Ember the wonder cat is losing weight, and we're not sure why.

[randomness]

So bedfull_o_books and I are looking around for a place that's good at diagnosing mysterious feline weight loss. Any ideas for places to visit in the general Somerville/Cambridge area would be greatly appreciated. We'd certainly consider places that are a bit farther away if they were worth the trip.

Thanks in advance to all.

Comments

[donnad.livejournal.com]

How old is the cat? If he is older than about 10 years old, I would guess he has a kidney problem. Weight loss is the first sign of kidney disease. Kidney diseas is easily managable and even if he does have it, he can still live a long time with proper care.

We take our cats to Angell Memorial in Jamaica Plain. It's the best place around. Ask specifically for Dr. Jean Duddy. Her specialty is older cats with chronic issues. But we take our kitten to her as well. She's absolutely fantastic with the cats and they actually like her and aren't afraid of her.

[bedfull-o-books.livejournal.com]

Ember is 15. When I brought her to the vet about a month ago the bloodwork did indicate slight kidney problems (I can't remember the exact numbers, but they were in the borderline, rather than the "oh my ghod" range).

I just want her to gain some weight. She was 7 lbs. when she was weighed at the vet. Don't think she has gained anything.

Angell Memorial is one of the places we were considering, actually.

Poor baby....

[bedfull-o-books.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the links, btw. It'll save me some searching.

[donnad.livejournal.com]

15 years old... Then you definitely want Dr. Duddy, tell her I sent you to her. She's the best! When Keisha was sick with her kidney problems she would email us randomly asking how she was doing. We kept in touch via email about her treatment and whatnot.

Last week when our new kitten was sick I emailed Dr. Duddy, explained the symptoms, and didn't even have to take her in to be seen,(thus saving me $80 visit fee) Dr. Duddy called in the anti-biotic and I just had to go pick it up.

She's a cat person herself, I think she has 4 or 5 of her own.

You need to specifically ask for appointments with her, otherwise they'll give you to whomever is available and they have quite a few interns there (it is a teaching facility). I wanted a resident Doctor for my cats so I could have continuity of care and didn't see someone different every visit, which happens if you don't specifically ask to see a specific person.

[donnad.livejournal.com]

One of the other good things about Angell that you wont get at regular vet offices... They are open 24/7. Which means if you ahve a crisis in the middle of the night you can walk in anytime with no appointment and they have your records available.
They take credit cards and they have a payment plan called CareCredit. We used the CareCredit for Keisha thyroid treatments.