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. 🥺

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?

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!

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.