Bienvenida a Paloma, the newest cat from across the border

This is Paloma, 4 month old fire point ragdoll that was abandoned in a cardboard box on the steps of my apartment in Mexico City.  I think it was my neighbor who was tired of me "borrowing" his cat when he left her outside.  She was between 3-4 weeks when abandoned, less than half a pound and fit completely in my palm.  Now she is larger but still a baby.  

Right now she is suffering from uveitis in one eye that developed as a reaction to the leukemia vaccine.  She was not with her mom + siblings long enough to have a strong immune system and the vaccine kicked her butt.  After 9 days of treatment she is 90% better and only has residual inflammation in her eyelid.  Her episode of uveitis is what brought me here, looking for anyone who had experience such a reaction from the leukemia vaccine before.

One lesson learned, kittens left a 3-4 weeks should not receive every vaccine possible esp, not before one year of age.   She is my first ragdoll but far from my first rescue cat (the name could not be more right on, she literally melts into your arms and body, couldnt care less if you ever put her down).     Any ragdoll advice?

No advice but she is precious and bless you for taking care of her

allenkm said:

No advice but she is precious and bless you for taking care of her

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  I agree!   I'm sure another member will come along who can give you some thoughts about your kitty.  

What makes you think she's a ragdoll ?

Oh, my goodness!  She is adorable.  Welcome to TCS!  And bless you for taking of this baby.

The vet. 

Welcome to TCS. What an adorable baby. 

Has she been taken to an ophthalmologist yet? They should start off the treatment by giving you some steroid drops and ointments for about a week or longer, and then depending on how she is doing in the follow-up visit they may prescribe you with more ointments for up to two weeks. The treatment may cause redness or swelling in the eyes but it does gradually does subside- if it goes on for more than two days, schedule another follow-up checkup with the ophthalmologist. My Baloo suffered from uveitis as a kitten and now he is the brightest-eyed of all of my kitties. 

Best wishes for you and little Paloma- thank you for taking her in. 

Thanks!  She has been to the ophthalmologist (4 times now).  We actually went today because after the first round of steroid drops, her eyes were perfect but no more than 36 hours after the doctor released her, the uveitis flared up again in the eye that was previously unaffected.  I began treatment right away and spoke to the vet.  Today we went back in and the vet said its not her eye that is inflamed and angry now, its her eyelids.  Actually she said her inner eyes look great and nothing is wrong.  She feels that its most likely a herpes flare-up due to a suppressed immune system from the steroids.  The test for FIV and leukemia were negative and she said it could be FIP but it does not fit with anything she is seeing in Paloma's overall health and also none of the intraocular signals are there.  

She is now on a dose of antibiotic eye ointment for the next few days plus the steroid ointment to keep the swelling down.  I am also giving her L-Lysine and probiotics.  The doctor said if its not normal on Friday, to bring her back for more extensive bloodwork.

If her eyelids are inflamed, it may be a case of blepharitis (it could be caused by anything, like the steroids, that may have inflamed the eyelid), or, if it is a herpes flare-up, then it may be caused by conjunctivitis. Both can be treated with eye drops and/or a dilute solution of boric acid for ophthalmic use. If she has FIP, she should have probably shown other symptoms (loss of appetite, lethargy, fever)- but the wet form of the disease can progress rapidly if not diagnosed early on.

The ointments should help with the swelling. If she does have a herpes flare-up than L-Lysine and probiotics should help- definitely bring her back if she shows any signs of lethargy, loss of appetite, fever, more swelling, etc.

Best wishes for Paloma. 

Thank you.  The eye ointment we received from the doctor yesterday is an antiviral.  She has received two applications so far plus her regular steroidal eye ointment.  The steroid ointment takes the redness out of the lids, but its like a game of musical chairs between these eyes as to which one will flare up next.   

It started as the left eye, when the left eye healed, the right eye swole up, and now the right eye looks good but the left eye appears to beginning to swell again.  I just administered the steroids in her eye and will monitor throughout the day whether the eye continues to swell or if it goes down any.    Is this normal? 

She is eating her lysine and probitiocs like a champion, so I am hoping they kick in soon.  

Regarding the wet form of the FIP, her vet and I discussed it but she said there is nothing in her lungs right now that would suggest FIP.  That the absence of lethargy and weight loss also suggest its most likely not that.