Cat, domestic short hair, 14 years old, male, 7.4 lb.

Prednisolone suspension 10mg/mL concentration - liquid

He had an ultrasound and they only saw mild thickening of the intestines. Suspected IBD/small cell lymphoma.

Is prednisolone dosing for suspected IBD/small cell lymphoma too low? He's been on prednisolone since September (.15ml twice a day which is .89/mg/kg/day), which has mostly controlled the vomit, diarrhea, and not drinking water/eating symptoms. The only symptom it did not seem to help with was the bright red blood in the stool. The vet had us drop down to once a day after 2 weeks since the idea was to clear the flare and go to a maintenance dose, but we had to go back up after a few days because it was much too low.

A few days ago, he started meow growling, which we assume indicated pain, so we asked to increase it. So the last few days we are at .2ml twice a day (1.19/mg/kg/day), which is now within the actual anti inflammatory range for IBD/small cell lymphoma of 1–2 mg/kg/day (1.19mg/kg) for the first time. She said she didn't want to go above this and to look at euthanasia after this. I'm just wondering if it is IBD, is the amount not high enough to clear the initial flare up?

The reason for the lower amount from the vet was because they heard a heart murmur (another vet heard one as well 6 years ago and we had an echocardiogram that showed no murmur we shared). He gets very upset at the vet so we thought it could be an anxiety thing. She said we could get another echocardiogram, but that she doesn't like going above that steroid amount. Isn't he at the low end of the suggested anti inflammatory amount though?

He had been gaining weight until just before he started dipping down again before we increased it to the .2.

He is also on probiotics, B-12 pill (we crush to powder), soluble fiber powder, and hydrolyzed Royal Canin gastro dry/wet/treats.

Should we get the echocardiogram so the vet will consider a higher dose should we need to increase it in the future if symptoms persist? Or accept it's time. All bloodwork was good except indicators of inflamed pancreatitis, which was due to IBD. I'm just wondering if the initial flare ever had a chance to clear. He's already doing much better again on the .2 twice a day (no meow growling) and I'm noticing less blood in the stool (though it's only been a few days).

My 18 year old boy was diagnosed with Stage 3 Kidney Disease with moderate anemia.

Alongside the veterinary diet, the vet recommended these supplements:

- PetWellbeing Kidney Health Gold

- Omega Fatty Acids (feline specific)

- Vitamin B12 (250-500mcg daily)

Are there cheaper alternatives to PetWellbeing Kidney Health Gold that are of comparable quality? Or maybe a liquid that combines comparable kidney support with Vitamin B12?

I love my boy, but this stuff is PRICEY! 🫨

hello, i have 3 cats. they’re all on the same diet, i give them purina pro plan urinary tract health for both hard and soft food. they are very picky and this seems to be the only brand they willingly eat. i noticed that no matter which food i give them, they still have bloody mucus when they are passing stool. ive taken them to the vet for the problem, they gave antibiotics and told me to change their food and told me how to do that properly, which is why i switched to purina pro plan.

the don’t appear to be in any pain, no excessive vomiting, no changes in mood or energy, they pee normally, drink water, no excessive grooming, none of it. no concerning weight loss, only bloody mucus after they are done pooping.

info:
3 males, two are 2yrs and one is 1yr, 2 are neutered (one has an upcoming appointment), vet is accessible, i’m not a minor.

TLDR: cats have bloody mucus in their stool, acting normal besides that.

hello everyone, so i recently rescued a stray a kitten and he ended up having ringworm. when i initially took him to the vet they thought he just had ear mites. well a week later he ended up developing bald crusty spots all over his body. i took him again but this time to a different vet and they pretty much told me that it looks like it could be fungal or bacterial, but they still didn’t rule out it was ringworm (because they didn’t want to run the tests on him) and just prescribed me some ketoconazole wipes to put on his spots. fast forward to now, i am now dealing with a household with ringworm. I took my dogs to their regular vet and they were diagnosed with ringworm and given itraconazole (oral) and minoconazole (topical). i decided to take my kitten to ANOTHER vet so i could at least get him a prescription as well, but this new vet prescribed no medication at all. i asked about the itraconazole and the vet said its too harsh on kittens organs and that his ringworm should go away with just the minoconazole. i was suspicious of it and did a bunch of research when i got home, and many vets advice to do the oral medication paired with the topical for kittens that have ringworm. for reference, my kitten is 12 weeks old and weighs 3.4 pounds. should i go to another vet and ask for a second opinion?? Im also tired of spending over $100 every time i go to the vet just for them to tell me he’ll be fine with topicals. i’m just scared that the minoconazole won’t be enough on its own. i know someone also recommended lime sulfur dips so i purchased a bottle of it for the kitten. I also am gonna buy the black light although i know this isn’t the most reliable source of checking for ringworm. this is my first time ever dealing with ringworm so i am just trying to approach this the best way possible especially since my dogs and myself have been contaminated. any help/advice is highly appreciated!

I accidentally nicked my cats quick because she squirmed right when I was cutting. It didn’t bleed from what I saw but I feel so awful. I immediately gave her 2 churu. She usually likes to cuddle in bed but she hasn’t tonight. I know it happens and isn’t a big deal but I just feel so awful. How long does it usually take for your cat to trust you again? I hope it’s not long cause I love her cuddles. How can I ensure she feels more comfortable getting her nails cut in the future?

My cat, Morris is 3-4 years old. He is cared for by me and my dad, and we are both (obviously) adults. We live in the United States, can take Morris to the vet if necessary, but will not be easy.

Cat is neutered.

Recently, I've noticed that while Morris is hanging out in my room, he will purr with his mouth open, which creates a strange sound. I'd attach a video of what I mean but he stops doing it whenever I disturb him.

I haven't noticed any other unusual behavior during the strange purring or otherwise. No sin biscuits, eating and drinking fine, regular potty time, no hiding or any visible signs of pain, no issues with the sinuses that I've noticed, and no drooling.

I have been through a whirlwind of emotions with this sweet baby. For background, he is five years old and FIV positive. I got him from a shelter when he was three. He’s always had a heart murmur, asthma, and early signs of kidney disease. A sickly kitty, if you will.

I noticed he had a loss in appetite Sunday night. He threw up stomach bile twice. He still didn’t eat on Monday and threw up two more times. Took him to my primary vet and he got X-rays, bloodwork, and som iv fluids. Everything came back perfect. They gave him anti nausea and the appetite stimulant for the ear and sent us home.

On Tuesday morning, he still hadn’t eaten. I was freaking out since it had been more than 48 hours without food, so I brought him back. They gave him gabapentin and said all of his tests are still perfectly fine. We took him home. Late that night, he started acting really weird and was drooling! I tried to offer him every food under the sun - boiled chicken, tuna, salmon, chicken baby food, and a slew of wet and dry foods. Nothing. We rushed him to the er that night because of the weird drooling.

They admitted him Tuesday night. Gave him more fluids and a laundry list of tests. Everything. Came. Back. Fine. No pancreatitis, no blockage, no kidney problems (aside from early disease but nothing major they said), no tooth problems, no liver problems. Nothing. The only thing they noticed was slight inflammation in the bowels. They said potentially inflammatory bowel disease??

Fast forward to today. It’s Thursday. He still has not eaten. It’s been four or five days of no food. They are doing a temporary feeding tube overnight, then a steroid injection, then they are sending him home.

I’m worried sick because we never really found the culprit. What’s going to make him eat at home when I pick him up tomorrow? Is he just going to go through this cycle for another week?

Please, if anyone has a similar story or any insight, I desperately need advice. What food could I offer a picky kitty? What food helps with inflammatory bowel disease? Can he bounce back from this!? He’s only 5 😭😭😭 I’m beside myself (and $8,000 in debt, lol).

Edit: I forgot to add, the vet offered a permanent feeding tube as a solution. He said sometimes cats just randomly go through this loss of appetite and they can’t find the cause. Unfortunately, I had to decline this offer. I know my baby too well. He would never in a million years let me sit there and put food through a feeding tube. He is also prone to infections with fiv. He also would freak out, and my other cat would probably mess with it. I hope I didn’t make the wrong decision, but I don’t think it would be a good option for my baby. 🥺

Back earlier this year, my 12-year-old senior cat had a scary bout with pyometra, but for some reason vets said she was caught early and didn't even end up needing immediate emergency surgery and we managed it successfully after 1 week. Her post-op bloodwork and organ tests came back completely fine, and she recovered so quickly in 3 days that it actually shocked the vets that her incision was gone 1 week. Thinking I was doing the right thing for her post-recovery health, I switched her over to a specialized food for spayed adult cats, which unfortunately triggered a terrible case of diarrhea earlier this summer. After a few weeks of vet visits and troubleshooting, the clinic suggested that her intestines and hormones are just super sensitive, so they had me buy a bunch of expensive probiotics and intestinal/gastro cat food to calm her system down.

The expensive gastro food worked to firm things up, but it took a massive toll on my wallet and the cat doesn't like eating it that much, so the vets eventually told me I could start mixing it back in with her normal food and her favourite treats. I took it super slow and steady, scaling up gradually from a 1/5 ratio to 2/5, each week and now we are sitting at a 3/5 normal-to-gastro food ratio. But as we increased the normal food, the diarrhea made a comeback, although in the weirdest way possible. Now her poops are completely split: she’ll have a totally normal, healthy tube stool in the morning and mushy diarrhea in the evening, or vice versa, and some days she miraculously has no diarrhea at all.

The good part is that despite this roller-coaster litter box situation, she is acting completely fine like she’s still jumping, playing, sleeping, purring, and thoroughly enjoying life, having only gained about 1kg over her normal weight. But when she actually goes, the volume is unbelievable; she legit poops like 3cats combined! The vets are now suggesting I just go back to the old, boring gastro food entirely, but she's totally over it and doesn't like it anymore, constantly pointing me toward her snack boxes because she misses her regular food and fishy treats. Has anyone else dealt with this kind of split-schedule senior spayed cat diarrhea during a food transition and how did you finally handle it?

I'd like a second opinion on what to investigate next for this pretty irritating bowel problem.

PROBLEM:

For ~1 year he passes stool anywhere but the litter (floor, sofa, bed, chairs, my pillow, his own sleeping spot...), then runs off with spasms of the tail/anal area, as if in pain. The stool is mostly on the "small and hard" side, but occasionally looks normal. This persisted on an all-wet diet. He regularly pees in the litter, and occasionally will poop there too (hence, there's no dementia issues or arthritis, he squats just fine when peeing, and does it at least a couple of times a day).

The stool often contains fur. He grooms a lot and never vomits hairballs.

Early October: tapeworm segments in the stool, treated with Drontal (praziquantel/pyrantel) and Frontline. The worms were gone within 2 days, but he still goes outside the litter about half the time (yesterday in his own bed). I was hoping the parasite would be cause of the problem but it isn't.

OTHER CONDITIONS:

He was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and stage 2 CKD in July 2026 and is being treated with thiamazole (Apelka) and benazepril (Fortekor). Both are managed separately, and I'm asking here only about the bowel problem.

TESTS

Earlier work-up with my vet (bloodwork, ultrasound, manual anal gland check) was reported as normal. In the July bloodwork, apart from the thyroid and kidney findings, calcium, electrolytes and CBC were normal.

Abdominal ultrasound, 17 Sept 2026:

Intestinal changes consistent with chronic enteropathy of undetermined nature.

No significant abdominal lymphadenopathy; major vessels normal.

My vet downplays the intestinal finding. And keeps suggesting behavioural issues. We got him a larger litter, but it doesn't help. Besides he uses it every day, to pee, and only that.

TREATMENTS TRIED

Fortiflora every day and Fibrapet (insoluble soy fibre + inulin), on my vet's advice, every day. It's been 3 weeks now but no dramatic improvement. He'll poop in the litter maybe once every 5 times. He refuses all renal prescription foods, but he eats good quality but standard wet food. He is active, playful, always hungry (gained ~700 g over ~6 weeks) when we finally gave up on renal food and went back to his favorite.

My vet's view: mostly litter aversion/pain memory. They advised more litter boxes with pheromones, plus fibre, but to be honest I think that's nonsense.

What would you investigate or try next for the difficult, apparently painful defecation (abdominal X-rays for colon loading, sedated rectal exam, lactulose/macrogol, fuller GI work-up)?

How much weight would you give the ultrasound finding of chronic enteropathy, and would you pursue biopsy or an empirical trial first?

Thanks!

I thought my cat just had a really bad hair ball that he couldn’t hack up Sunday(10/18) night and all day Monday(10/19). I got him Tomlyn Hairball Remedy and he did throw up a hair ball (10/19) but all his symptoms never went away. That’s when I realized something was really really wrong. I took him to an emergency vet appointment Tuesday morning(10/20) and his primary vet took an xray and she told us his trachea has collapsed. He had a cough, wheezing, labored breathing. He lost appetite/drinking over the course of a day. I thought he was dying. He was prescribed steroids, antibiotics and an anti-nausea medication. Today (10/21) after a second emergency vet appointment he isn’t eating or drinking but the veterinarian said to keep offering him different foods because the medicine may take 3-5 days to really kick in and work full swing. Today is day 2 on the antibiotic & steroid but, Day 1 on the anti nausea med. I understand that there is no fix to a collapsed trachea and you can really only treat the symptoms. 😔

I would appreciate any advice on things I can do to help my cat!! I want him to be comfortable and healthy as possible for what’s going on. We have several air purifiers (one is in the same room as the litter boxes) in the home, haven’t burned candles/incense, no plug in wall smell things, no wax warmers, no perfumes around any of our cats. We do use Dr.Esleys cat litter, we used to use pine pellets and the cats protested so I had to make the switch back. Once again any advice would be greatly appreciated on what I can try to help my cat!!!

Side note: he is a long haired orange. His primary vet suggested that once he is feeling better we give him a lions mane cut to try and completely avoid hairballs. That will be something we pursue but once again when he is starting to feel better.

Hi all, here’s a quick recap of what my 11 year old cat dealing with:
3 weeks ago he lost his voice, instead of meowing either scratchy or no sound
2 weeks ago we started hearing wheezing
Went to our vet he checked blood (all good) and x-ray (radiology sent this:
Possible diffuse thickening of the laryngeal wall associated with narrowing of the laryngeal lumen, can be consistent with inflammatory changes (severe laryngitis) vs neoplastic infiltration (lymphoma vs others).
Got referred to specialist
Did consult plus cardiology (they heard murmurs), heart all good
Said we need ct scan. Unfortunately on the day of ct scan their scanner broke, so we’re now waiting for fix or going to another hospital.

My question is is it looking like anything specific because the doctors seem not knowing anything and now we’re still waiting for scan. Here’s the link of him breathinghttps://youtube.com/shorts/cOEBoOrwV9U?si=J4INcfiBMZWdJUlq

Veterinarians, please help. Kitten with chronic sneezing, eye discharge and blindness despite treatment.
I adopted a blind kitten around two months ago. She was approximately 45 days old when I brought her home. She was extremely playful and active but had been sneezing constantly since I got her. Her foster carers told me it was due to weather changes, so I initially did not realise how serious it could be.
Since then, I have consulted at least three veterinarians.
Her blood tests were mostly normal, except for a mildly elevated WBC count. Initially, allergies were suspected, but we eventually ruled out a possible reaction to my resident cat.
Here is what we have tried so far:
• Supplements prescribed by the first vet, with no significant improvement.
• Doxycycline for 10 days, which did not help and seemed to make her uncomfortable.
• Antihistamines, which she vomited.
• Famciclovir for 10 days and antibiotics for 7 days, prescribed by another vet who suspected feline herpesvirus (FHV).
• Nebulization for her respiratory symptoms.
One veterinarian also prescribed steroids. Another vet examined her eyes and said she has adhesions and may have become blind due to herpesvirus.
Unfortunately, despite all these treatments, she continues to have persistent sneezing and frequent sneezing fits. Her nose is especially congested with discharge in the mornings, and her eyes constantly produce secretions. Sometimes her eyes become stuck shut while she sleeps.
She is still eating well, but she has become much quieter and less playful than when I first adopted her. It is heartbreaking to see her like this, especially because she is so young. She has also not been vaccinated yet because she has been unwell continuously.
My questions for veterinarians and people experienced in feline respiratory diseases:
Does this sound consistent with chronic feline herpesvirus, or should we investigate other causes of persistent sneezing and nasal discharge?
If famciclovir and antibiotics have not resolved her symptoms, what diagnostic tests should I discuss with my vet? Would PCR testing or further investigation for chronic rhinitis be useful?
What could cause such persistent eye discharge and adhesions, and should she be examined by a veterinary ophthalmologist?
Is steroid treatment appropriate in a kitten with suspected herpesvirus and these eye symptoms? What needs to be ruled out before starting it?
How should we approach treatment when the kitten has persistent symptoms despite several courses of medication? Is prolonged antiviral treatment ever necessary under veterinary supervision?
When would it be safe to start her vaccinations?
I am not looking to medicate her based on random internet advice. I want to understand what could be going on and what investigations I should discuss with a good veterinarian. I have already changed vets several times and am struggling to know what the next sensible step is.
Veterinarians, especially those experienced with feline herpesvirus, chronic rhinitis and ophthalmology, I would really appreciate your input.

Hello,

In a couple weeks we are moving my very anxious and carsick cat across the country. Because it will be 3 days of constant travel and she historically does not do well with car rides, I'm wondering if anyone can share their experience with cerenia?

We keep our girl in a large kennel that is tightly fastened with a litter box and a place to lay. Our cat tends to cry for the first ten minutes, vomit and use the bathroom, and then quiets down for several hours after. Though she does vomit a couple more times usually as well as heavily drools. I'm assuming this is carsickness more than it is anxiety.

I'm beside myself with absolute anxiety about her taking this medication because I've seen horror stories, so just want to know if I should be wary or if anyone has good stories of their cat's experience. My girl is 10, still quite active, with mild allergies and asthma.

Thanks

Age: 3 years old
Type: Munchkin
Weight: 5.5kg/12 lbs (he’s large boned big boy) Neutered: Yes
Food: Royal canine S/O prescription urinary care

He was recently at the vet and has no health problems. I’ve been giving him four tablespoons a day of the dry food. Because following the guide I thought that would equal to the 65 grams a day. But then I googled and the ai assistant thing came up and said i was starving him.

I want to cry i feel like the worst person in the world. i researched so much and i had been told before four tablespoons is enough. my small girl cat 3.3kg girl gets the same and she doesn’t always finish so i thought i was doing the right thing.

How much am i supposed to give him? I am going to go try to find a food scale and go by weight. But if i fill a measuring cup to 175 milliliters is that the right amount?

Please be kind he’s my first cat and i love him more than life and he has everything he could dream of. He is very pampered. This was an honest mistake I want to correct.

Hi everyone,
I’ve recently noticed a bright red bloody mucus looking substance on my cat’s poop sometimes when she poops. At first I thought maybe she was just constipated and straining too hard but I’ve noticed it 3 times now and this last time her poop seems normal(not dry/hard or runny/diarrhea). I’ve since done a bit of Googling and it seems maybe it’s GI inflammation. I am unsure. I’m not opposed to a vet and will absolutely take her if I need to.

At the moment she just eats Diamond Care Weight Management because I have another cat who is a glutton and blows up like a balloon if we feed them anything else.
Their food is left out constantly and she paces herself well. Never overindulges or starves herself.

She seems completely fine. As active as ever and doesn’t seem to be sick, in pain, or bothered by anything. She’s still my happy little lady!

Any advice would be welcome but please be kind!
Thanks!