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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Kitten not eaten, today is the third day

138 replies

Hubblez · 08/03/2014 07:48

Hello, I have the vets booked today for as soon as it opens for my girl cat

She's 5 months old, usually sleeps and lays around a lot but would come for cuddles and rub her head on me and purr etc and was very affectionate. The last 2 days she hasn't eaten anything and will refuse all food. She wasn't drinking either and seemed dehydrated. I gave her water in a syringe and last night she did drink a little from a water bowl and the same this morning. Today is the third day not eating.

I guess I'm writing here because I'm worried and the vet isn't open yet. She doesn't seem in pain and will let me prod and poke her and pick her up without being bothered. She did a wee but I haven't seen her poo, though she could have done one but it could have also been from boy cat.

She's just sitting on her scratching post curled up with her head down and eyes closed. Not sleeping just sitting there, she was doing the same last night. She has moved around the house as the scratching post is downstairs and litter box upstairs and I've seen her hanging around both places. I offered her tuna last night and she licked a bit of the brine stuff but didn't eat any of the tuna. Offered her different types of cat food wet and dry and all rejected. I shook the dreamies bag and she came up to me but when I offered her a dreamie she just ignored it :(

I don't know how she can have been fine a few days ago and to have changed like this with the only real symptom I can see being not eating. She's indoor only and has never been outside. I'm thinking maybe she ate something she shouldn't and it's stuck inside her? But as I said she will let me prod and poke and I would've thought if she had a blockage that would hurt her but she shows no signs of pain.

I also gave her a strong wormer (drontal) last night and 15 min after she vomited bile, no sign of worms anywhere. She vomited again this morning but I think it's because she's so hungry? It's just yellow bile. My dog does the same out of hunger if I delay feeding him for any reason

I've rambled on a bit... anyone have any suggestions or insight before it's vet time? :(

OP posts:
FushandChups · 09/03/2014 14:31

oh hubblez - here's hoping you get a chance to have her seen today as it does sound like she's really not well. can you speak to your vets about installments although not sure how that works with the emergency service...

Thinking of you & girlcat x

Rooners · 09/03/2014 15:03

I'm sorry to hear this. I hope you are able to get her seen today.

Poor cat x

notapizzaeater · 09/03/2014 15:18

Sorry to hear this, can you take her to the blue cross or PDSA?

JakeBullet · 09/03/2014 15:25

Hi Hubblz, most vets will see you and discuss payment later. I know when my very elderly cat had to be PTS on a Sunday the vets said straight away "don't worry, we can sort the money out another time".

Just get your kitten seen and sort the money out later.

Sad
Original poster
Hubblez · 09/03/2014 15:49

I phoned the emergency vet but they said the only thing they can do is put her to sleep and delay payment, they wouldn't try to help her. I can wait until tomorrow and see the normal vet and possibly get some treatment for her. I tried to feed her again and she won't open her mouth, I forced it In but she's just letting it sit in her mouth and now swallowing or opening. Could she have brain damage from the seizure? Do you think it will even be treatable if I wait until tomorrow? She doesn't look in any outward pain and still let's me handle her, just barely responds to anything :(

This is horrible, what the fuck happened to her to make her like this? She was fine on Wednesday morning

OP posts:
Original poster
Hubblez · 09/03/2014 15:50

I am not working atm but not eligible for benefits either since my partner works. Apparently pdsa and blue cross only help people on benefits

OP posts:
Rooners · 09/03/2014 16:14

I wonder if there is a vet on MN local to you who might be willing to try and help your cat,

I don't want to sound presumptuous, but if all they will do is PTS then it doesn't sound very helpful Sad

Original poster
Hubblez · 09/03/2014 16:31

I'm going to wait and go to the normal vet tomorrow with her but will have to phone, explain the seizure and say I have no money, though I can't see them doing anything else to help her as I guess putting to sleep is the cheapest option. I read somewhere that a vet is obligated to help if the animals in pain, either by mild medicine or euthanasia

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 09/03/2014 16:34

Oh Dear. Just got back to this - and I was actually going to suggest the vet if there had been no improvement.

I think you have to get her there, Hubblez. A seizure is pretty serious although I could only speculate as to the cause - might be kidney or liver failure or something but a vet would need to see her and likely run tests to tell. (One of the vets who post might be able to comment in a general way.)

Would you be able to find the funds after all?

cozietoesie · 09/03/2014 16:35

Sorry - x post.

Original poster
Hubblez · 09/03/2014 17:41

Apparently cats can have seizures from low blood sugar due to not eating so it could still all be linked to that, and not eating in the first place because of a vomiting bug or something similar. I gave her some powerade and sent DP to buy honey which is apparently good to rub on her gums to get sugar in her, will try mushed food again later. She did open her mouth for the syringe with powerade in it, whereas earlier she had clamped her mouth shut and wasn't taking anything

So now it makes me think she has a chance again so I don't want to put her to sleep, rocketing up and down all the time

I'll still go to the vet tomorrow and say I have X amount of money only, what can you do, maybe I can escape paying a consultation fee since she only went on Friday

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 09/03/2014 18:04

Oh Hubblez - this must be heartbreaking for you. Is boycat OK ?

Original poster
Hubblez · 09/03/2014 18:11

Boy cat is fine, he keeps trying to play with her and I have to take him away and distract him :( she's sleeping in the cat carrier by choice, to get away from the other animals I expect, but the carrier is next to me on the sofa so I can keep an eye on her.

I still think poppy poisoning could be a possibility too, the emergency vet on the phone said that it can lead to seizures, but maybe I'm just grasping at straws. I can suggest it tomorrow and since they already treated for vomiting and the blood tests etc are too expensive and would take too long to get results from, then maybe I can use what money I have left to ask them to treat for the poisoning, if they can't think of anything else of course

OP posts:
Original poster
Hubblez · 09/03/2014 18:15

I've kind of accepted that she's going to die, I hope she doesn't of course but I can't see any other way since I can't afford to treat her properly :( so unfair, she's only 5 months old and hasn't even been outside or experienced anything. Boy cat is a crazy hyper bite machine, girl cat was so loving and gentle and would let you do anything with her. I thought she would be perfectly safe inside which is why I didn't rush to do her insurance straight away, it's only £4 a month... why didn't I do it a couple of days earlier :(

Trying to be optimistic but it's hard

OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 09/03/2014 20:17

OP - are you in London by any chance?

Original poster
Hubblez · 09/03/2014 23:46

Not in London but nearish, I'm in Luton.

She's been having honey rubbed on her gums and I blended some sandwich chicken and tuna into a mush and gave her 2 syringes of that then she started wriggling so I let her go. She was walking around a bit and jumped onto the side of the bath and in and out again, very wobbly though. She walked downstairs and into the kitchen then jumped on her scratch post, so that was a lot of moving compared to before when she looked brain damaged and dead.

I stood a couple of feet away and called her and eventually she came to me :) she seemed very interested in the chicken/tuna mush and kept putting her nose so close I thought she was going to lick it but she eventually backed off, but seeming interested is still good right? Will keep doing the honey every few hours through the night and then phone the vets 8am tomorrow and see what they recommend.

I'm a lot more optimistic now though, she was halfway back to her old self, just wish she would bloody eat!

OP posts:
steppemum · 10/03/2014 00:06

Gosh, sounds much more promising around op.

My cat refused to eat for about a week over Christmas last year. It was Christmas and we had been away overnight and left food down, and it took a while to realise that he really wasn't well. The vet really told me off, she said that cats can get very poorly if they go for more than 3 days without food

So I would say you are doing a great job getting a bits and pieces of food and honey into her, and some of her problems may be linked to the lack of food.

Our vet gave out cat a jab of antibiotics just on case, and he suddenly started eating again, we never knew what the problem had been.

Hope she is better tomorrow.

cozietoesie · 10/03/2014 09:24

How is she this morning?

Original poster
Hubblez · 10/03/2014 12:07

Thecatneuterer has helped us out and we have an appointment at a vets in London. In the waiting room now and it should be affordable whatever they want to do. She was sick again last night and this morning though :( but is chilling in her cat carrier now

OP posts:
Rooners · 10/03/2014 12:09

Nice work, TCN - you're a proper star.

OP I am so glad that she has shown some signs of activity and so on.

Will keep watching this thread and hoping the outcome is good x

cozietoesie · 10/03/2014 12:31

Well done TCN.

steppemum · 10/03/2014 12:32

wow, well done TCN

Hope she is OK op

Original poster
Hubblez · 10/03/2014 13:51

She's been seen. She's staying overnight for fluids. Vet suspects she might have swallowed string or something as her abdomen is sore and feels weird. Maybe undigested poppy leaf?! I'm obsessed with this leaf idea still haha. She has never picked anything up before like string though.... then again she hasn't with leaves either. They're going to X-ray her and see if there's anything there, if there is they will do surgery, if not they will so blood tests.

Good to know she's in safe hands and we can do a payment plan to pay for it all, very relieved she's been taken in, now just need to see if they can do anything to help her, I can finally sleep tonight without being on cat watch :) still worried though but hopeful

Thanks a ton TCN! I think I would have had to put her down if you didn't help me find this clinic x

OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 10/03/2014 13:56

I'm very glad she's getting the best care and I hope we can sort her out. It's the Celia Hammond Animal Trust that deserves the thanks though. Not me. If I weren't involved with the most amazing charity ever I couldn't do anything.

Good luck to her.

thecatneuterer · 10/03/2014 13:57

Oh, and a leaf wouldn't sit in her stomach undigested - so let that idea go :)

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