Snuggi the medical mystery

Our cat Snuggi (1yr) has been a bit down. Orginally I assumed she was missing my youngest son who is away for a few weeks. She sleeps in his room, ect. She took to laying on my older boys bed, but then her play decreased and her sleep increased. Then I noticed her appitite died down. I became mildly concerned because she is a heavier set cat. All this happened in about a week, then the beginning of this week she came in my room and peed on a waterproof dufflebag. I was shocked because this is not Snuggi behavior. I went to inspect the mess and it was red with sediment. I flipped out  and called my husband up. He took an old pill bottle and collected a sample for the vet. 

At the vet Snuggi was blood and urine tested. She had trace amounts of blood in her urine, and was dehydrated. All cultures came back negative. The house has been throughly checked for any toxins. Nothing. There are other things and I have the read out on the numbers. I will add them if anyone here has enough knowledge to understand and wants to know them. Snuggi spent two days with the vet being on IV fluid and antibotics. She is a lover and a clown so the staff adored her and said she is a joy. The vet ran a sonogram of her bladder and kidneys on her own (out of sheer curiosty, because she is stumped as well at this point) Nothing significant showed up. 

Today the blood and urine tests were better, but not back to normal. Her white count is higher, but could be due to the antibotics.Snuggi is home and will have IV fluid twice a day. We are to offer her food and if not eating syringe feed her (she did well with this at the vets) She will be on a kidney friendly diet until the vet says otherwise. She is active and alert. we take her back in one week if nothing pressing arises for repeat testing.

Still at this time, we do not know what happened/happening to her. I cant even tell if she is sick or depressed. I know she is spoiled freakin rotten, but thats everyday. The vet cautioned us that this may be the super early beginning stages of FIP. Which she didnt expect me to know about since its rare. I did research on all sorts of things and read on here to inform myself, and have never had a cat with FIP. But I know its 100% grade A horrible. Anyone have any ideas what could be happening to my Snug-gi-bug? If the urnine and blood counts would help I will post them as well, as I said before.

thanks

I'm sorry you're going through this.  I hope your vet is able to figure it out and your kitty is feeling better soon.
 

She isnt better. Still not eating and activity seemed decreased over night. She just stayed in bed snuggling us. She is a lover, but she only got down to pee and then came right back to bed. She will normally find some mischief or play with her toys. Very worried

Well, I'm wondering WHY the Vet is thinking FIP.  From what you've explained, I don't read anything that sounds like FIP, but it definitely sounds like she has a UTI, which is being treated with antibiotics.  Are you still giving her antibiotics at home, or did they give her Convenia?  It could be she is still not up to par just because of that infection.

Are you assist feeding her?  It's been 5 hours since you last posted.  Is she eating anything on her own yet? 

Blood in the urine is usually a sign of bladder inflammation which is generally painful. This could be a case of sterile cystitis which is hard to diagnose since not a lot shows up on the tests.

How frequently is she peeing and in what amounts? Does she display any signs of pain, excessive licking of genital area, leaking, etc.?

She isnt eating on her own yet. The vet said FIP is not ruled out, but did not give a specific reason. the antibiotic Amoxicillin is what she is taking twice a day. She has been syringe fed twice by me. I mixed the kidney friendly cat food the vet approved with water. She isnt happy, but she is eating it and not spitting it out. I got 4 1/2 tbsp in her last night and about 6 tbsp this morning. I'm going to do more research to see if its enough or not. I do not want to push her to hard. She is taking 100-150 CCs of fluid twice a day via IV under the skin over her shoulders.

Snuggi spent her day up on the bed. She changed position twice that I could tell. I went up and she groomed herself for a while before sleeping again. I fell asleep next to her and when I got up opened a window to get her fresh air. She moved to streched out and was kneeding the  blanket when I left the room. She has not attempted to eat or drink on her own. 

My husband got her for me while I was going through cancer treatments and she was at my side the entire time. So our connection is very strong. Just going on what the vet said. Which was her test results were elevated enough for concern and the cultures all being negative as well as the sonogram of Snuggi's kidney and bladder being insignificant. I would breath so much easier if Snuggi would eat.

update: Snuggi just harassed our other cat Verizon. he is older and grumpy and this is her favorite game. Plus she just took out a fly. Still no eating, drinking, or BM. But Im more hopeful

All these are good signs. And at least 10 tbsp sounds like a goodly amount of food to be getting into her per day. 

Is she eating anything on her own yet?

I'm curious what her bloodwork looked like, did she have an elevated BUN and creatine?  What were her liver values like?

I'd ask your vet to look for auto-immune disease, FIP would be on my list of of rule-outs as well since this could be a non-typical presentation.  Basically the virus hijacks the immune system to attack the organs and causes abdominal bloating (the common 'wet' form) but atypical presentation can be 'dry' with non-specific general illness and no fluid build up in the abdomen.  I've seen young cats with auto-immune diseases present in a similar fashion.

Best of luck to both of you, hope she continues to improve as mysteriously as she became ill.

I have no idea where the husband has put her second set of tests but these are her orginal abnormals

Blood:

WBC 20.31+ 10^9/l

NEU 17.05+ 10^9/l

LY% 7.8-%

MO% 7.1+%

NE% 83.9+%

PLT 111- 10^9/l

Urine

BUN 72

PHOS 10.7

CRE 3.5

NA+ 139

Glob 5.8

She refused to eat the wet food at all. The vet brand and the frisky's we had. She did nibble on some kitten kibble (that was not for her). She wanted it. I let her eat it. She hasnt drank that I have seen. Still giving her IV fluid. She has urinated, alot when she goes but not often. Not licking of genitals. She has spurts of being herself and then she curls up and sleeps. When I pick her up she doesnt feel "right" She is a soft silky cat who is typically solid. Her skin is loose and her muscles feel tense. She normally goes to mush in my arms. Her eyes are still very bright and owl like. 

I wonder if she doesn't have a kidney infection, those don't always show up on culture, and the antibiotic you're giving her may not be the one that kills the infection the quickest.  Either way she is in stage 2 (early) renal insufficiency.  I would ask the vet for 3 things

-a secondary antibiotic on the other end of the spectrum of what you're giving now

-anti nausea drug like cerenia, some times these guys don't want to eat because they are feeling pukey

-appetite stimulant

I'd also consider asking for pain relief, sometimes that really helps.

  The decreased platelet count, BTW, is pretty common with cats as the moment you draw their blood it starts to clump, so the machines can't count it accurately.

The subcutaneous fluids you're giving should help bring the kidney values down on her blood work and are keeping her hydrated, that is probably why you haven't seen her drink.  Since she isn't going frequently to the litter box her bladder is comfortable so that rules out cystitis. 

Sadly FIP is still well within the realm of possibility.  As someone else mentioned, it cannot be tested for short of an exploratory surgery to biopsy all the major organs and it isn't 'fixable' so that kind of surgery usually isn't done. When they did the ultrasound of her urinary tract did they look at any other organs?

I know I mentioned auto-immune disease, this is less likely (down right rare) but still a possibility.  You're kind of at the point where you've ruled out all the usual suspects and have to decide if you want to keep looking for things, even knowing the outcome may not be good at all, or if you want to medically manage her symptoms.  My personal preference is medical management but it is up to you how to proceed.

I'm so sorry your little Snuggi is so sick, I hope all of this helps you both and wish her a speedy recovery.  Please keep us updated!

View media item 165361
This is Snuggi currently. She came down stairs. We had a conversation about the pictures while I took them. I used one as my new avatar too. You can see she is a chucky gal. She hasn't really eaten much. Nibbled on some kitten kibble. It wasnt for her, but if she is going to eat anything I'll let her. She must be feeling better because she is complaining about her IV now. Still being an angel about it,  but telling us she dislikes it with a meow, low growl, and tail thumping. Before she just lay there. Plus she isnt absorbing the fluid as fast. Her tummy doesnt have the waterbottle feel I read about with FIP. We squeeze on her sister Diana and they are pretty similar. Although Snuggi growled about pressing on her tummy.

Added info, We have three cats, Verizon 5, Diana 2, and Snuggi 1. Also Diana and Snuggi wrestled a bit today. Which is completely normal behavior for the two. I can still tell she isnt up to par. 

Also no, I do not believe they looked at any other organs. If the vet did, she didnt mention it to us.

AMCM74 - I just read through all of the posts here. Not wanting to eat can be an indicator of many problems however based on the blood in the urine I would lean towards kidney/bladder issues. My kitten had wet FIP which is the faster lethal version. That is why we lost her so quickly and the swollen belly was the indicator that the doctor used (plus blood work later) to determine that she had FIP. I can call my vet and see if they will fax me her blood work. If they do I will message it to you just for your own edification.

I know that what I am about to say isn't a route that many people think of but have you considered integrating homeopathic treatments into Snuggi's diet? Vitamins for cats works the same way as vitamins for people. Providing them with supplements will not hurt them (in the appropriate doses) and will only make them healthier. If you can you may want to explore that option. The treatments are  not very expensive and again if it is something that will help Snuggi feel better why not?

I also agree with one of the other posters on this thread. I would question why your vet is not ruling out FIP yet. I imagine Snuggi is seeing a specialist?

Oh also in regards to Snuggi's diet, the last week Nena was with us I switched her over entirely to baby food and boiled chicken which I spoon fed to her. I also mixed her vitamins with pedialyte and squirted them into her mouth in an attempt to keep her hydrated. I also want to add that Nena did not have any blood in her urine. This may sound weird but I almost wish she had any other disease other then FIP.

Keep me updated on her condition. I hope that Snuggi stays strong!
 

Just before Snuggi got sick, well a month or two, we took her off the auto feeder of hard kibbles. She was gaining weight in mass. We have been discussing her diet for a while. Since our Verizon gets a special diet due to other health issues (we adopted him at 4 years) We notices issues and our vet says he was probably hit by a car at a young age and not taken to get care. So he is on meds pain and a special diet to keep his weight up.

We foster kittens for the SPCA and have given them vitamins in the homemade formula before. I was considering it for the adults. It's been very hot here and we are being careful to keep the cats cool and  making sure Snuggi gets her fluids. Also watching for how long its taking her to absorb them.

I am leaning to kidney issues at this time. The medication and fluid has her up and about being herself at times. Although it's sad that when she feels better she is retreating from us, because of the healthcare. But who would like a three inch needle rammed into their backs?

 Newkittenmama: I am so honored you have take the time to read the thread.This is such a hard time for you dealing with the loss of Nena. All the love and attention you gave her shows what a warm and compassionate heart you have. I agree, what I have read about FIP, it's terrible to our fluffy babies, and just cruel to our hearts

AMCM74 - It is actually helping me to feel better talking with people on this site. I will admit I was surprised at how deeply hurt I was when Nena was diagnosed and how much more I was hurt when we had to make the decision to euthanize her. That being said it made me realize how many other kittens/cats are out there that need caring homes.

I am glad to hear that you give your pets vitamins. It is not something that many people think about but it really is a tremendous help to them.

snuggi's mom, got two questions for you.

what kind of food do you feed Verizon to keep his weight UP?  Are you feeding him kitten food or something?  Just curious, because I am trying feverishly to try to keep weight on one of mine (but I don't feed kibble, only grain free canned or raw)

Why are you using a 3 in needle for sub q fluids?  Or was that just an exaggeration!  When we were giving our kidney cat subqs, we used a 1 in needle, and would have gone shorter if we could have found something

I am definitely leaning toward kidney issues since you posted Snuggi's bloodwork.  The bun and crea are evidence of that, to me.  But the fact that she's letting you know she's not pleased to be getting her subq's does sound like she's starting to feel better , at least a little bit. 

What a doll she is, BTW.  Love her little white feet!

I am a bit concerned that it may be dry fip. I certainly hope not. It is a slower progressing illness, much slower than wet form. It can progress as slow as months, even a year or more.

Your vet hasn't ruled it out because there's not a cut and dry test that can be done to determine a positive or negative, basically just clinical.

They will rule out other illnesses, not the other way around, unfortunately.

FIP will cause filtering organs to eventually fail, which may be what's going on with his renal numbers.

Snuggi is CUTE! Look at his tummy and back legs, just chillin with a look that says 'do you mind?'

Verizon gets wet food mixed with dry. It's not anything fancy or expensive. As long as its not fish flavored anything. He hates fish and prefers chicken. I admit its not the healthiest options he has, but picky eater that he is. Plus at 12lbs he looked like a hollow skeleton with a saggy stomach. Snuggi and Diana had hard kibble autofeeder until about two months ago. But Snuggi was getting very pudgy and we put a stop to it. We started measuring out their meals like Verizon's. My husband is feeling guilty thinking this may have stressed her into her illness. I still think she misses our youngest son. She started her change right after he left. but we are all grasping at straws wanting to know the what and why. 

The kitten Kibble was for the SPCA kittens, who have no contact with anyone, but our Diana cat. She loves them waits outside their door and even touches their paws under it. After they were cleared by the SPCA as disease free we have allowed her access to them. Socialization for kittens, and happy Diana.

I hate needles. Its probably not three inches, but it looks so long to me next to my kitty. When my husband pops the skin I swear I can feel and hear it. He is experienced giving IVs through his military service. Plus he did it once with the vet techs at the office before they sent us home. So I am certain he is doingit right. The vet supplied the needles and we change them out dialy so they do not dull and hurt her. Like I said before, I just went through Chemo and still have my port. I'm overly sympathetic to Snuggi's plight. My husband is probably sick giving me the "It's for her own good, hun." speech.

I really think she is getting better. Becoming more active, letting us know she isnt happy with her treatments, getting off the bed at night on her own, and mostly playing with the other cats. I m so gratful for this site and the posters. Not just for the knowledge and other ideas that may help. But for the people who care enough about Snuggi enough to listen to my worries and help me fro being an anxious mess

Never, ever feel bad about the brand or type of food you are feeding, we all do our best with what we have, none of us (that I'm aware of) are loaded with money, or that cost is no object. The majority of us here do what we can do, period.

The thing I feel compelled to say to you is, if you go through this with him, the ups and downs will make you sick with hope on better days, and hopelessness on down days, since it might be that way depending on what's happening

. I am not here to say that hoping for the best, which is total recovery isn't what we would all do in your shoes, but please be aware, for instance fip dry form is slow progressing, during the time it takes to do damage, remember he will surely feel good sometimes, while others he may not feel as sparky.

For fip to be the slow progressing illness it is, say it takes 8 months. Now you know during that time he will feel and act well, at least sometimes.

I'm not self diagnosing by any means, what I am trying so hard to say without saying it is, don't get too hopeful because he seems to be feeling better. Stay guarded, so you are not blind-sided, that's all.

He just has been rehydrated, so naturally he will be feeling much better now. He is only a year old, so of course he will play at times like his old self.

This may not be fip at all! Just know this too.

 I do feel concern that something is going on though. Scary, I know.

We are all here for you!