Someone Please Help! My cat might be in trouble.

[FuzzButtLover]

I have a 4 yr. old spayed female cat, turns 5 in March and she seems to have a problem. I first noticed it a couple of days ago when she jumped on my lap to say hi and while I was petting her I felt she was skinnier then usual. I weighed her and I was right, she weighed 9 lbs., which is a pound lighter then usual. Today when I saw and pet her, she felt slightly skinnier and this time her ribs were ever so slightly more defined. I weighed her again and she was still 9 lbs. We have four cats and they all share a food and water bowl that refills itself so I don't know if she is eating or drinking, I am keeping and extra eye on her to make sure she does though. I am trying to find out what her problem is and my mom said the earliest we can get an apointment made is sometime next week. I said to call no later than Monday (I wanted her to call today, but she said no because no one in my family likes my cat except me as she is a one person cat, tortiose shell, and only likes me). Anyways, when I picked her up I felt a slight knot or lump in her stomach. I did a more thorough feel and definetly felt it. It seemed to be the size of one of those cat-nip mice, which we have none of though. Could it be a hair ball, a hernia, I don't know. So, I was wondering if anyone on here knows much about what it could be. Thanks.

[yarag009]

If it is a hairball, have you tried to give her some of the hairball remedy so she can poop it? I really hope it's not blockage. Has she been using the bathroom that you know of? If so, check out her poop and see if you notice any worms. They are some intestinal worms that will show on her feces, however, there are some stomach worms that will not show on her feces. If you can, take a *fresh* stool sample with you when you go to the vet. That way you can be one step ahead...Good luck!

[FuzzButtLover]

It will be a big challange to get that sample, but I will try. We have 4 cats total and four litter boxes but they don't use the same one each time. I haven't given her anything as I hav just found out she had the lump and wanted advice first. I don't have any hairball remedy, but might be able to run to the store and get some. What exactly is it, I have had her for about her whole life and haven't had a problem like this before. Thanks

[yarag009]

It's something that looks like a tube of toothpaste, the texture is like Vaseline, but they flavor it with malt flavor or fish flavor. My cats prefer the malt flavor. Supermarkets carry it as well as places like Target. What is does is that it covers the hairball, making it almost digestible so it passes through the intestines. To obtain a sample of the poop, place the cat in a bedroom with a clean litter box and put her food/water there. At one point she will use the box and you can collect your sample. Do it like the day before the vet appointment. It's easier than following the cat around to see which litter box will be used...Hope this helps you...

[FuzzButtLover]

Sorry I haven't responded lately, but she is fine now, I think. The other day she went poo in the dining room. Ever since then she has been herself again, running crazily through the house spazing out. My mom and I concluded that she was probably just erm . . . constipated. The lump was gone after we noticed the poo. We know it was her who pooed there because she is the only one who doesn't use the litter box 100% of the time. Sometimes she poos in the dining room. That's why we have to put aluminum or tin ? foil down. Any way, thank you a whole lot for your help and I will keep your advice in mind in case something else comes up. Also, do you know if I should still take her to the vet, she seems better now and I can feel the weight slowly regaining?

[MilwCavyMom]

My guess is constipation like you said. My cat had a similar problem a few years ago. Her anal glands were swollen which caused constipation which seemed to cause lots of vomiting and weight loss. I took her in to the vet who fixed her glands and gave her a kitty enima and she was fine. Keep a close eye on her and be sure she's ok. If nothing else check with the vet and be sure she'll be alright.

[FuzzButtLover]

Now we have to get rid of her and two other cats. My dad came down this mornig and found poo and pee on our brand new couches. He yelled at ME for it and made ME clean it up. He is probably right though, because it was most likely my cat. But now we have to get rid of her and another one. If it were my choice I would spend the money to fix the problem, but my parents said they have already tried that. We used to have a fith cat that we found a home on a farm for her because she peed ALL over the house. We took her to the vet several times, got her antibiotics for a urinary tract infection, we did as much as we could until we resolved that she wasn't curable in our home at least. Now my dad won't do that same mistake again and is going to find them new homes or take them to a no kill shelter.

[MilwCavyMom]

FBL, I'm so terribly sorry. I know first hand that vets cost alot, but I wish they could see that's part of owning a cat. It could be something more serious than the UTI, or perhaps its behavioral, though that's not usually the case. Sometimes cats do that if their litter box is not properly cleaned or they don't like the litter. I hope you'll be ok.

[Tulip]

Could you try having them be outside cats? We had to do this with ours as they started spraying everywhere. Even females spray. It's cat behavior, but no, not all cats do it. Ours went years before they started. We made nice warm beds for them outside, and if they wanted brought them in and kept them in big crates for the night.

[MilwCavyMom]

Tulip....Don't they do that normally if they aren't spayed?
FBL...are your cats spayed?

[FuzzButtLover]

Oops, above I said I was getting rid of 3 cats, but only have to get rid of two. Anyways, Thanks for the support! Tulip, I wish I could make them outside cats but there are two problems with this. First off my cats hate the outdoors, they scream and cry when we take them outside just to show them to someone, so we don't ever take them out. The second problem is all our cats are declawed and won't be able to climb anything to escape from danger and they won't be able to defend themselves. Maybe I could convince my dad to build a pretty big outdoor pen for them to live in. I just came up with this idea and don't know if I like it but it is probably better then staying in cages. Then again it is colder/hotter. Also, YES, all four of our cats and all three dogs are altered. My parents are real big on the issue of "No babies" so this won't be a problem. I still hope we can find a good home for them or at least find a way to live in peace with them (doubtful since my dad is set on the idea of getting rid of them). Thanks again and if you guys know of anyone who wants a couple of cats, please tell me. Agian, I'd rather them go straight to a good home then go to a shelter and wait for a home that they might never get.

By the way, this plan is just a shot in the dark and probably will NOT work but, I am going to remember/ write down the name, address and phone number of the shelter we take them to and when I'm in my own house I am going to get my kitties back. If they have a home or have passed on I will, maybe take a new kitty home with me. I don't know what will happen though, I can't tell the future.

[FuzzButtLover]

Oh, by the way the cat that pooed and peed on the couch is the same one that had a problem (first post). She is better now, back to "normal" what ever normal is, I'm sure her normal is a lot different from other cat's normal.