Kitten with poor health - help!

Hello,

I'm new here. My name's Naiara and in April I rescued a kitten. She had been abandoned on a box. She had around 40 days when I found her. She seemed happy and healthy until 2 months ago. She started vomiting nonstop, quit drinking water and eating by herself (actually, she felt sick just smelling food). I took her imediatelly to the vet and they performed lots of exams on her. Blood tests, x-ray examination and ultrasound. Non efusive FIP was the most probably disease. Even before the results, the vet gave her predsidone right away and in two days she was doing great. But it turned out it wasn't FIP. Well, great news, right? But not so much. Now they thought it was lymphoma. So she is still on predsidone (but reducing doses) and doing great still. But two days ago, at night, she started breathing fast. This is the only symptom, actually. Breathing fast. She eats and drinks normally, pees and poos as well. Plays a lot. But all the time with this fast breathing going on. So I waited for the next day (because when I noticed it, the vet wasn't working because it was in the evening). So I took her to the vet, she was examined and after the examination, the vet told me she was in pain an this was probably the reason why she was breathing like that. So she gave her a shot of a painkiller and told me to check her during the rest of the day to see if the fast breathing would stop. Well, it didn't. And I can't stand seing her that way. So I have to take her again to the doctor to more examinations and probably more $$ on new blood tests, x-ray, ultrasound. Any ideas of what could it be? ;( She's just a baby and I'm getting pretty sad about it.  Thank you!

If she were an adult I would say it sounds like IBD or lymphoma but I think that is very rare in a kitten though I guess it is possible.  FIP, IBD and small cell lymphoma are all really difficult to get a definitive diagnoses.  Since she did well on the pred until the dosage was reduced it is some kind of inflammatory process going on.  Since she is a kitten she needs to be checked for all the possible parasites.  There are ones other than the common ones that all kittens seem to have and they require special tests to find.  Those parasites usually cause diarrhea though rather than the anorexia and vomiting.  If another round of blood work and ultrasound come back normal and she is parasite free then it could very well be the rare kitten that has IBD or lymphoma.  My IBD cat was 18 months old when he had his first flare.

If they decide to treat for small cell lymphoma don't freak out about it.  Cats tolerate the chemo fairly well.  It's one drug called leukeran given orally at home and there is a very high remission rate.  It's just that it is very rare in a kitten.

So sad to hear that your kitten is sick. The rapid respiration, to me, could possibly mean a heart related condition which can happen in kittens. . But, I would have expected that to show up on the initial xray's and ultrasound. Might be time to take her (along with all of the tests performed) to another vet?? A second opinion? Sending you lots and lots of vibes for you and your kitten.

I find it odd that your vet said the cat is in pain..Pain from what??? Just giving a pain shot isn't a cure..As soon as the shot wears off the cats back in pain.