Fluid build-up around lungs

My cat of 14 years, Caleb, a Maine Coon, has recently had fluid build up around his lungs.  This started about a month ago now.  Looking back I think it started with a cough he suddenly started getting at night but when I took him to the vet he thought it was acid reflux and focused on that as there were no other triggers at the time.  Shortly after finishing the week of meds for that, he started breathing heavy and I noticed occasionally out of his mouth as well as not being able to lay down and get comfortable for very long or sometimes at all.  I took him to the vet and the way they had to shake him out of his kennel (still upset over this!) caused him so much added stress on top of breathing heavy that I had to rush him to the hospital b/c his regular vet could not hear his lungs.  They put him on oxygen and drained 250ml chyle fluid from his chest around his lungs.  They noticed a tissue mass in front of his heart but could not get a sample for fear of puncturing his heart.  They made him comfortable and I took him home.

5 days later I noticed he was breathing heavy again so I moved up his normal vet follow up after the hospital, and they had to drain 200ml from his chest again, this time at the vet's office so at least it was cheaper.  In the meantime they ran what feels like millions of tests to try and determine what's going on.  They ruled out heart worm and all his labs came back normal, except his stress test which was high...but two vet visits in one week on my poor kitty would do that!

5 days later I had to take him back again to have the fluid drained b/c his breathing got heavy again.  They drained 210ml from his left side alone and were only able to drain 30ml from his right side b/c he had discomfort the 2x the vet tried.  I had a cardiac ultra sound scheduled the next day to look more at his heart.  They ruled out cardiomyapathy  and all the readings on his heart came back normal.  He ran the numbers 3x.  He sent those results off for one last pet scan test, I'm still confused on the name, but basically to double check his findings but he was fairly confident his heart is not the cause.  They want me to next do an MRI but I'm literally at the end of money I have not to mention my cat is having trouble breathing every 3-5 days!

We are going back to the vet today.  I'm putting my foot down on running all these tests and just putting a band-aid on the problem and offering my Caleb no more of a solution than a 5 day interval.  Today is actually only 3 days since his last drainage.  I fear what is happening to the lining of his chest and lungs though!

I've taken it upon myself to research what could be going on.  I've asked the vet to look into Rutin to put him on and will talk to him about what putting a tube in his chest for drainage entails.  I want to get to the bottom line of what is causing this but I need some time to save up money and in the mean time I want more of a solution for my kitty!  I'm hoping with the Rutin and maybe the tube I can get more time to save up and move on to an MRI next month.  I fear the tissue in front of his heart could be a tumor and thus the cause.  But I'm no expert.

I just feel like continuing to run blood work and labs over and over has me going in circles and in the mean time we are doing nothing longer than a few days to help Caleb!  I told my mom I feel like they are taking advantage of me and my money and I need her to back me up today in saying this is what I want to do now!

I guess my question is, has anyone else ever had something like this come up?  I read that 50% of cases like this just can't be solved but with Rutin and the tubes they can at least help with the build up.  I am not giving up on Caleb b/c aside from whatever this is, he is fine!  We are not in the end stage and I did not appreciate when the vet said putting him down could be an option based on what I could afford.  If I did that I would never NEVER forgive myself b/c he's not there yet.  We are not there yet.  If we were I would do what's best for him.  But it's not that time yet!

Anyway in my research I came across this site and thought I'd throw up my story in case anyone else is going through something just as scary.  I've spent a great deal crying this past month but sucking it up and pushing it down b/c I don't want to be sad around my kitty.  I'm hear to support him and do what's best for him.  Thank you for taking the time to read this!

He had lab work and a PET scan?  It sounds like the vet is doing all he can to diagnose your cat.  Is he on a diuretic (Lasix?) to help pull fluid off?

I to went through the same ordeal you are describing. My Maine Cooe "Belle" was fifteen years old. she was sneezing all the time. When I took her to the vet they went straight to the MRI, that Belle had a sever amount of fluid around her lugs and that they would put her down today If I wanted. She lived eight months later and I came home to find she had passed away in her favorite spot on the kitchen table next to the window, wishing for me to pull into the driveway as she always had.

She was my best friend and there will always be a place for her in Heart, try combing Him with a metal cat comb twice day while he is eating, once in the morning and at night just try it. I miss her. I Pray one when my time has come, soom good hearted Doc tells the ones I Love, it just his time.

When Belle she was loosening wt. she wt. 15.6 lb.

I saw you are having the same thing that my cat is having . The vet thinks it cancer but it does not show in blood work, xrays and ultrasound. Or the test on the fluid that was drained from his chest. Is you cat still living ? What is Rutin? I am upset my baby is having this problem and the vet can't do anything but I have spent a lot of money for no answers

HeidiCaleb said:

 Thank you for taking the time to read this!

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Hi and i'm very sorry for all this.  Maine Coons are genetically prone to cardiomyopathy and fluid build up - and this isn't 100% clear to me in your case - if it's inside the lungs then its congestive heart failure (it's really the definition of CHF because when the heart isn't strong enough to do its job, fluid starts leaking into the lungs), and CHF can have numerous causes including but not limited to  cardiomyopathy, including other forms of heart disease that have a structural cause (visible on imaging) and even just a weakening heart (possibly not visible on imaging).

If the fluid is inside  the lungs then as @peaches08  said, Lasix would be the most common treatment to clear the lungs and fairly easy to do for as long as it works.  But if the fluid build up is in the abdomen but compressing the lungs then that's completely different, and as unlikely as it would be at his age, i would discuss FIP, feline infectious peritonitis, but again that seems unlikely.

Your cat had an echocardiogram (cardiac ultrasound) and all visible forms of heart disease were ruled out?  Did they discuss other causes of CHF?

Pulling fluid out of your cat every few days is not a solution but may be an opportunity for you to begin the process painful as it is, of saying goodbye.  But the big question to me and as referenced above and by others, is why isn't your cat on Lasix?   If there is an evidence based medical reason why he isn't then it would sound like your cat is profoundly ill in a way that is counter intuitive to what you have described.