- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #21
I have my doubts that he had panleukopenia simply due to the lack of vomiting/diarrhea that is so classic, if not the diarrhea always the vomiting.
Not to dig up an old thread, however my cat last week presumably got Cat Distemper as well. He went from running around one minute to not eating or drinking and sitting in the "praying position". I honestly thought poison, but I just don't have anything in my home that he could have gotten into. He was moving slowly and sickly when he had to , about 2 hours later from the last time I noticed him. He appeared to be have pain in his midsection, and could not be picked up without emitting a vocalization. His had mild diarhea with tapeworms in it (apparently the crappy citric something wormer I was using only targeted roundworms). I did not carry him to the vet for a variety of reasons, out of town christmas day, figured absurd bills and I am currently unemployed, and I wasn't sure moving him to a vet wouldn't kill him. He became ill dec 22nd. I started syringe feeding him the day after as I was worried about dehydration and fatty liver disease (I am a bit of a hypochondriac). He is about 5 months old, so I didn't have to feed him much, fortunately. I strived for at least 100 calories. I fed him a 1 egged mixed with milk at first, then lactose free muscle milk, then some kitten formula after I located some nearby (rural area). I also mixed some congealed fat into the mixture from his usual wet cat food. I wanted to feed him his regular food, but the syringe kept getting stopped up, not to mention he seemed like he couldn't swallow well. I left to go to a family function christmas morning. I returned christmas day afternoon (day 3) expecting the worse, but to find that he hadn't passed away, but was getting lighter and remaining deathly ill. The saddest part was that he didn't have good balance and was extremely weak , but would still drag himself to the litterbox I had prepared and placed near his bed. The only time he appeared even the slightest bit lively was when he was resisting my feeding him, where after I had fed him for a couple of minutes he would climb onto my shoulder as he likes to do, as a means to get away. I bought him some muscle milk as all the stores were closed, but it was lactose free. Day 4, no improvement, still had not voluntarily ate or drunk anything, however thanks to the forced feeding his skin elasticity seemed normal and only mildly exposed eyelid . I Noticed he seemed in more pain, and after researching it decided that he might possibly have a bacterial infection in the gut based on where he seemed sensitive (apparently a secondary symptom of distemper). So I found that amoxicillin can be prescribed for that, so I determine his dosage based on his weight and used some from I had left over from an inner ear infection, and mixed it with his usual syringe food. I went to town and bought some kitten formula and beef broth that didn't have onions in it (hard to find) and began using it with my egg and now beef broth and tuna water mixture. I was feeding him every couple of hours now, as I figured out cat stomachs were only so large and that he was more receptive to many small meals, than couple of large ones. I also gave him some praziquantel I had bought to treat his worm burden . During that time he never vomited , however I noticed yellow mucus coming out his nostrils. I also have him a small dosage of b12/b6, as I read uncooked eggs can cause a b12 anemia, and that was apparently already something that cats with feline distemper struggle with. Day 5 monday, I found he seemed a little better, purring a lot and seemed happy to see me , rather than detached and someplace else. i gave him another dose of amoxicillin and his kitten formula/egg/cat/broth mixture. Later that day he seemed worse, less engaging, it could just be that I was feeding him so much (again against his will). However I blamed it on the amoxicillin as its side effects are loss of appetite and lethargy, which is something he already had in spades. I decided not to give him any more. Day 6 He started to act like a cat, occasionally licking his dirty paw (I never washed him, even though he decidely needed it after much dribbling, I thought the stress and cold might not be good for him). This led me to try tricking him into eating some wet cat food, which resulting in him eating for the first time in 6 days. I could only get him to eat by putting it on my hand and waiting until he is licking his paw and putting it in place of his licking. It took forever but he ate much more than I could force him to. Day 7 he is walking around, but he falls down a lot, he is eating by trickery, but hasn't drank any water. I just mix his food really thin so he gets some regardless. Day 8 he looks regular and is beginning to become playful, however his balance is still decidedly uncatlike, he is eating by himself, and has even drank a bit of water. His midsection still hurts him a bit when picked up. He cannot accurately jump on the couch due to extreme vertigo . He is scarfing down food. Day 9 He seems almost normal, runs around, eats by himself, but he still hasn't got great balance. occasionally falling down when darting into a opened room . Today (Day 10) he has almost fully recovered, but his balance isn't 100 percent. I sort of wonder is how long does it normally take to fully recover from distemper? Does balance issues usually occur during FLV or this due to his likely anemia of various vitamins and the like the like from not eating enough for 5 days?
I honestly didn't expect him to live. I appreciate the kind words . I wouldn't doubt he had any number of alternate maladies. Apparently anything that effects a cats nose, sense of balance, or digestive ability appear to cause them to clam up and not eat, which apparently is a quick slide to death if my understanding is correct, because of their inability to efficiently break down fat. Guess it is no wonder, you hear of anecdotal stories involving cats eating their deceased owners, given their quick downturn without food. I am just happy he is feeling better.
I have my doubts that he had panleukopenia simply due to the lack of vomiting/diarrhea that is so classic, if not the diarrhea always the vomiting.
However I don't doubt that he was gravely sick and on the verge of dying by the description of his recovery, so congrats on an excellent job of saving his life!