My heart is aching as i’m writing this and I am extremely emotional. A last ditch effort to find clarity and advice before it’s too late, if it isn’t already.
Anger, frustration, and a complete loss of hope is washed over me as I know my cat is going to end his own life, it is only a matter of time.
My cat is far from old in fact he just turned 4 this week, he still has a lot of life to live. He has had no illnesses and is well looked after to the best of my ability. Despite this I have not been able to keep my baby healthy and give him the life he deserves.
I rescued him and his twin sister from the streets and nursed them back to health from just 3 weeks old, they are the reason I continue to push forward with life and a big part of my soul. I love these cats to death and will do anything to keep them in good health.
PICA syndrome is the bane of my existence. It has given me the worst anxiety and experiences, trying to navigate this syndrome with my cat has been nothing short from hell on earth. It has taken away my cat from me.
If I had to list everything this post will never end, so i’ve compiled a bullet point list.
OBJECTS:
- Rubber Bands
- Hair Ties
- Erasers
- Beauty Blenders
- Wood
- Crocs ( A part of )
- Flip Flops ( A part of)
- Goggles (A part of)
- Bones (By tipping over the garbage)
- Balloons
- Shoe laces
- Jewlery
- Fidget toys
- Cat toys (supposedly indestructible, clearly not)
- Kid toys
- ETC.
Preventative Measures I’ve tried:
- Vitamins
- Changing his diet (wet food, dry food, and raw food)
- Threw away all hair ties
- Banned balloons and small objects to the best of my ability from the house (the rest are sealed) He has figured ways to climb up shelves and drop sealed boxes on the floor to open it.
- Close the door of every room
- Take him on a walk (he hates the outdoors)
- Kept the garbage sealed with weights on top so he can’t tip it over while we’re sleeping
For most cases…
- He manages to throw it up early
- Or he manages to poop it out after multiple days of refusing to eat and being on IV drips and laxatives (he now has liver issues)
Procedures:
- Over 100+ vet visits (I stopped counting)
- 2 Emergency endoscopies
- 1 Emergency Surgery (Removed a part of his intestine)
And the list goes on.
He always finds a way, faster than I can find a solution.
Today marks the 8th day of X-rays and constant IV drips for my baby boy, but despite my hopes and prayers the object he swallowed is not budging from his intestines. He has a complete obstruction requiring yet another emergency surgery in the next 2 days. Again and again and again, this feels like it will never end. It feels like every object might be his last, and if not then the next one will.
Exhausted is an understatement to describe the feeling I have right now. The constant worrying he’s going to swallow something has began to overshadow the enjoyment, love, and companionship I have with this cat, with my baby. The feeling of him being one object away from another obstruction, another vet visit, another day of hearing him meow in my ear to take him home is dreadful.
I have tried to push through, to be hopeful that it was just a phase but the lists kept getting longer, the vet became a second home and the bills kept racking up. For gods sake I don’t think there’s a single veterinarian in my vicinity that doesn’t know me and my cat.
He is unstoppable and unable to keep himself from swallowing objects of every sort, things you would never expect. One mistake and he’s already dealt the damage, one door you forgot to close and he’s already found something he can pry open and bite. I can’t stop it, mistakes happen and there’s no way to constantly make sure everything is perfectly in order. The house is too big, we are a family of 6.
I wish pica syndrome never existed, I wish he never had it, I wish i could just sit and cuddle with him without worrying if he has something swallowed that’ll be the end of his time with me.
I wish my cat was normal.
It feels death is always lurking, how many times can he pull off another recovery, how many times before it’s too late, how many prayers do I have to say, how much longer can he keep this up before the object, the surgery, or the liver damage decide his time has come.
Am I doing something wrong, am I not doing enough.
I just don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t know if this post will get me backlash for complaining, I don’t know if anyone will see this, I don’t know if anyone can relate. But if you can, for me and for my boy. Help, please.