Hi everyone,
I’m writing to get some advice about my cat, a 13-year-old male.
He’s suffering from feline calicivirus, which he caught about 7 years ago after coming into contact with a stray cat.
Right after that, I had his first dental done, which went very well. He was having regular steroid and antibiotic injections, along with various other treatments (homeopathic and others), which kept him comfortable and doing well.
In September 2020, I noticed his mouth was getting very messy; he couldn't clean himself anymore and was struggling to eat, despite the treatments.
The vet recommended another dental, which we did in November 2020.
To summarise the timeline:
- November: The dental went very badly. He refused to eat or drink, was completely listless, hiding away, and lost a huge amount of weight until he was just skin and bone. He was very down, and the vet was worried he might not make it. I took him to see some other vets just to be sure, and they confirmed the dental was done correctly, but that he was reacting very badly to the surgery and couldn't eat because his mouth was throbbing with pain. He was put on a drip regularly, and I tried to get him to eat by putting out about ten different plates with plenty of options.
- Early Jan '21: He finally started eating again and putting on weight. He would only eat cooked white meat, finely chopped, then gradually I tried to get him back onto cat food.
- Jan/Feb '21: He was eating, but his behaviour became strange. He meows day and night, and every day at the same time and place, he pees outside his litter tray. Despite my attempts to stop him, I'm at my wit's end. Plus, he doesn't really live "with" us anymore; he spends all his time in the kitchen on the chairs waiting to be fed, as if he's trying to make up for lost time. He’s basically a walking stomach who doesn't interact with us anymore, and he’s becoming difficult to manage.
- March '21: Back to the vet (I should mention I’m now giving him a monthly injection for the pain), and she told me I should think about putting him to sleep because he's losing weight again, he's dehydrated, and his mouth is very inflamed and messy once more. I refused because I feel like he’s still hanging in there.
==> More to follow
