15 yr old cat, many vet visits, and at a lose What to do?

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Alorose
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Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2016 10:42 pm

15 yr old cat, many vet visits, and at a lose What to do?

Post by Alorose »

Hello,

I am at my wits end and I could use some advise on what to do in this situation. It all started when my 15 year old cat was starting to get lethargic, had a snotty nose( which could be her allergies) wasn't eating and drinking much. We took her to the vet and they said it was possibly a respiratory infection. She got a bit better with the antibiotics, but then after a while she stopped eating and drinking even less. We took her to the vet again and they said the same thing again. She is still not getting better with the antibiotics so we took her in again and the vet said it was her teeth. I mentioned arthritis, and the vet agreed without even looking. $900 dollars later we find that her teeth are just fine and she has stopped eating and drinking all together. Fed up, we took her to another vet and who said it was a respiratory infection. A month, $2,000, and four vet visits later, with nothing to show, and a kitty whose getting sicker.

The situation then takes a drastic turn. We notice her just stopped in front of her food dish, stock still, staring into space. We call out to her, but there is no response and this lasts for about a minute. We then see her pressing her head against the wall, she seems confused, she doesn't talk anymore, she falls down rather then jumps down off of chairs, her eyes are dilated, she doesn't remember where the litter box is, and she is unusually quiet. We imediately call the new vet and tell her what's going on. She says to just love her while you can. This cat is up and walking around with no problem, she is social, she comes when we talk to her, she plays, and she likes to cuddle. I am unable to simply let her waste away and die of starvation, so I feed her and give her water through a syringe. A few days latter I see her twitching uncontrollably for a few seconds. She comes out of it panting and terrified. I think this may be a seizure. I cant afford to pay for another vet visit and have it end up being there is nothing they can do for her. I am at a lose at what to do, or what's going on.

My other cat Muse growls at Pheni and now she isn't eating as much either! They were buddies, so Pheni goes up to her, walks toward her, and follows her, but Muse hisses and runs up to my room and hides in my closet where she growls when you come close. I put some cat calm in the room and sit next to her so she eats, but it's a regular occurrence. I am at a lose on what to do for either of them. If anyone has any advice please help!!!

Thank you
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CarolC
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Re: 15 yr old cat, many vet visits, and at a lose What to do

Post by CarolC »

The head pressing is something to report to the vet, if it was not reported previously because it occurred after the vet visit. It may help with diagnosis.

http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/neu ... ssing-cats
http://www.catster.com/lifestyle/cat-he ... -ask-a-vet

Did they check her kidney function and blood pressure?

http://www.felinecrf.org/hypertension.htm#head_pressing

Giving her sub-Q fluids would be more effective than syringing water, from what I understand you really can't get enough water into a kitty with a syringe. The vet can give you the fluids and equipment, and possibly if you call they can just prescribe them for her without another vet visit, and you go pick them up.

http://www.weirdstuffwemake.com/weird/s ... juice.html

If you find yourself in a situation where you want to get more vet care but are out of funds, there is a loan for emergency veterinary care called Care Credit. You can apply online at carecredit.com or many vet hospitals will have the application at their desk and you fill it out in the waiting room and they submit it for you, and you find out right away if you are approved. The terms are good and most of the people I know who have applied were approved.

It is so frustrating when you go for so many appointments and spend so much and still do not have the answers you are looking for. I hope you can find out what it is and get her any treatment that is available.
Alorose
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Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2016 10:42 pm

Re: 15 yr old cat, many vet visits, and at a lose What to do

Post by Alorose »

Hello,
Thank you very much for your reply. That is really good to know about the IV fluids. The first vet charged us $65 for the IV fluids during the teeth cleaning so I will see if I can find some place cheaper.

So when we found out she was pressing her head we called the vet right away and unfortunately that's when she told us that we should just love her while we can and that there is nothing we can do. I called another vet and she said we should take her to a neurologist, but for them just to see the cat costs $170 and x-rays range from $300-400, and that's not even including the treatment of there is one. Thank you for the financial aid information as well. I will look into that.

Last night there was a new symptom. We noticed that her eye was looking swollen and we realized that it was bulging out of the socket. I was able to get an optimist appointment today (thank god), but I am not sure what the outcome will be. Here's hoping she can be helped; I'll cross my fingers.

Thank you
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critters
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Re: 15 yr old cat, many vet visits, and at a lose What to do

Post by critters »

:whale: The eye thing doesn't sound good. Hoping for the best for y'all...
Alorose
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Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2016 10:42 pm

Re: 15 yr old cat, many vet visits, and at a lose What to do

Post by Alorose »

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. It is with a very heavy heart that I that now report the final outcome. Her condition has turned more towards the worst and in order to spare her from her pain we decided to let her go. sometimes the hardest choice for you is the only one you can make. There will always be "what ifs," but one thing is for certain. I thank her everyday for doing her best to live as long as she did, and for spending the time that she did have with me.

Thank you
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critters
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Re: 15 yr old cat, many vet visits, and at a lose What to do

Post by critters »

I'm sorry for your loss. :(
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