Animal Welfare Professionals

We have a senior cat that has severe Stomatitus that he had been suffering with for quite some time.  He has had all of his teeth pulled but unfortunately, two of his canines were grown deep into the jaw so they couldn't pull them completely without breaking his jaw.  While there are no teeth visible, there are some remnants under the skin.  His liver and kidney values are not good as well.  We have had him on Atopica daily but it is not completely effective.  His gums are okay but he continues to have a sore on the roof of his mouth.  We tried him on Pred for a while and that worked well, the sore healed up completely, so the vet feels it is not an oral cancer.  But, we all know the dangers of long term Pred use.  Has anyone dealt with a kitty in a similar situation?  We are weighing whether we should keep him on Pred as his time is probably limited anyway and at least he'll be comfortable or if there are other options that we are not familiar with?  Or are we delusional and just not recognizing that his time has come to an end?  I am caring for him in my home so can monitor him closely.  He is eating and drinking well and doesn't hide, so I hate to give up on him as I think he's content with me. I also want him to be comfortable and that is something I can't tell.  Any advice?

We've had some similar chronically ill cats that we found fospice homes for and that's how we feature them in their bios and on our Facebook page.

"Frank the Tank is a 15 years young cat looking for his retirement home. Frank has been diagnosed with stage 3 renal disease and he's managing just fine on his special diet. The shelter will provide 3 months of the diet... will you provide Frank with a forever home? He's a simple guy looking for a nice sunny window to lay by, quiet cats are okay- no young cats please!"

I find it helpful for the diagnosing vet to write up a treatment plan and discussing specific medical complications is best done in person as opposed to online. If he's still has a quality of life (and it sounds like he does!) Go for it!

Good luck!

You might consider joining this Facebook group and posting your question there?  "Feline Stomatitis/Calicivirus" 

Thank you for the replies!  This kitty is in my home to stay, for however long he has left, so I'm not in need of finding an adopter or foster home.  My question was more towards if anyone has had luck with something different from Atopica and Pred, so I could consult with our vet on a different approach.  Right now, they are saying keep on the Atopica even though it's not 100% effective and they won't put him on Pred.  I'll continue to search for what we can do for him.

Laser treatments worked on my cat...not cheap, but worked

Hello! we have a kitty named Rudi who is in the same boat. We have her on Atopica EOD and low does Prednisolone EOD (opposing the Atopica) this has worked wonders for her. Although everyone is afraid of long term pred and atopica, she is happy, pain free and eats dry food like a champ. She also like Panera, Tropical Smoothie and Firehouse Subs chicken and turkey. She has been in our care since 2012 - she is my office cat. She too had all her teeth removed but unfortunately feel into the small percent that total tooth removal is not curative. We do full panel blood work twice a year and she has been healthy as she can be. For us, we weighed her happiness over the potential long term side effects of both medications. Hope this helps.

My personal cat Rudy has had Stomatitus and a tongue ulcer for about 2 years.  He is 18 years old this month, so he was diagnosed when he was 16.  My vet and I tried everything - Atopica, oral and injectable antibiotics, and more that I cannot even remember.  Eventually she put him on 10 mg of Pred daily, to be reduced to 5mg daily over the course of a month.  Well, he did fabulously on 10mg.  Right when we began decreasing the Pred, his drooling came back, loss of appetite, his ulcer grew, and he was miserable.  He has been on this huge dose of Pred for 2 years and it may not be great for his kidneys but he's a happy old man.  Without this, I think we would have euthanized him because of how miserable he was.  <3 

We have a shelter kitty that has been within our care since 2012. She has been free roaming our shelter since 2013 and is known as my office cat. She was a younger kitty, around 2-3 years old when she came in. She struggled with stomatitus from the onset, gingiva red and irritated, cobblestone tissue (size of 50 cent piece) on both sides at the back of her mouth. She had all her teeth removed and still has issues and has some remnants of teeth under her gums. What works for Ms. Rudi Toot Toot Boots (she has many, many nicknames) is an every other day regiment of Atopica and prednisolone. She is on the lowest dose of each medication possible and she has not had a flair up in 2-3 years ! We all know the potential long term effects of being on both of these drugs but Rudi is happy, has a very large fan base, loves Firehouse Subs turkey, Taziki's grilled chicken, Tropical Smoothie chicken, cat treats, the list goes on.....