My Poor Cat May Be Dying.

Abby has a serious liver disease. I will take him to a 24/7 care center to get a liver biopsy done. But, the vet thinks it’s fatty liver disease, but a biopsy will tell for sure. They did not give me hope for him. He is yellow (Jaundice), lethargic, weak, skinny, dehydrated and depressed. He is on IV’s and they are syringe feeding him because he will not eat on his own.

The vet bill comes up to $1,000. The biopsy is another $1,500, but the vet gave me a $4,000 certificate so I won’t have to pay for the biopsy at least. They will insert a tube to feed him once the biopsy gets done.

Why? Why? Why?

[Jade59]

Oh honey, I am so very sorry.  This is very bad news.  You must feel numb!  

But wow, a $4000 certificate?  Awesome!  What a wonderful vet you have!!

I will continue to be hopeful and pray for Abby Kitty and I am so glad you decided to post on the forum because you need support during this terrible, stressful time.  

I'm here for you...praying for the miracle you and Abby deserve.  You have gone above and beyond for your boy.  You try to stay positive now, as you don't know for sure what the future will bring.  

[April2]

This breaks my heart too, PK. I remember when you first got Abby and all the stories and pictures you shared. I will keep praying and hoping for a miracle. I'm so sorry you are going through this. I truly hope for the best here. God bless you, my friend. *Hugs from me and all my critters*
April

[dominosarah]

I am so sorry to hear this about Abby......Please keep us posted on how you are both doing........sara

[zodiacqueen]

I am so sorry about Abby!  He's got my prayers too!  

Abby deserves a miracle!!

ZQ

[AppleBr]

Depply sorry for you and Abbby!
Wishing strong and luck for you both ...
Hug and loving bites from my cat's family

[opus88]

PK and Abby.............you know you are both in my prayers...there are kitty angels out there you know and they are watching over Abby and Misha(april2) too...
I hope miracles will keep them safe and again home with you!!
blessings ands lot of hugs too.

[PrettyKitty1]

Thanks for the prayers.
I picked him up today at the vet, and took him to another hospital where they are equipped to perform aggressive procedures. He was referred with a $5,000 certificate. I thought they were going to give me a $4,000 certificate. Guess I got lucky.  Any ways….I saw the doctor and he said Abby would die if he didn’t get nutrition via a feeding tube. They were ready for me as they had been expecting us for hours. They had Abby’s records in hand and filed.

After explaining to me how sick he was, and how serious the situation is, they got him ready for the biopsy. They did a complete biopsy. Checked the liver, pancreas, intestines, stomach and bladder.  Two hours later, I got a call from the doctor, who said Abby was doing well from surgery, but his liver and pancreas were both swollen.  They sent those organ tissues to a lab and will call me tomorrow to give me a full update. So far, the diagnosis is Fatty Liver Disease, and possible Pancreatitis.

He is stable now. They are giving him IV’s, pain killers, antibiotics, and they are also tube feeding him. The prognosis is not promising, but they will try everything in their power to save my kitty.  My Abby is being cared for by three doctors. The hospital is an elite, five start 24/7 care center; famous for high quality care, I hear (I would not be able to afford that without the certificate). So I trust them, and God, to save my poor pet.  

Please keep praying for Abby.  Pray so I won’t have to put him to sleep…..

I feel so guilty for not taking him to the vet sooner…..

[opus88]

honey don't blame yourself, we always feel  if we could have just done it sooner or better..always the guilt when any loved one is ill..you didn't know or you would have had him in with a heart beat.
Now he is in the best of hands and we are all praying for the little guy the rest is up to him and his angel.....
I have a good feeling for you and Abby!

[dominosarah]

Abby is in our prayers.........sara and Snickers

[zodiacqueen]

Thanks for the update!  Abby will continue to be in my prayers.  My gut tells me that he will pull through this.  Abby is a very young, strong boy and he IS a fighter....AND he has you fighting for him!!  You've given him the best possible chance w/ the great hospital you've taken him to.  I know it's hard, but try to stay positive.  I truly believe that w/ the feeding tube in him, he will start feeling much better.

Take care, PK

[PrettyKitty1]

I don't know. Have you heard of the Triad Syndrome? That's what he has (IBD + Fatty Liver Disease + Pancreatitis)

I just called the hospital and they said he was resting peacefully. He is not in pain at all. I sounded like a complete idiot for not being able to hold the tears. Started crying like a moron and couldn't even speak fluently.

I'm hoping he'll make it. The forecast doesn't look too good though. We'll see.

Please keep praying for my pet...

[zodiacqueen]

The Triad syndrome???  No, I honestly haven't heard of that.  I thought that the IBD was under control now w/ the fresh food you've been feeding him, so I am very surprised that this has happened.  Does the vet think that all of this is related to the IBD?

I promise to keep praying for Abby.

[PrettyKitty1]

Thing is, according to them, Pancreatitis and FLD are common in IBD cats. But as to what really causes a cat to suffer from these symptoms is still unknown to EVERYONE.

I was reading, and they highly recommend a diet that's low in fat. Raw foods are recommended, but as you know not all vets are willing to accept the fact that raw foods can save a cat's life. I don't really know what happened here. We moved to our new home and that's when he stopped eating. Stress, I'm thinking, caused him to stop eating. Then after 72 hours his liver just started to malfunction. None of these two conditions were caused by his diet; they assured me after the biopsy. My act suffered from Anorexia. Didn't know cats could be anorexic.  It could be psychological. IBD cats are stressed, anxious kitties as it is. I guess the move hit hard on his lil head. But I'm just speculating. The actual cause is unknown.......at least for now.

I guess no matter what I try he will always be a sick cat. Because his IBD is not mild but chronic, the chances of survival with FLD and Pancreatitis are slim.  That’s all I know so far. I don’t know what I did wrong. I’m trying to think, but I have a completely healthy cat at home who’s been through the same changes (home and diet) and he is as strong as a horse!!

[PrettyKitty1]

My act suffered from Anorexia.....meant to say cat, not act.

[zodiacqueen]

He hasn't been bleeding anymore, has he?  I was sure, after you started him on the new natural diet, that you'd never see blood again.  If you haven't seen anymore bleeding, then all of this might not be from the IBD.  It might be from the stress of moving.  Was he okay before you moved-eating and everything?  Cats are very funny sometimes and some are more adaptable than others-just like some people deal w/ stress better.  Maybe Dillan deals w/ change better than Abby does.  My cats used to freak over grocery bags or any new objects in the house.  That is a change to them, and some kitties just hate anything new.  Honestly, you shouldn't feel guilty because you had no freaking way of knowing how much danger Abby was in.  If you'd known, you would've rushed Abby in to the vets.  Everyone on here would agree on this one, especially those of us that have known you for over a year and see what a great, caring mom you are.  Don't even question yourself about that!!

PS-Yes, I have been a "moron" a few times crying my *ss off about my cats.  The vets probably see that a lot, but it embarrasses me BIG time when I cry in front of them.

[PrettyKitty1]

Zodiacqueen,

Thank you! Crying can be pretty embarrasing.

Well, with the raw diet I never, ever saw blood or loose stools, ever again. He’d been doing great on the food. Before we moved, he had been acting his normal self, a playful piggie always needing to be next to his mom at all times. He had been doing so well on his raw diet I cannot believe he is now in such serious of a situation.

I guess you are right. Some cats deal with stress better than others. Moving a lot and driving long distances quite frequently took a toll on him.  There has been construction work in the house, strangers coming in and out, and birthday parties bringing the whole family together (even family members Abby’s never seen). He has not been able to claim that house yet. I’ll tell you that much. He does not feel safe or comfortable in the house. THAT could have potentially contributed to his depression, leading to lack of appetite, which then led to a yellow kitty who is now skin and bones, has lost 30% of his body weight, and is at risk of dying as I type.

The vet will call me tomorrow (well, today @ 8:30 am) I will post updates then.

Please, keep praying. That creature has suffered enough already!

[ed34]

You are not a moron for crying, far from it. If only all humans were compassionate, what a great world this would be. It sounds to me as though you are trying to find faults associated with your treatment with your cat, in other words looking for ways to blame yourself. Cats are natural explorers and love new ground to search through. If you think your cat is a bit too timid, then maybe a companion would be helpful, boosting its ego.
One of my cats is very timid of humans, in fact in our house it will only sit on my lap. It took weeks of patience to achieve this but when shes hungry, she will eat her food no matter who is there. Its like her killer instinct comes into play and nobody gets in the way of her food.
I have said a few prayers for you and I really hope the outcome is a happy one.

[FurballsMom]

I'm so sorry to hear about Abby.  I haven't been on for a few days, as I've been sick myself the last couple of days.  Nothing to do with viruses.  No one here thinks you're silly for crying over worrying about your fur baby.  We all feel the same way about our kitties.  That's why we're on this forum.  We get so attached to our little fur babies that it's only natural to cry and even mourn them when they die.  Forget about what the heartless people think about us.  They're never going to "get it" anyway.

[PrettyKitty1]

You guys...thank you for your support!

FBM, I hope you are feeling better :) How's your furball doing?

Ed, you got that right, my cat is timid, but it is also much more than that. He gets stressed very easily and frequently. Guess a good percentage of IBD cats are like that. By the way, keep up the interesting posts :)

Thank you both!

[FurballsMom]

Thank you for your concern.  My Akira is doing alright.  Still scratching, but I just gave her her Zyrtec.  My foggy brain forgot to do it before feeding her her breakfast, but I heard her bells, so I knew she was really scratching.  That reminded me.  The poor baby knew I was coming to get her to giver her her medicine.  She crouched like they do when they know something they don't like is coming.  It's very interesting how my sweet little girl didn't run away and try to hide under the furniture.  She must know that she needs this medicine and I'm just trying to help her.  Cats are highly intelligent creatures anyway, as all of us here knows so well.  I haven't had a chance to call the vets office to find out what the proper dose would be if I were to switch Akira to Benadryl, so for now she is staying on Zyrtec.  It does help, even though she still scratches a lot.  The amount of scratching is greatly reduced, so it obviously is helping her.  She hates medicine so much and really hates it when I put the creams on her itchy spots, so I thought I would wait and see how much she scratches before I put any of that on her.  That does help with the break through itching.

The vet's office had mentioned a different brand of cat food to try before, but I told them I would have to wait 'til after payday to get it.  Well, it's after payday now, but I forgot the name of the brand, so I'll call them back tomorrow to see what it's called.  I'm beginning to think my poor cat is going to itch no matter what I feed her, because I'm thinking that she is also allergic to dust, like I am.  When I do thorough cleaning of the floors in here, she will get at least one weepy eye.  It's always the left eye, too, that weeps the most--just like her left ear itches the most.  If that's the case, an air cleaner will do her more good than changing cat foods again--except I can't afford to get one right now.  I would be getting one for myself whether I had the kitty or not, because I'm quite allergic to dust myself.  Just don't have a lot of money, as I'm on a fixed income.  Both the cat and I would benefit from an air cleaner.

Keep us posted about your darling Abby.  I know how precious he is to you.  I know exactly what you're talking about as far as IBD cats being timid.  Mine was, too.  Mine was a beautiful red point Siamese mix DSH whose original name was Le Petite Rosebud.  I changed her name to Ivory Rose.  The first time I heard her meow was a whole month after I got her when we were at the vet's office.  She had such a tiny little sqeak.  I remember asking her:  "Was that you?"  It was such a tiny sound that it was barely audible.

[zodiacqueen]

PK, I am writing from my friend's computer.  I dumped water on my computer and am too scared to turn it on.  So, that's why I didn't reply yesterday.  I did get on here as soon as I could because I wanted to hear how sweet Abster was doing.  God, I am stressed right along w/ ya over the poor thing.  He has been through so dam much, it just breaks my heart knowing what you and him are going through.  =(

How is he doing now?  Has the biopsy come back yet?  How are YOU holding up?  I pray to God that he's doing a little better now!!

Take care!
ZQ

[Jade59]

Me too, PK.  I hope the doctors are able to turn Abby's condition around.  It sounds possible with this great hospital he's in .  

Praying for the best, honey, and so anxious to hear how he's doing.  

Thinking of you...♥

[PrettyKitty1]

FBM, I'm sorry to hear your baby is still scratching. How uncomfortable she must be. Hey, have you tried Nature's Variety? I hear is excellent, top of the line, all natural, organic ingredients to avoid things like these......just an idea. I hope she is feeling a little better today? :)

Zodiacqueen,
At least it was water. My sister in law poured coke all over the keyboard once. It was impossible to type after that. The ants had a party that day too. I hope your computer is ready to go now. Thanks for posting.

Jade,
You are such a sweetheart, dear......thank you!

I posted about my cat on Opus' thread. This one is getting long, right?

[pinky_fairy]

omg!!!!!!!!!pancreatitis goodness i will pray for ur poor little cat.I have 2 healthy cats and im the one wih chronic pancreatitis.I do hope ur poor little cat will pull through though it will be a very tough fight.pancreatitis is very very painful and can cause anorexia and many other very serios health problems.I do think that ur cat will be strong enough to pull through.