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Very sick cat or is Vet scamming me?

(61 Posts)
Reemah Thu 14-Mar-19 19:57:00

I have two cats. One of them got really sick 3 days ago, vomitting, gagging and coughing, stopped eating, and seemed like he was not breathing well. It's like he was choking on something.
He vomitted a hairball, but then started vomitting undigested food and eventually only bile.
Today was my third visit at the vet clinic. NO DIAGNOSIS, 2 first times they did nothing but take his temperature, charging me for that and selling me medicine. He was on antibiotics and some other things for Gastritis and Vomitting.
Today they asked for X ray and blood tests. Then said they had to keep him in for the night.
STILL NO CLEAR DIAGNOSIS.
This is the second vet I've switched to after being scammed several times before.
I just lost faith in doctors, vets and humanity. I am waiting for the blood test results but I just feel like I want to bring him home and wait to see what happens.
I do not know what to do. I am really worried.

Reemah Fri 15-Mar-19 20:00:20

Hey everyone, thank you for responding and sharing you stories.
We still don't know what's wrong.

1. X- Ray showed that there was no obstruction, only gas.

2. Blood tests gave signs of infections, but we don't know what caused it. He also has fever.

3. The vet wants to do Endoscopy and a second x-ray where they start by injecting a substance (I don't know exactly)

The poor baby had an IV, was breathing with his mouth open, and was drooling. He had vomit next to him. He got so much worse compared to yesterday morning. I am so scared, and I feel helpless. They are keeping him for 2 more days. They insist nothing is stuck in his airways and that he does not have Asthma.

Please if anyone has ever been through this or knows anything about cat health conditions, here are pictures of the x-ray and blood test results.

GabriellaG54 Fri 15-Mar-19 19:23:30

I can't figure out whether you live in Morocco and visit family in Germany, as you have said you live in Morocco and Germany in your OP ...confused but the cat is in Morocco. If you are in Germany it is best to let family in Morocco sort out the cat's illness with the vet.
I don't have pets but I've read that cats eat grass to help them vomit.

Willow500 Fri 15-Mar-19 17:28:06

flowers Ilovedragonflies - that is so sad sad

Ilovedragonflies Fri 15-Mar-19 17:01:45

If your cat is being treated, albeit in a manner you are unsure of, please know that your vet will want to do the very best for it they can, so follow their lead and hopefully it will get better. (I'd love to be in this position - my own darling girl was hit by a car a few days ago and we lost her. We are utterly bereft.) I hope yours recovers swiftly.

Cold Fri 15-Mar-19 15:44:46

I just wondered whether 1) the cat has a tendency to eat plats/grass when he is out? 2) whether the vet has had a good check down the cat's throat?

I have a cat that has displayed very similar symptoms several times - vomiting, retching, coughing and wheezing and each time it has been a blade of grass lodged in his throat! The most recent time the vet said he couldn't see anything - and I told him that I was pretty sure having been here several times before! So the vet gave him a short anaesthetic so that he could see all the way down ... and there it was a tiny piece of grass lodged at the bottom of his throat ... just 1 cm of grass caused these symptoms!

Saggi Fri 15-Mar-19 13:33:09

Oh and my pets always had the cheapest brand foods on market or ate what we ate I.e meat/veg leftovers. Seemed to suit as dog lived to 13 ( Dalmatian) and cats lived to 14/15

Saggi Fri 15-Mar-19 13:30:49

Surely that sounds like he’d just got a very big hairball that he finially managed to dislodge himself. Apart from normal injections of pets I’ve never had to use them. Usually after couple of days the dog or cat recovered. Guess I’ve been lucky.

grandtanteJE65 Fri 15-Mar-19 12:10:47

In my experience vets never say, "it could be one or the other" because they are afraid we would then only hear "it is such and such" and want them to treat that.

It can take time to diagnose a cat properly, but if you feel tomorrow that you are getting nowhere, only running up bills, take the cat home and see whether whatever was troubling him is over.

I have found that something in some brands of dry food (kibble) has upset two of the cats we have had, so we had to change to a different brand. The cats just brought the food up again, until we changed brand. So it might be something as simple as that.

I would think that unless the cat is running a high temperature you can safely take him home. Good luck.

Squiffy Fri 15-Mar-19 11:45:03

I'm confused too, Bluebelle!

Yorkshiregirl Fri 15-Mar-19 10:43:24

Going through something quite similar with my dog. Back & forth to the vet. Blood tests were inconclusive, and may have to be done again. I am fortunate that I have a vet friend who lives miles away, and emailed him the lab reports along with details of any medication prescribed. He assured me my vet was doing everything he possibly could, and NOT to change vets.
I'm lucky I have her insured so only pay a percentage. The blood tests may give you some answers hopefully.

4allweknow Fri 15-Mar-19 10:33:49

Not sure what the accreditations are for vets in Morocco but in UK doubt if you would be scammed. Could your cat have been in contact with a poison? Do hope he recovers soon.

Kerenhappuch Thu 14-Mar-19 23:29:25

My last cat had a very wheezy unproductive cough and eventually it was diagnosed as lungworm by the vet - which is a parasite he must have picked up by eating a slug in the garden. He just needed some medicine to clear up the problem.

My current cat gets enormous hair balls because he over-grooms himself due to dermatitis, so I know how worrying the constant throwing up is!

BlueBelle Thu 14-Mar-19 22:26:29

So now I m well muddled you are Moroccan living in Germany but the cat lives in Morocco ??? But you are with it so you’re not in Germany who does the cat usually live with in Morocco ???

MissAdventure Thu 14-Mar-19 21:49:30

The vet didn't really ever find out what was wrong with my cat, apart from to say that there was damage to his lungs, so it was as if he had asthma.
The cat lived on for years after that.

Reemah Thu 14-Mar-19 21:34:55

Yeah I hope so. thank you all.
Well that is the thing, I tried to see what the vet thinks, either he does not know yet, or he knows and does not wanna tell me. I have been going there for the past 3 days, not even a " it could be a ...." We've only been treating the symptoms so far.

I will get back to all of you tomorow after I see him again.
Thank you all, a lot !

EllanVannin Thu 14-Mar-19 21:24:30

Vets are usually more clever than a doctor----for obvious reasons.

However, if the cat appears to be alright it could have been nothing but a fur ball. Cats do throw-up now and again due to wolfing their food down, eating grass ( medicine to cats ) or fur balls.
Could be something post-operative. See what the vet thinks.

lemongrove Thu 14-Mar-19 21:20:20

It could be anything Reemah from furballs to TB, so will need tests.
Vets are terribly expensive these days, so I sympathise, but you may need patience as well.Hope your cat will get well soon.

Reemah Thu 14-Mar-19 21:10:56

I'll just have to wait until tomorrow to see if they have an idea of what is wrong.

What was wrong with your cat?

I forgot to mention that they were castrated a week ago, exactly 4 days before these symptoms. But they were doing fine after the surgery, playful, eating well.

MissAdventure Thu 14-Mar-19 21:06:39

The best person to answer those questions is a vet.
I can understand why you're anxious, as my cat had similar symptoms.
I felt he had something 'stuck' somewhere, and he too used to cough and pant at times.

Reemah Thu 14-Mar-19 21:02:51

@Chewbacca But they both got dewormed 3 months ago. Could that be it ? and could it be causing these symptoms?

Reemah Thu 14-Mar-19 21:00:58

The cat is in Morocco in a city there are only 2 vet clinics that can run blood tests and perform complex surgeries.
I've read the comments on their pages and some are talking about "scams" so that's why I am worried.
But where the cat is now, I couldn't think of a better equiped place to take him.

Chewbacca Thu 14-Mar-19 20:53:51

Oh, and if one of your cats does have worms; the other one will have them too.

muffinthemoo Thu 14-Mar-19 20:53:03

The vet is talking about gastric problems because you gave a history of vomiting, and because a 'coughing' sound can be associated with oesophageal problems i.e. it's not actually a cough, but a dry retching.

The vet is checking the things that in their professional experience and training are most likely to be the cause of the problem first.

If you are calling a lot, they are going to tell you your pet is settled if at all possible because making you more anxious about your pet is not going to help anyone.

If you feel you would be happier seeing another vet, then by all means see another vet, but be aware that your cat remains sick and is not getting treated whilst they get moved from one vet to another. Another vet is also likely to want to do their own tests, some of which may already have been done.

The vet is not trying to pull a fast one on you here. it takes a while to understand why a cat is sick and what the problem is.

Is the cat in Morocco or Germany?

Chewbacca Thu 14-Mar-19 20:52:56

If a cat has a bad infestation of tape worms, that will affect not only their gut, but will also make them cough. Worms are passed not only through faeces but also orally. Your vet will need to keep the cat under observation for 24 hours whilst he runs a series of blood tests, examines the faeces and, if necessary, an x ray. In the 50 years I've kept cats, I don't think I've ever been "scammed" by a vet. You have to have the same trust in a vet as you would in a doctor for yourself.

BlueBelle Thu 14-Mar-19 20:51:38

So the cat is seeing a German vet ?
If he’s not coughing now and is doing fine maybe it was a fur ball or more than one and it has now settled itself down What you describe sounds like a fur ball or something else he has swallowed
Hopefully he will continue to improve and be home wit( you very soon