We have an adorable Silver Maine Coon who was in perfect health until the summer of '99. He developed an infection which was treated and then, 6 months later developed 2 more infections following a dental cleaning. At the same time, we brought another Maine Coon kitten into the house and our "Gus" didn't seem to adjust well to the new kitten at all. Most of this year he had vomiting problems (something he had never done previously) and we finally concluded that the vomiting was due to stress over the new kitten. We put him on Paxil which seemed to solve all problems but over the last week he has become listless and lost 2 lbs. We were out of town for 2 weeks and since we have returned our routine has been upset due to my having been run over by a car. Gus has had several blood tests and everything turned up negative except for a low albumin level. We are out of our minds trying to figure out what is wrong with him. We don't know if there is any connection to last year's infections or if he has something new or if he is simply stressed. He hasn't been "right" for a year but the weight loss is new. However, one day he seems much more like his old self, the next he is listless. His appetite is good but, due to the vomiting, he is losing weight. We are about to launch into another set of tests (and vet bills!) but are starting to have our doubts about any of these vet's abilities to figure this out. Any thoug

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2000

Answers

If your cat is loosing weight but still eating, you may want to ask your vet about a special cat food that is packed with vitamins and nutrients. I can't remember the name of it, I could not find it in any stores only the vet. I have two 4 yr old MC's. Bailey, the male got very sick last year and nearly died of liver failer. I fed him the food from the vet and it gave him more energy. It is also possible that your cat is stressed. My female gets stressed very easy and she may not eat for a day or two but it does not go past that. You may also want to have your cat tested for Feline Lukemia if you have not done so.

-- Anonymous, October 29, 2000