New here, need help!

[Vadersmom]

So about 3 weeks ago I adopted a 2.5 yo male sphynx from a breeder in my hometown. She explained that the other males in her home weren’t being very mice to him and she just wanted him to go to a good home.
Me- knowing NOTHING about this breed, but always wanting one- jumped at the opportunity and I went to meet him. He was so loving and talkative and I immediately fell in love. I named him Vader, and he bonded exceptionally quick with my 1yo make tabby. On night one, I noticed that the smell he put off when pooping in the litter box was very very foul. I read a post on here that smelly sphynx’s were somewhat normal. That has continued from day one and his poops aren’t very solid. More like baby poop.

He has been eating a grain free salmon and chicken dry food, and one can of either chicken, beef, or tuna wet cat food in the morning. 5 days ago he woke me up at 6 am puking in my bed. I was concerned but he seemed fine afterwards so I just cleaned it up and went on my way. Two days later he ate breakfast- wet food- walked into the living room- and puked in the floor. More concerning, but I checked here and thought maybe he was eating too fast. Today he got up, ate breakfast (wet food, beef this time), walked into my computer room and puked on my fiancé’s chair, then ran away when I was startled, came in the living room - threw up in the air vent and again on the hallway rug while I was running around panicking. I cleaned everything up. Put some dry food out because I thought “maybe this is a bad batch of wet food” and he ate a bit and came in the living room and threw it up again. He has been otherwise talkative, playful, curious and drinking water fine.

He has had two baths since I got him, unknown to me he had an abscess on his leg when I got him, and it burst while playing one night. He allowed me to press on it and clean it up and it healed very nicely. Didn’t refill. He does not have much acne around his chin and none on his tail. His claws were COATED in a layer of black stain that I was able to get off of him in the bath last night. And I have attempted to clean his ears 2x - lots and lots of sludge in there but seems to be much better than it was when I got him.

This is all I can think of to include. Does anyone have any ideas on why he had started throwing up out of no where and any tips I can have moving forward? It would be much appreciated. I attached some pictures of him for reference!

 

[Yoda mom]

@Vadersmom Welcome to the lair family. bless you for opening your hearts and home to Vader. so glad he is getting along with your fur baby. name? all paws are lair family.

so sorry about the poo issues and vomitting. Definitely best to have a check by the vet to make sure he didn't swallow something (they are notorious for munching on hairbands, even toy cat strings, plants). I would also ask the vet to rule out possible Giardia that we have seen some kitties with, usually a round or two of metronidazole helps.
tritrichomonas can cause poo issues and has a different medication , ronidazole. definitely vet check to see what is going on with your sweet Vadar.

he could be sensitive to the food too. did the breeder tell you what food he was used to for the past 2 1/2 yrs? perhaps try him on that. I would definitely address the vomitting and soft stinky poo with your vet for peace of mind and clear up anything that could be brewing..
a lair full of hugs and positive vibes. You want to make sure he is not getting dehydrated from the vomitting. vet can show you how to do the turgor skin fold tenting test too to check for dehydration.

following closely for updates. hugs and head smooches to both your babies
bless you for taking good care of him and cleaning his nails and ears and baths... purrfect Sphynx parents

 

[Vadersmom]

My boys are Vader and Yoda!! Haha here they are in their matching Starwars Jammies.

Thank you so much! I have decided on taking him to the vet tomorrow. I would hate for him to be uncomfortable or unhealthy. i just wasn’t sure if it was abnormal or normal, I know some cats just throw up with no cause other than excitement lol he is so unbelievably loving and playful! I am so inlove with him.

As for knowing anything about him, I have his papers and passport from Russia in 2017, but the owners were Russian and we had a somewhat English speaking translator. So there was some disconnect on specifics like that.

 

[kauna]

Hello and welcome!

I am sorry to hear that Vadar is not feeling well. Is he eating too quickly? Just a thought, with some kitties that eat too quick they sometimes vomit afterwords. The other thing is that he may have a sensitive tummy (hence the vomiting and stinky soft poo)

I would recommend a vet visit and explain what is going on with him they may want to do some testing to rule out any parasites in the poo and may suggest a different diet.

Best of luck on your handsome little one. Keep us posted on his progress.

 

[Sheldon13]

I definitely agree with you a very visit is a good idea. If it had been once or twice I wouldn’t be worried but since he’s thrown up several times now...

Let us know how the vet visit goes. My two thoughts are either a food sensitivity or a blockage in the intestines.


Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

 

[Yoda mom]

@Vadersmom awh . look at those besties in their jammies! ha another yoda mom!
they are precious.

best wishes for Vader's wellness check tomorrow. kudos to you for taking him in.
you can bring a fresh stool sample as mentioned to test for any possible parasites.
as a matter of routine during any vet visit I always ask to take a good listen to the heart for a baseline.

hugs n head smooches! keep us updated

 

[Vadersmom]

Hi everyone, just wanted to update.
I took Vader to the vet this morning. No fever. Fecal came back with bacteria so he will be taking an antibiotic. Vomiting they think could be a combination of his gut being inflamed and overeating. They also detected a heart murmur so we will be following up with a cardiologist. I’m not sure what stage they would classify it but they are concerned enough to send us to a specialist.

 

[Yoda mom]

@Vadersmom healing vibes sent.. so glad you took him to the vet. stay positive on the heart murmur. many of our babies have heart murmurs and are doing fine. my oldest with a grade 3 heart murmur is turning 10.. you would never know, he surely doesn't , he plays and acts like a kitten.

following closely for updates. you can call back and ask what grade they detected. my vet told me grade 3 and said it was subjective.
keep us posted on all fronts
hugs and head smooches
@Catzzzmeow has shared some great info on heart murmurs that eased my mind too and educated me when I was first shocked to hear 3 out of 4 of my nakids have murmurs

"Murmurs can be harmless. Around 50% with murmurs ever even have/develop heart disease, the other half are simply just murmurs. We had a kitten with a grade 2 murmur all of his life and we had 13 wonderful years with him. The best way to truly know is through an echocardiogram. The cardio-bloodwork you mention is most likely a proBNP text does that ring a bell? Here’s an older link on that as well. proBNP Blood test"

 

[Yoda mom]

Grades of a murmur and what they mean

We often hear about cats/kittens having murmurs. We hear they are graded in severity from grade 1 through grade 6. I thought sharing exactly what those grades mean might be helpful to many as most only hear the number. Just a reminder some kittens outgrow murmurs in their first year and that a...

sphynxlair.com

 

[Vadersmom]

I called back. They said subjectively a grade 3 or 4. You would never know it in Vader either! He gets the zoomies and is extremely playful.
They said I can either take him to get an ultrasound which will be $275 ish to determine a more educated stage, or they can refer him for a consult and an echo for $675. What would you all suggest?

 

[Yoda mom]

tagging @Catzzzmeow from my understanding the echo is the way to go

 

[Catzzzmeow]

Getting an echo cardiogram is the only true way to see what is going on. If they suspect a murmur graded 3-4 I would just go for the full consult.

 

[Sheldon13]

I have no experience in this specifically, but I would ere on the side of the specialist if it were me. ONLY though, if it is an actual board certified, trained cat cardiologist. If it’s just someone who likes to focus their practice but doesn’t have the training I’d say it isn’t worth the extra money.


Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

 

[Sheldon13]

By the way, an Echocardiogram is actually an ultrasound of the heart. Basically all Echos are ultrasounds but not all ultrasounds are echos.


Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

 

[Toa and Ross]

Welcome to sphynxlair. Vader is a handsome boy, just like his furry buddy. Glad you took him to the vet. Hope the antibiotics will work. Fingers crossed for the echo

 

[Vadersmom]

Hi everyone, bit of an update.

I contacted the previous owner. She said that no murmur was detected at his check up last year. She gave me the info to his vet so I checked with them. No record of murmur. I decided to get a second opinion. Took him to a new vet in town that just opened. They were fantastic. Explained everything they were doing and why. She heard a murmur, and classified it as a 3. She said she only heard it on his left side, and to top it all off, they have the specialist I was referred to come to their practice, 2x a week, every week, for 300$ cheaper than I was quoted for the referral.

I just felt something was off about that initial opinion so I’m glad I kept pushing. Needless to say I will be switching vets.

 

[Condo commando]

Hopefully that specialist is a board certified cardiologist. My understanding is someone else can take take the echo but only a board certified cardiologist can interpret the results. But you might as well have them take it also. Good luck

 

[Vadersmom]

They are all board certified cardiologists. They are the same practitioners that are at the “specialist” I was referred to by the original vet. Only, they would come to an area that is 3 minutes away vs 1.25 hours AND it would be a lesser cost.

 

[Sheldon13]

You are so smart! I wish I had the tendency to question things like that.

I mean, I do, but I’m always afraid to speak up.

Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

 

[Vadersmom]

You are so smart! I wish I had the tendency to question things like that.

I mean, I do, but I’m always afraid to speak up.

Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

I had to do it for my actual child as a young mom, she was born 2 months early. I always got the Teen mom treatment so I just learned to put my foot down and I became a bit pushy when it comes to medical things I want to know and don’t understand lol Im a bit OCD for answers when I feel that the whole story isn’t being shared.

 

[Toa and Ross]

Glad you got a second opinion and are at a good vet now.

 

[Vadersmom]

Hi all!
Vader took his 1ml dose last night with a bit of mouth foaming. I mixed it into his 3oz probiotic food from the vet this morning and he immediately threw everything up, about 10 minutes after finishing.
Any suggestions?

 

[Beckinboots]

Hi all!
Vader took his 1ml dose last night with a bit of mouth foaming. I mixed it into his 3oz probiotic food from the vet this morning and he immediately threw everything up, about 10 minutes after finishing.
Any suggestions?

Is it antibiotics? If so, i had a similar issue with one of my moggies. We told the vet who gave her a different type.

 

[Sheldon13]

Is it antibiotics? If so, i had a similar issue with one of my moggies. We told the vet who gave her a different type.

Do you have to give it with food? I might try just giving the medicine and waiting an hour to give the smaller volume a chance to stay down. Then feed afterwards.


Love and Sphynx ~ It’s all you need

 

[Vadersmom]

I called the original vet back - since they prescribed the medicine in the first place- and I’m beginning to think they really have no idea what they are doing. They said to not worry about the antibiotics and to just feed the Probiotic food, and they would call me Monday to check on him?