My cat has a mystery illness.

I apologize for the length of this post, since my poor little cat has been through a lot. This all began at the start of May. I had noticed my cat, a small 8 year old domestic shorthair female, had been vomiting and was no longer eating. I took her to my local vet and they ended up keeping her for four days and giving her IV fluids, but she didn't eat for them. They sent her back home with me thinking maybe she'd eat in familiar surroundings, but nothing changed. I took her to a slightly less local emergency vet, and to fast-forward a bit she ended up having a section of intestine removed due to "necrosuppurative enteritis and lymphadenitis". She had a feeding tube put in and was prescribed many medications, but on the day I was to bring her home she lost the use of her rear legs. She did recover most of her leg function and come home, where she was happy for a while with and regained her appetite. 

One morning, she woke me up wanting food so I gave her some and went to do the rest of my routine. An hour later, her front right paw was paralyzed from the wrist down. I rushed her to the emergency vet again, and she stayed for a few days and was subjected to more testing. Through the course of this entire nightmare, her doctor has performed every diagnostic test he could think of, but no underlying disease has been identified. The doctor told me she is throwing clots, and that the intestinal problems were possibly caused by one. I had to take her back again Thursday after a terrifying episode of projectile vomiting. When they did her bloodwork, she was in renal failure. They gave her a blood transfusion and began treating her, but I'm not exactly sure what they're doing other than IV fluids.

I spoke to the doctor again this morning, and he told me her creatinine levels were improving due to aggressive treatment. He also did an ultrasound on her kidneys which showed 'cratering' of the outer layer, consistent with damage caused by an infarction in the kidney.

Basically, there is something in my cat causing her to form clots. Prior to the most recent incidence, she was being given subcutaneous heparin three times a day as well as clopidogrel, but she still formed a clot that could end up killing her. Are there any online resources where I could read about illnesses that can cause this sort of thing? Are there any specialist veterinarians in the area of Memphis that focus on cats? She has been given wonderful care by her doctors and nurses where she is, but they can't give me a diagnosis for what is causing these clots. I want to do everything I can to save her, but I've never been through anything like this before. I'm not asking for an internet second opinion, but if anyone here has any insight you can offer or even specific questions I could ask her doctor I would appreciate it. I feel that my cat could have many years of happy, healthy life left if we could just figure out what's causing these clots.

I am so sorry to hear about your cat's illness. It seems to be relatively rare, so I am not familiar with it, but this article written by a DVM seems to most closely describe your cat's symptoms. http://www.manhattancats.com/Articles/Arterial_Thromboembolism.html

Many vibes for you and your cat. It's so hard when our furbabies are sick especially when we don't know what's wrong.

How about consulting a large veterinary school? Like Cornell?

Hi Sostratos and welcome to TCS!

If I were facing all this, I think I would do whatever it took to have her seen at the University of Tennessee Veterinary Medical Center Small Animal Hospital

General Referral Policy

One of the primary functions of the University of Tennessee Veterinary Medical Center (UTVMC) is to assist private practitioners in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of unusual or complicated cases. We welcome such cases through referral from a veterinarian or through private consultation as needed.

Click to expand...

Perhaps your Vets have been in touch with specialists there already...that shouldn't rule out any direct assessment IMO.

Considering the traveling distance involved, surely they would accept her on an in-patient basis.

Would you keep us posted? ........many times people drop by with mysteries like this - never to be heard from again. What you learn from this might well help some other kitty 'down the line'.

Just from the symptoms I am betting my hide on feline luekemia. I didn't read your whttole post but my kitty died of a mystery illness as well and were told told this. Get your to cat to another vet pronto and tell them you want bloodwork done fast. Tell them you want her tested for cancer. Do this FAST. MY Catt had identical symptoms. Good luck. Oh get the medicine NOW.

Thanks for the replies and the well wishes. The hospital where my baby is being treated is probably the best one anywhere near me, but I will ask the doctor treating her if he could confer with anyone from UT. I would take her myself, but she's in such dire shape right now that I fear she wouldn't long survive going without constant care. She may not survive at all, and this reality is crushing.

As far as what is afflicting her, she's been tested for many things. Lymphoma, feline leukemia, cytauxzoonosis, toxoplasmosis, bacterial infection, fungal infection, heart disease and more have all been ruled out. If the cause for her illness is ever determined, even if it doesn't come in time to save her, I will post it here.

Well, I have come to post an update, but it's not the one I wanted. Monday evening the vet called me and said my baby was having breathing difficulties likely caused by a clot to her lungs. After the vet told me she likely had only a 5%-10% of recovering and with no diagnosis of the underlying disease, I had to stop treatment. She was stable enough that I was able to bring her home and spend every moment with her, but today I finally had to let her go. I'll never forget my little Dobby.

I am so very sorry for your loss. Rest in peace Dobby. You were so loved and will be missed.

We are very sorry for the loss of your little one. With sadness we will lock this thread, but we invite everybody to post condolences in Dobby's thread in the Crossing the Bridge forum at http://www.thecatsite.com/t/260552/my-little-dobby.  Rest, sweet Dobby.