Unexplained high fever--Terrified it might be FIV

kittens&mittens

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Hi all,

I'm new here (I may have posted here once in the past...), and pretty scared/sick right now. I'll try to make a potentially long story as short as possible.

Over Thanksgiving, I went home to visit my family and left my two COMPLETELY INDOOR KITTIES in the care of a friend. While I was away, some feral cats got into my basement through a gap near the heat/air unit and, because my friend left the basement door open, my two cats were able to...interact...with the ferals. My cats went outside, and the ferals came inside. A day passed, with my cats potentially fighting with the feral cats and being outdoors. My two cats have NEVER been outside for more than a few (supervised) minutes, so I'm shocked that they even stuck around the house.

When I returned home from my trip, one of my cats (Dylan) was extremely lethargic and depressed. He also seemed to be walking stiffly. His appetite was still good, but he wasn't purring, playing, or doing anything other than sleeping and eating. I figured the stress of the "home invasion" was to blame, and after a few days, he was right as rain, tearing about the house and doing his normal Dylan-esque activities. During this period, Chaplin (the other cat) was acting totally normal--completely himself.

A few weeks later, I went home for Christmas vacation. My boyfriend was here with the cats most of the time, but there was no one here for five days, during which someone came in and fed, played with, and looked after the kitties. The basement, at this point, had been completely closed up and blocked off, so no more feral kitties could get in, and no house kitties could get out!!

When my boyfriend returned from his family's Christmas, the cats were both acting normally. Then, he informed me that Chaplin was starting to act the same way Dylan had acted several weeks before--stiff, sleepy, and depressed. When I got home, I watched Chaplin carefully. His appetite was still strong, but he was indeed sleeping all day and all night, and he didn't want to go up or down stairs, nor did he seem to feel like walking very far without lying down. After two days with no improvement, I took him to the vet and it turns out he has a 105 degree fever!!!!!

His bloodwork (CBC and chemistry) came back fine, but I'm most terrified that maybe BOTH cats somehow contracted FIV from the ferals. When I found out that there had been strays in the house, I checked both of the cats over VERY carefully for any wounds, but found no signs of trauma. Again, both cats had the exact same symptoms--they were just spaced out over a few weeks, and Dylan's apparently went away with no veterinary intervention.

Chaplin is spending the night at the vet's to see if his fever can be brought down with antibiotics (in the event that it's an infection). I called the vet while ago to ask about an FIV test, and he said he wasn't sure at this point whether or not he needed to test for FIV. I may make him do it for my peace of mind.

I keep reading that the onset of FIV is often accompanied by a fever, but what's strange is that neither Chaplin nor Dylan had the customary weight loss, loss of appetite, etc. Even with a 105 fever, Chaplin was still eating like a pig, even though he obviously felt horrible.

Is there any other sort of fever-inducing illness that could have been spread via contact with the feral cats? If I couldn't find any bite wounds, is there any other way they could have gotten FIV? From what a vet told me in the past, an FIV-inducing bite wound must be very deep, and I definitely would have noticed something like that. I'm just so angry and upset because throughout the years, I've taken every measure possible to ensure that my kitties are kept away from situations like this...if one or both of them DOES have FIV, I'll be even angrier. :/

Has anyone ever dealt with an unexplained fever in their kitty? What did your vet do? How did things turn out? I'm worried to death right now.
Any advice, comfort, anecdotes, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much.
 

ut0pia

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Aww i'm so sorry that you can't seem to get results and put your mind at rest as to what is causing this fever!! Maybe it will comfort you slightly to know that only 2% of the entire cat population are affected with FIV in the US. So there is a small chance that even the ferals had FIV...I really have no idea of any other diseases that they could have gotten though...
I hope the fever goes down soon
 

kittkatt

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I really wish I had some advice to offer, but I don't recall ever having a cat with a sudden high fever - except when one of them contracted a URI from bringing a new cat home, which was picked up from the animal shelter. The URIs were treated with antibiotics...

I really hope your kitty pulls through this okay, and that it's nothing serious.
 

mews2much

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This may help you.
Last Jan Meeko had a almost 105 fever and acted like your cat is.
She is also a indoor cat and has never been out in her life.
I have caught alot of ferals and have never had one test pos for fiv.
I know some do have it but maybe your cat is just sick.
After Meeko got that high fever Coco got sick.
It took about 2 weeks for her to get it.
I hope your cat feels better.
It took Meeko about 4 days before she would do anything.
 

jack31

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One day out of the blue--it was actually the day I was supposed to be taking the boys in for Jack's one year checkup and was taking Harley as well for shots, I discovered the Jack was terribly lethargic. I couldn't convince him to move from one place in the kitchen, I tried treats that normally get his attention he sniffed them and that was it. I tried to get into the vet earlier than our already scheduled check up but couldn't so we held tight until the appt. Jack hadn't eat all morning or used the box.

When we got to the vet I explained what was going on and immediately they discovered he was running a very high fever like 105 something. They couldn't figure out what it could be as the day before he was completely fine. So we had the option to keep him at the vet overnight and do the IV liquids plus antibiotics and steriods or do sub qs under the skin give him the steriod shot and send antibiotics with me and send him home and bring him back the next day to check his fever. We were strapped for money so we decided honestly that the best bet to start was sub qs etc and take him home for the night. By 3 hours after the vet he was already acting better and even went potty. He rested most of the night and ate a little wet food at dinner. He ate his breakfast just like normal in the morning and was acting much more normal so off to the vet we went for a temperature recheck. It has already dropped to 102 something. The vet was happy and had us continue antibiotics for 10 days--but to call if he got lethargic again etc. He didn't he was back to himself. The vet just thinks it was some kind of infection or possibly even a virus. But hasn't been sick since.

Leslie
 
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kittens&mittens

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Thanks so much everyone for your kind and encouraging words. I'm not so terrified as I was before. I'm wondering now if maybe my kitties caught Bartonella from the feral cats? We'll know more in the morning, as to what this could be. If the fever is going down (due to the antibiotics), then that's a good thing. If it doesn't, then we'll have to try something else.

I'll keep everyone updated. In the meantime, keep those good thoughts and encouraging anecdotes coming!
 
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kittens&mittens

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I'm now going to add terror of FIP to my litany of fears. I just read that an unexplained high fever and difficulty breathing are both symptoms of initial FIP infection....Last night, when I was petting Chaplin, he started purring and meowing at the same time (he's done that ever since I got him), but then he started breathing with his mouth open, as though he was having trouble. He was still purring and happy...but I'd never ever seen him do that before. Now that I know labored breathing is a sign of FIP, I'm even more scared/sick than I was earlier. I feel like I'm living in a nightmare. I can only hope I'm making it worse than it actually is.
 

mews2much

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Try not to panic yet.
I was told my Yoshi had dry fip but it never proven.
Has the vet mentioned fip to you?
There are alot of sicknesses that can cause cats to act that way.
Yoshi did have kidney stones that cold not be removed.
I lost him 8 months after I was told it was fip.
The vet told me it can be a false pos.
What is the vet saying?
 
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kittens&mittens

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The vet didn't even mention FIP. He mentioned Toxoplasmosis, but said that the neurological signs weren't there. He thinks Chaplin's stiffness and reluctance to move up and down stairs/jump up on the bed/etc. (though Chaplin did move very quickly trying to run away from the vet!!) was due more to his high fever than anything else.

I'm just so terrified of the unknown, and I should probably quit googling his symptoms.

What gives me hope is that Dylan had the very same symptoms and ended up just fine. I just can't push past the idea that maybe Dylan got sick and gave it to Chaplin. Chaplin just seems to have it (whatever "it" may be) so much worse.
 
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kittens&mittens

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He has NO respiratory symptoms--no sneezing, no coughing, no watery eyes. Nothing of that sort. He WAS doing the "purring/gasping/meowing thing" but my mom said that her kitties do that sometimes, too, when they get really excited.
 
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kittens&mittens

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Yes--sleeping all the time, seemingly stiff/not wanting to move around much/having difficulty jumping up onto his chair, not wanting to be bothered, but still eating/drinking/using the potty (if carried to the food dish & litterbox). Dylan was that way for about a week and then just started getting better. Now he's tearing around the house like his normal, happy self.
 

kittkatt

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Originally Posted by kittens&mittens

The vet didn't even mention FIP. He mentioned Toxoplasmosis, but said that the neurological signs weren't there. He thinks Chaplin's stiffness and reluctance to move up and down stairs/jump up on the bed/etc. (though Chaplin did move very quickly trying to run away from the vet!!) was due more to his high fever than anything else.

I'm just so terrified of the unknown, and I should probably quit googling his symptoms.

What gives me hope is that Dylan had the very same symptoms and ended up just fine. I just can't push past the idea that maybe Dylan got sick and gave it to Chaplin. Chaplin just seems to have it (whatever "it" may be) so much worse.
One of the problems with FIP (and I'm not saying this to scare you anymore than you already are) is that it attacks the immune system. Some cat's systems are stronger, and can fight infections and other ailments off better than others. If one of your cats is doing better than the other, it may mean that his immune system is stronger. I would bet that your cats did indeed pick up something from the ferals...

I wouldn't freak out too badly just yet, b/c it sounds as if your kitty is improving. Give it some time before you hit the panic button. I know it's easier said than done: I'm kinda freaking out myself after hearing of my Maverick's liver test results.

Maybe this will help ease your mind a little. I have two cats now that were 'diagnosed' with the dry form of FIP, and my vet put them on Interferon. Both of them have been doing extremely well on the treatment. If your vet suspects FIP, you may want to ask him about the Interferon.

Don't give up hope just yet. I know how you're feeling, b/c I freaked out too when I first heard the dreaded "F" word. I began to feel better after learning more about FIP. It's not necessarily a death sentence - not if it's the dry form.

Many
& for you & your babies.
 
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kittens&mittens

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The vet gave him 1 cc of an antibiotic injection. I think it might have been Baytril, but I'm not sure. I read the bottle, but now I can't remember. :/ I'm pretty sure it was Baytril (though I don't have the long name for Baytril memorized). I know for sure that it wasn't doxy, clavamox, or clindamyacin.

He wasn't going to give him anything for the fever, because he wanted to see if the antibiotics helped.
 
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kittens&mittens

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I don't know why I even started on the FIP jag...I wouldn't even have thought of it if I hadn't been googling Chaplin's main symptom (a high fever). I worked at an animal shelter for 8 years, and many, many cats died of FIP there. I'm just so terrified of losing Chaplin, I've been crying all night. I wasn't even this sad when he had a urinary blockage and the vet gave him only a slim chance of living! Because he had a definite illness, then, I felt more comfort in the certainty. Right now, I just feel lost and very alone.
 
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