my fifteen year old cat is a stray i have had for five years, for the past couple of months he has had diarrhea and vomiting on and off. I took him to the vet's they did blood tests and a scan, he was dehydrated so they put him on a drip, he was ok for a couple of weeks, and not drinking much, i have been giving him water through a syringe, now he is off his foo.d, he is sleeping all the time and has lost an awful lot of weight he follows me round for food but then he won't eat it. The vet said all the blood tests and scan were clear but he has bad teeth, can you please give me any advice

Unfortunately I do not know what blood tests your vet has done, so just because these are clear does not mean that everything is normal. Has the thyroid been checked as this would explain the symptoms if the thyroid were overactive? Other considerations would be primary gut disease such as worms, inflammatory bowel disease, bowel lymphoma (a type of cancer) or a tumour elsewhere. I do not know what your vet scanned so it may be that something was not looked at that is abnormal. Also some vets have more experience with scanning than others so more difficult lesions may have been missed. You can always ask your vet to get you a second opinion from a specialist.

Hi, my cat scrappy is 3yrs old, he was nuetered nearly a year ago but still likes to go roaming . he came home yesterday after a jaunt away for a couple of days and he seems to be finding it very hard to climb the stairs or to jump up onto the sofa. he is also growling quite a lot. i originally put the growling down to the fact we recently brought a kitten into the house but he does it even when she isn't around. also his right eye is a little mucky, not runny but has a little discharge there. please can you suggest anything?

If he is growling a lot it probably means he is in pain and if he is having trouble climbing the stairs then he may have hurt his pelvis/back/back legs. It sounds like he needs to see the vet to be examined.

Hi,
My male cat is 11 months old. He is usually full of life and cant wait to get outside. But yesterday i noticed his eyes are a bit weepy and he is quite lifeless. He hasnt eaten all of his food today (which never happens) and instead of rushing outside he is curled up asleep on the sofa and seems a bit sorry for himself. Is it just a cold or does he need a vet? (sorry Ive never owned a cat before so just wanted to ask!)
Thanks for your help.
Rebecca

Short answer is it is hard to say but I wonder if this is the beginning of cat flu. If he does not want to eat and is lethargic then he probably has a fever and so would benefit from an anti-inflammatory. If secondary infections sets in then antibiotics are needed. These are only available from a vet. You could see how it goes for 24 hours but if there is no change see a vet.

PLEASE HELP!!
My cat mona keeps being sick, coughing sneezing and gagging, shes shaking before she is being sick, we thought it was because she had cat flu, but she has no discharge coming from her nose or eyes. We then thought it was because she was pregnant, but her weight loss from vomiting proves its not that either, she is a long furred cat but we brush her, there is no fur in the sick, and when shes sick she makes a funny noise, as if shes in pain, shes also gazing on my bedroom wall. earlier on in the living room, i found a white thing about 1 meter come out of her mouth as i went to pull it she swallowed it, i think it was a worm, i am worried, all the advise online doesnt relate to this problem, Love Poppy Daniel

Hi,

My Cat is almost 2 years old and we got her from the SPCA and she has long hair and short hair. She seems to be a tabby cat mixed with a cat that had long hair? Anyway, she had really bad fleas the last summer and we have given her some treatment for it and the fleas are now minimal. however, she continues to constantly lick herself and I have never seen a furball from her.
The problem now is that she is vommiting chunks of her food and it doesnt seem like her food has been properly digested. She doesnt seem like she has a problem and she gets food straight after she has vomited. Could it be something to do with her food? Or is there an accumulative amount of fur inside her that is blocking her food from digesting properly? She is eating Friskies and sometimes canned food. We live on a farm and there are alot of wild cats around, could it be an infection caught off other cats? Im very concerned for her and this has been happening for the last 4 days.

Thanks,
Jackie

From what you describe the most likely explanation is fur in the stomach as she is still licking at herself. 5ml of liquid paraffin or of vegetable oil once or twice a day for a week should hopefully shift it. Since she is still licking you ought to keep treating for fleas and consider treating the environment

my 11 year old cat has got very thin,but she is eating way more than used to,she definatly has not got worms.she has got very clingy and her head gives little judders she also is also being sick at times can you advise.this has happened over number of weeks so was not noticed.thank you.

Hi Pam

If any cat is eating loads but getting thinner there simply has to be a problem. I suspect your cat could be suffering from a hormonal imbalance which is caused by an overactive thyroid gland. The symptoms you describe are often what cats brought in to our clinic with this condition look like. Hyperthyroidism is very common in cats over 10 years old. Bowel upsets, vomiting or diahorrea are often present along with a ravenous appetite and weight loss. It is a serious problem and will ultimately be life threatening if untreated so you need to get her checked by a vet who can perform a general health screen and some blood tests to measure her thyroid function. The great thing about hyperthyroidism is that most cats respond really well to medication which is readily available to treat the problem.

Cathy Wickenden BVet Med MRCVS
Barton Lodge Veterinary Centre
1 Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 5BH
Tel: 01442 216048 24 hours
[www.bartonlodgevets.co.uk]

I have a lovely cat, Millie, and she is now 14 years old. She doesn't use a litter as she goes out quite frequently. However over the past week she has pooed and urinated in the hallway where she sleeps and there has also been some bright red mucusy blood, this has happened every other night over the week. She is still eating but does seem a bit sad.

Hi Anne

That doesnt sound good that she's passing blood. It can never be a simple problem for this to keep happening. She's quite an elderly cat so the possible causes get more serious too and are too long for me to list. I really think you should get her checked by a vet as it keeps happening.

Cathy Wickenden BVet Med MRCVS
Barton Lodge Veterinary Centre
1 Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 5BH
Tel: 01442 216048 24 hours
[www.bartonlodgevets.co.uk]