Cat having trouble recovering from Anesthesia - Ever hear of this?

[treysar]

Hi all. I took my cat to the vet on Tuesday morning because he was constipated. They had to give him an enema, and put him under anesthesia. I was worried about this but the doc said that they would run tests to make sure that he was strong enough. He was, and they went ahead with the procedure.

I brouhgt him home that night and he was groggy. It is now Friday and he is still groggy, and he is not eating or drinking. He is wobbly and sounds like he has raspy breathing. I called the doc yesterday and she said to take him in today if he is still acting funny. I''m bringing him in at 3

0, but I wanted to know if you guys have ever heard of this- it''s been 3 days, could the meds still be in his sytem?

To make matters worse, they accidentally cut him open whilre removing his bandages. I''m starting to feel that they are inept, and I worry that they over dosed him

 

[chrono]

Never heard of it taking that long to get out of the system. When my cat was put under to get her teeth cleaned, she bounced back right away. She''s a pretty old lady at 8 then too. Did the vet do a quick overall check to make sure it''s not something else? I was just wondering about the raspy breathing. Is this a new vet? I hope your kitty will be all right soon.

 

[Kaleigh]

I'm so sorry to hear about your cat. Something just doesn't sound right. Three days and your cat is still groggy? He may have gotten a respiratory infection, that may be why he is raspy when he breathes. Is there another vet you can take him to if you feel this vet is incompetent? Good luck, ley us know how you make out!

 

[Diamonds4Me]

Awwwww, poor kitty.

I''ve never heard of anything like that before. And, ow! They cut him by accident? Awww, that''s terrible. I hope the poor thing starts feeling better soon. I don''t know what I''d do if it were my Maggie.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Oh fooey--poor thing! I know that some breeds of cats cannot tolerate certain anesthetics (ketamine??). Have the Vet check him out again--it is their responsibility to do so. Let us know how it turns out

cheers--Sharon

 

[Matata]

I have 2 cats. One recovers from anethesia same day; the other takes 3 days. The cat who takes longer is overweight and this contributes to his difficulty shaking off the drug. He also has raspy breathing while recovering because he''s stressed by the drug. My cats are also considered elderly at 11 & 12 years of age which the vet says also contributes to the trickiness of giving them anesthesia. I took Matata in for teeth cleaning 2 months ago and he wasn''t himself for a whole week so I think his days of elective procedures requiring anesthesia are over.

I hope your kitty recovers soon.

 

[Buena Girl]

My family''s cat just had surgery this past Monday. It was to remove a cancerous tumor. I don''t know how long our cat was put under for (it may have been longer than your cat), but it definitely took a good 2 or 3 days for some of the anthesia to work out of his system. He was hallucinating and making growly hissing noises for the first couple of days. Sometimes he would just stand up, walk a few steps, then stop and stare blankly at nothing in particular. He really didn''t start to eat any food until yesterday. He''s looking a lot better now. It''s possible your cat may have gotten sick while they were there, and that could explain why they are still not eatting.

But if you are worried that your vet is inept, then I would suggest looking into everything they did to your cat and maybe call another vet for an oppinion of the situation.

 

[tomatoe]

This doesn''t sound good.

When I was working at the vet''s, I didn''t come across any case like this.

So I hope you can get your cat to the vet or another one asap. Best of luck!!!

 

[IrishEyes]

I''m so sorry to hear about your kitty problems

Let us know how everything goes, we''re cheering for you

 

[diane5006]

Sorry to hear about your kitty...while it it not unheard of for the anesthsia to last that long...it seems ulikely that this is the case...kitty may have a bit of a resp infection, but is not probalbly dehydrated since they haven;t been eating and drinking...glad you are taking him the the vet...he needs to be seen...

Hope kitty fells better soon

 

[moremoremore]

Oh no. I"m so sorry. He may be in pain/shock, so that''s why he''s not eating or drinking. Then he''s getting dehydrated from that. Which makes an animal very lethargic. I would bring him to the same vet and then if there is no improvement in the next day, bring him to another vet. Also, I would bring up giving the cat an iv to get liquids into him. He also might not being given enough pain meds. But again, if there is no improvement in the next day, I''d bring him to another vet tomorrow.

 

[innerkitten]

I almost think you shouldn''t wait , get him to an emergency vet as soon as you can. Thats really scary. Please keep us posted and let us know that your cat is okay.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Oh, I hope your kitty feels better! Please do take him in ASAP!!!

 

[diane5006]

HI your kitty should not need pain meds from just having an enema...pain meds have their own problems...one they tend to make you sleepy, and 2 then tend to bind you up and make you constipated, which was the problem to being with...Resp inf (URI''s) can make little kitty lethargic too...as can urinary tract infections (UTI''s)...

I have cats...and have had to spend some quality time in my vets office, and our little kitty ER...

Thinking good thoughts for you and you kitty

 

[moremoremore]

I sure hope they gave him pain meds after "cutting him open"!

And I kind of agree with innerkitten...I might not wait. But then again, you're probably off to the vet right now (if you're eastern time)...pls let us know what happens!

And I also want to add that I took my cat (one of three) to the vet over the weekend....he came home and was VERY out of it for a full two days. He was there simply to check out a limp and have his ears cleaned. Well, he is such a timid guy that he was a complete lump fpr two days. He was so traumatized.

But the hard breathing on your baby worries me.

Let us know what happens

BTW- not the cat on my avatar LOL who is part cat part daredevil..nothing scares him but the sound of a plastic bag

 

[treysar]

thanks for the support everyone - the cat is at the vet now, waiting to hear from fiance about the status.

 

[pqcollectibles]

Cats are much more difficult and tricky to medicate than dogs. Age, weight, and overall health figure in there as well.

Some how, our cat got fleas. Indoor cat, get''s fleas, in January/February no less. My daughter thinks she may have brought the fleas home from a friend''s house. We haven''t had fleas in years and the last time I had to get shampoos and bombs from the Vet. So, I went to the Vet to get shampoos and bombs, and they don''t carry that stuff any more. Now they have Advantage. The Vet was reluctant because our dear, sweet Tom is almost 19 years old. But our cat is in generally good health, gets around well, eats and drinks, so the Vet decided we could risk it. The Advantage worked. The fleas are gone. But our cat was sick for 3 or 4 days. He was real lethargic for several days and spitting up for 2 days after the application. He''s fine now, but it sure scared me.

I hope your baby is fine now with no serious problems.

 

[movie zombie]

i have nine cats, the oldest is 22-23 years of age. all are indoor: 6 males and three females, two of which are manx and all of which were strays.

i agree that everything is dependent upon age, weight, and overall health of the cat in the first place.

i hope your fiance gets back to you soon because i''m with innerkitten on this one and would get to the best emergency room $$$ can buy asap.

please post here as soon as you find out anything.

peace, movie zombie and a major cat lover

 

[movie zombie]

pqcollectibles, a good pet store should have the flea supplies you''re looking for. you might also try the internet if you''re not near a good pet store.

my understanding is that Advantage and such products have some major side effects. personally, i wouldn''t risk such a product on any of my cats but each person has to make their own decision regarding treatment.

there are also some herbal, alternative medicinal things that can be used for fleas. best, though, is what you wanted to do in the first place with a flea comb, etc.

good luck with your 19 year old kitty. my 22-23 year old has some health issues but still is experience a good quality of life; i must admit, though, that i had no idea a cat could live so long!

peace, movie zombie

 

[innerkitten]

Movie Zombie, wow your have some very old kitties. I''m impressed. My neighbors cat just passed away at 20 and I thought that was pretty old for a cat.

 

[Jennifer5973]

How is your kitty???

 

[treysar]

Hi all!

Toby is home iwth me now. He has regained some strength - he was severly dehydrated from not eating or drinking, so they gave him fluids. He has developed anoexia, and is refusing to eat or drink, therfore I am feeding him babyfood through a syringe, as well as giving him water this way. The doctors have no idea what is wrong with him. WE are keeping him here for the next 2 days to see if he improves - if not, it''s back for more tests.

I''ve never seen a cat NOT EAT before. I have tried tuna, turkey, heating the baby food, heating the cat food - anything i can think of. I just keep thinking maybe I should have let him try to pass his poop himself, then this would never have happened.. What if he never eats again? He really has no interest at all. He''s already feeling thin, and he is a fatty to begin with - almost 12 pounds before he got sick. (He''s a main Coon).

I should also mention that our other cat was put to sleep about 2 months ago, and I''m afraid that Toby is depressed, and that might be a factor. It''s really freaking me out. Why won''t he just EAT? He was FINE before he went for the enema, what could possibly be wrong from an ENEMA! WTF! I get so angry, i want to go there and knock things over and smack doctors around. And they do not know the answer.

 

[Kaleigh]

hey Treysar,
I''m sooo sorry about your poor poor Toby!! What about taking him to another Vet for a second opinion? He could be depressed, but I think such a dramatic change in eating behavior right after he had the enema and anethesia, it leads me to believe that''s the area you need to look at. Gosh good luck and I hope your kitty is feeling better soon!! Hugs!!

 

[diane5006]

Sorry to hear that your kitty is still sick...one thing you can do to make sure he gets his nutrition it to take unflavored Pedialyte (or the generic equivalent) and add it to moist cat food..warm it up a bit and use a dropper to get it in...

Also...do you know why he was constipated...it is not usual in cats...did he swallow something...

Still thinking good thoughts

 

[diane5006]

Also...don''t wait 2 days...if he doesn''t improve at all...and he is still not eating or drinking...you need to take him back to vets (or kitty ER) sooner rather than later...so at least he can get more fluids...and they can see what is happening...

Meow

 

[movie zombie]

get back to your vet and fast at least with a phone call. i have one cat that has done this and i almost lost him. he started to slip into it a 2nd time but i caught it in time.

in the case of my tom-tom cat it was his liver. nickname for the condition is ''fatty liver'' but it has another longer latin sounding fancy name. cat does not eat at all and has no interest. what you are doing is good. feeding through a syringe with baby food. but see if you can''t get some AD from the vet. it is by prescription only and very high in calories. dilute it a little with water and then syringe. tom-tom ended up with a tube down his nose the first time and a tube in his neck the 2nd time. it is imperative that toby be fed regularly like every 2 hours. in my case i was taking tom-tom to work with me. it forces his system to deal with food and then sort of jump starts his liver into acting again. then toby''s appetitie should return....but his can take anywhere from 3 to 8 weeks. you can also syringe some water into him but better would be doing subcutaneous fluids every day until he''s drinking on his own.

ok, i just called my vet and had them look the records up from three years ago...the disease or condition is: HEPATIC LIPIDOSIS.

the first time tom-tom went into it, the vet had me doing less than what you''re doing and wasn''t being too concerned about it other than i needed to get him to eat. i picked up his records after a weekend of his not improving and got him to another vet who ended up hospitalizing him for a week. it was then i started taking him to work with me and having to feed him every 2 hours. but he recovered.

please have your vet check for this condition: HEPATIC LIPIDOSIS right away and get it ruled out.

with nine cats of many ages, i''ve almost become a vet technician/assistant and/or one or the other of the cats has had something. i don''t know it all but i''d certainly get toby checked for this condition and fast.

toby can recover. its lots of work but it can be done. also, if he is like tom-tom and gets stressed by change, moving, change of liter, change of food, lhe will now be more likely to slip into it again. i have to watch tom-tom''s weight and make sure he eats.

good luck.

peace, movie zombie

 

[movie zombie]

one more thought: toby was traumatized at the vets by 1-the anesthetic, 2-the enema process itself, 2-being cut [how in the world did that happen?!]. this could be the stress he is reacting to. i would seriously consider finding another vet right now.

peace, movie zombie

 

[pqcollectibles]

We went thru the "No eat, no drink, just lay around" behaviour with our Tom. He was about 2.5 years old then. At first we thought he had a stomach/intestinal bug as he was going at both ends. But a few days and a few pounds later when he didn't get any better, I rushed him to the Vet. Blood tests revealed he had hepatitis. It's different in cats than humans. Feline hepatitis is bacterial, not viral. The only thing we could do is what you are doing. Food and water with a push feeder, wait and hope for the best. I took him every few days, then weekly, then every couple of weeks, to the Vet to monitor his blood values. The progress was slow, but he recovered.

Did they check his blood values for liver and renal function?? Those are the 2 biggies, especially in older cats. I agree, sooner back to the Vet is better than later to find out what's going on. When cats get on a slippery slope health-wise, they can slide off really quickly in the wrong direction.

Hope you get it figured out and he's on the road to good health soon!!

 

[innerkitten]

Sorry to hear he''s still not back to normal. Just keep giving him the baby food and call the vet if there it persists. Poor Kitty

 

[finerthings]

I''m sorry to hear about your kitty being so sick. Last year I went through a similar situation with my 12 year old cat. His brother had died a 6 months before and over the next few months my fellow went downhill...developed hyperthyroidism but reacted very badly to the medicine. He started to have diarrhea and no appetite. He ended up with Hepatic Lipadosis and I force fed him 5 times a day by syringe a special diet...it was a canned food prescribed by the vet...and the feedings would take us 30 minutes each time. We did tests, and biopsies, bi-weekly weigh ins,... it was very traumatic for my guy. He was a 26 pound cat that ended up weighing 12 pounds when I put him to sleep 7 months later. He ended up having Lymphoma as well, and had several months of Prednisone to combate the intestinal inflammation. What I am trying to say is that there always is something serious going on with a cat when they show signs of illness, and the constipation problem your kitty started with may be the tip of the iceberg. I definitely would go to a large veterinary practice for a second opinion, and bring all the information you can to help the vet diagnose the problem. Also, since this is a Saturday, you should be mindful that there are 24 hour emergency clinics around and you should try to locate one in case your kitty takes a turn for the worse before regular Monday doctors hours. The force feeding is the way to in the meantime, and leave bowls of food out around the kitchen to stimulate his appetite. Tuna, babyfood (but make sure it is only a single meat product with no vegetables or onions...Gerber turkey or chicken is great), cottage cheese, salmon are all great. I would leave 8 different plates of assorted food out when my fellow was at his worst, and he would at least try one. I tried different kibble as well, but the moist food seemed to attract his attention much more than the dry. This is one of the most frustrating things for a cat owner to go through...we want to help but the little guy refuses to eat...it is so painful to experience. I will keep you two in my thoughts and please let us know how things go...take care and know that you are not alone here.