Kitten: high white blood cell count - we don't know why

Hello Community~   I'm posting partly to vent and partly in hopes that someone might have some ideas...

After losing our little Aviendha last year, we took some time to heal and then adopted another kitten (Bean) as a brother to our other baby, Delirium.

Shortly after adopting Bean Thanksgiving week, I noticed a weird "slowness" and "jellyfishness" to him, and a strange fat belly. It also seemed like he couldn't jump really well. We took him to the vet, and at first, the vet scared the heck out of us because as I described his calmness and behavior, it sounded like FIP, which is not curable and normally fatal in kittens.     We did blood work and his white blood cell count was very high (26,000... and the normal range is 5.5k - 19.5k). Thankfully, no fluid was found around his belly and the often-elevated protein levels that come with FIP weren't there. We did a fecal, and they found giardia which can cause abdominal distention, but the vet warned us that the blood count was pretty high for just giardia. They put him on meds for the giardia and some antibiotics for possible infection (metronidazole and something else i can't recall right now) for 14 days.    He started improving on day 2!  He's still a bit of a ragdoll/jellyfish sleeper (it's almost as if he doesn't have any bones!), but he is more alert, started to play a lot more, and started jumping with much more accuracy.  After those meds, another fecal revealed coccidia (i *think* that's what it was called) and some more meds were prescribed. He was on Albon 5% and doxycycline for 2 weeks.   He's doing SO well. So alert, and a bit of a terror as kittens should be!!!

We just went in for another fecal and blood work, and the fecal came back negative for parasites, BUUUUTTTT the white blood cell count is still high~~~ it came back at 22,000.   The vet is perplexed.  We've scheduled an x-ray and a possible ultrasound depending on what the x-ray tells us.

We're at a loss here~  I just want to know what is causing the high WBC count!!!  We've emotionally beat up from our loss last year, all the meds, our senior kitty, Gwen, getting older and having kidney issues, and now the uncertainty of Bean's health.    

/end rant

Any thoughts as what we could be missing?  Something I should suggest our vet (don't get me wrong, they are very very competent there~ just desperate here!)

Well, first off, I am so GLAD that now Bean is feeling better Whew!  And at least the WBC is falling, but is still definitely WAY too high. 

So he's already been on two rounds of antibiotics, so it's probably not an infeciton, at least not your basic infection .  Has he been tested for all the major stuff...FIV, Feline Leukemia, the usual things they get tested for before the get adopted out?  If all those came back negative,then I've got no idea, although I did read somewhere that IBD can actually cause high WBC.   But I would think you would see other issues if he had IBD,although he DID have the diarrhea, but that has gone away now, right.  Hmmmmm.

No other issues now?  None?  What are you feeding him? 

I also read that if you added some L-Lysine to his diet, it could help with his immune system to beef it up in case he IS fighting some infection deep inside.  Lots of people who have cats with Feline Herpes do that and I hear it really helps. 250 mg twice a day sprinkled on his food (for a kitten) should be sufficient.

We obviously have an active immune system. The most likely explanation is infection. Has your vet done a urinalysis?? 

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the thoughts~  He has had the L-Lysene stuff. We were giving it to him along with food.   I also ran across an IBD thread somewhere that talked about high WBC on irritable bowel kitties.  He's been tested for all the basics and then some.  We're starting to get into "Dr House" diagnostics area.

   its' truly nuts~ no other symptoms. His stool is fine, his behavior is great (he's being a playful and curious little kitten!). No weird meowing or sleepyness, or anything that makes my cat-mommy senses tingle. He seems to be drinking fine... average for a cat his age. He has a crazy healthy appetite too! He always finishes his breakfast and dinner.

As far as what we're feeding him, it's Blue Buffalo's longevity canned and dry.

Now that I think about it, I don't think the vet has done a urinalysis.  He's actually at the vet right now.... he's getting his belly ultrasounded. I'll keep you up-to-date.  We hope to have some information!! Going nuts not knowing.