Really worried about my old boy

[Countingdownnow]

My lovely 14 year old tabby has been so unwell over the last few weeks and now looks so sad all the time.

He seemed ok until about 3 weeks ago when he started vomiting lots and not wanting to eat. Within a couple of days he was so weak he could hardly stand. Vet put him on hydration therapy then referred him to hospital. He has had loads of tests but they don't really know what's wrong. They have given him antibiotics and put him on a hypoallergenic diet in case its his guts but say it could also be something more sinister.

I just feel so sorry for him, it's so awful to watch him suffer. So many pills, still not eating enough, diarrhoea every day and just sitting looking sad. Has anyone been through something similar and did they get better?

So sorry to hear this. Just out of interest what food have you been feeding him?

The reason I ask is my 18 month old cat was displaying similar symptoms and I swear it was the food I was giving him. We had lots of stool and blood tests at the vets but all inconclusive. Changed his food and he’s so much better.

@BlackeyedPetitsPois he was on wet food, bit of a mixture as he had begun to be very fussy and reject flavours and brands he had previously liked.

He doesn't seem to ne getting any better on the special dry food diet the vet prescribed and that's a big worry. I'm really glad your cat recovered, hope mine can do the same.

@Countingdownnow sorry I wanted to post a proper reply but was so tired last night!!

My boy was fed Felix pouches, right from kitten stage. Then in early June this year he stopped eating, lost 600g weight, had acute foul smelling diarrhoea and was lethargic and would not go out. Prior to this he was a lively cat and a very prolific hunter.
Vet carried out stool tests (for parasites) and lots of blood tests. Results were no trace of parasites- so that ruled out something he’d picked up whilst out such as eating an infected mouse/bird. Blood tests showed vitamin B12 deficiency- due to malabsorption of his food - but nothing else of note. Vet diagnosis was a non specific pancreatitis. She prescribed probiotic powder to give him (sprinkled on food if he would eat) and we started him on a dry digestive care food. Within a week he was much better and is now back up to his normal weight.
Although the vet could not pin down a specific cause, I think it was the Felix food and have since discovered this Facebook page called ‘Cats recently affected by Felix’. Now there is nothing definite to link the food with my cat but there does seem a hell of a number of cats experiencing similar symptoms to mine.
If you fed your boy Felix might be worth checking it out.

I do hope he recovers soon - it’s such a worry and heartbreaking to see them suffer. Can you ask for some probiotic? Think the one my boy had was called Cobalaplex and it’s a vitamin B12 and probiotic. Chicken flavoured I think so he might just have it if you mix with a little water?

Big hugs to you and your lovely boy.

Thanks for taking the time to leave such a helpful reply @BlackeyedPetitsPois. That does sound very familiar and one of the types of wet food he had was felix.

The vet has now suggested two things, Fortiflora which is a probiotic and ProKolin which is to firm up his poo I think. She has prescribed b12 tablets too so treatment very like what you describe.

I'll look for that facebook page, interesting but sad that this seems to be happening to other kitties. On the bright side, maybe he can recover from this after all.

@Countingdownnow how is your boy doing?

I was going to say similar to @BlackeyedPetitsPois, Purina changed the recipe to Felix As Good As It Looks earlier this year, and it seems to have affected a lot of cats badly, as discussed on the Facebook group .

Sorry it has taken me so long to come back to this thread, life has been hectic with a house move thrown in just to make things more difficult.

We're settling in to our new home and he is much calmer. He is on some new hypoallergenic food that he really likes, although he seems to eat too quickly then throw it up fairly often.

He is off the antibiotics so the diarrhoea is gone and he seems generally content, lots of sitting on my lap for cuddles. He is definitely slowing down and is staying in and sleeping more.

My problem now is that the vet wants to do more tests as his latest blood tests show his liver enzymes getting worse and he is still losing weight despite eating well.

I'm really torn as he is content after a really difficult summer and I'm not convinced that they will find out what's wrong, he's already had lots of tests after all. The next set of tests would involve a potentially traumatic visit to a vet hospital and I'm not sure I want to put him through that. My adult DCs seem in favour of the tests, they are clinging on to the hope that he can be treated.

My instinct is to just look after him at home, make him happy and see what happens. I'm not sure if I'm being unreasonable but I hate the thought of his distress at more intrusive tests. We need to make a decision soon and I don't know which way to go yet.

This is difficult. Personally, I would go with the tests - to ensure that all possible problems have been looked for.

I couldn’t just keep him home to see what happens. Cats are very good at masking pain/discomfort etc. I couldn’t risk him suffering without you necessarily knowing that he’s suffering.