Cat help. Yes...I need help with another cat.

[BigAlsGal]

Hi guys. Some of you may remember a post a made a few months ago about my sickly cat Bella who succumbed to her illness. Well. I gots me another sick cat.....I must attract them. Idk

Anyhoo my new kitten is named Mavis.



Ain’t she a cutie. Well we went through a lot with Mavis. I could tell from the minute I laid eyes on her she wasn’t quite well. She was skinny, had squirrely fur, and just seemed quiet. Well I fell in love with her.

To attempt to make a long story short she had chronic diarrhea for weeks and after multiple rounds of medicine, tests, and X-rays I got a half hearted diagnosis of FIP. (The cat killer). Half hearted meaning she was guessing based on her symptoms. She technically wasn’t sure.

I chose to treat her with what the doctor recommended (steroids and metronidazole). Well low and behold this fixes her diarrhea and seems to keep whatever it is at bay.

We now have a diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. She’s on a grain free/rare protein diet. I have to give her these medicines everyday (she’s been on them for well over a month). If I attempt to adjust the dose her Poo starts to soften again. I know I’m going to be monitoring my special kitten for probably the rest of her life but if anyone has any experience with this disease I would appreciate some advice. TIA!

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I don’t have any advice but she is gorgeous! Those eyes!

 

[Mizzoufan]

 

[BigAlsGal]

I don’t have any advice but she is gorgeous! Those eyes!

Thank you. It’s the eyes that got me.

 

[OneOftheB's]

It's been awhile since I've been around an IBD cat, but that seems very much like how our shelter treated them. I hate keeping any animal on long term steroids, but that seems like the traditional approach. We seemed to feed the duck and green pea flavor of some food (sorry, couldn't tell you the name) and that seemed to be the most generally tolerated of the commercially produced foods that were realistic for our shelter to buy.

If she were my girl, I would consider a raw diet. If that makes you squeamish, I've seen ads for a freeze dried raw food available for cats that you reconstitute with water. I might also see if there is a holistic vet in the area who might provide additional insight. Some holistic vets are really, really good, some are a little too "out there" for my comfort level.

It seems that the original diagnosis of FIP was wrong (thankfully). I've volunteered at a local cat shelter for 15+ years and we've had a number of FIP cats/kittens with only 2 kittens who survived their original diagnosis. They required around the clock support for close to a month, I seem to remember them going to the vet school at UGA for a period. Once those kittens were over the initial illness, they were symptom free and eventually adopted (after full disclosure of their medical history).

 

[BigAlsGal]

It's been awhile since I've been around an IBD cat, but that seems very much like how our shelter treated them. I hate keeping any animal on long term steroids, but that seems like the traditional approach. We seemed to feed the duck and green pea flavor of some food (sorry, couldn't tell you the name) and that seemed to be the most generally tolerated of the commercially produced foods that were realistic for our shelter to buy.

If she were my girl, I would consider a raw diet. If that makes you squeamish, I've seen ads for a freeze dried raw food available for cats that you reconstitute with water. I might also see if there is a holistic vet in the area who might provide additional insight. Some holistic vets are really, really good, some are a little too "out there" for my comfort level.

It seems that the original diagnosis of FIP was wrong (thankfully). I've volunteered at a local cat shelter for 15+ years and we've had a number of FIP cats/kittens with only 2 kittens who survived their original diagnosis. They required around the clock support for close to a month, I seem to remember them going to the vet school at UGA for a period. Once those kittens were over the initial illness, they were symptom free and eventually adopted (after full disclosure of their medical history).

Thank you. That’s exactly what I’m feeding her. The Natural Balance duck and green pea. It’s definitely the more convenient option since I have 2 other cats I just switched them all.

 

[firefly_ris]

Hydration as well... cats really should be eating a lot of moist food -- they tend not to drink enough water and then when eating hard dry pellets for dinner could contribute to diarrhea (not to mention kidney problems, etc -- they're really just not made to eat a 100% dry food diet). There are grain-free wet foods out there... it's been a while since I've done any brand research (I haven't fostered cats since 2009 and my dogs were on a raw diet for many years) but I know at least Wellness CORE has a grain-free wet food. She is beautiful, best of luck.

 

[gillep]

Sorry no advice, but I wanted to say that your cat is gorgeous!

 

[ols386]

She is so beautiful. She’s lucky to have you. It’s very obvious you truly love her. Wishing her a speedy recovery.

 

[dotfurio]

So cute! Our cat has never been diagnosed with IBD, but she was constantly vomiting and having diarrhea. We went through a couple food changes and finally read that we should try something with very few ingredients and unusual proteins in case of IBD. Right now she's on Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet Green Pea and Duck. Within a day she had 100% improvement. You can tell she feels better, too, because she's much more sociable. Now the only time she has an issue is when she runs out of food and sneaks over to eat the other cat's food. She's not on any meds.

 

[BigAlsGal]

So cute! Our cat has never been diagnosed with IBD, but she was constantly vomiting and having diarrhea. We went through a couple food changes and finally read that we should try something with very few ingredients and unusual proteins in case of IBD. Right now she's on Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet Green Pea and Duck. Within a day she had 100% improvement. You can tell she feels better, too, because she's much more sociable. Now the only time she has an issue is when she runs out of food and sneaks over to eat the other cat's food. She's not on any meds.

That’s what my cats eat now.

 

[holden]

I haven’t read all if the previous responses, but my vet says to feed only moist food. No dry food.

 

[Micca]

Just wanted to give you a pat on the back for taking care of the kitten. On a side note, we have an older cat that seemed like she was running out of steam, just not herself. We added the Natural Balance catfood to her diet of dry food and she was back to her old self in no time. We also switched the dry food to Natural Balance.

 

[smokeyblue]

My cat has been ill for years and the vet thinks its IBD. It's super challenging because he is a terribly finnicky eater. I've tried giving him the pea and duck food and he ate it for awhile and lost all interest. I also tried the hypoallergenic diet the vet wanted him on two different times, and he quickly stopped eating that too. The only thing I can consistently get him to eat is dry fancy feast food. Both the vet and I are baffled because one would think eating poor food would exacerbate and make his condition worse. At this point the vet and I agree that as long as he's eating something it's a good thing because he had lost 4 pounds in a year at his last visit.

I've also tried steroids with him. It just breaks my heart because he doesn't seem like the same cat when he's on them and I only see minimal improvement. I think my next step is going to be doing a trial of going going cold turkey off the Fancy Feast dry and putting him back on the steroids to increase his appetite and only offering the Royal Canan Hypoallgenic and supplement with Fancy Feast broths to make sure he's getting at least something in him (he will eat the broth and not the meat , but calories are calories). I know everyone says to do a mix of the old and new food and titrate it, but he will eat ever last morsel of his old food and leave the new stuff to go bad. If this doesn't work I'm just going to let him continue with the Fancy feast and do the steroids as needed. It's just really a balancing act with him.

 

[J'aime Paris]

Beautiful Kitten!!

When our girl is sick, the vet always recommends supplementing with moist food. Otherwise they can quickly dehydrate.
Get well wishes!

 

[BrianL]

No advice, but she's such a cutie! It's nice of you to take on a kitty that needs special attention. It sounds like it is a pretty manageable condition. Best wishes to you and Mavis.

 

[mom2rtk]

She's adorable. And lucky to have someone who cares looking after her. I hope you get it figured out!

 

[SharonZ]

I had a himalayan cat (Beau - see below) that suffered from IBD. We were successful in controlling his condition using Royal Canin limited ingredient food, Nutramax Proviable probiotics (Amazon), and a small dosage of steroids every other day. He lived a long and happy life. The hardest thing is to find the combination that works best for your cat, and it seems that you have that with Mavis. BTW, she is beautiful!

 

[jwfla422]

Hi guys. Some of you may remember a post a made a few months ago about my sickly cat Bella who succumbed to her illness. Well. I gots me another sick cat.....I must attract them. Idk

Anyhoo my new kitten is named Mavis.

View attachment 296110

Ain’t she a cutie. Well we went through a lot with Mavis. I could tell from the minute I laid eyes on her she wasn’t quite well. She was skinny, had squirrely fur, and just seemed quiet. Well I fell in love with her.

To attempt to make a long story short she had chronic diarrhea for weeks and after multiple rounds of medicine, tests, and X-rays I got a half hearted diagnosis of FIP. (The cat killer). Half hearted meaning she was guessing based on her symptoms. She technically wasn’t sure.

I chose to treat her with what the doctor recommended (steroids and metronidazole). Well low and behold this fixes her diarrhea and seems to keep whatever it is at bay.

We now have a diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. She’s on a grain free/rare protein diet. I have to give her these medicines everyday (she’s been on them for well over a month). If I attempt to adjust the dose her Poo starts to soften again. I know I’m going to be monitoring my special kitten for probably the rest of her life but if anyone has any experience with this disease I would appreciate some advice. TIA!

She is beautiful! Sorry to hear about your Bella, always so awful to lose a pet If your Mavis is improving I don't think it's FIP, usually they go downhill quickly with that. That being said, IBD is becoming more common amongst cats, still wondering if 1 or 2 of mine have it but you can't do a definite diagnosis without a biopsy which is somewhat invasive...however you can treat her as if she has it (like you are). (it can even be an allergy to a specific ingredient-my torti has an issue with chicken which can give her diarrhea)

The more healthful/real ingredients in a cats' diet the better...there is a very informative facebook page called IBDkitties that you might want to check out (hope the mods allow me to post that). Full of a lot of good information and educated folks who post there. Good luck with your Mavis and hope you get a more definitive diagnosis of what's going on.

 

[BigAlsGal]

She is beautiful! Sorry to hear about your Bella, always so awful to lose a pet If your Mavis is improving I don't think it's FIP, usually they go downhill quickly with that. That being said, IBD is becoming more common amongst cats, still wondering if 1 or 2 of mine have it but you can't do a definite diagnosis without a biopsy which is somewhat invasive...however you can treat her as if she has it (like you are). (it can even be an allergy to a specific ingredient-my torti has an issue with chicken which can give her diarrhea)

The more healthful/real ingredients in a cats' diet the better...there is a very informative facebook page called IBDkitties that you might want to check out (hope the mods allow me to post that). Full of a lot of good information and educated folks who post there. Good luck with your Mavis and hope you get a more definitive diagnosis of what's going on.

Thank you! Yes I believe chicken might have been an issue for her too. I accidentally got the Chicken and Green Pea formula one time and that seemed to soften her poop. Immediately switched back to duck and things were fine. Thanks for the info. I’ll look into it!