Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

The litter tray

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

Advice needed for situation with poorly cat

489 replies

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 27/12/2023 01:03

I need some advice please. So we have a kitten still but he isn't well. We've been to the vets countless times. He's on prescription food, he's been on 4 rounds of antibiotics and he's not getting better. I've tried a few vets and they all say he might just always be ill as a complication of the virus. I want to take him to the vets again. But my husband wants to give him up to a cat charity so he can be looked after and possibly re homed. I'm not sure and think we should try to get him better. Its cost me a fortune in treatment so far.

The lady we got him from lied about everything. She said he was a she. She said he was flea treated but he was riddled with fleas. (I took him.straight to the vets and he was flea treated and wormed and vaccinated) She said any cat food was fine but he had diarrhea from the day we got him. After weeks of messaging her it turns out she was feeding him a raw food diet. He was only 4 months old and he got campylobacter ( like salmonella) vets reckon this is the cause of his illness.

He doesn't have campylobacter now as we got this treated but the constant diarrheah is an ongoing complication and he's not putting on weight even though I feed him 4 times a day. Kids are devastated because he said we need to give him up. I'm quite upset but part of me agrees with him and the other says we should carry on looking after him.

The other problem is that the vet refuses to do his vaccinations again or neuter him until he is better. But then also said he might never be better. But won't advise what we should do! I've tried all 3 vets in our area and they say the same. He can't have top up vaccinations as he has the diarrheah and so now he would need them re started but again can't because he's ill.

So now I don't know what to do as he is very much loved! But I feel awful that he's not getting better and looks like there isn't anything we can do about it either. The vets kind of given up!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
68
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 19/02/2024 09:19

Ipek update! Vets called and he was negative for everything which is good. But doesn't answer why he has diarrheah. So I said maybe he needs to be on specific food. I said he's still on royal canin gi and she said it was the best he can be on... but I'm not so sure.

So she's asked for another fecal test to be sure it's not anything else. Not quite sure why that wasn't included. But OK. And Monday he's going in for castration and micro chipping and whilst he is asleep she is going to do blood tests at the same time and see if he has anything like Feline HIV is what she described it as! So we will see
She said keep him on the oanacur and pro bionics for a few more days too.

OP posts:
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 19/02/2024 09:35

The bloating has gone down since being on the panacur again which I think is strange if it came back with no parasites. Unless it missed those sheds

OP posts:
StBrides · 19/02/2024 19:56

Oh that's so frustrating!! Poor boy!

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 19/02/2024 20:13

He's doing semi normal poops again..so looks like 5 days of panacur Is when he starts getting better. I'm wandering he has worms but not the type for giardia but it's in some life cycle and eggs re hatch when we stop it. I wander if he should just be on it for a good few weeks....

OP posts:
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 19/02/2024 21:04

Updated cat tax. I have decided to keep him on oanacur for a couple of weeks after watching him look better today and poos firming up again. He must have some type of worm otherwise I can't understand why the panacur helps.

Advice needed for situation with poorly cat
OP posts:
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 19/02/2024 21:07

I think we might be in this roundabout.

Advice needed for situation with poorly cat
OP posts:
Poorlycatadvicewanted · 20/02/2024 10:46

He's much happier today! And poops are almost normal again. Vet agreed to keep him on panacur for a few weeks. Then a weeks break and then a couple of weeks again. We shall see!

OP posts:
ILoveNigelTufnel · 20/02/2024 17:05

Fingers very, very crossed for you that this is the thing that works. It must be so horrible for all of you but especially him feeling unwell like that.
Thats a really lovely photo of him too 😍

I have no advice but sending lots of positive thoughts and moral support.

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 20/02/2024 17:45

Thank you. I'm just going to use it for as long as possible. As every time we stop it starts over again.

OP posts:
ILoveNigelTufnel · 20/02/2024 19:19

That sounds like the logical thing to do. It must be working but there’s obviously an ongoing issue it’s not quite getting rid of. It’s frustrating it keeps returning but hard when the vets are trying everything they can think of.

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 21/02/2024 12:28

He's definitely feeling a lot better today!

Advice needed for situation with poorly cat
OP posts:
LostCats · 21/02/2024 13:12

His tummy looks a lot less swollen now too

MadeOfAllWork · 21/02/2024 13:20

He looks a lot better. Much less swollen.

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 21/02/2024 14:00

100% ! He is a lot happier. We will stick with panacur for an extended time.now the vet finally agrees that it's fine to use longer term... wish I listened to myself and just kept him on it longer! He's also pooping less! Like 2 or 3 times a day instead of 6 plus times

OP posts:
MadeOfAllWork · 21/02/2024 14:01

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 21/02/2024 14:00

100% ! He is a lot happier. We will stick with panacur for an extended time.now the vet finally agrees that it's fine to use longer term... wish I listened to myself and just kept him on it longer! He's also pooping less! Like 2 or 3 times a day instead of 6 plus times

6 times a day is far too much.
My girl will go twice a day, sometimes three.

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 21/02/2024 14:02

Yes the poor thing has really been through it. We know this works now so we will stick with it for a while and hope that will end the issue for him

OP posts:
LostCats · 21/02/2024 15:59

Oh bless him! His insides must hurt so much - 6 times is too much for a little man. And he’s not be absorbing any nutrients if it’s moving that fast through him.
I do hope it picks up from now on for you.

ILoveNigelTufnel · 21/02/2024 21:38

Gorgeous photo! Isn’t he just so lovely 😍
6 poos a day is far too many, poor kitten. Glad he’s feeling cheerier and long may it continue. He’s lucky to have such good cat parents / slaves.

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 22/02/2024 00:40

Thank you! Can anyone recommend a food for later that doesn't cause such a strong smell in their poop. I'm not going to switch yet. But even without the diarrheah it smells very bad. So I was thinking in a few months to transition him onto something else...

OP posts:
ILoveNigelTufnel · 22/02/2024 08:18

Lily’s cat is definitely less stinky. Posey was on that for a while. The kidney royal canin cat food was very smelly!

Scampuss · 22/02/2024 08:36

I think I mentioned it upthread but I would try a hydrolysed protein food, I don't understand why your vet hasn't suggested this already with persistent gut problems.

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 22/02/2024 10:18

Thank you both. Vet is hellbent on him being on royal canin GI. But I don't think it is helping really. I looked up the ingredients and they aren't great. @Scampuss @ILoveNigelTufnel

OP posts:
MadeOfAllWork · 22/02/2024 10:43

My girl is on Nature’s Variety. We tried her on lots of different adult foods and this was the one she liked. Her poo doesn’t smell much at all.

user1471538283 · 22/02/2024 12:51

He is doing so well! Go Ipek!

Poorlycatadvicewanted · 22/02/2024 13:27

So I took a leap after spending hours trying to deodoyr the house last night. It was foul! And I had some katkin in the freezer and gave him that... he's done an amazing poo this morning with Limited smell.

I bought katkin when I first got him and the vet said not to use it and I put it in the freezer and forgot about it... so I might try this for a few days and see how he is.... not sure if that is sensible but we couldn't even stay downstairs last night. It was quite bad!

OP posts: