Second Opinions Urgently Needed

My cat is an indoor cat and 7 years old, before this incident he weighed 18 pounds and was consider "mr. fatty".

The problem started as fleas, they would bite him up and I had tried a "3 month drop" sample that I purchased at walmart. It didn't do anything at all. As I waited to afford to get the Frontline for my cat I noticed his health was deteriorating.

Ever time I would feed him wet food (whiskas) he would throw it up almost instantly right afterwards some time in the day. So I soon enough began just feeding him just the dry food. But I soon noticed that his weighed has seriously dropped, he went from being the fatty cat to now being a cat where i can see the bones in his back when just standing over him. When I picked him up I noticed he was significantly lighter. I also noticed that around his eyes, inside his ears, his nose, and inside his mouth was pale white. After sometime of consulting the problems with my Mother she said that it was probably just due to the fleas or the heat, or whatever else. But then I realized soon enough that this was not just a problem that could wait to see if "frontline" would cure it all right away when he climbed up upon the lap of my boyfriend and Urinated. And it wasn't just a little "drops" it was completely going. I knew right away that this was an emergency as this was not something he has EVER done.

The following day I took him to a Vet my mom recommended as the neighbors around her swore up and down he is the best. Upon the travel to the vet's office (A 20 minute drive) Ali urinated in his carrier twice, I don't know if this is significant to mention as he didn't care much for the car ride so it may have been out of fear or whatever else.

Upon arriving at the vet's office, and being seen I was asked what was wrong. I told him simply "it started as fleas and took a horrible turn as he has lost significant weight and is very pale in places he shouldn't be, and is starting to urinate in places he never did." I regret mentioning the part where he urinates in places he didn't before, because this was the only thing I felt that the doctor focused on. He took a blood sample from Ali, and tested him for diabetes, he said his sugar levels were high and asked if he ate before I brought him in. To which I replied that I hadn't fed him because he wasn't eating much or if he was he was throwing it back up. Which then prompted him to take his temperature. After being in the office for a about not even 5 minutes, the Vet told me that he was diagnosing my cat with Kidney Infection, and handed me a treatment of Clavamix, in liquid to be given twice daily. And that was the extent of the visit. He didn't say anything about the fleas nor anything about him being pale. He heard "urinates in places where he didn't before" and that was it. He also gave him a shot of what I believe was what he gave me to give Ali at home.

Upon arriving home I immediately googled Feline Kidney Infection and discovered that Ali only matched a couple of symptoms. I'm not saying that Ali doesn't have a kidney infection, I just don't know if I am too comfortable giving him this medicine and the frontline and thinking everything will be ok.

My Mom's husband thinks I am overreacting and thinking too much into this. But upon my research I hadn't found anything about Kidney Infection to have a symptom of being very pale.

I am not a vet, nor a doctor or anything like that. I am simply a very scared cat owner. I do not have a lot of money to keep throwing at vets if I am overreacting so I was hoping to get some opinions here, but in a hurried fashioned as if he does need to go I will work my budget around him getting into a vet appointment by tomorrow (friday). I refuse to allow money problems to stand in the way of my cat surviving this.

It has been 2 days now since my cat has been at the vet's. I have given the medicine as I was directed too and haven't noticed a change and I am aware its not going to happen over night. Since returning home though I have noticed his energy level has dropped once more. I made him up a bed in the living room to which he lays there almost 24/7. The only time he ever really does get up to walk is when he hears me opening the food, or sees me coming at him with the eye dropper for the medicine. I did find him today "squatting" on my laundry basket to which I lifted him out and placed him on the ground where he just sat there, almost seemed out of it, for a good 5 minutes. To which I decided to pick him up and place him in his litter box. I think he went, but it took some time.

I want to also add that I have re-started giving him wet food once again, for the past 2 days he ate it and hasn't had it come back up yet. I don't know if that is significant or anything but I felt I should add it to get the best help.

I am very scared and on constant verge of tears due to this, I had to put one cat to sleep in the past and I cannot imagine doing this to Ali nor being without him in my life. So if you can help me at all with figuring out what is going on I will appreciate it forever.

How long after you treated him with the Walmart 3 month treatment did these symptoms appear? And how long has this been going on? Many of the over the counter flea treatments can poison a cat. If you had put this on your cat yesterday, I'd tell you to do whatever you could to wash it off of him. I honestly can't tell you what to do now that it has been on him for a while (I'm assuming this has been a while ago).

Call the vet back and explain about the 3 month drop treatment then ask again why a URI would be causing him to loose this much weight. My guess is that he will argue to let the Clavamox work on the URI and that it takes more than 2 days to clear it up. But he has symptoms outside of a URI and he needs to hear those. Ask him to look at the blood work in light of a possible poisoning.

If he won't listen, then you really do need to find another vet. Start with the flea treatment and explain all symptoms. They need to hear that he is peeing out of the litter box, but that it seems to be in response to his discomfort, not the root cause of his problem.

You might need to be really persistent with the vet until he stops long enough to look at the entire problem. Don't let him shut you down but if he does, he's not a good vet.

And honestly, I've gone into a vets office crying and have told them that they aren't looking at the problem right. It usually stops them cold and they will stop and help you.

Keep us posted please?

It has been over a month since I put the flea treatment on Ali.

I noticed his health going down like this about a week and half ago. He was really active up until that time frame.

He would fight me at the door to get out, or attack me at the kitchen when I'd be cooking but does neither.

I have no faith really in going back to the original vet so if I do go back it will be to a different one.

At first I wondered if it could be feline anemia. I read cats with flea issues can get this, and he matched all symptoms.

Originally Posted by SixStars

It has been over a month since I put the flea treatment on Ali.

I noticed his health going down like this about a week and half ago. He was really active up until that time frame.

He would fight me at the door to get out, or attack me at the kitchen when I'd be cooking but does neither.

I have no faith really in going back to the original vet so if I do go back it will be to a different one.

At first I wondered if it could be feline anemia. I read cats with flea issues can get this, and he matched all symptoms.

Click to expand...

ABSOLUTELY HE HAS ANEMIA. SERIOUS ANEMIA. And if he is exhibiting all the symptoms you are telling us, he needs veterinary care a/o.

It does sound like anemia, and if he's had fleas for a long time, that could be the cause. Definitely take him to another vet, and have bloodwork done to find out for sure.

And please have the vet to deworm him. That could be a major cause of him losing weight. And if he has hookwoms,they can contribute to the anemia too. I think I'd look for another vet also.

I'd find another vet. I agree with the anemia. And he definately needs a good vet prescribed flea preventative & deworming! Poor Ali.

And to you!

I'd get him to an ER vet. It could be Feline Infectious Anemia, formerly known as hemobartonella. It is spread through fleas, and it can be deadly if untreated. The vet can do a blood test to confirm it, and he would be put on a different kind of antibiotic that kills that parasites, and possibly prednisone as well to keep your kitty's immune system from killing off his blood cells.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Con...=1&SourceID=42
http://www.geocities.com/pvis1960/hemobartonella.html

Ali had an emergency vet appointment yesterday morning (Sat) he was seen before all other animals at a different vets office and I was pleased with their care for Ali and his problems.

They actually took their time to go through all of his current and past symptoms instead of just one.

The outcome is basically she said he has a heart murmur, and that he definitely has Anemia. She told they wouldn't be able to know if he had hemobartonella until after the blood-work came back and that wouldn't be until Tuesday or Weds, because they wouldn't be able to send them out until Monday. They put him on an Antibiotic, Antirope Aquadrops.

They also did a test while I was there to see if he had Feline Leuk, or Aids and the results were negative.

To treat the fleas she gave him a Pill that was supposed work with in a couple of hours, and then gave me frontline to give him as well.

She was also supposed to give me a spray that is to help treat the home but upon the confusion of the busyness they experienced it had gotten forgotten but I plan to return on monday to purchase it.

They were going to keep Ali there while waiting for the tests to come back but they figured he was more alert than most are and would benefit more from being at home.

They also told me he does not have a Kidney Infection at all, and doesn't even seem to be showing any symptoms. So they told me to discontinue the use the medicine that was previously given to me. As I have.

He also got weighed and weighs 8lbs lighter than he did about a month ago.

The bill for all of this was a lot higher than I had been anticipating but it is well worth it if he will be ok, or can get the help to get better in the end.

Since he has been home he hasn't been much more active, and really doesn't care much for the new taste of the medicine. But I think the pill & frontline is doing something he isn't itching much or even at all from what I have seen. So Im happy at least that has stopped for him.


Thank you for the advice and the opinions on getting him to another Vet, otherwise I don't know what would be going on with Ali. I am still very furious though at the last vet. Had I not been so concerned and done the research on my own I don't know if I would have thought his judgment was wrong. I plan to write him a letter explaining this to him and showing him what a different vet found out when they took the time to hear both me & ali out.


Thank you again, I'll keep you updated on the results when they come in.

A good vet makes all the difference in the world! I hope Ali continues to improve and I'm sure the heart murmur will disappear after the anemia is cured. Best of luck to you both.

Thank you for the update on Ali -- I'm sure I'm not the only one interested in his progress! -- and please keep us all posted, okay? Yes, a heart murmur with anemia would definitely be something that could cause extreme lethargy. I've had experience of this with beloved felines, and with myself. GOOD FOR YOU for getting that second opinion -- it sounds as though this doctor and his team are truly concerned with Ali's health and are taking the time to learn his history in order to better assess his health and treat him.
Antirobe Aquadrops are familiar to me and mine, as well. Good luck to Ali and to you.