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My Meow-Meow Kitty has turned yellow..

vedderfan10vedderfan10 Posts: 2,497
edited December 2007 in All Encompassing Trip
And the vet says I have to take her in tomorrow for blood tests. The insides of her ears are yellow as are her lips and gums...Her eyes are still green.... She won't eat anything but Wiskas Temptations...and I even went and bought her ever flavour of Wiskas canned food, but she won't touch it.

Yet, she does not act like a sick cat. She purrs and plays with the dogs. Her nose is cold and wet...and she talks to me like always. She's lost some weight, but then she was WAAY over weight...She does not avoid light or me...and is just as affectionate as always.

She's been yellow for about a week now and the vet was all mad at me...she's not in any distress. I've been shoving Milk Thistle capsules into her face twice a day so occasionally she regains the pinkish hue...I've figured out that something is up with her liver, but what is causing that problem..

I don't know...We're flying to Maui on Saturday and my parents are taking her in while we're gone...and they have two cats (her children actually), so I have to know for sure that she's not contagious..

Has anyone else had experience with their cat turning yellow? Apparently it's not that common...She's only seven...
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  • chiquimonkeychiquimonkey Posts: 9,337
    i have never experienced that with any of my pets, so i can't offer any advice. but i did want to wish you well and hope everything works out and that it's nothing serious and she feels better soon!
  • wolfbearwolfbear Posts: 3,965
    I'm so sorry. :( I tried googling and the only thing I came up with was possible liver disease as you did.
    I sure hope it all works out. The tests should be back before Saturday. I can't imagine that she is contagious though. Keep us posted.
    "I'd rather be with an animal." "Those that can be trusted can change their mind." "The in between is mine." "If I don't lose control, explore and not explode, a preternatural other plane with the power to maintain." "Yeh this is living." "Life is what you make it."
  • RolandTD20KdrummerRolandTD20Kdrummer Posts: 13,066
    Just an FYI but liver scenarios in cats do not usually go so great. When cats do not eat, their livers essentially disintegrate. How old is your cat?
    Progress is not made by everyone joining some new fad,
    and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
    over specific principles, goals, and policies.

    http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg

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  • vedderfan10vedderfan10 Posts: 2,497
    Thank you for your kind words... I grew up with a whole pile of cats, but none of them ever turned yellow like this...

    Meow-Meow is a feral cat that we tamed over time --and she's been retired now for about four years...she's given up catching things and behaving like a cat. Mostly she acts like a dog (the alpha dog)...we caught all her kittens that were born in a stump near our house, and then got her inside and got her spayed...then let her go again...but it was another couple of years before she lived with us full-time. She'd normally take off all spring and summer and come back just prior to Halloween and stay inside until about March... But for the last four years she's been a completely indoor cat...

    Somebody dumped her off in our subdivision (where only we lived) when she was a wee babe, so we started feeding her...she didn't really trust people for a looooong time.
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  • GraySaturdayGraySaturday Posts: 2,878
    Oh good luck to your kitty! I have no idea whats happening with him/her turning yellow. I've never see that. Poor thing. I have three kitties so I know how much it sucks when something is up with them.

    Feel better little kitty!
  • vedderfan10vedderfan10 Posts: 2,497
    RolandTD20Kdrummer wrote:
    Just an FYI but liver scenarios in cats do not usually go so great. When cats do not eat, their livers essentially disintegrate. How old is your cat?

    She's seven....I'm giving her the Milk Thistle to keep her liver functioning as best it can...
    be philanthropic
  • RolandTD20KdrummerRolandTD20Kdrummer Posts: 13,066
    Vedderfan10 wrote:
    She's seven....I'm giving her the Milk Thistle to keep her liver functioning as best it can...


    Seven seems kinda young for a case of feline lipidosis. Maybe the cat got into something toxic? but then there would be lethargy. If it is decreased liver function it will be a matter of a few days to a week before the lethargy sets in. Hard to say, if it was 13+ I would be more concerned. I'm not familiar with the yellowing symptoms, statistically there's some years to go for your kitty yet.
    Progress is not made by everyone joining some new fad,
    and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
    over specific principles, goals, and policies.

    http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg

    (\__/)
    ( o.O)
    (")_(")
  • vedderfan10vedderfan10 Posts: 2,497
    Yeah, that's the thing...she sleeps all day anyway (that we know of) and has done so since she became an indoor cat. We have a yucca-type plant in our living room that has been chewed by one of our animals, but that was in the summer.

    Seven is a bit young for this. She was overweight, which led me to the lipidosis thing. But I actually do let her outside everyday and she comes running back in after five or ten minutes. Literally, she runs down the stairs and into the backyard...meowing the whole time...

    Other than the anorexia, there is nothing abnormal about her behaviour...
    be philanthropic
  • RolandTD20KdrummerRolandTD20Kdrummer Posts: 13,066
    Vedderfan10 wrote:
    Yeah, that's the thing...she sleeps all day anyway (that we know of) and has done so since she became an indoor cat. We have a yucca-type plant in our living room that has been chewed by one of our animals, but that was in the summer.

    Seven is a bit young for this. She was overweight, which led me to the lipidosis thing. But I actually do let her outside everyday and she comes running back in after five or ten minutes. Literally, she runs down the stairs and into the backyard...meowing the whole time...

    Other than the anorexia, there is nothing abnormal about her behaviour...

    When cat's stop eating it's bad. There's a stomach tube option which get's pretty expensive, and you have to make it a pretty much a part time job throughout the day of pouring formula into your cats stomach. Pretty severe option. You need to seriously get some food in that cat. If it's been a week already, it's critical. The liver takes a certain amount of damage then it cascades pretty fast. Will the cat take anything down including people food? Some raw beef mixed with beef liver? perhaps some canned tuna or raw salmon? Time is a pretty critical factor, as the liver will inevitably fail with the fasting. There is a point of no return when cats stop eating.
    Progress is not made by everyone joining some new fad,
    and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
    over specific principles, goals, and policies.

    http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg

    (\__/)
    ( o.O)
    (")_(")
  • Urban HikerUrban Hiker Posts: 1,312
    Sounds like tomorrow can't come too soon. Good luck with your kitty.
    Walking can be a real trip
    ***********************
    "We've laid the groundwork. It's like planting the seeds. And next year, it's spring." - Nader
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  • jezebeloriajezebeloria Posts: 600
    I too had to take my kitty to the vet today. She has an upper respiratory infection. Has not eaten anything I have seen since Saturday nite. (I have 2 cats so sometimes it's hard to tell who eats what) Vet gave me all kinda meds and directions but said bottom line if you can't get her to eat she will have to spend some time there. Said once the congestion is cleared she should start eating again. Hopefully this med thing will not be as difficult as I am anticipating.

    Best of luck to you. Hope Meow-Meow gets better soon.
    PJ FANS ROCK!!!

    Finally got that "One for the Thumb"!!! Got the "Six Pack". Now we're on a "Stairway to Seven"

    Some words when spoken...can't be taken back.

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  • MattCameronKicksButtMattCameronKicksButt Posts: 4,317
    jezebeloria wrote:
    I too had to take my kitty to the vet today. She has an upper respiratory infection. Has not eaten anything I have seen since Saturday nite. (I have 2 cats so sometimes it's hard to tell who eats what) Vet gave me all kinda meds and directions but said bottom line if you can't get her to eat she will have to spend some time there. Said once the congestion is cleared she should start eating again. Hopefully this med thing will not be as difficult as I am anticipating.

    Best of luck to you. Hope Meow-Meow gets better soon.

    Will both of you give your cats big hugs for me please. :)
  • TrixieCatTrixieCat Posts: 5,756
    Oh, my heart is breaking for meow-meow. :(
    I love the name meow-meow.
    I have never heard of a cat turning yellow. I am so sorry for you.
    I recently lost one of my cats....he went out and never came back.
    I hope everything works out for you.
    Sounds like you have given your cat a loving home.
    Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
    And I don't feel right when you're gone away
  • vedderfan10vedderfan10 Posts: 2,497
    Meow-Meow Kitty is at the vet's now....I just spoke to them and they said "she's pretty yellow all right!" They will be doing blood tests and checking out serum levels and will call to let me know...

    Thanks again, everyone, for your kind words. I have been giving Meow-Meow a bunch of hugs for everyone here....

    This morning, she was running around and acting like a normal non-sick cat. Played with the dogs, purred for about an hour...but she still won't eat her food. She will eat Wiskas Temptations cat treats (salmon), but I don't want to give her too many of them at a time. She's also not drinking as much water as I originally thought...

    Anyhow, I'll keep you posted...and thanks again for your kind words and thoughts...you're such a great bunch of people!
    be philanthropic
  • RygarRygar Posts: 8,685
    Good luck!
    Hope your kitty is fixable.
  • SoapMakesUTallerSoapMakesUTaller Posts: 230
    I had a cat die of liver disease.....he was already lighter toned, but didn't notice anything about his gums or nose. If you suddenly can't find your cat, or it's hiding, that's not a good sign. The day before we put my cat down, he tried to walk into the house, but couldn't make it up the stairs and was crying as he tried to climb the steps.....Just be careful, but remember, there's only so much you can do.
  • SmartypantsSmartypants Posts: 114
    Oh, poor Meow-Meow :(

    I hope you've been to the vet now and she's feeling better. It does sound like hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) causing jaundice. I just learned about it a couple years ago when my cat stopped eating for a few days (she didn't get it but the vet was worried she would if she didn't start eating soon). I learned that it's very dangerous for a cat to not eat for more than 24-48 hours. Without food they'll start burning fat for energy and, for some reason, their livers aren't very efficient doing that and the fat will "clog up" the liver. And then it's a vicious cycle because that makes the cat lose their appetite even more.

    At our doctor's there was a tech who'd been through it with her own cat and had to feed the cat every couple (or few) hours for weeks, but the liver recovered and the cat was OK :)

    Give her a hug for me, I'm sending lots of good thoughts your way today!!

    Michelle
    michelle

    power to the peaceful
  • GreenTeaDiseaseGreenTeaDisease Posts: 3,359
    liver problems? is she an alcoholic? :).

    sorry not to make light of kitty's distress. I hope she gets better.
  • anothercloneanotherclone Posts: 1,688
    I don't know you, but I have a kitty and I know how hard it is when they are sick. Best to you and your meow-meow.
  • iluvcatsiluvcats Posts: 5,153
    I am very sorry about your cat. My cat had 7 tumors on his liver besides skin cancer (in one spot) and renal failure. He still purred, even the day my husband took him to be put to rest (August 29th). He lost weight and would not eat.

    I found a website of poisonous plants
    http://www.cfainc.org/articles/plants.html

    yucca was not on either list (click on the link to find nonpoisonous)
    9/98, 9/00 - DC, 4/03 - Pitt., 7/03 - Bristow, 10/04 - Reading, 10/05 - Philly, 5/06 - DC, 6/06 - Pitt., 6/08 - Va Beach, 6/08 - DC, 5/10 - Bristow, 10/13 B'more
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    10/10 - Brad in B'more
  • iluvcatsiluvcats Posts: 5,153
    http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/vet.html
    9/98, 9/00 - DC, 4/03 - Pitt., 7/03 - Bristow, 10/04 - Reading, 10/05 - Philly, 5/06 - DC, 6/06 - Pitt., 6/08 - Va Beach, 6/08 - DC, 5/10 - Bristow, 10/13 B'more
    8/08 - Ed solo in DC, 6/09 Ed in B'more,
    10/10 - Brad in B'more
  • vedderfan10vedderfan10 Posts: 2,497
    RolandTD20Kdrummer wrote:
    Seven seems kinda young for a case of feline lipidosis. .

    Just spoke with the vet who says Meow-Meow Kitty has indeed got feline lipidosis. All the blood work and serum tests (plus urinalysys) all came back normal. The vet could not explain why she has lipidosis, but we suspect that it's because she just suddenly decided she didn't like her food anymore and I didn't notice because the dog had been eating her food - so I had no idea if the cat was eating or not. It think it's as simple as that.

    So I am to increase her Temptations intake and try to force feed her, if I can't find something she likes. I really think she's starving herself to get her own way with the treats...

    Anyway, the vet said that Meow-Meow Kitty is not exhibiting any other signs of being sick (like I've been saying) and is quite healthy otherwise.

    I will get the bill for all this when we pick her up after work..

    So thanks everyone for being so kind -- I think your hearts and thoughts really worked in helping Meow-Meow be OK....(sniff, sniff)...
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  • TrixieCatTrixieCat Posts: 5,756
    Oh Yay! Meow-Meow Kitty!
    So happy to hear this.
    You must be so relieved.
    Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
    And I don't feel right when you're gone away
  • GraySaturdayGraySaturday Posts: 2,878
    good news!! Eat your food meow meow!

    I'm glad she's okay
  • RolandTD20KdrummerRolandTD20Kdrummer Posts: 13,066
    Vedderfan10 wrote:
    Just spoke with the vet who says Meow-Meow Kitty has indeed got feline lipidosis. All the blood work and serum tests (plus urinalysys) all came back normal. The vet could not explain why she has lipidosis, but we suspect that it's because she just suddenly decided she didn't like her food anymore and I didn't notice because the dog had been eating her food - so I had no idea if the cat was eating or not. It think it's as simple as that.

    So I am to increase her Temptations intake and try to force feed her, if I can't find something she likes. I really think she's starving herself to get her own way with the treats...

    I was going to say, with the obesity beforehand it seemed to fit the diagnosis exactly, and also not to hold back on anything the cat will eat. You're going to want to experiment with some wet foods right now, to get the cat stuffed and happy again.

    Stay diligent, and watch to see what she eats and how much. There's also a ton of cat food recipes on the net you can serve up in the kitchen, but an array of those tiny wet cans should hit the spot for now.

    I order this stuff http://www.felinefuture.com/ pricey, but it depends on what you consider expensive when it comes to your pet.
    Progress is not made by everyone joining some new fad,
    and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
    over specific principles, goals, and policies.

    http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg

    (\__/)
    ( o.O)
    (")_(")
  • anothercloneanotherclone Posts: 1,688
    I seriously had to do this for my cat when he stopped eating once. He is really old...17 years old to be exact, so I don't remember the exact age I had to do this or even why. Anyway...

    I had to force-feed him baby food. Only for a few days. I had to wedge him between my legs, hold his little paws with one hand and with the other hand cram that stuff in there. At that point, I was doing some serious soul searching why I was doing it because it was a huge pain in the ass. But eventually, he just went back to his regular diet. I think it was like a week or so. But just getting some of that food in there was enough to get him going again.

    I do know it was a couple years ago. So here we are looking at this Sr. Citizen (the cat) in the house, so obviously it didn't hurt him too much and he is still around giving me love.

    I am happy to hear its nothing too serious for you and your kitty. Best of luck!
  • vedderfan10vedderfan10 Posts: 2,497
    RolandTD20Kdrummer wrote:
    I order this stuff http://www.felinefuture.com/ pricey, but it depends on what you consider expensive when it comes to your pet.

    Thanks for the link. I was going to moan at you about how difficult it is to get pet food from the USA into Canada -- and then I saw they were from Salt Spring Island! I look at that island everyday from my livingroom window!

    Anyway, the vet said she might have to put in a feeding tube, and I said no. We have a large syringe from when we had to force feed one of our pooches a couple of years ago (because she had myasthenia gravis and was 16 years old). That was a 24/7 thing for about two weeks until the drugs kicked in and she regained some motility.

    We try very hard to go the more natural route with our pets in terms of vet care prior to jumping to the most expensive option. This vet feels the most expensive option is the ONLY option...

    So, we're going away for two weeks this weekend and my parents get to take care of Meow-Meow Kitty. They love her so much, so I'm sure she will be fine. I can't wait to pick her up, though. Must have been a hard day for her...poor little lumpkin...I'll tell her all about you guys, and maybe I'll post her photo here for you...She's quite the cat...
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  • wolfbearwolfbear Posts: 3,965
    anotherclone wrote:
    I seriously had to do this for my cat when he stopped eating once. He is really old...17 years old to be exact, so I don't remember the exact age I had to do this or even why. Anyway...

    I had to force-feed him baby food. Only for a few days. I had to wedge him between my legs, hold his little paws with one hand and with the other hand cram that stuff in there. At that point, I was doing some serious soul searching why I was doing it because it was a huge pain in the ass. But eventually, he just went back to his regular diet. I think it was like a week or so. But just getting some of that food in there was enough to get him going again.

    I do know it was a couple years ago. So here we are looking at this Sr. Citizen (the cat) in the house, so obviously it didn't hurt him too much and he is still around giving me love.

    I am happy to hear its nothing too serious for you and your kitty. Best of luck!
    We had a older cat that we used the baby food with as well. Warmed it a bit, beef as I recall and it really worked. She was also on raw liver for awhile at another time. :) Glad to hear Meow-Meow Kitty isn't too sick. Keep us posted though and have a great time in Maui. :)
    "I'd rather be with an animal." "Those that can be trusted can change their mind." "The in between is mine." "If I don't lose control, explore and not explode, a preternatural other plane with the power to maintain." "Yeh this is living." "Life is what you make it."
  • SmartypantsSmartypants Posts: 114
    Yay, Meow-Meow!

    Baby food worked well for us, too. And new flavors of wet food. When we were going through this I found a yahoo group called "feline assisted feeding" and they had lots of good tips. And there were also lots of people there who had to get the etube after all and the cats always took to it really well, but we also tried the natural way first.

    I bet she can't wait to see you :)
    michelle

    power to the peaceful
  • vedderfan10vedderfan10 Posts: 2,497
    Had to wait almost an hour before I got what felt like a lecture from the vet. She was talking x-rays, ultrasounds, and every other expensive treatment she could think of. Then she said "But she's not really sick"... And I'm looking at my Kitty all meowing and purring on the exam table relaxed as can be, sitting there and looking around. That's my Meow-Meow! Vet said that she couldn't believe what an excellent patient she was....She also said that she'd never seen a cat so yellow before.. I had to wait for a vet tech to show me how to give her pills (three different ones) and "force" feed her with a large syringe. Meow-meow seemed to like having the food squished into her mouth, so there's not much forcing needed..

    Anyway, got her home and she was all over the dogs - they were so happy to see her! I threw a bowl of Temptations at her and she ate about half of them...so there's a new ad for them - "Cats will do anything for the delicious taste of Wiskas Temptation - Even starve themselves!" Maybe I should write to Wiskas and tell them her story? Do you think they'd send us some free ones for the rest of her life?

    So, yeah - she's curled up on her cat bed (formerly a dog bed), purring softly...I think she thinks she spent the day at the kitty spa...

    Cheers everyone!

    kimmmm & Meow-Meow Kitty
    be philanthropic
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