Cat people ~ I have a ?

[ThreeBlessings]

The ? ~ Have you ever heard of a vet saying they won't fix a cat because it is underweight? Vet said my 5 lb cats need to gain 3 lbs before she'll fix them.

 

Some background~

 

Last summer we picked up two kittens from the side of the road. It was hot, they weren't in a box, and they had sick eyes. They were with their mom and there was a free kitten sign. Given the conditions I just couldn't leave them. They are both females and I took care of their eye problem. I already had two cats, both female, both fixed and healthy. They get along well enough, no fighting. I have multiple cat boxes and food/water bowls.

 

Fast forward. One of the kitties has been having mouth troubles. She yelps when she eats. So I made an appointment to get her checked out and to get the kittens fixed. I was very specific on the phone about everything. They're almost a year old, with the weather going warm and having three kids going in and out, I don't want to risk them getting out and coming home pregnant.

 

Took them to the vet, dropped them off. Got a call awhile later. The lady says the vet won't do the surgery for either cat. They are underweight, dehydrated, and unhealthy. I asked why does she think they're dehydrated? She said because their skin doesn't bounce back when pinched. Okay. I really don't see how either one could have been dehydrated. As for their weight, they both weigh 5 lbs. The one cat is shorter and a little stockier, but she is a small cat. The other cat is taller then her sister and skinny. No doubt about it. She's a rail. That cat is super active. She runs around here constantly like a bat outta you know what. We have mostly laminate flooring and you should see that cat skidding out, lol. Anyway, that cat is not going to gain any weight anytime soon. If they'd have fixed her she'd probably gain weight after quicker. That's how it went with my other cats. They want both cats to gain 3 lbs before she'll fix them?!?!?! Now I know they fix kittens as young as 4 months, so what? I don't get this.

 

I've had multiple cats under my care over the years. One of the cats was a stray who came to us pregnant and near to giving birth. She waltzed right in my door one day like she owned the place. I couldn't turn her away. She stayed with us, birthed her babies, and within weeks escaped the house and ran away. She did come back, but she was pregnant already. She was perfectly content to stick around during her pregnancy, but soon after birthing the kittens she did the same exact thing again. I had no time to get her fixed as she was pregnant again literally in weeks. I called around and found a vet who would fix her even though the next litter was so young. She was not healthy. That cat was really not healthy. You could see her hips in a terrible way. She got fed fine, but she had three litters back to back. After taking her in to the vet they diagnosed her with a disease, fixed her, and gave her back no questions asked. They had to remove one of her kidneys during the surgery. This has been years ago and I can't recall all the details. The cat ran away shortly after the surgery, but I at least felt good that she wouldn't be going through another pregnancy in her condition. Just that the cat was clearly not healthy, while these kittens are small, but robust and healthy.

 

For the mouth problem she prescribed an antibiotic for both cats. She told me to separate them from the other cats. I have separated them and I'm giving them the antibiotics, but I'm seriously wondering if I should get a second opinion. For money reasons I'm really hesitant though. She thinks the one cat may have calici virus as she has mouth ulcerations and the antibiotics are in case of secondary bacterial infection. Okay. Why for both cats though when the other cat has absolutely no symptoms, answer is just in case. And I really got the feel that the separation is because she think the cats are 'in competition' for food and not getting enough, even though I told her this wasn't the case. Now they are locked in room, not getting any exercise, being fed tuna and special fattening soft food and antibiotics by the vet's orders. I have serious misgivings this is going to make them healthier. Sorry! I know this has turned out to be a book! Any advice cat people?

Edited April 25, 2012 by ThreeBlessings

[raceNzanesmom]

I'd get a second opinion. 5lbs is small for an almost adult cat. However, if the cats are eating a quality food (I don't consider tuna a good option), have fresh water at all times, and are otherwise healthy (except the mouth thing in the one and you're treating that), then I don't know what more they expect. We have two cats, the elder one is a lot smaller than the younger one, it's just how she's built. There's always food in the bowl, so I know she's getting what she wants. Perhaps you could call another vet, explain how you feed them, they're active and healthy but only weigh 5 lbs, and see what they say.

 

ETA: One other thought, have they been checked for worms? I know they can sometimes cause weight issues. GL!

[jeninok]

My perfectly healthy thought tiny female has never weighed more than about 6 lbs. I honestly don't see how you could get a small cat to gain 3 pounds within a reasonable amount of time without seriously upsetting their systems,

 

Cats are prone to dehydration, adding wet food to their diet can help that, but even still. The whole thing sounds weird to me. If she doesn't have "cow hips" or a bony spine sticking out I really think it is worth another opinion. If they think she is underweight now, what do they think nursing kittens would do to her!!

 

I keep my dogs on the thin side, they have defined waist tucks, and you can feel their ribs, but they are incredibly well fed and active. So many pets now are seriously overweight that it has become the norm. It is harder on their joints over time to carry more weight around. I have been told by total strangers I need to fatten them up, feed them more hot dogs and fat off our meat!

[gardening momma]

I would think one reason to separate them from the other cats is because the cat with the virus could spread the virus (that's my guess, anyway), particularly through the food dishes, since it's a mouth virus.

[ThreeBlessings]

I would think one reason to separate them from the other cats is because the cat with the virus could spread the virus (that's my guess, anyway), particularly through the food dishes, since it's a mouth virus.

 

You're right that this *could* be the reason, I just don't think it was really her reason, or at least not her main reason. Maybe it was the third time of asking if the cats were in competition for food that makes me feel that way. None of my other cats have shown any symptoms, and I'm really hesitant to believe it *is* the calicivirus because even the cat with the mouth problem has had absolutely no other symptoms of sickness. From reading online it sounds like a respiratory illness with symptoms, idk. I haven't seen the ulcerations, though I have tried multiple times. It's hard to see anything in a cat's mouth, lol. I thought it was a bad tooth. They did test them for cat aids and leukemia and both were negative, so that's good.

[ThreeBlessings]

I'd get a second opinion. 5lbs is small for an almost adult cat. However, if the cats are eating a quality food (I don't consider tuna a good option), have fresh water at all times, and are otherwise healthy (except the mouth thing in the one and you're treating that), then I don't know what more they expect. We have two cats, the elder one is a lot smaller than the younger one, it's just how she's built. There's always food in the bowl, so I know she's getting what she wants. Perhaps you could call another vet, explain how you feed them, they're active and healthy but only weigh 5 lbs, and see what they say.

 

ETA: One other thought, have they been checked for worms? I know they can sometimes cause weight issues. GL!

 

They don't have worms, fleas, or mites. :) I guess I will probably get a second opinion, but paying over $200 just to get one of them in somewhere new makes my head hurt, lol.

[ThreeBlessings]

My perfectly healthy thought tiny female has never weighed more than about 6 lbs. I honestly don't see how you could get a small cat to gain 3 pounds within a reasonable amount of time without seriously upsetting their systems,

 

Cats are prone to dehydration, adding wet food to their diet can help that, but even still. The whole thing sounds weird to me. If she doesn't have "cow hips" or a bony spine sticking out I really think it is worth another opinion. If they think she is underweight now, what do they think nursing kittens would do to her!!

 

I keep my dogs on the thin side, they have defined waist tucks, and you can feel their ribs, but they are incredibly well fed and active. So many pets now are seriously overweight that it has become the norm. It is harder on their joints over time to carry more weight around. I have been told by total strangers I need to fatten them up, feed them more hot dogs and fat off our meat!

 

Yeah, I don't think it would be healthy for them to keep them contained in a small room and fatten them up three lbs. It would definitely take some time. The taller, thinner cat doesn't have cow hips, but you can see her bones. She's a rail. The other cat I spoke of that had three litters back to back (that I knew of) had cow hips, so I know what you're talking about.

[vettechmomof2]

Calici virus can show no symptoms at all or just simple ones such as the mouth ulcers so the vet is right to have you seperate the both of them for now. Since they are siblings.

 

As for the weight , I cannot see them. The number really has nothing to do with it except as a guideline. Their body profile is what is important. Dehydration is a big thing though and if they go under anesthesia while dehydrated they run a much higher risk of complications. If they are a small animal vet they should have the proper sized equipment but it is still better to have a size guideline. We state an animal has to be at least 2-4 lbs and growing properly.

 

Also, even though you are not seeing visible signs of competetion for eating cats are notorious for stress from the competetion. I would give them separate time but no tuna. Add in some Nutrical, good quality canned food like Evo or Innova.

 

A 2nd opinion is never a bad idea but everything that they stated to you could easily be true and accurate but not seeing the animals we cannot really give any better guidelines.

 

The 3lbs is probably another estimate so I would have them reweighed in 1 month since separating them from the others and if you see any change then discuss that with the vet.

 

Also since they are not altered make sure they do not get any outside access yet as they are old enough to be mothers!

[Jeannie in NJ]

one of our rescue cats, we got when she was 10 weeks old, she only weighed 1 1/2 pounds and had already been spayed by a vet at the shelter. He had missed a stitch and the kitten developed a hernia so our vet had to operate and correct that. I don't know if that had anything to do with her being spayed at such a low weight of if the original vet just made a mistake when stitching her up.

 

Another kitten we took in to be spayed at the usual 5 months but they would not spay her then because she had a bladder infection. We had to get that cleared up before they would spay here. Our vet said it is much better for the cat or kitten to be perfectly healthy when they have surgery, less chance of complications.

 

5 pounds does seem like a low weight for an adult female cat. Our females are closer to 10 pounds and are considered by our vet to be healthy weights. Now my sil has a female adult cat that only weighs 7 pounds, she looks fine but any less she would look too thin and she is a small cat also.

[ThreeBlessings]

 

Also, even though you are not seeing visible signs of competetion for eating cats are notorious for stress from the competetion. I would give them separate time but no tuna. Add in some Nutrical, good quality canned food like Evo or Innova.

 

 

How could they be in competition for food without my seeing visible signs of it? I'm not being snarky, I really don't understand. :001_huh: I have three food and water bowls down in three different rooms, kept full. I'm a sahm and I'm here a lot. I've literally never seen the cats fighting over food, or one cat pushing another away from a bowl. I see the cats eat, I know they are eating without being disturbed. I explained all this, but I don't think I was believed. If there is some way they could be competing for food without my seeing visible signs of it I'd like to know about it.

[vettechmomof2]

How could they be in competition for food without my seeing visible signs of it? I'm not being snarky, I really don't understand. :001_huh: I have three food and water bowls down in three different rooms, kept full. I'm a sahm and I'm here a lot. I've literally never seen the cats fighting over food, or one cat pushing another away from a bowl. I see the cats eat, I know they are eating without being disturbed. I explained all this, but I don't think I was believed. If there is some way they could be competing for food without my seeing visible signs of it I'd like to know about it.

 

Cats are notorious for internal stress and fighting. They get stomach ulcers and such due to these things. Many times you will not see fighting because it is not happening but what you might notice is that when one cat goes to eat/drink another cat "might" be in the area and that alone could cause enough stress to cause the cat to not want to eat or drink.

So if by separating them and reweighing in a month and you do see an increase you might have some stress. Another thing I would recommend is using Feliway spray around the food/water dishes when they are introduced as a group again.

I do not think you are asking snarky questions at all and if you do not ask you never know. Cats can be high stress creatures. They tend to be creatures of habit and are highly territorial. Internal stress for them is really common unfortunately when they live in group settings. So separate feedings or feeding areas can really make a difference.

[ThreeBlessings]

Cats are notorious for internal stress and fighting. They get stomach ulcers and such due to these things. Many times you will not see fighting because it is not happening but what you might notice is that when one cat goes to eat/drink another cat "might" be in the area and that alone could cause enough stress to cause the cat to not want to eat or drink.

So if by separating them and reweighing in a month and you do see an increase you might have some stress. Another thing I would recommend is using Feliway spray around the food/water dishes when they are introduced as a group again.

I do not think you are asking snarky questions at all and if you do not ask you never know. Cats can be high stress creatures. They tend to be creatures of habit and are highly territorial. Internal stress for them is really common unfortunately when they live in group settings. So separate feedings or feeding areas can really make a difference.

 

:) I just wanted to be sure, because sometimes I know tone just isn't conveyed over the net.

 

Thanks for your time. I will look up the Feliway spray stuff. I don't doubt the one cat at least will gain a little bit of weight. She's ridiculously active normally and now she's contained in a small room. She doesn't have the space to run around crazy like she usually does, so I'm sure between being fed higher calorie food and not getting to run calories off she'll gain some. The other cat isn't as active to begin with.

 

I think I'll call the vet back and ask more about the 3 lbs thing. Maybe it was just an estimate? I *think* it would take a long time to get a cat to almost double their weight, but I don't really know because I've never tried.