At wit’s end
My 1-year-old male cat has gradually stopped eating properly and has lost weight from 4.4 kg to 3.7 kg over the past 3–4 months.
The vets suspect nerve pain in his back because he reacts strongly when touched along the spine.
Medications tried so far:
- Pain medication
- Appetite stimulants
- Anti-inflammatory medication
Tests and imaging:
- Abdominal ultrasound: slightly enlarged spleen and mildly thickened small intestine, otherwise normal
- X-rays: no major findings, only a slight deformity near the neck area, but nothing clearly problematic
Current diagnoses:
- Anorexia/loss of appetite
- Joint pain
Blood tests performed:
- Cobalamin (B12)
- fPL
- SAA
- Catalyst Chem 10
- Feline hematology profile
Behavior:
He hasn’t shown very obvious signs of pain or severe illness besides eating less. Recently he has been sleeping more and is less social during the daytime. In the evenings he still jumps into bed with me, purrs, kneads, and wants attention/petting.
He may possibly be having some difficulty with bowel movements. He is not dehydrated.
Has anyone experienced something similar or have ideas about what else could be causing this?
The vets are baffled and cant locate the issue, the only next step would be to visit tons of specialists and try all kinds of different things there which i cannot afford whatsoever. I really cant take the endless fight with specialists with no clear problem identification, im a student with limited finances in sweden. He is insured and i pay 20% of costs if it falls under what insurance covers. He is not neutered, i was waiting for his first birthday which was now in may.
Im at a point where I have to consider putting him to sleep, since the options I have on the table include experimenting with tons of drugs or endless tests at specialists. I dont want him to suffer in silence starving himself or be constantly drugged.