Advice needed for situation with poorly cat

[Poorlycatadvicewanted]

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!

I think it is worms from fleas as a pp bad suggested as looks like panacur is helping. We shall see in a few days!

He's a lovely cat. Quiet, lovely temper.

That's good it's going down, our "Alley Cat" who had constant diarrhea had a tummy that felt like a water balloon, which didn't go down, so hopefully it's not what he had. He was also apparently flea and worm treated but I nit combed him after he'd settled in for an hour and yep, riddled with fleas.

If he's full of worms, they may well have been making him bloated

He does look rather bloated. Beautiful as well though.

Yes. Stomach is still looking better than 2 days ago.

Will continue to monitor. I'm hoping If this is worms that now he's on panacur he will start putting on weight. What age do they stop growing because the vet said he's still quite small for 8 months

It's got to the point I'm dreaming of cat poop in my sleep! The stress is real, like having another baby!

Cats grow until 12 months usually. He might be petite.

@FormerlyPathologicallyHappy OK, thnk you. I reckon all of this has stunted his growth! Camplobacter since before we had him, various antibiotics and then he must of had the worms on top. Poor things been through it!

If he's a pedigree, he may be slower maturing, our ragdoll and BSH weren't fully grown until about 2

Fingers crossed it's his worms that have been affecting his poor little tummy, it sounded at first like the symptoms of the Alley Cat but him being less bloated and worms coming out hopefully mean it's not. I'd keep him on the white fish or chicken if that's what he's on ATM until you've had a few days of solid poops, along with his probiotics - we now keep a pack of probiotics and a bag of frozen white fish in the house all the time in case of any dodgy stomachs for either of them!

I certainly wouldn't consider treats for a good while, he may be one who's tummy is just too sensitive, like our BSH who can't have them - when reintroducing normal food, make sure to do it very gradually, alongside his fish/chicken/whatever he's on ATM - I'd almost allow double the changeover period to be extra safe

I love his little ginger tail!

No idea about his breed any more. Breeder said he was a Scottish fold straight. Definitely part scottish as she had quite a few if them. But vet reckons he's a mix, which is probably a good thing!

He's very pretty! What's his name?
I'm so glad he's doing better, I'm very invested in this thread!

Thank you @StBrides his name is ipek. Means silk. He's just used the tray again and sorry to be tmi it was half diarrheah and half a normal stool! I can't believe the last 2 months could have been prevented with more wormer. Why didn't the vets suggest this? They knew when he was last wormed and how much he had as the vets send his records around when you swap vets!

I'm hoping another few days of this and he will be right as rain!

I have probably come across as a right dummy on this thread. But I have been so worried about doing the wrong thing and making him worse!

Also. I'm assuming he needs to be wormed every 3 months!? I hadn't known this!! I thought it was like every 6 months or a year as he's an indoor cat. But obviously the fact he had fleas when he arrived changes things too. Vet never mentioned it.

You're not a dummy :) Every new cat owner is the same - and tbh if yours an old cat owner of an uncomplicated cat then you can still miss out on a lot of new knowledge lol

Yes to worming regularly but the cats we had growing up only got wormed once a year or when they needed it- times change!

Thank you @StBrides most appreciated x

Life with cats would so much easier if only they could talk.

Although, on second thoughts, I think mine would be like Jack Dee’s cat.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XuPjPZWqFH0

I was about to suggest colitis. My little dog has it and sounds the same. Pro kolin makes her worse too. Chicken and rice with metronazodole are what works when she has a flair up. Nothing tinned or processed.

The only thing that doesn't give my cat diarrhoea unfortunately is Whiskas. He was also on the Royal Canin Gastrointestinal and it made him worse. He's no longer having any dry food or fish and just sticking to Whiskas Poultry Feasts and he's been fine since

Yep wormed every 12 weeks, flea every 4 weeks - make sure you get the stuff from the vet none of the over the counter stuff - with our flea and wormers we need to leave 2 weeks in between as the flea has some sort of wormer in, but don't think it covers all worms, hence the extra wormer. Ours are house cats but we keep on schedule with it all.

Has he had his vaccinations?

He is small for 8 months my girl had dreadful worms, as I said before, and she didn’t grow until we got rid of them. She’s just had her 6 month check up and she’s 3.2kg at 9 months. She was just 1kg when we got her.

Thanks everyone. He was vaccinated the day after I got him. But as he had diarrheah they wouldn't top him up until he was better!! So once he is well we need to go down that route again! Plus chipping and neutering. Again he was refused until stomach is better. So we have all that to come. The poor thing.

He was flea treated the day after we got him too. But they didnt give us any more so by the time we managed to finally get him seen by another vet the flea cycle had started again. So eggs obviously had hatched. So when we gi ally got tk the cat clinic as they where just launching she gave me 3 months worth. So when I see her next I will ask for another 3 months so I'm in supply for a bit longer.

He still has diarrheah on and off and the odd half formed stool. But it's not watery like it was before!

I've kept him on his GI food too. I tried the fish and chicken and he wasn't interested so I don't want to disrupt things too much. I have a new pre brobiotics coming that the bet recommended. Its for humans but she said its safe if I use a 1/4 of a sachet.

How is he today? Has he used his tray overnight?

It's a good sign he's eating and drinking. And his tummy appears to be settling. I would give him anything that doesn't upset his tummy to get him over this bump.

He may be small because of this. Our little rescue is fully grown but tiny because of her bad start. They are extra cute when they are small!

He sounds gorgeous! I hope he continues to improve.

Thank you.

@FormerlyPathologicallyHappy yes. He still has diarrheah. The stronger probiotics arrived via amazon this morning. So just added that to his food too. So hopefully that will help a bit too.

I have just checked his tray again and it's come out runny and pink (blood) I hope we aren't going backwards now!