My cat is poorly.....

[Harry]

As above really, my cat just hasn't been acting right the past 2-3 weeks, he doesn't want to play, he's not interested in food and generally just looking very sad. He's only 8 months old so he should still be bouncing off the walls.

We had him neutered at the end of January and straight after he was back to his regular self. His change in character has only been very noticeable for the past 2-3 weeks.

So i popped into the RSPCA (where we got him from) this morning for a chat as to whether this behaviour is normal and made an appointment for 12pm for a check up. Very lucky i got an appointment on the same day in hindsight.

Took him to the vet at the time booked and the vet said that he looked very jaundice, the white of his eyes are very yellow. He could also feel some sort of mass in the little fellas stomach and said that it could be swollem lymph nodes or a tumor! Very unlikely to be a tumour at his age but can't be ruled out.

The vet said that he needed immediate hospitalisation as he was that bad! So i drove straight over to a private vet clinic and had them submit him. Little fella looked so frail being pocked and prodded.

I had to leave him with them so they could run some tests and get him on a drip.

Just got off the phone with the vet and it doesn't look good. His liver is in a bad way according to the blood results, unsurprising as the jaundice inicated this already. He also has a very very low red blood cell count, so low in fact that his blood is going to be couriered to a specialist clinic as the machines in the vet clinic cannot analyse them sufficiently.

She cannot say at this stage what is causing him to be so ill but this must have been happening over the past 4 weeks because she said if the blood cell count had got so low over a very short period of time she would expect him to be throwing up and literally on his last legs.

So he's on a course of antibiotics and steroids through a drip. Hopefully the drip will rehydrate him as he is dehydrated to the point of being anaemic. I just hope he responds well to the steroid treatment.

They have no idea what the mass in his stomach could be and the only way to tell is to cut him open and have a look, but he's far too ill to do that any time soon.

So if he stays in over the weekend we'll be looking at a bill of about £550, which could've been avoided if we'd only taken out pet insurance on the little fella. But we owe it to him to do everything we can to get him better, plus when he gets better i'm going to send him out to wash the neighbours' cars to recoup the money, and no allowance for a very long time!

Here's hoping that our little Alfie pulls through.

Sorry for the long post, just had to get it out.

[R-man]

Ah bless you Harry I hope all turns out ok. Am very impressed that you are taking the time and money to try and save him too! Fingers crossed for you mate.

[grumpano]

Hope hes ok mate,i have 2 of the blighters and must admit i'd be gutted if they got poorly.

[Harry]

cheers guys - it's going to be a long weekend that's for sure.

[Mrs GSi]

I hope the Little Guy is OK, I know how I feel when one of my two are ill Thinking of you Harry, Sophie and Little Alfie

[Ian]

Hope the little guy pulls through Harry, I know how worrying it can be (and expensive ours cost £3k last year). Hes is the right hands now and as soon as they know how to treat him he'll be back to bouncing around in no time.

[Mrs D]

Awww, poor Alfie - thinking lots of positive thought for him - hope things turn out okay

[breezephil]

Damn Harry, Hoping that The little fella gets better soon! If My Cat was at all ill I'd be really worried - seeing as she is now 14!

Hopefully it will be all OK!

[soulman]

awwwwww hope he gets better

[ed taylor]

I hope he gets better soon, it is like one of your family not being well isn,t it.