Older cat with pancreatitis/other unresolved issues help

[Moomin729]

Hi everyone,

I'm having a bit of a nightmare time with my lovely 14 year old male cat. I first noticed probably this time last year that he was drinking more so he had blood tests done which came back normal so kidney problems and diabetes were ruled out and vet just put it down to warmer weather etc.

Then since the start of this year I've noticed he's slowing down and being inside more but I put this down to the fact he's getting older. Anyway about a month ago I noticed he was having trouble going to the toilet so I took him to the vets again and they found blood, bacteria and wbcs in his urine sample so he was given an antibiotic injection that lasts 2 weeks. He seemed to improve after a few days and was going out more. Then last weekend, he seemed unwell again and noticed he had some blood in his poo and seemed in pain, hiding etc.
I took him back to vets, blood tests normal and urine sample now clear but I ended up taking him back the next day as no improvement and wasn't eating much. They kept him in and did an ultrasound which showed pancreatitis and some inflammation around the intestines.

He stayed in two nights and I brought him home yesterday afternoon. He's not as bad as he was but he's clearly still not right, not eating a lot, not himself.

Sorry for this huge essay but I just wondered if anyone had experienced anything similar especially in an older cat and had any advice/positive outcomes. Anything really. It's causing me so much stress 😔

My boy cat, same age stopped eating and drinking. I took him to the vet. He was diagnosed with triaditis (which is inflammation of three organs- can’t remember which ones) After 4 days of scans, blood tests, rehydration I felt he was no better. They kept holding off on antibiotics.

I finally got to see my usual vet who gave him a long lasting antibiotic and rehydration. I can’t remember if there were other injections, a painkiller maybe?

Anyway the cat turned the corner and got better. He had lost a lot of weight but put it back on.

About 6mths? a year? later he was diagnosed with diabetes. I learned to inject with insulin, he lasted another 18months. Bless him.

@Isheabastard thanks for your reply.
My boy is on antibiotics now as well as antacids but it's hard to tell whether he's improving or just staying the same. Good to hear your boy got better, at least for a while. Sorry to hear you had a tough time with him

My girl had triaditis when she was about 7. She was critically Ill and on morphine and ketamine for a while but amazingly survived with no reoccurrence or diabetes.

My cat has the same diagnosis of pancreatitis. The most important things you can do for him during a flare up is giving anti sickness (usually cernia), pain relief (buprenorphine) and food. My cats pancreatitis was caused by what we think is inflammatory bowel disease (he too had blood in his stool). He is now managed very well on oral steroids that we give him once daily and occasionally anti sickness and pain relief as and when he needs it. There are a lot of groups in Facebook that you can join for information about how best to care for your cat with pancreatitis. Hope they get in the mend soon.

My cat aged 9 has chronic pancreatitis, she was on a fairly low fat diet of Whiskas wet food but still having flare ups every few weeks or more where she'd be sick up to 6-9 times in a row & need emergency anti sickness injections.

I changed her diet to Purina Pro Plan Delicate wet food which is aimed at cats with digestive issues. I buy it from Pets At Home & I believe Waitrose also sell it. Currently it's £6.50 for 10 85g pouches, usually over £8 & she has 3 pouches a day, so it's not cheap.

Basically she's been on it for several months now and only been sick a couple of times!! Due to furballs (she has long fur) & not pancreatitis flare ups! (Cross fingers!)

So for pancreatitis I can really recommend a change in diet to a wet food that's especially for a sensitive stomach. It doesn't have to be a Vet Prescription diet - the Pro Plan is just off the shelf. I would only spend on a prescription diet as a last resort really.

My cat's other health problem is asthma. She takes a steroid tablet alternate days wrapped in sliced beef, increased to every day during an exacerbation. Her asthma is unfortunately playing up right now, she's a bit wheezy.
She can't have an inhaler as she just wouldn't tolerate it.

@Toddlerteaplease @jswd @lookingforMolly thanks for sharing your experiences.
Oddly, my cat wasn't sick at all, just could tell he was in pain. At the moment the only meds we have from the vet are 10 days' worth of antibiotics, 7 days of antacids and a probiotic...
No pain relief or anti-nausea other than the antacids which I guess might help with nausea.
He has been a bit brighter today but still not eating an awful lot.

Thanks for the food recommendations.
@jswd yes I am wondering whether he might have ibd and the pancreatitis is secondary to this but the vet hasn't mentioned it as a possibility.

@Toddlerteaplease I'm so glad your cat managed to make a miraculous recovery!

DCat1 was diagnosed with pancreatitis aged 16. Severe vomiting and reluctant to eat, dropped 20% of her body weight. We ended up leaving a family wedding early because we were so worried about her and I was poaching cod and mincing prawns to try to tempt her

Treated with antibiotics, pain relief and appetite stimulant, now stable on daily steroid pill and usual thyroid meds

Now 17 and a half and a happy girl with regular check ups

@Defiantlynot41 thanks so much for posting your story - your girl is lovely and I'm so pleased she's doing well now! That gives me hope. Can I ask why she needs the steroid?

The steroid seems to control the inflammation of the pancreatitis. It's one tiny pill a day, can be crushed and hidden in lick e lix. We've tried reducing it but the symptoms recur so we are seeing this as a maintenance dose with regular vet checks.

@Defiantlynot41 thanks, I will definitely ask my vet about this if he doesn't improve. Having a bit of a job getting the pills down him but will look up lick e lix!

Not all pills are effective when crushed (or it would be easier to medicate her sister also hyperthyroid). But if they are and predisnolone is one of them, serving up in a lick e lix seems to work well.

www.webbox.co.uk/webbox-lick-e-lix-chicken

It's like a smelly runny version of pate/mousse cat food, fairly universally loved!

Lick e lix is great stuff for hiding medication! It's kind of like chicken flavoured yoghurt if you can imagine such a thing.

My female cat has chronic pancreatitis. She is now 7 and was diagnosed four years ago. She is not on any medication - the vet supplied anti-nausea tablets but they seemed to make no difference and she's difficult to medicate so we stopped bothering. Steroids have never been suggested.

It is controlled with a lower fat diet with no novel foods. She has Felix in jelly and Royal Canin Sensible dry food. She gets flare ups maybe twice a year, and that is treated by giving her very low fat food for about 3 days (which she of course doesn't like) e.g. white fish and chicken. So far she always bounces back and is generally very cheerful.