Reptile & Amphibian Forums

3 weeks ago my husband and I went on a mission trip for one week. We left a friend to care for our 5 month old kitten ... BUT ... he saw ants (imagine that we live WAAAAY out in the country) and he just dumped all the kitty's food in his bowl and all the litter in the box and didn't come back for the rest of the time. Kitty was confined to his bathroom so no chance of accidental ingestion of something inappropriate.

My poor kitty was looking terrible by the time we got home. Although he had plenty of food he was not eating,his fur was dingy, he would not play, his 3rd eyelid is showing, and he was breathing heavy. He has no fever and there does not appear to be a physical reason for his listlessness. He is eating some, he drinks his water, he's acting more loving ... giving kisses again and snuggling but he still looks bedraggled and skinny. I think it's likely a response to the stress ... but I don't know what to do. It's been two weeks already and I want my sweety to plump back out. Any advice? My vet is not open until Tuesday, would you consider this an emergency where I might want to go to another vet?

Thanks all.

p.s. This pic was only a month ago ... but he's looking a little hollow in the mid section

Hi There,

If this were my kitty, I would want to have bloodwork and a urinalysis done to find out if he has health problems. Cats that stop eating are at high risk of developing fatty liver disease, which can be fatal without treatment. If he wasn't drinking water, which sat for a week, he might also be dealing with dehydration.

If you haven't already done so, please make an appointment and take your baby in. Please let us know how it goes.

Regards,
PHKitkat

I took Fugu into the vet Wed because his coat was doing poorly, he was not eating, he had been suffering from ataxia for a couple of days, and his litterbox habits were off.

The vet discovered low liver enzyme counts, anemia, low/normal liver function, with a diagnosis of a congenital portosystemic shunt. Although the liver was functioning at normal/low values, the blood was not filtering through it thus causing the toxins to buiild up in his blood, anemia, and jaundice. The probability of neurologic damage was high and because of his weight, age and size of his veins I was given about a 60% chance that a $5000-$10,000 surgery would even fix the problem. The doctor at the referral only emergency clinic in chesapeake gave me very realistic odds, and I was grateful for her candor.

I am distressed to say that the decision was made to save him prolonged suffering and he was put to rest on Wednesday, September 5th, 2007. I need to tell you that he was loved more than imaginable. He was the perfect cat. He loved me as much as I loved him, and I am extremely distraught at the decision I was required to make. He was only with us for 2 months, but they were the fullest two months ever. My heart and my home belonged to Fugu and they are now empty. I miss him more than I
could have imagined. We slept together and sat together and ate together and ... he was my constant companion.

if i had somebody care for my cat while i was gone and they did what your friend did.... seriously, i would have to physically hurt him big time. i'm sorry for your loss. i know what its like to lose a kitten.