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Sick cat vent. Thoughts, advice? (LONG)
I haven't posted here in years, but I thought some of you might have advice, thoughts, whatever. My cat has been sick for about a month now. It just started with him not eating much and puking a bit. He is normally a huge eater, always hungry, eating his portion, the other cat's portion and then asking for more. So we knew there was something wrong when he started leaving food in his plate.
We brought him in for a physical, nothing seemed abnormal. She suggested blood tests (FADR) and urine test, because he had urinary issues in the past (crystals, UTIs, 2 blockages, idiopathic cyctistis, you name it).
Nothing really came out of the blood tests, she said maybe he ate something and suggested vaseline for a few days. But nothing passed, and he didn't get better. We brought him back in, did another urine test, an Xray, and they put him on IV fluids for 2 days. The Xray showed something odd, so she sent us for an ultrasound at the big vet hospital.
Ultrasound showed his spleen was oversized (doubled), and his kidneys, intestine and gallbladder all showed signs of infection/inflammation. No stones. We did a spleen cytology and a urine culture. Still nothing. The cytology was mostly blood and they don't recommend redoing it to get better cells because of the danger of hemmorhaging (sp?).
So we are up to $1600 in tests and still nothing. She prescribed antibiotics and daily subQ fluids after those results. It has now been two weeks of treatment and he is not doing better. He seemed better at first, but he still eats only half a portion, he has been puking quite a bit these last 2-3 days, and he is much more calm/cuddly/sleepy than usual. And he doesn't beg for food, which is so strange (not table food, but he always used to go to the catfood cupbard and cry until someone gave him something).
Anyway. He is 8 years old. I called the vet back yesterday and she suggested giving vaseline just in the odd case it is just a hairball this time making him puke. I'll do it, but I really don't think it is that. 
I feel like we are looking and looking and we just don't know. We still don't know if it was a tumor in the spleen, so that could be it.
So I guess what I'm wondering, is at what point do you stop trying to find out what is wrong and do you just try to keep them happy and comfortable? He is eating every day, I don't mind finishing the antibiotics (1 more week) and fluids treatment, but I'm starting to think we'll just never know what is wrong and maybe we should just keep an eye on him and bring him back if it gets worse...
Wow, sorry it was so long. Thanks for reading. Tiger is seriously the best and cutest cat in the world, I just don't know what to do anymore I guess we could get a second opinion, but our vet has already discussed his case with another vet at her clinic (they are 5 of them there), and with the radiologist at the vet hospital.
Re: Sick cat vent. Thoughts, advice? (LONG)
I'm sorry about your kitty.
I don't have a ton of advice, but I didn't want to open the post without responding.
I would *probably* get a second opinion. What does your vet think you should do next?
But I feel you on the vet bills. In the last two years our cat,Penny, has been diagnosed with interstitial cystitis that requires fairly frequent medication, and bladder stones that had to be surgically removed. Boo.
Snow!
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