Pyometra- good article for anyone with a "pregnant" cat to read!

I would have posted this in health and Nutrition; however I feel it is more beneficial to be posted in here.

In no way am I trying to scare any one but I feel that knowing that Pyometra exists and can happen to any unaltered female cat is very important.

Here's how the story goes and why I felt I should post this thread.

My own cat was about 7 weeks into her "pregnancy" when I noticed a brown discharge coming out (kind of like chocolate milk). I thought for sure she was in labor until I noticed how uncomfortable she was becoming, meowing and growling and the amount of the discharge coming out was increaseing. I called the emergency vet who told me originally it could probably wait until morning (so I wasn't charged more for an emergency visit). Well, I insisted I bring her in to see what was wrong and I think my cat knew she needed to go as well because she crawled right into the cat carrier when I set it on the floor and layed down.

An hour later we were at the vets office. The vet examined her belly and asked if she was for sure pregnant because she couldn't feel any fetuses. Well, I was in shock because I was SURE I had felt them moving!!! She said she was going to take an x-ray to be sure. The x-ray was taken and while it was developing her temperature was taken--- 102 degrees!!! I was at a loss of words because in no way had she been acting as if she was sick. She was eating and playing and doing everything she would normally do. The x-ray came back only to reveal a uterus full of puss and infection and NO kittens. The discharge I had seen was puss!! She said it was PYOMETRA. The vet was suprised that my cat was not yet dead since in most cases Pyometra is fatal because it is diagnosed so late. This condition mimics normal pregnancy and so it is very hard to recognize that anything is out of the ordinary. Luckily my cat had what they call an OPEN Pyometra whereas most cats have a CLOSED Pyometra (where none of the puss is released) which makes it even that much harder to diagnose! I had two options really- try the less effective treatment of giving antibiotics and just hope for the best (not a good prognosis) or have a Pyometra spay done (a little better but still not great because the uterus can explode as it is being lifted out resulting in the infection spreading to the abdomen).

$700 later my cat was home and recovering from her surgery. She is doing remarkably well now.

Please keep in mind that this condition is quite rare in cats but it is always better to be aware that it is out there and COULD happen!!

Below are two sites with some good information explaining this condition. The second one explains in more detail what causes Pyometra.

http://www.cat-world.com.au/PyometraInCats.htm

http://www.animalhelp.com/library/ar...l.cfm?artid=36

Thanks for reading

I read the article but I've always heard that cats that constantly go in/out of heat without being bred are at a higher risk of getting pyrometria. The artlcle doesn't address that.

You may very well be right and I am happy you added it; however I have so far not come across that information with the research I have done and the vet never mentioned that. I will have to ask my vet on Monday when my kitty goes in to have her stitches removed. I would also like to know what she feels the "cause" was.

This cat was a Himalayan in a breeding program before I got her (only a year ago) and so I would assume she had not been in and out of heat too often without being bred. She is only 3 years old.

Pyometra is not all that rare. It is usually caused by the E-Coli bacteria.
Pregnant queens and those in heat who have chronic loose stools and those who don't clean themselves well are most susceptible.

Pyo usually only kills feral cats, as there is no human there to notice a problem and take the cat to the Vet. Queens with closed Pyo are more difficult to detect, but they will show signs of distress before it is too late to treat.

Usually the only course of action is an emergency spay, but we have successfully treated one girl with advanced open cervix pyo. That involved some potent drugs and a 5 day hospital stay. Spaying was not needed or wanted as she was an important queen in the program.

For any of those reading this thread, who have pregnant cats at home, if you're now concerned about Pyo, the way to ease your mind some is to have your girl examined by your Vet at least twice during her gestation. Your Vet will palpate the abdomen for kittens. If there is any question, ask for an ultrasound. Some vets will also do an x-ray, if the pregnancy is far enough along.

I am glad that everyone is adding extra information to this because I do feel (even if scary) it is something that people should be aware of.

Better to be safe then sorry I always say.

I've worried about this with Rags. I'm afraid I am going to go ahead and get her into the vet, but I don't have money right now. I'm trying to get a new job and I have to wait until next week to see if I've got it or not.
Rags doesn't have any symptoms of distress. She is just BIG and has been with me for nearly a month now and no kittens. I don't even feel any movement from her belly.

GayleMG

I can understand your concern. Does your cat have any milk? Rosey pink nipples?

How far along do you think she might be if she is pregnant?? when was her last heat cycle?

I personally feel as though it is smart to have them checked out even if you just suspect it- better safe then sorry. I realize it is expensive (everything these days are!!!) Maybe your vet would take payments? If she is checked and is fine then it will ease your worry but if she does indeed have this problem and your vet won't take payments I would call every vet within driving distance until you find one that does and bring her there to be treated. The vets that really care about the animals will take payments- thats how I feel any ways. The vets that send you away because you can't afford it should not be vets at all in my opinion.

Please let me know how things go and if you want to talk don't hesitate to email me

Originally Posted by pussy_cat

GayleMG

Does your cat have any milk? Rosey pink nipples?

How far along do you think she might be if she is pregnant?? when was her last heat cycle?

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She doesn't have any milk coming in and her nipples are big, but not pink. I don't have a clue as to how far along she might be or her last heat cycle. She is a rescued stray that I took in a month ago. She had started begging for food at my door so I was feeding her outside. When I thought she might be pregnant I brought her in. That was just about a month ago, and except for getting bigger, she hasn't shown any signs of having kittens. She isn't nesting at all. But she seems to feel fine and eats a lot. I will call my vet today though. I'll bet I won't be able to get her in anywhere until Monday.

UPDATE- I just made an appointment for 3:00 Tuesday.

Please let me know how it goes

Good luck and it was great of you to bring her in.

Originally Posted by GayleMG

She doesn't have any milk coming in and her nipples are big, but not pink. I don't have a clue as to how far along she might be or her last heat cycle. She is a rescued stray that I took in a month ago. She had started begging for food at my door so I was feeding her outside. When I thought she might be pregnant I brought her in. That was just about a month ago, and except for getting bigger, she hasn't shown any signs of having kittens. She isn't nesting at all. But she seems to feel fine and eats a lot. I will call my vet today though. I'll bet I won't be able to get her in anywhere until Monday.

UPDATE- I just made an appointment for 3:00 Tuesday.

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I know you said money is an issue, but if the Vet can't feel the kittens, then ask him to do a white blood cell count. This is much less expensive than a xray or ultrasound.
If her white cell count is normal, everything is probably ok. If it's highly elevated, that means she has an infection and may likely have Pyo.

OK. Thanks for the tip!

Originally Posted by pussy_cat

This cat was a Himalayan in a breeding program before I got her (only a year ago) and so I would assume she had not been in and out of heat too often without being bred. She is only 3 years old.

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That would depend on how well the breeder was caring for her cats. I know most breeders only like 3 cycles before doing something, either mating or taking her off call.

I'm surprised she didn't have her spayed before rehoming her to you.

I wonder if that was what my childhood RB girl had, My mom had taken her in for an abortion and spay. The vet thought she was a normal looking pregnant cat but on opening her for the spay, discovered peritonitis. She was not pregnant but her stomach was almost eaten away as well as most her liver and uterus. Mom elected to have her pts so she wouldn't be suffering. We didn't see any signs of distress tho.

This was back in the late 60's early 70's so it might well have been pyometra. Maybe mom misunderstood the vet. He did say that he hadn't seen that since med school and he was an old vet. He was very surprised.

That's scary. So much internal damage and she never showed distress. Animals can really hide their pain, if she was feeling it. Hard to believe she wasn't feeling something. Poor baby!
I've been hoping Rags will have kittens before Tuesday afternoon. That would save me a vet visit and some money. If nothing happens before then though, I will take her in. I need to know what is going on. If she is preggers, I'd like to know how long she has to go, about how many kittens, if everything is going fine, etc. A vet visit will finally ease my mind.

Originally Posted by GayleMG

She doesn't have any milk coming in and her nipples are big, but not pink. I don't have a clue as to how far along she might be or her last heat cycle. She is a rescued stray that I took in a month ago. She had started begging for food at my door so I was feeding her outside. When I thought she might be pregnant I brought her in. That was just about a month ago, and except for getting bigger, she hasn't shown any signs of having kittens. She isn't nesting at all. But she seems to feel fine and eats a lot. I will call my vet today though. I'll bet I won't be able to get her in anywhere until Monday.

UPDATE- I just made an appointment for 3:00 Tuesday.

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Gayle,

DOn't get discouraged yet--Houdini didn't exhibit any of the classic pregnancy signs either. No nesting, no milk, etc....only symptom was she ate a LOT. I felt subtle movement in her abdomen for a week, then she just had the kittens right in the middle of everything!!

I've got my fingers crossed that Rags is following the same course and is not just sick. Keep us posted.

That's good to know. Rags eats a lot, too! That's one of the things that make me think that she isn't sick. I can't imagine having a womb full of pus (sorry) and still having such a healthy appetite. But unless something happens before Tuesday, I'll go ahead and take her in.

Yes, it is surpiseing that my cat was still eating and acting normally with having the Pyometra but she was. She ate a cup of Nutrience cat food daily and most days wanted more. I can't get over how strong she was and she wasn't acting abnormally until the day she started loseing some of the puss. It was only then that I noticed something was wrong which is why I brought her into the emergency vet.

Luckily she is doing extremely well now and had her stitches out today! She has gained 1lb in 10 days.

One sign of Pyrometra is if a cat drinks more water then usual. This is one of the first things the vet asked me. I never really noticed it but she did drink a fair amount of water now that I think about it.

Thank you SO MUCH for posting this story. I know it must have come as a shock to you but I have sen it before at the clinic I work at and sometimes the cats do not make it because the cats' owners (not that I am sure cats think they have owners) do not recognize it, often because they do not know what it even is. Not everyone is as knowledgeable as the readers of this site and we cannot judge them for lack of knowledge. I actually grew up believing cats liked milk! Of course, I now know better but I was very surprised to learn that was not true.
And that's just one thing! There is SOOO much to know!

I am so happy all went well for your girl. Good for you for being a good mama and bring her in to the vet asap and bravo for sharing your story. I hope it prevents other cats from the same problem and encouraged peple to spay and neuter their cats- unless they are reputable and ethical breeders of course.

Siobhan- thanks for your kind words. I was a little skeptical at first about posting this because I was concerned people would OVER worry about their cats having this condition. I just wanted to let people know that this condition is out there and it is better to know it is then to not because as you said, most people do not recognize it.

I was told that it is most times fatal in cats- maybe because a lot of them are ``barn`` cats and have no one to look out for them or because the symptoms of Pyometra mimic a regular pregnancy and it is hard to see that something is wrong. Regardless, it`s very dangerous and I believe everyone should know about it, even if it does scare them.

Again, better to be safe then sorry!

I decided to cancel the appointment for today because Rags is showing some nesting behavior. I think I don't have to worry so much now. I was concerned because she only seemed to have a large belly, but no other specific signs that she was pg. She is digging around in a couple of boxes I have provided (a cardboard box and a pet crate) and she is acting clingy to me and less interested in food today.