Cat is sick and I'm getting no answers

by Nikki
(Phoenix, AZ USA)

I apologize if this is a repeat question. My cat is to soon be 15 years old, and he's not had any problems in the last decade. I moved 2500 miles from home, by car, with him and ever since we got here it has been one issue after another. Before I left, I had my vet give him a checkup and asked about his weight loss. She did blood work and then told me he's a healthy aging cat, and when they get older they loose weight. He has weighed about 16lbs his whole life and in 2 months went down to 12. I've been in my apartment for 2 months and had to take him to the vet right away because I thought he'd lost more, and he was down to 11.2lbs and constantly throwing up. The vet said it was hairballs (once in a blue moon he would have at home) and gave me some stuff in a tube to squirt down his throat. So that subsided and then he started having diarrhea, luckily in his litter box, so they gave me medication. Then he stopped eating and went down some more, so they gave me steroids, and he slowly starting eating like a bite a day. I switched his food back to something he always liked, and still the same small appetite. Now its been a month and he's crying a lot and is very vocal (usually a quiet cat) and still not eating much. I noticed his skin on his back has red spots and his stomach

constantly makes noises. Tomorrows Christmas Eve and I don't think the vet here is open. Basically he's my best friend and I want to do all that I can for him. The worst part has been him crying at me and I don't know how to help him. I hope you can help me. Please tell me something so I can help my boy. Thanks a lot in advance for your efforts. -Nikki & Peaman


Answer by Kate
There are two issues here. the first is the age of your cat. i hate to say it but he may just be getting old and his body is no longer able to process food as well. Ageing cats can have problems like this just like us humans when we get. old. you did the right thing to take him to the vets and if they are any good they should have done blood work on him etc to check for any underlining illnesses.

the other issue is the change of home and food in the last couple of months. changing food too often can cause tummy troubles too.
Please take a look at my page about this problem and follow the guidelines about feeding them a bland meal for a few days and making sure they get plenty to drink. here is the link
https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-diarrhea.html
Also here is a link about old cats
https://www.our-happy-cat.com/senior-cat.html

if he is still no better after the holidays then i would advise taking him back to the vets and asking for a more thorough examination.

best wishes kate

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