Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have several questions since my Miloh's death. I am sure I am posting in the wrong section and I apologize for that.
1.Do you think it is appropriate to write a letter to the emergency vet service where I took Miloh on Sunday. I had a gut feeling that he was really sick and they found nothing. I felt like a hypocondriac cat mom on mothers day no less. I feel that if his blood was taken on Sunday (or at least give me the option)then the renal failure could have been found sooner and treatment initiated.
2. On the second vet visit the vet felt his bladder was not distended but offered a xray to verify that. I declined and of course blaim myself with alot of "WHAT IF'S"
3.I have 4 other cats and have noticed that they have taken on some of Miloh's behaviors like climbing on my chest (actuallu Miloh would take a bounding leep) at nite. One cat has become more outgoing whereas he was more aloof before. I also saw him playing (playful swatting) at something under the couch. This was erie since Miloh used to sleep there alot.
Thanks for any input.

Hi Again,

Please accept my condolences on your loss of Miloh. He was just a baby and that makes the loss even more difficult.

Before I answer your questions, I'd like you to know that I am a vet tech and I might have different advice than other posters.

First of all, very few young cats get kidney failure so chances are that the ER vet thought that Miloh had something that he would just get over. This happens often in cats---they have a day or two days in which they are "off" in some way, then they bounce right back. Yes, bloodwork would have been helpful, but perhaps the vet just did not think that he was seriously ill. Now, if Miloh appeared very ill that night to the vet, and the vet just didn't want to bother with labwork, that would be something else. Or if the vet just wasn't listening to how worried you were----that would be wrong also. Labwork is an option that should almost always be offered when an animal is taken into the ER. After all, the owner is obviously very worried or they wouldn't have brought the pet in. If you really feel that the vet did you wrong, go ahead and write the letter.

As far as the bladder being distended or not, that is kind of a non-issue unless a cat is blocked. Cats with kidney failure typically drink a lot, have a big bladder and urinate a lot. If the cat has end-stage kidney failure, he or she would be severely dehydrated and the kidneys can actually shut down. In this case the bladder can be empty. I would have requested that a urinalysis be done, because cats in kidney failure have dilute urine. Concentrated urine indicates normal kidney fuction.

I have found that after losing a cat, one or more of the remaining cats pick up on some of their characteristics. I lost my baby Janine last week and my Ella has started sleeping in her spot on the bed, waking me up just like Janine did, and being more affectionate. I believe that somehow the deceased cat's spirit can "transfer" to another cat. This kind of thing has happened many times after I have experienced a loss.

Please let me know if you have any other questions and/or you are interested in attending a pet loss chat. We have one every night.

PHKitkat
PetSupport.net Site Coordinator