Pseudomonas aeruginosa

zcat6 · May 18, 2014

My current foster cat has also been diagnosed with pseudomonas aeruginosa after his discharge was analyzed by culture. He was put on azithromycin followed by two rounds of convenia injection and is now on zenaquin. None of these has helped in the slightest. Its been 3 months since I first started fostering him and treating him.

His symptoms include sneezing, wheezing when he breathes, coughing and spewing mucus from his nose. He is othwise bright and active with good appetite and very playful. He is however morbidly obese at 22 pounds. His previous owner clearly overfed him to the extreme. He gets out of breath quickly when he plays due to both the illness and the obesity.

I have been keeping him in quaratine in my large master bathroom and have tried to give him as much stimulation as possible including putting a three level climbing tree in there along with lots of toys, beds, plug in kitty pheramones, leaving the radio on, etc.

I have two of my own cats who have thankfully not caught the illness. I wash my hands and change clothes after handling the foster (Tomtom). My vet says the chance of contagion is very low unless the other animal or person has a compromised immune system so I am not worried about that. What does worry me is Tomtom's future. No one will want to adopt a chronically ill cat and I can't risk having him interact closely with my own cats or I would just keep him myself. And it is no life for a cat to spend his lifespan locked in a bathroom. He's only 3.

Anyone have any long term experience with this illness? I'm at my wit's end.

mrsgreenjeens · May 18, 2014

When did he start on the Zenaquin? My understanding is that THAT is the drug of choice for this superbug, and it takes at least 4 weeks minimum, and possible TWO rounds of it.

Here are a couple of other threads on it:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/269023/pseudomonas-infection

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/261531/botans-recovery-story-pseudomonas

Good for you for trying to help this hefty cat out

. Are you putting him on a diet the same time you are medicating him? Hopefully his new exercise plan is working for him and the Zenaquin kicks in soon

zcat6 · May 18, 2014

Thanks for the kind words. He's been on zenaquin for 3 weeks with one more week in the course. He is also on a conrolled amount of "Satiety" which is a prescription diet dry food for cats that the vet recommended and prescribed. He does get some wet food once a day which has his ground up pill in it. He is too difficult to pill directly - reacts aggressively when restrained , probably because he can't breathe well, he feels terrible, and also likely his previous owner didn't socialize him well. I've been working with him daily though and he is getting better. He wants to be a friendly housecat he just doesnt quite know how yet. I dont hold it against him. He's exactly the kind of cat that usually benefits tremendously from foster care but the illness is holding us back.

The dose of zenaquin has been adjusted for his excess body weight btw -- 50 mg per day. He also gets 2 lysine chews a day which is supposed to help support his immune system.

I'm going to ask my vet about cipro and gentamycin next. I've read that those antibiotics sometimes work against this bug.

Thanks for the links. Will read them next.

stephanietx · May 18, 2014

My girl was on 2 twenty-day rounds of Zenequin when we were treating her pseudomonas infection, with a culture and sensitivity test at the end of each round of antibiotics. We had the option of doing a 3rd round, but since her c&s numbers showed she was on the high side of normal, we decided to forgo the 3rd round of antibiotics in case she developed a tolerance to the medication. I would ask the vet to do another c&s test to see if there's been any improvement on the zenequin. If so, ask for another round of meds. Pseudomonas is very persisitent and sometimes it takes more than one or two rounds to get the numbers down to normal levels.

stephanietx · May 18, 2014

@zcat6, I replied on your other thread with my experience. Hope it helps!

We also gave gentamicin in the nose in conjunction with the Zenequin. I wouldn't recommend the cipro. Ask the vet for another culture & sensitivity test before throwing antibiotics at him willy-nilly.

stephanietx · May 18, 2014

Here's my original thread about my Hannah's diagnosis. http://www.thecatsite.com/t/182092/pseudomonas-bacteria-infection

Here's another thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/203138/pseudomonas

zcat6 · May 22, 2014

Thank you all for the input.

I have been reading here and elsewhere that this bacteria is nearly impossible to irradicate due to its resistance to most antibiotics. It seems like even if you can get rid of it short term, it comes back. My foster cat Tomtom had complete blood work up and was normal, so I don't think he is immune-compromised, but now I am concerned that even if we find the right antibiotic and kill off the bug, it may return just as quickly as it started. I have already discussed with his vet about sensitivity testing. I am getting a quote, as the foster office will have to approve any additional spending on him. It is very sad, but I understand that they have to be practical with the small budget they have to work with and the huge number of cats and kittens needing foster homes. I'd pay for it all myself if I could but I have been unemployed for over a year now due to my previous company being bought out and dismantled, and lack of new jobs in my area.

Has anyone had any experience with long term pseudomonas aeruginosa? Either long term success (no reccurrence) or long term re-infection problems? I need to think about this to be able to provide complete disclosure if he ever qualifies to be put up for adoption.

Thanks again.

stephanietx · May 22, 2014

This strain of pseudomonas is found in both humans and cats. It's always going to be in his system, but you can work to get it down into the normal range. Hannah was treated in 2008 and has not had another outbreak since, so it is possible to treat it and for it to not reoccur. Having said that, there are a lot of other things we do to keep her as healthy as possible. She eats a grain-free diet. She's on a daily antihistamine. We run Feliway diffusers in our house 24/7. She gets doses of Lysine twice a day. She is also on a daily dietary supplement (Missing Link feline veterinary formula). Your guy most likely also has herpes, which only aggravates everything and makes it that much harder for kitties to recover. Any time Hannah gets an upper respiratory infection, which is pretty much never now, she has to be on a longer dose of antibiotics because of her compromised immune system. With your guy, I'd start with dietary change, add Lysine, and do another culture & sensitivity test and start the antibiotics again. After the run of antibiotics, do a follow up c&s to see if his numbers have improved.

red top rescue · May 22, 2014

Super advice above. The only thing I would add is that recently some members have been using bovine lactoferrin, an ingredient in bovine colostrum, to improve cats' immunity and a lot of the old chronic sniffles and sneezes in some of the rescue cats have cleared and disappeared with this. Search this site for discussion links and also maybe Google it because human are using it too, in fact, I think that's where it started. My own use of it is recent, but I have had two cats with leftover eye running (clear) since getting a URI while in animal control as babies. One of them cleared completely with the lactoferrin and he is no longer on it. The other clears while she's on it, but when I ran out, she started having a little clear discharge from the one eye again. All of them already get lysine in their food. At the shelter I foster for, they sprinkle lysine on all the dry food in the containers in the loose cat room too (it's tastes like salt and the cats have no problem eating it that way.)

zcat6 · May 22, 2014

Thanks again for all the great advice. I will ask his vet about feline herpes and look for "missing link" during my next trip to Petsmart.

I currently have Tomtom on two lysine chews per day, a dose of powdered probiotics, and a generic cat multivitamin daily. He gets 1/3 cup of prescription "Satiety" dry cat food twice a day because of his extreme obesity and 1/4 cup of wet cat food mixed with a bit of human tunafish in which I put his crushed up Zenaquin, probiotic, and vitamin which he eats all of. He eats the lysine chews by themselves, one in the AM one in the PM.

I'm not sure what is in the Satiety cat formula, but after not responding to several other diet cat foods I tried in the beginning, the vet recommended this one which he eats heartily and doesn't start meowing an hour later hungry again. It really seems to live up to its name of keeping a cat satiated but still be low calorie.

Anyway, thanks again for all the input I have a lot to talk about with his next during my next visit!

stephanietx · May 22, 2014

Regarding the Missing Link, I can not find the Veterinary formula in any pet store. I have to order it online. They do have the regular formula, and we tried it, but liked the results better with the Veterinary formula. I'm not sure where you're located, but another option is to try either a holistic vet or a vet school if you have one close by.

zcat6 · Jul 26, 2014

Update on Tomtom. After three courses of Convenia, two of Zenaquin, and one of Baytril plus a steroid and antihistamine, my foster cat Tomtom seems Finally to have gotten over his pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. He us still a little wheezy but I am hoping that is due more to his obesity (20 pounder) than infection. He can finally go up for adoption and is interacting extremely well with my own cat - friendly cats.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice.

Now I need to start researching feline hyperesthesia disorder as my boy kitty is sadly showing all the signs for this odd syndrome. Any advice again appreciated.

bonnieb · Dec 5, 2015

15 yr cat w kidney issues of of course herpes issues since we got at 6 months. Called her sneezy the last couple of years and did the various trips to diff vets. Got bloody the other day and thought it was related to her teeth. Has a bad tooth removed but then the snot and blood got really bad. Been on several antibiotics and finally said...do a culture .... this is ridiculous . The report came back with the list of resistant antibiotics for this strain. 3 drugs would work. Did not want to use one of them because of its affect on her kidneys. The one we chose is Zeniquin . Recommended for dogs only. The vet pulled out the blue book of drugs for dogs and cats. Said it was ok to us but we are splitting the pills as recommended.

We had to put here asleep for the teeth issue and then he put her asleep to get a culture. Miss piggy is not eating right now (for the last 3 days).. I know she wants to eat because she is sitting in front of her plate. I know it is a smell issue right now. So I hope this antibiotic kicks in , in the next day or two. Not good not to eat.

Used a grain free food the last two years . Will be sure to add the Lysine everyday.

Here is the bottom line....did the vet all put your cats to sleep to get the culture, esp if it was nasal versus ear? Did they have to wait so many days after stopping the mediciine to test to see what the levels were?

Did any vet say..clorox all the areas the cat is in....is it contagious to other cats in the household. (Only if they are immunity issues). If a human has immunity issues, you must be careful with this.

Does everyone has this....its just whether you system is healthy enough to fight it.

Thanks for any other opinions or info shared....

stephanietx · Dec 5, 2015

My kitty had a psuedomonas infection and the vet did a nasal swab and throat swab. Kitty wasn't put to sleep. We didn't have to bleach anything and I had another, older kitty at the time and she didn't have any problems. We also treated with Zenequin, but I don't remember the doses. We didn't stop meds to do the rechecks of levels except after the 2nd round of Zenequin.

Pseudomonas is naturally occurring in all living mammals. Due to a variety of situations, the levels can go high. In humans, this is a problem among those who have cystic fibrosis.

tracyc · Mar 26, 2016

zcat6 said:
My current foster cat has also been diagnosed with pseudomonas aeruginosa after his discharge was analyzed by culture. He was put on azithromycin followed by two rounds of convenia injection and is now on zenaquin. None of these has helped in the slightest. Its been 3 months since I first started fostering him and treating him.

His symptoms include sneezing, wheezing when he breathes, coughing and spewing mucus from his nose. He is othwise bright and active with good appetite and very playful. He is however morbidly obese at 22 pounds. His previous owner clearly overfed him to the extreme. He gets out of breath quickly when he plays due to both the illness and the obesity.

I have been keeping him in quaratine in my large master bathroom and have tried to give him as much stimulation as possible including putting a three level climbing tree in there along with lots of toys, beds, plug in kitty pheramones, leaving the radio on, etc.

I have two of my own cats who have thankfully not caught the illness. I wash my hands and change clothes after handling the foster (Tomtom). My vet says the chance of contagion is very low unless the other animal or person has a compromised immune system so I am not worried about that. What does worry me is Tomtom's future. No one will want to adopt a chronically ill cat and I can't risk having him interact closely with my own cats or I would just keep him myself. And it is no life for a cat to spend his lifespan locked in a bathroom. He's only 3.

Anyone have any long term experience with this illness? I'm at my wit's end.

tracyc · Mar 26, 2016

Zcat, you have to make sure whoever adopts him will continue to monitor his health in terms of pseudomonas and be willing and committed to get him checked and provide proper antibiotics as needed , specifically zeniquin if that's what the bacteria responded to on the sensitivity test

pjmartin53 · Mar 30, 2018

zcat6 said:
Thanks for the kind words. He's been on zenaquin for 3 weeks with one more week in the course. He is also on a conrolled amount of "Satiety" which is a prescription diet dry food for cats that the vet recommended and prescribed. He does get some wet food once a day which has his ground up pill in it. He is too difficult to pill directly - reacts aggressively when restrained , probably because he can't breathe well, he feels terrible, and also likely his previous owner didn't socialize him well. I've been working with him daily though and he is getting better. He wants to be a friendly housecat he just doesnt quite know how yet. I dont hold it against him. He's exactly the kind of cat that usually benefits tremendously from foster care but the illness is holding us back.

The dose of zenaquin has been adjusted for his excess body weight btw -- 50 mg per day. He also gets 2 lysine chews a day which is supposed to help support his immune system.

I'm going to ask my vet about cipro and gentamycin next. I've read that those antibiotics sometimes work against this bug.

Thanks for the links. Will read them next.

My Maine Coon, Sophie, has been on Cipro for 3 months with little to no improvement. I feel for you because the chronicity of this bacteria has been lifelong for my Sophie. We recently had her sinuses flushed in hopes of helping her. We are starting her on a new antibiotic. Sophie is 7 years old and has suffered with this, from what I know now, her entire life. I was given Sophie with no medical records at all and no knowledge of this bacteria she carried. When I received her, she was on Claritin for allergies...that's all! I found out it wasn't allergies at all. And you are right about adoption; had I known before accepting Sophie, I would not have taken this on. The sneezing and ugly, messy discharge all over my house is not charming to clean up. It requires multiple daily clean ups which is on carpets, bedding, walls, windows. I'm tired too!

PetParent1 · Jul 12, 2018

my cat was diagnosed as having pseudomonas a. found in the mucus of her lungs when they put breathing tube in her to clean. her teeth. reading on here, I am surprised my cat has the bacteria. she has zero symptoms. none. no sneezing coughing wheezing running eyes runny nose. not a single symptom ever that I can see. the treatment was making her sick so I stopped. I hope that was the right course of action for her.

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