Cat Information.

[rose2008-2008]

My cat is an indoor cat. She never needs defleaing really and i have not wormed her for a long while. I noticed she is eating a lot and drinking her water more frequently. If your cat has worms if they were bad you would see them in???,, the you know what would you not?. I was worried slightly as Bubbles is twelve and my old cat Nicky who was eighteen when she went to cat heaven had Thyroid problems and used to eat but got thinner,started drinking a lot and looked bedraggled even though she was cared for. I was worried it could be the start of Thyroid as she seems to be constantly cuddling up close to me as if she is cold or something?. Or she might just need worming although i cannot see anything?. Shes otherwise fit and healthy. But would i see worms if she had them?.

[fionajohnston]

best to get vet to check could be diabeties has she lost weight: ? if she doesn;t go out less likely to be worms as they are mainly picked up eating birds/mice that have them not sure though

[divinedressesdaily]

I have a female Bengal who is an indoor cat and on the advice of my vet I have wormed her and used Frontline regularly since she was a kitten as I was told that there is a lot less risk of an indoor cat contracting fleas or worms but it is still possible for the eggs to transfer from outside particularly  from grassy or garden areas via the shoes of the humans

Weight loss apathy and poor coat condition can all be a sign of worms as well as other illnesses so probably best to see your vet to ease your concerns

[duck_a_lorange]

You really need to take her to the vet for a blood test.

Could be thyroid. Or kidneys. Or diabetes. A blood test at the vet will find any of those three.  Take her to the vet fasting (no food since 9pm the night before) (morning appt).  Otherwise they will only tell you to come back again when she hasn't eaten overnight.  Obviously you need to tell them when you make the appointment that you want the blood test done.

The other thing it could be is lack of digestive enzymes - the cat eats loads but doesn't get the benefit.  You can tell it's that because their poohs are puffy and what can only be described as rancid (due to not digesting fat).

Or it could be worms.

Vet, really.

[rose2008-2008]

Thanks for the advice,,she has not lost weight or anything,not as far as i can see. The last bit about the poo reminded me of the vital piece of information i had forgotten!!!!. Ha ha. The night before last as i said she cuddled up really close to me on the sofa and then i smelt this terrible smell like she had broken wind!!!. Then last night she did the same thing,cuddled up and phwoooarrrr it was horrible. She rarely does this ever. I have only known it once in her lifetime so it could be just her tummy. She did have atummy upset when she had to have aquick trip up the vets a couple of years back!!!.

I will take her to vets ,,but what causes that enzyme thingy and what would have to be done about that then??. Do they treat it?.

[petitecalicocat]

Personally i think a trip to the V -E-T  is the only answer to err on the safe side 🙂 

[duck_a_lorange]

I forgot about drinking more with a tummy upset - they do that as well.

Don't know what causes the enzyme thing, but it's the pancreas that produces the relevant enzymes and it seems to stop or produces less of them.  You get powdered enzymes in capsules that you have to empty into their food (wet), mix and let it rest for a few minutes to "predigest" it.   If it was a dog you could probably get away with making it swallow the capsule, but it's too big for cats, it would just get stuck down their throat and burn them. 

It's the pooh that's the giveaway - fat, puffy, the same colour as it went in (should be brown) and the sour rancid fat smell.

[ed_blackadder_1]

Please take her to the vet, we had a similar problem with our cat and it turned out to be her kidneys and thyroid problem.  We regularly wormed and fleed her and she was an indoor cat,  as we had dogs also and things can be picked up from them.

[saasher2012]

Rose, take your cat to the Vet ,it could be just a simple tummy upset or a symptom of an underlying problem, because of her age it needs checking out, I seem to remember you saying you had two cats one being the inside cat, if so the one that roams outside is & could be your source of worm infection.
Enzymes/. Are a complex subject, they are found in saliva. As part of the digestive process,
Pancreas/ the enzymes break down starches into soluble sugars & pepsin from the gastric juices & trypsin from the pancreas break complex amino acids & lipase in the intestines which attack fats. Sorry to be so scientific ,

[rose2008-2008]

Vets it is..... thank you,, Saasher yes my old cat has passed on now she used to be an outdoor cat. She passed on about six years ago and was only here in my flat for a while,,the rest of time back at my fathers place.

Thank you... No scientific advice is interesting!!!. Thank you

[captainbovine]

has **bleep** been the vet then? what do they think it is?

[merc1_clocks]

 CB...you meant puddy cat

[rose2008-2008]

Puddy cat has been and got some antibiotics,,,she has a tummy upset,,,like what she had before.. No special reason why,,just like we can get them i suppose. Shes a healthy little thing normally.

[saasher2012]

Glad to hear it's only a tummy upset Rose, the symptoms you described certainly pointed to that , but it's always better to be sure, cats can become very ill even with that& can do so very quickly, they are not as strong as people think they are! . Sam.

[ed_blackadder_1]

So pleased to hear your cat is getting better Rose,

Sam I know only too well how a cat can go downhill, one week mine was fine and the next she passed away with kidneys and thyroid problems, it all happened so quick, very sad, and of course they can't tell you.

[saasher2012]

Oh,I'm sorry about that ed! But yes your right it can happen very quickly indeed, cats have a very complicated immune system & unlike a dog don't always give you signs, a stomach upset that a dog will & can cope with can kill a cat. They are also very susceptible to pneumonia , chucking your cat out at night especially in winter is not a good idea despite the popular belief that it is.

[rose2008-2008]

Yes Saasher and Ed,,thats what my cat Nicky passed away from and hers was quite quick too. The vets used to tell me she was such a well cared for cat,,and she was. It broke my heart taking her up there,,,oohhhh dear,,