[Felvtalk] [OT] two sick cats

[Lance]

Hi everyone,

I have good reason to believe that the cats I mention below are negatives. I’m not 100% sure, but one of them has had no exposure to my angel Ember in the last nine years, and the other one who did have a run-in was tested at 36 days out and then about a year out. Both tests came back negative. 

Our 9yro cat Callie stayed on her blanket all day Wednesday, which isn’t unusual in general cat behavior, but a bit off. On Thursday, she hid under the bed and acted scared whenever she came out (tail down and dashing to get somewhere). She popped out a few times to follow a toy I was tempting her with, but she would go back to hiding in short order. We realized that she hadn’t been eating (she feels thinner to me), and I noticed that her coat seemed different, though I can’t explain how. Maybe a bit more dull, but not really? 

Callie was taken to the vet on Friday. Bloodwork looked normal (I’m not sure what they tested, but I imagine it was a CBC with some metabolism) though her potassium level was low. The vet thought this was due to her not eating. They x-rayed her (pretty normal), checked her heart (normal), palpated her (normal), took temperature (no fever), so they kept her for the day to see if they could find out more. After getting a sample, her vet said  her urine had a lot of bacteria in it. They gave her a shot (Convenia, I’m guessing) and asked to see her in two weeks or sooner if she doesn’t start to feel better.

Around Wednesday, I noticed that our other cat, 11.5yro Sidney, felt like he might have lost some weight. It turned out that he also had not been eating. Sidney’s behavior was more normal for him, but he didn’t/doesn’t feel well. He was taken to the vet today, and unfortunately, I only have a vague picture of how that went. The tech thought she saw an ulcer in Sidney’s mouth, but the vet said he might have some inflammation and scheduled him for a dental. He got fluids and a shot (again, probably Convenia) and was sent home. 

Sidney is drooling quite a bit and hasn’t eaten since this morning. He’s clearly not feeling well, but he’s keeping closer to his normal routine, whereas Callie is not. She probably hasn’t had time to bounce back yet, but she’s still not eating; only drinking a little. She’s a little more interactive, but nowhere near normal.

We’re tempting them with everything we can including tuna, Fancy Feast Chicken, treats, snacks, etc. I don’t think we can do much more other than keep looking for things that they can’t resist at least nibbling on.

I’m wondering what my fellow cat guardians think of this situation. It seems unusual that two adult cats would get sick at the same time. 

Lance