Talk Cancer

Question:

Hello, I looked through the FAQ but didn’t see anything related to my problem. Hope someone can help, I am very worried about my cat. About three weeks ago my cat started coughing up hairballs. He had one big one at first and then a couple more smaller ones over a few days. Then he started vomiting, food a couple of times, and then some bile once. Ever since then he has eaten almost nothing! There is almost no stool in his litterbox, yet he is drinking as much or more than usual and that is showing up in the box. I also think I have noticed a bit of lose of coordination at times (slippy off a table edge, unsure footing, etc), but maybe I am just looking extra hard since I am worried. He is very noticably losing weight, yet he seems to be as energetic as normal. I did take him to the vet almost two weeks ago and she said he checked out fine. She gave me some hairball loosener (at that time he was still coughing them up). I am going to try and take him back to the vet tomorrow but I was hoping to hear from someone who might have experience with something similar to this. Oh, he is an indoor cat, about 4 years old, and has had all the usual vaccinations. Please help put me at ease, or tell me what I need to do for him. Thanks, Eric Williams http://www.astro.wesleyan.edu/~eric

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – About three weeks ago my cat started coughing up hairballs. He had one big one at first and then a couple more smaller ones over a few days. Then he started vomiting, food a couple of times, and then some bile once. Ever since then he has eaten almost nothing! There is almost no stool in his litterbox, yet he is drinking as much or more than usual and that is showing up in the box. I also think I have noticed a bit of lose of coordination at times (slippy off a table edge, unsure footing, etc), but maybe I am just looking extra hard since I am worried. He is very noticably losing weight, yet he seems to be as energetic as normal. I did take him to the vet almost two weeks ago and she said he checked out fine. She gave me some hairball loosener (at that time he was still coughing them up). I am going to try and take him back to the vet tomorrow but I was hoping to hear from someone who might have experience with something similar to this.

These are signs of very serious illness.  Unfortunately, they aren’t entirely diagnostic.  In my own experience, I’ve seen these symptoms in, first, a cat with non-effusive FIP, and second, a cat with liver cancer — I don’t want to frighten you (there may be other causes), but this will give you some idea of the variety of diseases that can produce the same basic symptoms.  And you probably aren’t imagining the fumble-footedness: this sudden, subtle discoordination is a fre- quent sign of illness.  Tell your vet, because it can be an impor- tant clue. What I’d ask for, if your vet doesn’t suggest it, is a full blood panel and urinalysis.  These aren’t cheap — the blood panel runs about $100 in my neck of the woods — but my vet has found them absolutely invaluable as a diagnostic tool. In the meantime, I’m afraid I don’t know of much you can do to help your poor kitty.  Whatever he asks for, I would guess.  My cats usually cling to me like plastic wrap when they’re not feeling well, and so I’ll spend hours catching up on my reading while they sleep on my lap. Good luck, and let us know how your cat does, Stacy Scott

Response:

: Hello, : I looked through the FAQ but didn’t see anything related to my problem. : Hope someone can help, I am very worried about my cat. Take him back to the vet (or maybe a different one) and make sure you tell him/her that your cat is not passing feces and has lost his appetite. This could be minor but it could be serious, and time is of the essence. — Tina Noyes http://tdg.uoguelph.ca/~peak/peaksters/tina/

Response:

About three weeks ago my cat started coughing up hairballs. He had one big one at first and then a couple more smaller ones over a few days. Then he started vomiting, food a couple of times, and then some bile once. Ever since then he has eaten almost nothing! There is almost no stool in his litterbox, yet he is drinking as much or more than usual and that is showing up in the box. I also think I have noticed a bit of lose of coordination at times (slippy off a table edge, unsure footing, etc), but maybe I am just looking extra hard since I am worried. He is very noticably losing weight, yet he seems to be as energetic as normal.

I’m glad to hear you’re going back to the vet tomorrow… offhand, it sounds to me like someone should check for diabetes, but there are a ton of other problems that could be showing up with these symptoms, also. My personal rule is that a cat that has no or almost no appetite for more than 48 hours needs a trip to the vet ASAP.  It’s much much easier to deal with most medical problems when they’re "new", rather than established. If your vet can’t give you a diagnosis (or at least a couple of probable diagnoses and a way to tell which it is) and a treatment plan tomorrow, I strongly encourage you to try another vet.

Response:

My 2 year old male cat started acting very strangely one evening. He had no control of his rear legs and kept tipping over and shaking his head. Then he vomited and drooled, and his eyes were rolling around in his head. He was scared, but not in pain. After a while he seemed more comfortable, but could not control his movements. The vet said it was probably an inner ear infection and prescribed an antibiotic. Other possibilities included antifreeze poisoning or some kind of seizure. He is somewhat better after 5 days on the anti-biotic, but I am still not convinced that it isn’t something more serious. Anyone have a similar experience?

Response:

i’d contact another vet.  It’s always good to get a second opinion! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My 2 year old male cat started acting very strangely one evening. He had no control of his rear legs and kept tipping over and shaking his head. Then he vomited and drooled, and his eyes were rolling around in his head. He was scared, but not in pain. After a while he seemed more comfortable, but could not control his movements. The vet said it was probably an inner ear infection and prescribed an antibiotic. Other possibilities included antifreeze poisoning or some kind of seizure. He is somewhat better after 5 days on the anti-biotic, but I am still not convinced that it isn’t something more serious. Anyone have a similar experience?

Response:

Hello, I looked through the FAQ but didn’t see anything related to my problem. Hope someone can help, I am very worried about my cat. About three weeks ago my cat started coughing up hairballs. He had one big one at first and then a couple more smaller ones over a few days. Then he started vomiting, food a couple of times, and then some bile once. Ever since then he has eaten almost nothing! There is almost no stool in his litterbox, yet he is drinking as much or more than usual and that is showing up in the box. I also think I have noticed a bit of lose of coordination at times (slippy off a table edge, unsure footing, etc), but maybe I am just looking extra hard since I am worried. He is very noticably losing weight, yet he seems to be as energetic as normal. I did take him to the vet almost two weeks ago and she said he checked out fine. She gave me some hairball loosener (at that time he was still coughing them up). I am going to try and take him back to the vet tomorrow but I was hoping to hear from someone who might have experience with something similar to this. Oh, he is an indoor cat, about 4 years old, and has had all the usual vaccinations. Please help put me at ease, or tell me what I need to do for him. Thanks, Eric Williams http://www.astro.wesleyan.edu/~eric

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – About three weeks ago my cat started coughing up hairballs. He had one big one at first and then a couple more smaller ones over a few days. Then he started vomiting, food a couple of times, and then some bile once. Ever since then he has eaten almost nothing! There is almost no stool in his litterbox, yet he is drinking as much or more than usual and that is showing up in the box. I also think I have noticed a bit of lose of coordination at times (slippy off a table edge, unsure footing, etc), but maybe I am just looking extra hard since I am worried. He is very noticably losing weight, yet he seems to be as energetic as normal. I did take him to the vet almost two weeks ago and she said he checked out fine. She gave me some hairball loosener (at that time he was still coughing them up). I am going to try and take him back to the vet tomorrow but I was hoping to hear from someone who might have experience with something similar to this.

These are signs of very serious illness.  Unfortunately, they aren’t entirely diagnostic.  In my own experience, I’ve seen these symptoms in, first, a cat with non-effusive FIP, and second, a cat with liver cancer — I don’t want to frighten you (there may be other causes), but this will give you some idea of the variety of diseases that can produce the same basic symptoms.  And you probably aren’t imagining the fumble-footedness: this sudden, subtle discoordination is a fre- quent sign of illness.  Tell your vet, because it can be an impor- tant clue. What I’d ask for, if your vet doesn’t suggest it, is a full blood panel and urinalysis.  These aren’t cheap — the blood panel runs about $100 in my neck of the woods — but my vet has found them absolutely invaluable as a diagnostic tool. In the meantime, I’m afraid I don’t know of much you can do to help your poor kitty.  Whatever he asks for, I would guess.  My cats usually cling to me like plastic wrap when they’re not feeling well, and so I’ll spend hours catching up on my reading while they sleep on my lap. Good luck, and let us know how your cat does, Stacy Scott

Response:

: Hello, : I looked through the FAQ but didn’t see anything related to my problem. : Hope someone can help, I am very worried about my cat. Take him back to the vet (or maybe a different one) and make sure you tell him/her that your cat is not passing feces and has lost his appetite. This could be minor but it could be serious, and time is of the essence. — Tina Noyes http://tdg.uoguelph.ca/~peak/peaksters/tina/

Response:

About three weeks ago my cat started coughing up hairballs. He had one big one at first and then a couple more smaller ones over a few days. Then he started vomiting, food a couple of times, and then some bile once. Ever since then he has eaten almost nothing! There is almost no stool in his litterbox, yet he is drinking as much or more than usual and that is showing up in the box. I also think I have noticed a bit of lose of coordination at times (slippy off a table edge, unsure footing, etc), but maybe I am just looking extra hard since I am worried. He is very noticably losing weight, yet he seems to be as energetic as normal.

I’m glad to hear you’re going back to the vet tomorrow… offhand, it sounds to me like someone should check for diabetes, but there are a ton of other problems that could be showing up with these symptoms, also. My personal rule is that a cat that has no or almost no appetite for more than 48 hours needs a trip to the vet ASAP.  It’s much much easier to deal with most medical problems when they’re "new", rather than established. If your vet can’t give you a diagnosis (or at least a couple of probable diagnoses and a way to tell which it is) and a treatment plan tomorrow, I strongly encourage you to try another vet.

Response:

My 2 year old male cat started acting very strangely one evening. He had no control of his rear legs and kept tipping over and shaking his head. Then he vomited and drooled, and his eyes were rolling around in his head. He was scared, but not in pain. After a while he seemed more comfortable, but could not control his movements. The vet said it was probably an inner ear infection and prescribed an antibiotic. Other possibilities included antifreeze poisoning or some kind of seizure. He is somewhat better after 5 days on the anti-biotic, but I am still not convinced that it isn’t something more serious. Anyone have a similar experience?

Response:

i’d contact another vet.  It’s always good to get a second opinion! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My 2 year old male cat started acting very strangely one evening. He had no control of his rear legs and kept tipping over and shaking his head. Then he vomited and drooled, and his eyes were rolling around in his head. He was scared, but not in pain. After a while he seemed more comfortable, but could not control his movements. The vet said it was probably an inner ear infection and prescribed an antibiotic. Other possibilities included antifreeze poisoning or some kind of seizure. He is somewhat better after 5 days on the anti-biotic, but I am still not convinced that it isn’t something more serious. Anyone have a similar experience?

Response:

Hello, I looked through the FAQ but didn’t see anything related to my problem. Hope someone can help, I am very worried about my cat. About three weeks ago my cat started coughing up hairballs. He had one big one at first and then a couple more smaller ones over a few days. Then he started vomiting, food a couple of times, and then some bile once. Ever since then he has eaten almost nothing! There is almost no stool in his litterbox, yet he is drinking as much or more than usual and that is showing up in the box. I also think I have noticed a bit of lose of coordination at times (slippy off a table edge, unsure footing, etc), but maybe I am just looking extra hard since I am worried. He is very noticably losing weight, yet he seems to be as energetic as normal. I did take him to the vet almost two weeks ago and she said he checked out fine. She gave me some hairball loosener (at that time he was still coughing them up). I am going to try and take him back to the vet tomorrow but I was hoping to hear from someone who might have experience with something similar to this. Oh, he is an indoor cat, about 4 years old, and has had all the usual vaccinations. Please help put me at ease, or tell me what I need to do for him. Thanks, Eric Williams http://www.astro.wesleyan.edu/~eric

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – About three weeks ago my cat started coughing up hairballs. He had one big one at first and then a couple more smaller ones over a few days. Then he started vomiting, food a couple of times, and then some bile once. Ever since then he has eaten almost nothing! There is almost no stool in his litterbox, yet he is drinking as much or more than usual and that is showing up in the box. I also think I have noticed a bit of lose of coordination at times (slippy off a table edge, unsure footing, etc), but maybe I am just looking extra hard since I am worried. He is very noticably losing weight, yet he seems to be as energetic as normal. I did take him to the vet almost two weeks ago and she said he checked out fine. She gave me some hairball loosener (at that time he was still coughing them up). I am going to try and take him back to the vet tomorrow but I was hoping to hear from someone who might have experience with something similar to this.

These are signs of very serious illness.  Unfortunately, they aren’t entirely diagnostic.  In my own experience, I’ve seen these symptoms in, first, a cat with non-effusive FIP, and second, a cat with liver cancer — I don’t want to frighten you (there may be other causes), but this will give you some idea of the variety of diseases that can produce the same basic symptoms.  And you probably aren’t imagining the fumble-footedness: this sudden, subtle discoordination is a fre- quent sign of illness.  Tell your vet, because it can be an impor- tant clue. What I’d ask for, if your vet doesn’t suggest it, is a full blood panel and urinalysis.  These aren’t cheap — the blood panel runs about $100 in my neck of the woods — but my vet has found them absolutely invaluable as a diagnostic tool. In the meantime, I’m afraid I don’t know of much you can do to help your poor kitty.  Whatever he asks for, I would guess.  My cats usually cling to me like plastic wrap when they’re not feeling well, and so I’ll spend hours catching up on my reading while they sleep on my lap. Good luck, and let us know how your cat does, Stacy Scott

Response:

: Hello, : I looked through the FAQ but didn’t see anything related to my problem. : Hope someone can help, I am very worried about my cat. Take him back to the vet (or maybe a different one) and make sure you tell him/her that your cat is not passing feces and has lost his appetite. This could be minor but it could be serious, and time is of the essence. — Tina Noyes http://tdg.uoguelph.ca/~peak/peaksters/tina/

Response:

About three weeks ago my cat started coughing up hairballs. He had one big one at first and then a couple more smaller ones over a few days. Then he started vomiting, food a couple of times, and then some bile once. Ever since then he has eaten almost nothing! There is almost no stool in his litterbox, yet he is drinking as much or more than usual and that is showing up in the box. I also think I have noticed a bit of lose of coordination at times (slippy off a table edge, unsure footing, etc), but maybe I am just looking extra hard since I am worried. He is very noticably losing weight, yet he seems to be as energetic as normal.

I’m glad to hear you’re going back to the vet tomorrow… offhand, it sounds to me like someone should check for diabetes, but there are a ton of other problems that could be showing up with these symptoms, also. My personal rule is that a cat that has no or almost no appetite for more than 48 hours needs a trip to the vet ASAP.  It’s much much easier to deal with most medical problems when they’re "new", rather than established. If your vet can’t give you a diagnosis (or at least a couple of probable diagnoses and a way to tell which it is) and a treatment plan tomorrow, I strongly encourage you to try another vet.

Response:

My 2 year old male cat started acting very strangely one evening. He had no control of his rear legs and kept tipping over and shaking his head. Then he vomited and drooled, and his eyes were rolling around in his head. He was scared, but not in pain. After a while he seemed more comfortable, but could not control his movements. The vet said it was probably an inner ear infection and prescribed an antibiotic. Other possibilities included antifreeze poisoning or some kind of seizure. He is somewhat better after 5 days on the anti-biotic, but I am still not convinced that it isn’t something more serious. Anyone have a similar experience?

Response:

i’d contact another vet.  It’s always good to get a second opinion! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My 2 year old male cat started acting very strangely one evening. He had no control of his rear legs and kept tipping over and shaking his head. Then he vomited and drooled, and his eyes were rolling around in his head. He was scared, but not in pain. After a while he seemed more comfortable, but could not control his movements. The vet said it was probably an inner ear infection and prescribed an antibiotic. Other possibilities included antifreeze poisoning or some kind of seizure. He is somewhat better after 5 days on the anti-biotic, but I am still not convinced that it isn’t something more serious. Anyone have a similar experience?

Response: