sick kitten and no diagnosis

Hello,

I have a 10 month old kitty who has been very sick the past two weeks.  Almost two weeks ago, I noticed he had been sleeping all day and hadn't eaten for that day so I took him and tried to play with him a bit, I noticed when i picked him up with my hand on his tummy he would growl a bit like it was hurting, then when i set him down he would just sit there and do nothing.  In the end I couldn't get him to eat anything that day.  The next morning I tried to get him to eat again and he was so weak he kept collapsing every time I set him down and if he tried to walk, his back legs would give out.  This continued for 4-5 days and I only was able to get him to drink some raw milk and only if I helped him get to the bowl.  He wouldn't touch any other food or water.  He didn't poop for 3 days during that time too.  He was urinating fine though, except he couldn't climb in the box so he peed beside it .  He began eating raw chicken after some coaxing on the 4th day.  He's been eating raw chicken since then and continues eating well.  He still won't touch water or his normal food(wellness dry food) though .  Even after eating normally for a week his back legs are still so week and he sleeps almost all day.  He's slowly improving I think but I'm unsure.  He still can't pee in the box properly and if I try to help him and he runs off and pees somewhere else.  He's pooped twice more since then.  I've taken him to a vet and an animal hospital and let him stay over night and they've run a lot of test but so far all the tests have come back negative(blood tests, fip test, feline leukemia test, and others..).  They have no idea whats wrong or how to treat it and neither do I.  They gave me antibiotics to try and they've done nothing but stress the kitty out more than he already is (He's timid by nature, I think because his mom was a feral cat he fears humans a bit).  I'm at my wits end since I'm constantly cleaning up cat pee and I don't have any idea how to treat him.  Has anyone seen these symptoms in a young cat before?  It doesn't help that he's afraid of me since I haven't had him long enough to properly bond with him, he won't learn to trust me so long as I have to shove pills down his throat  

Wow, I'm so sorry your purr baby isn't feeling well, AND that the Vet isn't any help.  That's so strange that they can't figure out what's wrong.  Is he still growling when you touch his tummy? 

As far as drinking, as long as you are feeding him raw meats, he probably isn't thirsty, because raw food contains plenty of moisture, so most cats who eat raw food don't drink water.  BUT, just eating raw chicken is not nutritionally complete.  He needs added  calcium (bones or some sort of calcium supplementation, like eggshell powder, AND liver.  Maybe you are feeding him those when you say chicken, I'm not sure, but there are specific ratio that they should be fed in.  If you are not familiar with feeding raw, we have a Raw Forum here:  http://www.thecatsite.com/f/65/raw-feeding-for-cats where there are experts that can answer any questions you might have about the food issue.

So, back to the other issues.  Cats on raw food will also poop a LOT less , so that may be why he's only pooped twice. 

As far as getting his antibiotics in him, have you tried hiding them inside treats?  You might even hide them inside his raw chicken.  What antibiotic is he on?  Do you know if it's bitter tasting?  Are you currently trying to pill him, is that what is stressing him out?  You could try hiding them in small pieces of cheese, or liverworst, or cream cheese, or soft treats (like Whiska Lickins) or Pill Pockets. 

You said his back legs appear to still be weak.  Does he appear to be in pain?  Did they check his heart?  I know there is something called saddle thrombosis which is a blood clot that can cause weakness or complete paralysis in the back legs, but it usually is accompanied by severe pain.  Did they check for that?

for your little guy.  And don't forget to check out the raw forum to make sure he's getting balanced meals.

Thanks for the reply.  It doesn't bother him when I touch his tummy anymore. 

I'm not familiar with raw diets though I've read a bit on them.  I just started since it's all he would eat well.  I added liver yesterday, he doesn't seem to like it much though.  I try to add bones if I find small ones, but it's probably not enough.  I'll try adding crushed egg shells i think. 

I've managed to medicate him fine since he doesn't put up much a fight, but I can tell it's stressing him out.  The vet said the medicine would be very bitter so I give him some food with it.  I tried pill pockets, but he doesn't like them I think,  he's never liked treats very much anyway.  He won't eat cheese either lol, he's very picky.  His back legs are still weak but he doesn't appear to be in pain, he just seems like he doesn't have strength to walk well.  He's getting better though.  He seems to be a bit more stable than he was, though he still isn't peeing in his box unfortunately.  They did check his heart, but there was nothing unusual about it.  I'm hoping whatever was wrong is gone now, but I am curious as to what it could have been.  I was really scared for a bit cause for a while he could barely lift up his head to drink milk, so I had to help him.  If it wasn't for the raw milk, I probably would have had to force feed him. 
 

You can still assist feed him to get more into him.  And you can purchase eggshell powder or powdered calcium at natural pet food stores...maybe even at health food stores.  As far as liver goes, did you try both chicken liver and beef liver?  One of mine likes beef liver, but the others don't.  (and the store was out of chicken liver, so I haven't been able to try that one yet).  But you can substitute freeze dried liver for raw, and most cats go crazy for it.  Again, most natural pet food stores sell the freeze dried liver, in the dog area.  Over in the raw forum they can help you with the amounts to feed vs the amount of "meat" you are feeding.

Maybe your litter box is too high right now for your guy to climb into?  Could you give up a low sided cake pan or something and let him use that?  Anything with lower sides might be better right now...even a low sided cardboard box lined with plastic. 

Awww this sounds very sad :-(. I don't mean to freak you out, but young cats can die really quickly and easily. Four days of going without eating or drinking much, you are very lucky your cat is alive! 

I strongly suggest that you get a bunch of cans of A/D from your vet and several plastic feeding syringes, mix the A/D with canned pumpkin like a slushy and suck it into the syringe, and then force feed your cat at least 3/4 of a can of A/D per day. The raw chicken and milk is definitely not good for him. The A/D with pumpkin should give him regular poops and also should hydrate him and nourish him to where he should perk up tremendously in a short time. 

Also with the antibiotic pill, you did not say what kind of antibiotic it is? This is important to know because some antibiotics cause diarrhea. When you give your kitty the pill, you can also use a plastic syringe filled with water and squirt it in your kitty's mouth after you give him the pill, that will help him swallow it and will flush out the bad taste. You can swish the syringe around in some tuna or butter too, so it is more appealing for your cat when you squirt water in his mouth and will also help get rid of the bitter taste more too.

Don't worry about bonding with him at this point because there is plenty of time for that later. He knows he is sick, and even though he will run away from you and it will seem like he hates you, and you will feel terrible to force feed him, trust me, he knows you are his kitty-parent, and that you are taking care of him. When you consider that the alternative is he will likely die, it will help you to do it, knowing that you are his parent, you are responsible for him and nobody else is going to do anything, unless you give him up to someone else or have a lot of money and can board him at the vet and ask them to treat him until he stabilizes on his regular food again. I had to figure this out at one point and it helps to do tough love when you think of all that.

I am surprised that your vet did not administer subcutaneous fluids considering your cats' legs gave out and that he had been fading for 4-5 days. Also with FIP I'm pretty sure there is no actual test for it but they may have ruled it out based on how it typically presents. 

With your vet, what exactly did they do? Blood tests? Did they take any x-rays? Did they rule out a bladder infection? Is his temperature normal? 

Thanks for the replies, I haven't been able to get on here as often as I'd like because of traveling for holidays.

He was doing a lot better for a few days and eating really well, he's gained back some weight and was using the litter box about half the time.  Unfortunately it didn't last.  He's back to sleeping all day and pees himself once a day .  He still eats chicken and chicken liver and some milk, but he doesn't want cat food.  He doesn't seem in pain.  It's just like he doesn't have the will or strength to get up.  I'm taking him back to the vet as soon as I get back in town. 

I got a shorter litter box but so far he hasn't gotten up to try it out.  I think he's also stressed right now cause I had to take him with me for the holidays since I couldn't find anyone who could look after him. 

He did stay in the hospital for a night so they could monitor him since the tests didn't come up with anything at first.  They kept him on iv, but didn't see any change so I took him home the next day.  They ruled out fip but not sure what test they did exactly.  They tested for feline leukemia, they did blood tests, checked his temp., felt around for constipation or lumps, they said they took care of the basic tests except for x-ray.  They recommended I take him to a neurologist if the antibiotics don't do anything. Nothing negative came up in his tests except for dehydration, which they said was expected since he hadn't been drinking water willingly.  For now, since he's eating it well, I'll keep up with the raw diet.  I sure It could use some tweaking though.  I'm trying to figure out a substitute for bones.  I wonder if bone meal is acceptable. 

I want to get his potassium levels checked, I found a website that describes the symptoms of low potassium and it looks just like the way my kitty is walking. 

Hey yaykittyeee, after you get his potassium levels checked and if you can afford it and if it's possible in your area, why not take him to see another vet at another clinic or either a neurologist or internal medicine specialist, just for a second opinion? You can ask your vet to forward all of his results to the new vet. It's impossible for one vet to know everything and sometimes a different vet will interpret results differently or have a different treatment. I like to have a good relationship with at least two different vets at different clinics so I can always get a second opinion, if needed, from a vet I trust. If your kitty is really going downhill, don't be too timid to keep your vet apprised of the situation every day and nag them for more things to try. One case had me on the phone with three different vets every single day, and believe it or not, rather than annoying them, they seemed to appreciate how much I cared, took diligent notes, started calling me when I didn't call, and got so involved in the case they called up some of their colleagues and a university to ask for advice. So anyway it doesn't hurt to be proactive and nag for help.

Also, I hate to say it, but there is no real way to rule out FIP except during an autopsy. If your kitten has no effusion then your vet performed a FCoV antibody titre, and sometimes that can turn up negative in a FIP case. If a reason for the symptoms can't be found, FIP is still on the table... This is a good site about FIP: http://www.dr-addie.com/WhatIsFIP.htm

I cannot stress enough that I don't think his diet is complete.  Just chicken and some liver and milk is not nutritionally complete, and he is still a growing kitten.  That may be part of his problem, although I know you said he won't eat anything else.  You may need to supplement his chicken and liver with the eqqshell powder (are you doing that now?) or other form of calcium.  Don't think milk is enough. Normally milk other than mother's milk or KMR) is not really good for cats. PLUS he may need some vitamins, etc. added in since he seems to be wasting away from the sounds of it.  Be sure to tell the Vet exactly what he is eating.  (although most Vets don't much about feeding raw diets)

I cannot urge you enough to visit our Raw Forum and get some advise on what else to do to at least feed him a balanced meal.  You can actually overfeed liver.  I think it should only be between 5 - 10% of the overall food given.  But he may need added Taurene, other vitamins, etc. based on the type of protein you are feeding.  And the calcium is critical.  Please, if nothing else, check out the Raw Resource thread here:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240809/raw-feeding-resource-thread

It very well could be his potassium levels, so the sooner you can get them checked, the better.  Keep us posted. 

Awww I am very sorry to hear this!

I have to say, and don't be upset at me please- am just trying to share my experience of many years in rescue with kitties in all sorts of not-eating situations- you aren't going to see a lot of improvement unless you get those cans of A/D and a large feeding syringe from the vet- swirl it around like a slushy and suck it into the syringe. Put him on the bed, and use your left forearm to kind of pin him lying down sideways with your left hand scruffing his neck and your right hand with the loaded syringe and slowly but steadily get it into him; put a towel on the bed where you will lay him down and have paper towels handy bc it will be messy. He will NOT like it, but otherwise he will just fade and die :-( :-( :-(. I have been through this, it can take a while to get a kitty to the point where they feel energetic enough to start eating on their own. They get so used to being listless and although the fluids help, the effect of the fluids don't last for long. 

Cats are creatures of routine and if something throws them off their appetite, they kind of forget to eat or maybe they associate eating with whatever made them nauseated to begin with, so they may avoid it or just pick at food. That is called fading kitten syndrome. You can get them back, it takes a concerted effort. You can call your veterinarian and tell them you are coming in for A/D cans and a feeding syringe, and ask them to have a vet tech show you how to administer it to your cat. You can bring the cat with you so they can show you right there. They should not charge you for this other than for the food unless you actually make a vet appointment. Just tell them on the phone your cat has been there getting fluids and you think it is time to force feed, you are coming in to buy food and need a tech to show you how to do it.

You may worry that you are doing the wrong thing or making him worse, but if that were the case the vet would tell you NOT to do this for him. The dehydration is a HUGE red flag that you should not avoid or be passive about, as much as you might hate to do force feeding, it is the right thing to do. Also get the pumpkin and just dunk your finger in there and wipe the pumpkin off on his tongue as if his tongue were a paper towel. Seriously, this is life and death, I am amazed he has not gotten fatty liver disease yet. Cats are predisposed to this if they do not eat enough, they can get it very rapidly and it is normally fatal. 

Thanks again for all your concern and replies.  I had tried putting egg shell powder with his chicken, but he'd gotten to the point where he wouldn't swallow.  I took him to get a second opinion yesterday and they referred me to a neurologist.  I went their immediately.  The neurologist tested him and said that his nervous system was completely messed up(I don't remember all the terms he used, there were problems with his eyes, nose, and motor responses) and that his posture suggested there was something wrong around his brain stem and it was being pressured.  He used a lot of terms I don't remember.  He said that in his current state, it wasn't likely he would survive whatever it was.  He said he was thinking it was FIP, Meningitis, or something more complicated, but either way, the outcome wouldn't be good and it would be painful to him so I had him put to sleep yesterday.  It's very unfortunate that he was so young and something like this happened to him

I am so sorry.

yaykittyeee said:

Thanks again for all your concern and replies.  I had tried putting egg shell powder with his chicken, but he'd gotten to the point where he wouldn't swallow.  I took him to get a second opinion yesterday and they referred me to a neurologist.  I went their immediately.  The neurologist tested him and said that his nervous system was completely messed up(I don't remember all the terms he used, there were problems with his eyes, nose, and motor responses) and that his posture suggested there was something wrong around his brain stem and it was being pressured.  He used a lot of terms I don't remember.  He said that in his current state, it wasn't likely he would survive whatever it was.  He said he was thinking it was FIP, Meningitis, or something more complicated, but either way, the outcome wouldn't be good and it would be painful to him so I had him put to sleep yesterday.  It's very unfortunate that he was so young and something like this happened to him

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I am so sorry for your loss. When you feel up to it, you might consider posting a tribute to your cat in our Crossing the Bridge forum. I am now going to lock this thread.