Tinket won't eat & isn't herself :-(

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Traci and Boomer

Traci and Boomer

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For the past month or so Trinket has started acting weird about food. Up until now she was a good eater. She When I put food down (of any kind) she'd take 2-3 bites and start to try to bury it. At first she'd go away and come back...over time she'd come back less. There were no other issues. I knew that she was eating something because she pooped. Her stool is formed but a little loose and very smelly. I feed them FF. In the past before she started this I tried raw and Friskies. They didn't like the raw.

Up until now she'd eventually eat after some time went by. This morning when I opened my door she wasn't there waiting. VERY weird. When I opened food cans she wasn't interested. VERY weird. Now she won't eat. I made a vet appointment and she's going tomorrow at 11. I've only had her since October. She's been very active and healthy except for an accident on Halloween. For those that don't know - I put a dracula costume on Merlin to take his picture and he went in the other room with her. She was a little kitten but got scared and attacked him. In their fight she broke her leg and had to have surgery and a plate put in. It was HORRIBLE. She has recovered from that and my cats are friends again. That incident cost me $4000. I have since gotten pet insurance. Now she won't eat. I am so disheartened. These things seem to keep happening. She's not even a year old.

Today I went out and got a boatload of things to temp her to eat: 3 kinds of meat babyfood, deli turkey (her favorate - she ate a few bites, tuna in water (nothing), tuna flakes for the food (sniffed it but didn't eat), a few new kinds of cat food and Kitten Chow (which she usually likes, though I know it's not a quality food-she didn't touch it). The only thing I was able to get in her was baby food through a syringe. I will do it again once I finish this post. Merlin of course is eating everything and gaining weight.

Trink will be seeing a "fill-in" vet tomorrow because her vet is on vacation. What types of tests do you think she needs for this? I'm totally clueless. Blood? Stool sample? Mouth check for a sore tooth? She's not even one! She's been running around playing fine until today. Today she's obviously not herself.

When one of my cats is sick my life stops. I can't really do anything. Right now she and Merlin are sleeping together in a cat bed with 3 bowls of food in front of them and another in the kitchen. I suck at this stuff!

Thoughts suggestions and well wishes are appreciated.

ETA- Trinket was given Metacam when she was recovering from her surgery. Once I realized this was a contoversial med I stopped it.
 
I don't have any answers. Have you tried taking her tempurature? Is she dehydrated?
I'm just sending feel better real soon and eating vines to Trinket.
 
Do you have any houseplants around? I 'had' a Pathos vining plant which I just got rid of because I found my new kitty Emily was gnawing on it. I looked it up and that plant is very irritating to a cat's mouth. V
 
Dyana said:
I don't have any answers. Have you tried taking her tempurature? Is she dehydrated?
I'm just sending feel better real soon and eating vines to Trinket.
Click to expand...

I could take her temp. Can you remind me what a normal temp is for a cat?

I've managed to get 4 syringes of food into her. She takes i very well. 3 of baby food, one of blended cat food.

How can you tell if she's dehydrated? I never see either cat drink water. But that's how it's always been with all my cats. I rarely see them drink.
 
Vesla and Blondie (GA) said:
Do you have any houseplants around? I 'had' a Pathos vining plant which I just got rid of because I found my new kitty Emily was gnawing on it. I looked it up and that plant is very irritating to a cat's mouth. V
Click to expand...

Hi! I have 2 house plants. Both are safe for cats. One is a Christmas Cactus and the other a Lucky Bamboo. A few weeks ago I had to call MSCPA poison number (because she was eating both) and pay $65 to learn that even though every site on the internet says lucky bamboo is deadly for cats, it actually ISN'T at all. Perfectly safe.
 
Is it possible she is constipated?

I remember seeing pictures of her with stitches. I know its been a couple months, but is it possible there is infection under the healed skin?

Those are the only ideas I have.

Feel better soon Trinket!
Jenn & Baxter
 
Traci

Is she throwing up? Could she have picked something up at the vets when she was kenneled? I remember you saying she had gotten fleas. What can they get from fleas? Roundworms? Please look that up on the internet. Take a poo sample with you if possible just to be safe. Also maybe have them check her kidney values from the Metacam? Just random thoughts. Please let us know what is going on after the vet visit.

Terri
 
Hey Guys-

Just to let you know Dave and I have been brainstorming ideas just like this to bring to the vet. He brought up the flea thing. I'll mention she had them. She hasn't pooped yet today to get a sample, only pee. She did have stitches but they are out and healed. Since this will be a fill-in vet, I'll go over her issues before she came to me (hernia, ringworm and URI) and issues since I've had her-broken leg and plant eating. We also had her heart and lungs checked because she used to pant but she's normal.

This is why I was afraid to adopt another cat. For some reason I get cats with issues. I called Trupanion and I have a $250 deductable (I chose that when I signed up) and they will pay 90% after the deductable is met. This is per issue. So if I bring her back 10 times for this issue it's covered without a deductable. If I want a $0 deductable I'd have to pay a little more a month.

I have spent tens of thousands on my cats over the last few years. I can't keep this up! So now whenever a cat has an issue I fear it's going to be terrible like my last two were. She's not even one yet so I'm hoping this is no big deal and that the vet can figure out what she's got quickly.
 
Traci

I know what you mean about the vet bills. My two GA`s diabetic Lilly and civvie Andy had chronic health problems the last few years and thousands of dollars of vet bills.
It sounds like you and Dave have all the bases covered with what to go over with the vet. Will be watching for updates on Trinket.

Terri
 
Hi Guys-

The update is that I've managed to get 11 syringes of food into her today. Not bad. Each syringe is 10cc's. She takes the food better if she's laying down relaxing. She seems to have perked up a little, no doubt because she'eaten. She is now a little interested in toys but she's not running around and tearing up her cat tree like usual.

Larry-thanks for the temp info. I'm afraid to try to take her temp here by myself...Trink's a squirmy kitten. Dave is dog-sitting, so we're apart tonight. I'll wait for the vet.

I've looked into this on the web today trying to find some answers... she's interested in eating but something is preventing her from being able to eat. Every day until today she's run to the food and has been excited to eat but then it takes her hours to eat. She buries her food and leaves and then comes back. Today less excitement-that's a first. Today it's only a sniff, then burying. Apparently wanting to eat but not being able to is different than just not having an appetite.

I'm so relieved that I'm able to assist feed reasonably well. That can be brutal and very messy. Thank goodness I am going to the vet tomorrow at 11.
 
I am glad you are able to get some food in her & she is keeping it down.
Thanks for the update. I will be waiting for tomorrows.
Good luck for a positive vet visit.
 
I hope poor little Tinket feels back to normal soon. To check for dehydration you can do the skin snap test, where you lift up the scruff and see if it snaps back quickly(good sign) or you can feel her gums and see if they feel dry and sticky(not so good). So she is breathing good? Not congested? Nothing lodged in her little nose that you can tell? Maybe she ate a bug and it doesn't agree?
And I think fleas can cause tapeworms, but they usually eat more with that(I believe).
Keep us posted, please.
 
Thanks so much for caring!!! It means a lot. Some people in my life don't understand how I feel about my cats so I don't bring it up to them. It's good to have a place to talk about my concerns with people who get it.

She's breathing fine. No congestion. Doesn't seem like anything's in her nose. The dehydration fur tent test seems okay. I tried to look in her mouth but she doesn't like it and I don't want to piss her off and use up my chances to keep syringe feeding her.

I'm on "poop watch" to see what happens when she finally goes and to get a sample.

I didn't do anything but obsess about her today. I haven't even taken a freakin' shower yet! But I have been overeating. :o
 
Traci its okay! You need to keep your energy levels up. Eat cookies for me.
How could you possibly take a shower? Liter box watch duty is a full time job. Sure enough when you get in the shower she will jump in the box.

I have learned real quick who I can talk about Baxter to & who I can't. I don't have kids so Baxter is my baby. Of coarse I want to talk about Baxter. One of my friends thinks I am board line crazy. Guess what I don't give a rats @$$. I don't want to hear about her children & how one did something so cute & how that one did at school...barf! Talk to me about cats then I will listen....lol.
One thing I love about this place everyone here loves their cat just as much as you love your own. I love reading & hearing about other people cats.
 
I hope Trinket feels better today and the vet can pinpoint the issue. Sending purrs and prayers that she starts eating on her own. (((Trinket)))
 
Traci

If you read this before you go to the vet today maybe have them take a good look inside her mouth to make teeth are alright and there are no mouth tumors. I know she is barely a year old but if it was me I would be taking a list, I know the vet used to think I was crazy but who cares. Best to cover everything than get home and have forgotten something.

Terri
 
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