Over the weekend 14-year-old Quincey went right off her food, drink, and us, and was sitting in the same spot in the garden for most of the day, very lethargic, and refusing to eat anything at all...I took her to the vet this morning, and they have kept her in to be re-hydrated and blood tests done, as they couldn't find anything obviously wrong.
It's the first time she's been away from home (except for nice holidays at the kennels) and I'm REALLY upset.
She is especially precious, as she belonged to my beloved elderly Mother who died 18 months ago.
I'm waiting anxiously for the vet to phone back with blood results, so please spare Quincey a thought or prayer today.
thankyou.

((((((xxxxx))))))) Hope Quincey will be fine xx

Dear skyblue22 ,

I really hope you get good news , however when my Lucy took to going into the garden and lying in her favourite spot under the pampas grass it was not good news .
We kept bringing her back in , but when she started being sick she was taken to the vets and an x-ray showed a large cancer on her pelvis .Lucy was only about 7 years old and it came as a great shock . She was PTS then her ashes were sprinkled under the pampas grass .

I truly hope you get better news . Big hugs to Quincey .

Keeping everything crossed. Can they scan the kidneys? Reduced kidney function is THE most common problem in older cats, (and fits with the symptoms) but it does not show up in blood tests until 75 to 80 % of the kidney function is already gone, so an ultrasound scan of the kidneys would give a much better idea. If something is going on with the kidneys, ask about a medication called Fortekor. It really does help and gives them that extra lease of life for an extra amount of time, even when the kidneys are bad.

Aah my thoughts are with you and Quincey, hope the little chap will be ok.........:)

you are both in my prayers today.
god bless you both
xxx

Sorry to hear your cat is not to well. Although they do have a habit of surprising you at times. On the plus side my Oscar - just a standard Moggie was not to well when he was 18 diagnosed with Chronic Renal Faliure....but I did nothing, tried the special food he refused to eat it and I returned him to his normal food.... just let him be he was not in pain or discomfort and he lived till he was 23 years and 4 months. In really good health and jumping 6ft+ fences till a week before.
His sister Cleo also diagnosed with CRF....common I am told in cats lived till a week short of her 25th birthday.....just wanted to say they seem worse sometimes when they are older because you remember they are old; like us.
Hope all goes well for her and for you but sometimes old age is the law we have to abide by....and she will be going home to your Mom.....and such a happy reunion, for the two of them.

Take care, Karen

How is you cat doing?

I hope that the vet has some good news and it is something easily sorted.

XX

Thankyou to everyone who replied, it really means a lot.
The vet says she has a thyroid problem, I didn't catch whether it's hyper or hypo? and she says that the liver is malfunctioning as a result. Any opinions on that, please?
I phoned again this evening, and they said she's perked up on the drip; and that tomorrow they will send the bloods to another lab for a 2nd opinion (this is the Beaumont hospital, which is the vet college, so in a consultation, the animal is first seen by a final year student, then by a vet).
Shall I ask for a kidney scan anyway? does it need an anaesthetic? would blood tests show up any cancer? or is that a different test?

I feel really at the mercy of what the vet tells me.

Thankyou again for any and all replies.

no advice, just thinking of you and your girl, my cats are 15 and 11 and I'd be devastated if anything happened to them :(

fingers crossed for you

The vet says she has a thyroid problem, I didn't catch whether it's hyper or hypo? and she says that the liver is malfunctioning as a result. Any opinions on that, please?

Shall I ask for a kidney scan anyway? does it need an anaesthetic? would blood tests show up any cancer? or is that a different test?

Cats are commonly hyperthyroid as opposed to dogs that more often are hypo. (Typical symptoms include greasy coat, crying a lot, restlessness and weightloss despite good appetite.) It can be treated, either medically or surgically -do ask more about it. If this is the reason, probably not absolutely necessary to check the kidneys further, but no, an ultrasound scan does not require anaesthetic. :)

Thankyou very much DearLady. :-)

Marianne, thanks so much for that info - could you please answer my last question about testing for cancer? (I know you are one of the founts of all knowledge here! :-) )

Cancer is a bit harder -you can tell from blood tests if something is very wrong and may then suspect cancer somewhere, I think it is the white cell count that changes, but it isn't conclusive in any way as far as I know.

So how would they know if she had cancer?

X-rays usually.

Great, thanks. I think I'm ready to ask some questions tomorrow. :-)

tumours can also be found with ultrasounds if they are soft tissue, and can be diagnosed only with a fine needle aspirate or biopsy and sent for lab diagnosis.
if your cat is hyperthyroid there are several treatment options, surgery, though not ideal with cats age due to anaesthetic but can be done. medication for life is the second option, possible most common, depends on how your cat is to tablet, and third option is radioactive treatment, cat gets an injection of iodine and kept in isolation for 30days, and should be cured for life. only several places in britain do option 3. options 1 and 3 would require testing the kidney function prior to any treatment.
hope you cat is ok soon.

(((((((((((((skyblue))))))))))))))))
I've only just seen your post. I'm so sorry to hear about your poor cat :-( It's good to hear she's perked up a little on the drip though. Hopefully you'll get a clearer picture of what is going on today. You were so supportive when my cat was poorly, I'm sorry that you're now going through it with your girl. I'll be thinking of you xx

Thankyou again for your replies. And thankyou Rachel, it's such a heartache when our oldies start going downhill. It's only a few days since Quincey was scampering around like a young 'un, so this was a really sudden change...

Well, the vet called me to come and bring her home this morning, so I was expecting her to look a bit better, but actually, there's been no change at all :-( She's gone straight back to sit under the same bush in the garden, and still won't eat or drink and looks very depressed :-()

I've had one set of blood tests back and they are still waiting for the rest. She's on anti-biotics for the liver problem, and waiting to confirm the thyroid problem.

I've asked for the results, though they are gobbledeygook to me, in case anybody here can read them:

Property    Result    Quality       
WBC                    = 10.90 10e9/l    P       
Neutrophils            = 7.30 10e9/l    P       
Neutrophils %          = 67.00 %    U       
Lymphocytes            = 2.94 10e9/l    P       
Lymphocytes %          = 27.00 %    U       
Monocytes              = 0.44 10e9/l    P       
Monocytes %            = 4.00 %    U       
Eosinophils            = 0.22 10e9/l    P       
Eosinophils %          = 2.00 %    U       
Basophils              = 0 10e9/l    P       
Basophils %            = 0 %    U       
RBC                    = 9.24 10e12/l    P       
HGB                    = 13.50 g/dL    P       
HCT                    = 37.40 %    P       
MCV                    = 40.40 fL    P       
MCH                    = 14.60 pg    P       
MCHC                    = 36.20 g/dL    F       
RDW                    = 19.80 %    U       
PLT                    = 477.00 10e9/l    P       
Comment.                Erythrocytes:
Mild anisocytosis.

Leukocytes:
Neutrophils  ...    U     

Property    Result    Quality       
Total protein          = 59.40 g/l    F       
Albumin                = 28.90 g/l    P       
Globulin                = 30.50 g/l    P       
Sodium                  = 158.50 mmol/l    P       
Potassium              = 4.70 mmol/l    P       
Chloride                = 116.90 mmol/l    P       
Calcium                = 2.24 mmol/l    P       
Inorganic Phosphorus    = 1.65 mmol/l    P       
Urea                    = 4.50 mmol/l    F       
Creatinine              = 86.00 umol/l    F       
Total Bilirubin        = 7.10 umol/l    F       
Cholesterol            = 3.30 mmol/l    P       
ALT                    = 134.00 U/l    F       
ALP                    = 122.00 U/l    F       
GGT                    = 0 U/l    P       
Comment.                gg
    U       
               
   Thanks, and I'll keep you posted.

Thyroid test result = T4 is 151

So just going back to the vet for medication.

Well, Quincey has eaten two tiny little pieces of lamb, had few sips of water and gone back to bed...but she did have a little play and stretch, which I hope are good signs.

:-) They sound like very good signs to me. Hopefully she'll improve every day now she's on the medication. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you. Keep us posted, xx

Any news Skyblue? How is Quincey getting on? :-)

Hi Rach,
Thankyou for asking. Quincey is still subdued, but feeling much better and brighter in herself, and is eating normally. She still looks thin; any ideas for bulking her up?
It looks as if she'll be on this thyroid medicine for life now :-( but the diadnosis could have been much worse.
I'm in two mind now about whether to have her kidneys scanned. I'd love to be preventative rather than waiting till she develops a serious problem.
Back to the vet this week to see how they feel she's doing.
Wish us luck.
Sky :-)

I'm so glad to hear Quincey is getting back to her old self :-)
I don't know what I'd do about the kidney scan either. Like you say, it would be good to be preventative, but it's a big step. Maybe you could let your vet guide you. As for bulking her up, the only thing I can think of is offering more small meals as well as treat foods she'll be more tempted to eat. When my cat was poorly I bought these tiny tins of 'luxury' cat food. I can't remember what make they were but they did a tuna one with squid which he absolutely loved! I'm going to buy some this week as my other cat has lost a bit of weight (she's missing him) so I'll let you know what it's called.

Good luck at the vets - and keep in touch
:-)

Thankyou Rachel,
I spoke to the vet today, and we've agreed that I'll take Quincey in to repeat the blood tests in 2 or 3 weeks, and take it from there. So I just hope she keeps on improving. I'll look out for the tuna and squid food, thankyou again. :-)

Kitten food - that's what my vet suggested and as it's so highly calorific
they only eat need to a few mouthfuls.

Thankyou for that Boxacrazy, good idea, I'll get some today. Thanks :-)

Hi skyblue, I just read your post, so sorry for your dear one.

When my first cat went downhill and lost weight I used to feed her little pieces of cheese and roast chicken with the skin on.  She had a liking for a bit of yoghurt and icecream too but she was able to handle the lactose and it was only an occasional treat.

Also try some of the whiskers pet milk, they love the taste and it's a great way to keep them hydrated as well. 

Thats ok glad to be of assistance - it certainly helped my boy.

Thankyou very much for all your replies. Quincey has been loving the kitten food and licking the plate clean :-) which she hasn't done for ages.

That's fantastic news....I'm so pleased to hear that :-) :-) :-)

:D Thats great news

Glad to hear it's working for Quincey :)

:) glad to hear your furbaby is doing better :)