My boyfriends cat is about 16. She's was sick really bad with diarrhea for a couple of months and then we brought her to the Vet where they put her on a special diet. She was doing so much better. She loved the food and would be so excited when you feed her. Then my boyfriends Dad got sick and passed away, and ever since then she's been sick again, but this time, she just doesn't want to eat as much. She nibbles at the food, and now she is really weak. I'm really scared she's not going to recover this time and I can't see my boyfriend go through another major loss. I was hoping someone could tell me what to do.
I have to add another note. I have a Chihuahua and we rescued a kitten together. When I first moved in with my Chihuahua, his cat was not happy but soon adapted and no longer had a problem with her. But when we rescued the kitten at 3 weeks that's just about when she started to get sick. We've had the kitten for 7 months now, so we can't get rid of him now. What should I do?
2007-01-18 02:52:11 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
He brought her to the vet this morning with tears in his eyes. It hurts to see him so sad. Please help!!!
2007-01-18 03:05:20 · update #1
Hi there...so sorry to hear about the kitty's failing health. It sounds like you are describing the symptoms of either depression/anxiety or Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) which CRF is very commonly seen in senior cats and are life-threatening if not treated in the early stages. Cats who stop eating altogether will develop a serious life-threatening condition called feline hepatic lipidosis where the liver shuts down http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?articleid=217
Symptoms of CRF:
- lack of appetite
- dramatic weight loss
- excessive thirst
- frequent and excessive urination
- sometimes vomiting
...
Please consider visiting the following website to learn more about CRF: http://felinecrf.com/what0.htm
More about feline depression: http://home.ivillage.com/pets/cats/0,,hrb0,00.html
2007-01-18 11:52:53 · answer #1 · answered by ♪ Seattle ♫ 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The 16 year old cat is suffering depression/anxiety from the loss of your boyfriend father, most likely.
Cats will stop eating for many reasons. They HATE change for one, & they do suffer from depression aswell.
You should ALWAYS be aware of this situation when you bring home new animals. If you notice the cat stops eating when you bring home a new animal, you should get rid of the animal in a humane way (ask a friend to take it, post flyers "nice kitten free to good home", goto a humane society and ask them to take her and adopt her out).
I work with a lot of cats at work who get sick and stop eating, or new cats that come into the buildings & are so terrified they won't eat. I know how to force feed, and give Sub W fluids, so thats what I do. Although, I would suggest force feeding the cat unless your vet tells you, you can & shows you how.
Take the cat to the vet ASAP, explain what the situation is & let him tell you what to do.
I wouldn't get rid of the 7 month old kitten now, but let the vet know & ask for advice.
2007-01-18 03:06:49 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
has the kitten been checked by vet,it may have gave the cat something.take the older cat to the vet,and you might also try putting the kitten in a separate room for a while to see if he starts eating if he starts to get better the kitten was stressing him.hes old and just wants to sleep kitty may be wanting to play to much? good luck hope he gets better and sorry for the loss of your boy friends dad, IT IS very hard to loose a parent ,lost my mom 5 Mt's ago and it would be hard for me to deal with any thing else bad too...............WHAT DID THE VET SAY WAS WRONG WITH HIM?
2007-01-18 03:05:10 · answer #3 · answered by deedee 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
16 years huh? For a cat that's old. Kudos to your boyfriend for taking such great care of his pet that it would live to be 16 years old, almost unheard of.
However it might be time to let the kitty go to kitty heaven. Let her ease on out, don't put her down.
At 16 there's not much else you can do, especially if it's quality of life is being compromised.
I know this is not easy, but again he must be a great guy with a huge heart for animals.
2007-01-18 02:58:46 · answer #4 · answered by Aunt Henny Penny 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Did you take the kitten to the vet when you got him? Maybe he brought something, worms or something like that, that he gave to your older cat. In any case, I think you shouldn't wait any longer to take her to a vet.
2007-01-18 03:00:49 · answer #5 · answered by Give life. Be an organ donor! 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good Health is great, but yes, your kitty can get senile. Just be thankful that your cat is in good health. Poor health AND senility would be a big problem for both you and your cat.
2016-05-24 03:21:35 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
get some blood work done on the cat to see if anything is wrong
2007-01-18 04:30:35 · answer #7 · answered by kat_luvr2003 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋