sick cat in need of advise

[debilorrah]

Is this cat an indoor cat? I understand the reasons for not seeking vetrinary help, and sometimes others advise can help. But vomiting blood is not a good thing. Check your cat box for poops with worms, bloody poops and bloody urine. Please know that if the animal looks to be in pain or uncomfortable, the only humane thing to do is put it to sleep. That is fairly inexpensive.

 

[sixxchixx]

well its day two and Gizmo looks better than yesterday. Hes walking around a little more and sitting on the computer desk as I type. I gave him water and pedialyte every 2 hours all night long. he has not thrown up again. I think he even ate a little dry food on his own today. the blood in the vomit was found early yesterday morning so its been at least 36 hours since an incident. there is no strange looking poop and no vomit whatsoever since yesterday.

thank you debiraymond for the response, yes he is strictly indoors and I dont think he looks like he is in pain. he is just very lethargic and not eating/drinking. I dont think that an animal that simply "looks uncomfortable" is an excuse to immediatly put him to sleep. If he gets worse and/or starts vomiting then i will take him to a vet (My mother would loan me the $$) until then I will keep him comfortable and hydrated.

everyone out there who keeps telling me that its inexpensive to euthanize him, please stop. that will be a last resort. I will not consider it until i know for sure that he wont get better. I am doing my best as a mommy to make him better. I will take him in if he takes a turn for the worst.

thank you though for your advise and well wishes for my baby.

 

[debilorrah]

Do you have any plants in the house that he may have eaten that upset his tummy? I do know that putting him to sleep is a last resort. I have lost two of cats in the last year and it broke my heart to take them in.

 

[sixxchixx]

no plants. no poisons either. he does have a bad habit of jumping on the counter and eating anything he can find (human food-wise) I cant remember there being anything i left out but i have caught him licking bacon grease out of a pan i was letting cool before... i wouldnt put it past him that he got into somthing that upset his tummy.

recently (today) ive seen him on a few occasions just staring into his food dish , like hes going to eat, and then nothing.

 

[redhen]

If you have a sick animal thats vomiting up blood and not eating and you cant afford a vet..(trust me..i KNOW how that is..)
Then IF you really care about that pet.. you will at least bring them in to be put to sleep so they dont suffer.
Also.. its VERY hard to tell if a cats in pain... they'll be almost dead before you can tell sometimes..its their instinct to hide it...
Soo..if you see that this cat is sick..it most likely NEEDS a vet..

Also.."upset tummy" isnt vomiting up blood... my cats puke all the time...
but never blood..

 

[ultasol]

I wasn't saying to go euthanize your cat, I was saying to go have the basics done- basic exam and basic bloodwork, and an inexpensive clinic and make your decision to try to get the $$$ to treat or to euthanize based on that.


Don't come on here and say we were telling you to kill your cat because we hate poor people or think only rich people should have pets, as NOBODY who replied insinuated that in the least. I think all who responded with the vet exam and possible euth depending on what the vet thought if you couldn't afford treatment or if prognosis wasn't good was thinking of the good of the animal. Don't try to twist it. Sheesh.

 

[sixxchixx]

i just saw him eating and drinking out of his water dish on his own!!!!

and PS

ultrasol, thank you for all of your concern and ideas. Im just a little flustered about the thought of losing him. I didnt think anyone was saying anything about Rich and Poor, In fact we've had two cats in the past that we spent over $2,000 each on at the vet only to have both cats die anyway. (one was a UTI and the other a parasite, surgery for both) So forgive me if i look to other options before throwing my money away at a pet doctor that cant understand what my cats trying to say either. I am trying out my options here at home first and when ive exhausted MY resources at home I will go see a vet. I guess im a little jaded about vets and im sorry that im not taking your advice on that matter, but if you look to my original post, my question was about hydrating a cat that wont drink by himself. I got my answer and its worked splendidly so far.

 

[rcentner]

Quote:
I am a little late I guess, but glad to hear your cat is doing better. I just wanted to add....as a veterinary staff member who works in a cat only hospital for 7 yrs....that waiting until you have exhausted your resources WILL lead to higher vet bills. Cats will always hide discomfort and illness until they physically cannot function normally. At that point the cat needs more treatment than it would have a few days ago. It can mean the difference between SQ fluids ($25) and IV Fluids (hosp care $40, IV cath $15, Fluids themselves $30) you see what I mean? And these prices are round a bouts cause it depends where you live how accurate they are.
Now, I also have to say that you don't need to bring your cat to the vet every time it throws up a hairball, but bloody vomit is a concern. Just because a vet offers something doesn't mean it HAS to be done.

If your cat does not fully recover and you need to see a vet...start with the obvious like an X ray of the abdomen to rule out foreign objects (string, yarn...we removed a pipe cleaner stuck in a cat just 1 week ago). Bloodwork doesn't always help, sometimes simple things like Antibiotics, SQ fluids and deworming can do a lot...just be sure your vet isn't jumping to things that may not be completely necessary. Who says you can't go step by step? You don't have to do all of the reccomended things at one time.

(getting off my soap box now) Good luck with your cat

 

[sixxchixx]

Quote:
thank you rcentner, this is exactly what I was hoping I'd find by posting a question. not that i dont appreciate everyone else's comments. but someone who works with cats in a vets office has awesome feedback. If Gizmo isnt better (by leaps and bounds) by tomorrow then i will take him in. he is eating a little and drank water by himself out of the bowl. he's starting to follow me around again and no more vomit of any shape. he's still lethargic (but arent most cats? so its hard to tell)
if i take him in I'll do an xray before bloodwork because i dont think there are any poisons available and i have a second, perfectly healthy, cat that eats and drinks the same thing. He's not showing signs of a UTI so I was thinking an ulcer (if it is indeed somthing more serious)

By the way, what are SQ fluids?

 

[ultasol]

Oh my. I'm sorry I didn't post my qualifications first in animal health. I guess that would make my advice more valuable, or anyone else who posted the same darn thing.

Again, I wasn't saying go in and spend $2000 on the cat, but get a basic workup. More than a few times I've seen "well, I was trying this stuff from the feed store" or, "I wanted to try to fix fluffy up at home" end up compounding a simple problem into a larger one, or an unsolvable one.