Swollen tummy

[DebsW]

Jemima is now on 1.5 units of Caninsulin twice a day but her BG numbers are still between around 17 - 21 so we're back to the vet today but more worrying is the fact she has a swollen tummy which seems to be getting bigger though she is not putting weight on elsewhere, she is still skin and bone. We think some of her skinniness is because of muscle wastage, especially round her rear end where there is nothing to feel but bone and she is a little wobbly on her hind legs every now and then like if she turns too fast but. She is still asking for food a lot though not quite as manically or persistently but the past couple of days hasn't managed to eat it all some of the time which is not like her. We have also noticed she is breathing heavier and laying stretch out and in places she doesn't normally and not complaining at the dogs so much if they get too close, her tummy feels very firm and you can feel lumps, though we have no idea if this is just normal and she just doesn't seem quite right in herself though nothing really obvious apart from what I've described. She is still having bowel movements so we don't think she has anything blocked and having had 3 out of 4 animals who have passed away in the past 2.5 years do so because of tumours it's the first thing on our minds. Could the swollen tummy be connected to her diabetes in any way?
Edit to add, I did a test for ketones on Mon and it was negative and she is still peeing for England, when I did the test I measured the urine which was from just one elimination and it was about 110 mls, though I have no idea what a cat is supposed to pee! Her stools are large and dark in colour and very firm.
Having just done some reading I think we shall have to get the vet to check for Cushing's which I'm a little nervous about as he missed it in our dog who also had a tumour he missed, hence why I never want to use him but we are doing so with Jemima as he's supposed to be the practice expert on feline diabetes (though I would say I probably know more than him from this forum and that's a tiny amount so shows how much he actually knows!)

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Hi Deb,

There's quite a few things that can cause swollen abdomen. It might be something simple.
Is Jemima an outdoor cat, and if so, is she up to date with her worming? (I'm wondering about tapeworm particularly. Any rice-like particles in her poo?)
Infections and inflammations can cause bloating.
Does Jemima have history of pancreatitis?
Does Jemima have a 'pot-bellied' appearance? (Wondering about 'Cushings' disease, although it's not common.)
I do so understand your fears about cancer. (I've lost more kitties to that than anything else, including one to instestinal lymphoma in December.)

Keeping fingers and paws crossed for Jemima's vet visit, and praying that it's something simple and easily treated.
Please let us know what the vet says, Deb.

Sending you a huge (((hug))).

Eliz

 

[BaileyUK]

Hello Deb,
My Bailey has similar symptoms,he has a lot of muscle wastage in his back legs,which emphasises the swollen belly,which is slightly larger on his right side.Bailey has pancreatitis,ask your vet to run a test for this,is he more swollen on the right,this is where the pancreas lies?
Best of luck today.

Diane

 

[DebsW]

Hi Deb,

There's quite a few things that can cause swollen abdomen. It might be something simple.
Is Jemima an outdoor cat, and if so, is she up to date with her worming? (I'm wondering about tapeworm particularly. Any rice-like particles in her poo?)
Infections and inflammations can cause bloating.
Does Jemima have history of pancreatitis?
Does Jemima have a 'pot-bellied' appearance? (Wondering about 'Cushings' disease, although it's not common.)
I do so understand your fears about cancer. (I've lost more kitties to that than anything else, including one to instestinal lymphoma in December.)

Keeping fingers and paws crossed for Jemima's vet visit, and praying that it's something simple and easily treated.
Please let us know what the vet says, Deb.

Sending you a huge (((hug))).

Eliz

Hi Eliz,

Thank you. No Jemima isn't an outdoor cat and never has been but has free access to the garden via the dog flap and goes out for a quick sniff now and then, recently she has seemed to 'disappear' for a little while (as in 15-20 minutes or so not hours) and will then appear out of the bushes, which again is unusual for her. Her stools don't have anything in as I've been looking, more so for blood but I think I would have noticed signs of 'rice' but will definitely check the next one more thoroughly. She is probably due worming though.

She does indeed look pot bellied but we initially thought it was just that her tummy looked bigger because of the lack of fat/muscle elsewhere but now we are sure it is something else.

Hello Deb,
My Bailey has similar symptoms,he has a lot of muscle wastage in his back legs,which emphasises the swollen belly,which is slightly larger on his right side.Bailey has pancreatitis,ask your vet to run a test for this,is he more swollen on the right,this is where the pancreas lies?
Best of luck today.

Diane

Hi Diane,

We assumed, like with your Bailey, because of the muscle wastage round the back legs Jemima's tummy just seemed larger than it was. I do think it is slightly bigger on the right side but again, you wonder if you're seeing things that aren't really there. Her breathing has become heavier and she is wanting to be close to us, she jumped up on to the dining table earlier and laid out in front of me which again is something she has never done. She is snuggled up next to me now and her tummy (?) is making noises, almost like you can hear her heart beating, a steady pulse in time with her breathing. She has also taken to laying out flat and in places she doesn't normally. I have just read that cats with pancreatitis 'don't achieve expected results with insulin' and Jemima's numbers don't seem to be going down even though her insulin dose has been increased.

I think one of the biggest issues I have is I don't completely trust the vet but as he's been seeing Jemima for a while with the diabetes I want a continuation in her care but this is why I want to go to the him with as much info as I can on thing I want him to test for, though if I do get major concerns then I will swap vets without hesitation.

Thank you both for your input, I shall let you know how we get on this afternoon.

Debbie

 

[DebsW]

Oops. For some reason it posted my post twice and now I can't find out how to completely delete this one!

 

[BaileyUK]

Hi Deb,
I don't know if this is a coincidence,but since he was diagnosed with FD Bailey has never been back to sleep in the places that he had always slept in,how strange is that!
I also was not happy with the experience,and progress we were making with my vet,I think we are very much on our own with FD,I don't think they know much about this awful illness,thank goodness for the experienced members on this forum,without them we would be in a nightmare situation.
If it is pancreatitis I found that aloe vera helps Bailey,let me know if it is and you want any info on the AV let me know.
Hope all went well today, Diane

 

[BJM]

An X-ray can determine if it is swollen due to fluid build up which can happen from infectious, cardiac, or malignant problems.

 

[DebsW]

Well the vet kept Jemima in for a scan and sadly has found she does have 3 tumours plus something going on in her gall bladder.He has said to keep injecting her with 1 unit of insulin twice a day but she will never stabalise and get her numbers down below about 20 now and we also don't have to worry too much about what we feed her as it's not going to make a difference. He has given her an injection of B12 and we have some Metacam to give her for any pain so it is just a case of watching her and seeing how she does. He has no idea how quickly the tumours will develop or what problems they'll cause so no idea how long Jemima will be with us. She has lost yet more weight and if she continues to do that, especially if it's rapid, then that can cause more complications. The vet does wonder if Jemima stopped responding to having her diabetes controlled by diet because of other things going on so she may have had these for a while.
So we are going to feed her what and when she wants, let her do what she wants and give her as much love and attention as she will take. She has been with us for nearly 13 yrs, just a few weeks shy of how long we have been married, and has changed so much from the skittish 2.5 yr old we adopted into the most loving and affection cat with so many loving and adorable ways. We hope things don't progress too quickly and she will enjoy another Summer with us but we will not let her suffer in any way or keep her too long just because we don't want to let her go.
Thank you for your thoughts, info and good wishes, I had hoped to come back with good news but that wasn't to be. I shall pop back from time to time with up-dates on Jemima but as far as the diabetes goes I no longer need to be here as it has now become secondary and as such not really an issue any more, though obviously we will keep her as stable as we can. I hope all your feline friends continue to do well and wish you all the best for the future.
Best wishes, Debbie x

 

[Larry and Kitties]

I am saddened by the update. Tumors can grow fast.
Did they x-ray or use ultrasound?

 

[BaileyUK]

Dear Debbie,
I am so very sorry to hear your sad news,we are all on this forum because we love our kitties so much,my heart goes out to you.
Be strong
Diane xx

 

[DebsW]

I am saddened by the update. Tumors can grow fast.
Did they x-ray or use ultrasound?

They did a scan, the vet said he didn't want to knock Jemima out for an x-ray and it wouldn't really give any more info than what we have.

Dear Debbie,
I am so very sorry to hear your sad news,we are all on this forum because we love our kitties so much,my heart goes out to you.
Be strong
Diane xx

Thank you, we will take each day as it comes and let Jemima dictate what she wants and when and as we all know that is pretty much as it is with being owned by a cat anyway. x

 

[Wendy&Tiggy(GA)]

Sorry to hear your news but she could still be with you quite a while as you don't know how it will progress. I would try and get some weight on her, whether a high calories wet or even some dry and adjust her insulin to control her BG. But add it gradually to prevent tummy upset.

Wendy

 

[DebsW]

Sorry to hear your news but she could still be with you quite a while as you don't know how it will progress. I would try and get some weight on her, whether a high calories wet or even some dry and adjust her insulin to control her BG. But add it gradually to prevent tummy upset.

Wendy

Thank you Wendy. Sadly our other cat developed a tumour last year but she was with us for a few months thanks to being on steroids, that isn't an option for Jemima because of the diabetes so we will just keep our fingers crossed it progresses slowly. We are going to try to get some weight on her and know she loves the Hilife Tempt Me range which is higher calorie than the Macs she is on - which we have just received a big order of! - and I have heard kitten food is also good.

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Oh, (((Deb)))

I am gutted to hear this news.
And I so hope you can share another summer with Jemima.

I had two kitties with cancer last year, and did an awful lot of experimenting with foods to try to tempt them to eat and to keep weight on them. There were some things that seemed particularly useful:
Fortiflora was something of a godsend. It would tempt the cats to eat, and also contains enzymes [edited to correct that it's not enzymes, it's probiotics] that aid digestion/absorption of food.
I added a little extra fat to the food (bought a chunk of suet from the butchers, grated and froze it, and added a little to the cats' food. Chopped chicken skin would probably do a similar job).
Toplife kitten milk (a mix of goat's milk and cream plus taurine) was often well received, especially if warmed slightly.
Liquivite (liquid cat food) was brilliant. It seems to be very palatable, and contains lots of vitamins and minerals.

Other things I found helpful:
The cats slept a lot, so I woke them up to offer them snacks.
Raising the food dish helped enormously in encouraging them to eat.
Offering a little food on my finger first would sometimes encourage them to then eat more from the dish.
Shallower litter trays seemed to be easier for them to access.
One cat was unable to wash himself, so I got petwipes and did that for him. He wasn't at all sure of that at first, but actually got to like it! (And it gave us the chance to have some special close time together.)

There are probably other things I've forgotten at the moment.

Oh, I still have some Liquivite, and could send you a couple of cans to try if you'd like to. Just let me know.

Huge hug to you, Deb,

Eliz

 

[BJM]

Actually, Forti Flora contains probiotics, not enzymes, in animal digest. It still aids digestion, and the animal digest has the 'yummy' factor that encourages them to eat.

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Actually, Forti Flora contains probiotics, not enzymes, in animal digest. It still aids digestion, and the animal digest has the 'yummy' factor that encourages them to eat.

Yup, quite right, BJ. Have corrected my post.
(I got muddled up with Panzyme (pancreatic enzymes) which I also gave in very small amounts.)

 

[DebsW]

Oh, (((Deb)))

I am gutted to hear this news.
And I so hope you can share another summer with Jemima.

I had two kitties with cancer last year, and did an awful lot of experimenting with foods to try to tempt them to eat and to keep weight on them. There were some things that seemed particularly useful:
Fortiflora was something of a godsend. It would tempt the cats to eat, and also contains enzymes [edited to correct that it's not enzymes, it's probiotics] that aid digestion/absorption of food.
I added a little extra fat to the food (bought a chunk of suet from the butchers, grated and froze it, and added a little to the cats' food. Chopped chicken skin would probably do a similar job).
Toplife kitten milk (a mix of goat's milk and cream plus taurine) was often well received, especially if warmed slightly.
Liquivite (liquid cat food) was brilliant. It seems to be very palatable, and contains lots of vitamins and minerals.

Other things I found helpful:
The cats slept a lot, so I woke them up to offer them snacks.
Raising the food dish helped enormously in encouraging them to eat.
Offering a little food on my finger first would sometimes encourage them to then eat more from the dish.
Shallower litter trays seemed to be easier for them to access.
One cat was unable to wash himself, so I got petwipes and did that for him. He wasn't at all sure of that at first, but actually got to like it! (And it gave us the chance to have some special close time together.)

There are probably other things I've forgotten at the moment.

Oh, I still have some Liquivite, and could send you a couple of cans to try if you'd like to. Just let me know.

Huge hug to you, Deb,

Eliz

Thank you Eliz, we knew something hasn't been right for a few days and I just had a feeling it wasn't to do with the diabetes, we hoped it wasn't cancer but weren't really surprised to find out it was. The biggest shock is how quickly Jemima has gone downhill, even today compared to Mon has seen a big change, I have an awful feeling that we won't get to share that last Summer together.

Thank you so much for the info, Jemima seems to be losing her appetite so it will come in handy, though she will follow me in to the kitchen as usual as though she is hungry and seems interested when I put the bowl down she just isn't eating much. She did enjoy some tuna at lunchtime though.

I brushed her this morning and she seemed to enjoy it but just laid flat out on the floor, again not something she normally does.

She seems to be finding it difficult to get comfy which is the hardest thing as there is nothing we can do for her, she had Metacam this morning for the first time but I think it's worn off this evening, her breathing is shallow and fairly rapid which I'm guessing means she's in some pain, or at the very least discomfort and that's hard to watch. The other problem is she just flops down somewhere and with 4 dogs she does sometimes gets knocked into.

Thank you for the offer of the Liquivite, we'll see how she does for the next couple of days and thank you for the hugs, even if they are virtual they are much needed. Will let you know how Jemima does over the next few days. Debbie x

 

[Wendy&Tiggy(GA)]

How she doing now? Hope all is ok...?

Wendy