Our oldest has to go to the vet...I'm nervous

[WillParkinson]

Cat, our oldest (16 years), has to go to the vet on Thursday. She's been losing weight rapidly and not able to hold down much food though she eats voraciously.

This isn't the first time that she's had this problem. The last time the vet was able to stabilize it with pills but now they don't seem to be doing the job.

I'm nervous about what's going to happen.

[cheezus]

1. good luck

sorry to bring this up, but remember that getting a second pet is much more fun than getting a replacement pet. So go get a kitty now!

[WillParkinson]

3. I've got 4!

Don't think another one will help. But thanks for the thought. :-)

[bearfan454]

2. Hopefully everything will turn out good.

[nuxvomica]

4. Is this cat orange and very vocal?

Just curious. I hope it turns out well. :thumbsup:

[WillParkinson]

5. No, that's Cider...

Cat is gray striped and (usually) pretty quiet unless she wants food or is being annoyed.

[Lavender Brown]

6. Aww... she looks a bit like mine.

Get well, Cat!

[nuxvomica]

7. I was asking cuz my cat went through something like this

Very thin and very vocal. He had been eating voraciously as well but not putting on weight. The vet could find nothing wrong so I changed his food after much research and his weight stablized.

[kimchi]

8. I had a 20 year old cat who had liver problems.

And an infected tooth. The last 6 months of his life he was on antibiotics off and on; because he was too frail for the dental surgery. I remember feeding him tiny pieces of bologna by hand because he couldn't chew and he couldn't smell the food. I only wish I had the courage to have put him down sooner; but I felt in some way he was a connection to my mother.

On the other hand, he lived 2 years after the vets said he had a month. He was a fighter! He was my nephew's cat; and my nephew moved away and dumped him 15 miles from home. One year later he showed back up at the house again. He lived outside until I snagged him one cold night from my parent's house. I figure after all that he deserved a little luxury.

From experience: the vets will probably give you the worst case scenario -- I think they just want to prepare you. My missing cat, Kali, wasn't supposed to live at all when I found her as a stray kitten 9 years ago. When my manx cat, Kuan Yin, became paralyzed after running in front of a car, I was told to put her down, too, because she'd be "too much trouble". If I listened to the vets I wouldn't have had any pets at all in my life.

Good luck. I know how tough these situations are. Sometimes courage and love can beat the odds; but only you know your cat's disposition.

[Samurai_Writer]

9. Check for hyperthyroidism

The same exact thing happened with my cat, who is 14, 6 months ago. Lost about 40% of her body weight, although she was still eating, and was throwing up a lot. They checked for everything under the sun before checking her thyroid. She's now been on meds 2 months and is doing fine, although not regaining much weight.

[SW FL Dem]

11. Same thing with my 16 year old

She lost a lot of weight and was throwing up. She's been on thyroid meds for almost 2 years now and is still kicking. It's very common in older cats and very treatable.

[Race4Peace]

10. Hope it goes well