Worried.

[swestrup]

I've been worrying about something for some time now that I haven't mentioned here. Our eldest cat sucha may be sick. A couple of months ago she stopped grooming herself properly and we thought it was just that she was getting old and having a hard time reaching her back to groom.

Well, after observing her, she certainly seems limber enough to me. She doesn't hesitate to jump up on chairs or to run up or down the stairs and she still curls up into a tight ball when she sleeps.

But her behaviour HAS changed. She's demanding water more often, and prefers it running. She's taken to going upstairs and sitting in the bathtub to get water to drink. She used to do similar things when she was a kitten, but hasn't done anything like it for a decade. She also yowls for attention at all times of the day and night, which she didn't do before. Lately she's also taken to drooling after she eats. Something she else she never did before.

A week ago taxlady found what looked like a combination of cat saliva and blood on the floor, but it hasn't happened again. We assume it came from sucha.

Now maybe she's just getting old and senile. The cat is getting close to 20 so its certainly a possibility. It maybe something more. I've been worried that if she had a mouth infection or something, she wouldn't want to groom, and it might affect her eating.

Its hard to know though. She won't sit still for a mouth inspection, and we can't afford to take her to the vet to have him check her out. That's the worst part. Right now we're just getting by. taxlady has a new client that should be bringing us significantly more income next month, so by this time in September we might be able to afford to take her.

I just don't know if we can really afford to wait that long. I'd hate to take her to the vet in a month and find out that we couldn't save her from some minor infection because we waited too long. But I don't see how we can possibly manage to take her to the vet now. And what if we were to (somehow) scrape up the money and it turns out to be something really expensive to fix?

I've spent a lot of time lately worrying about it and stressing over it, and I just haven't been able to think of anything that we can do but wait another month and hope she can hang in there. But the anxiety its causing is making me feel awful.

EDIT: Thanks for all of the concern shown, and for the offers to help out. They're all most appreciated, but my Mom has told me that she'll pay for us to take sucha to the vet, so we'll be making an appointment today. Hopefully its something treatable.

Comments

[moomlyn.livejournal.com]

I don't suppose Canada has a black market for antibiotics.

[kishiriadgr.livejournal.com]

I join you in the worry. I'd help out if I could but you know what my situation's been like lately. I know how it feels.

[ellenk.livejournal.com]

Is there any way you can talk to a vet and explain that you will have income next month but your cat needs to be seen now? Perhaps the vet will work something out with you, especially if it's a vet you've been using in the past.

[lasher.livejournal.com]

Have you noticed any changes in urine output? I have read that older cats sometimes just don't groom themselves as much and the owners should chip in and help them more with a brush... but the increased thirst could be a problem.

I found this summary for you if the urine is decreasing:

"Although older cats tend to drink more water anyway, dramatically increased thirst can indicate kidney problems, which are more common in cats as they grow older and their kidneys work less efficiently, or cystitis. Cats with cystitis pass tiny amounts of urine, sometimes bloodstained, more frequently. Cystitis causes discomfort and must be treated by a vet. Cats with kidney disease can be put on prescription diets if the problem is caught early. There are other reasons a cat might start to drink more so any unexplained increased thirst should be investigated and diagnosed by a vet."

Though if urine output is increasing, it could be something like this:
"The second discovery about low blood potassium is related to the effect of potassium on the kidneys. The kidneys are the organs that usually wear out first in the older cat. As the kidneys become less efficient in removing waste products from the blood, the cat produces more urine in an attempt to remove toxins from the body (via the kidneys). Increased thirst and water consumption will result. This is a natural body process that is similar to dialysis performed on people with poor kidney function. An undesired consequence of increased urination is the loss of potassium from the body in the urine. As urine production increases, more and more potassium is lost, eventually leading to hypokalemia. The potassium wasting associated with increased urine production has a negative effect on the kidneys. Research has demonstrated that low potassium is harmful to kidney function. This results in a vicious cycle: declining kidney function results in increased loss of potassium, and the loss of potassium then speeds up the deterioration of the kidneys."

[swestrup]

Its hard to say wrt urine output, because we have two cats that share a litter box, but Linda did say yesterday that there seemed to be more pee that unusual in the box.

In any case, I just heard from my Mom, and she's sent me money to take the cat to the Vet. We'll be making an appointment today.

[thebabynancy.livejournal.com]

I suppose it is too late for pet insurance...


...but what about talking to the veterinarian beforehand and arranging a payment schedule? It would be awful to think that the cat is in pain... and that nothing can be done without cash upfront. Most veterinarians have some sort of payment plan... I hope it is nothing serious and that she can wait the month.

I have Pet Insurance for Stella. Not that it covers everything and anything... but it is good to fall back on with medications that may become necessary as she grows older.

[skjalm.livejournal.com]

Hope you get an appointment with the vet soon and that Sucha turns out to be healthy.

Btw, 20 years is very old for a cat, right?

[swestrup]

Yes, world record life spans are in the early 20s. But taxlady tells me I got it wrong, and she's only around 15. Still, she's an old lady now.