, she is not eating as much as she used to but she does still eat about half a can of food twice a day (sometimes up to a full can twice a day) and was generally doing pretty good.

Then we brought her in for another round of fluids and vitamins (per our vet's recommendation -- she should get that treatment once a month now) and her vaccines and she has taken another pretty bad turn. She has not eaten anything since Wednesday morning and is very lethargic, and tonight she wandered around and cried several times. It was a very high-pitch, "painful"-sounding meowing, unlike any other noise she's made..

To make matters worse, my husband and I are supposed to leave tomorrow afternoon to go to Dallas for the weekend to vend at a convention. We have friends lined up to check on the cats 1-2 times a day while we're gone, but we are not comfortable leaving Yume alone for 3 days in this condition even with someone checking on her. So we may end up not going...which would mean I would be out around $200 for my booth space. I have told my husband that I am okay with that since I am worried about Yume, but I know he still feels bad, and we would miss out on making some cash, seeing some friends, and meeting some stars who are going to be guests at the convention.

It's just been a really sucky day, and now I can't sleep. I have a headache and I feel exhausted, but I laid in bed for half an hour tossing and turning and couldn't drift off so...here I am.

[Mytical]

Having a loved one sick and hurting can be bad, can certainly understand how you feel. *hugs* Wish I had words of wisdom or comfort for you.

[MaggieTheCat]

Thanks Mytical. *hugs* I wasn't really looking for advice, just sympathy, so the kind words are greatly appreciated.

[lupo pazzesco]

I wish there was something we could do for you. I really do. You've been so helpful for us with our new kittens.

It's so frustrating to see love ones in pain and/or sick and feel so helpless.

I'd volunteer to watch her for the weekend, but I doubt that's very comforting.

Lots of hugs and well wishes for Yume and you.

[MaggieTheCat]

Thanks Lupo. We have decided to stay home...the alternatives would be 1) leave her home and have some friends check on her periodically, but she'd still be home alone most of the time, 2) drop her off at someone's house where she would be scared and in unfamiliar territory or 3) have our vets watch her where she would still be scared and in unfamiliar territory. Either way she would be upset (even if she was home, she'd be upset once she realized we weren't coming home tonight) and she still isn't eating hardly at all. She ate about 3 bites of some food this morning and then threw it back up. We took her to our vet and they gave her some more shots, this time an anti-nausea medicine, some kind of steroid to help bring down her kidney values, and a B vitamin that should help stimulate her appetite.

We are going to watch her this weekend and hope her appetite comes back...right now that is of the most concern. If she doesn't start eating in the next couple of days, there is really nothing more our vet can do and she will just starve. We will probably have to make a decision early next week if she doesn't start eating. But hopefully the stuff the vet gave her today will help. She did drink some water when she got home, so that's a good sign at least.

Lupo, how are the kittens doing? They must be almost adoption-age already (holy crap, where did that time go!?)

[Andara Bledin]

Be very watchful of cats that don't eat. It takes a very short time for cats to become very, very unhealthy due to lack of food alone as their liver processes fat which leads to continued lethargy and not eating. Even just a couple of days can be dangerous.

Good luck with the kitty. I hope she bounces back.

^-.-^

[auntiem]

Does the vet think Catmilk would help? I had never seen it before, but it was at the grocery discount place and my cat looooved it - and she had started to not eat much either. If I remember right - it is milk that is de-lactosed (if that is even a word) so cats can process it. Kinda like kitty Ensure. If she is drinking water, then she may be able to drink that and keep it down.

I hope everything turns around for your cat!

[retailworker7]

I hope your cat starts eating soon. Can you try another type of wet food?

[MoonCat]

Try plain meat baby food--chicken is best, but you can use beef or turkey. It should be just the meat, no veggies or other additives, if you can find it. Sometimes a sick kitty will eat that when they won't eat anything else, and the plain chicken especially is very easy on their digestive systems. It doesn't have a lot of the extra nutritional stuff (such as taurine) that they put into cat food, but for a couple of days it should be OK since she's under a vet's care. Also, if she won't eat it from the bowl, try offering a blob of it on your finger. It's worked for me several times.

Good luck!

[Sonoma]

Hoping she recovers from this. Sick kitties are not fun. Fortunately, I've avoided kidney problems, but have had 2 kitties with heart problems. When my Siamese was so sick he stopped eating, I was able to get him through it by feeding him gravy on a spoon, but the baby food is a great idea. I'll have to remember that if I ever wind up with a sick kiddo again.

[blas]

I'm so sorry your kitty is sick, Mag

[MaggieTheCat]

Thanks for the well-wishes and the suggestions, everyone. We will definitely try the kitty milk and baby food ideas, although she is slowly starting to eat again. She had maybe 1/4 can (one of the small cans) food last night and another 1/4 or 1/3 this morning, and she is eating more right now so it seems her appetite is slowly starting to come back. Yay!

[auntiem]

I'm so glad she is starting to eat more - that is a good sign. I just realized that you mentioned in the OP that she had a round of vaccinations - did your vet think that might be part of the cause? Just sayin' because even my healthy sumo-wrestler of a cat was a little off his meals for three days after getting a full round of vacs.
Also, if you have a Grocery Outlet where you live - they have the catmilk for cheap (or at least ours still does).

[MaggieTheCat]

Yes, she does get bad reactions to vaccines. The dumb thing is, is that I knew that when I made the appointment. In the past, we have taken her to the vet in the morning and let them keep her for the day so they can give her antihistamines, steroids, and then the vaccines, all spread out so her system can absorb them. When we do it this way, she is normally good.

I shouldn't have scheduled her vaccines to be so soon before we were supposed to go out of town, but both her and one of our other cats were due for them and she was due for SQ fluids and vitamins and I was trying to fit it all in before we get busy (we are supposed to go out of town again in 2 weeks.) And I didn't even think she might have a bad reaction since I requested the antihistamines/steroids along with the vaccines.