Cats keep dying over past few months

Hello, (Sorry if this is in the wrong forum area. I have never posted on this site.)

First of all, I should say I am not the one who owns the cats. The one dealing with this issue is my aunt (an older woman who is married but tends to get lonely since retirement). She is very attached to these cats and they are her important to both her and her husband.

She has at least two in her house and around four in her garage. Not to mention, I can't even begin to count how many outside. She's a cluttered person but she does take care of the cats. No one in the family has the heart to tell her the damage they have caused her (I won't be going into that though).

About a year ago, many of us in the family did not like to go to her house because she had fleas everywhere. I've had dealings with fleas before as I have dogs but not to the point that after leaving the house I'd have itching sores over my legs where they had jumped on me. But after awhile they disappeared and she hadn't had them since.

Over the past few months though, the fleas have started to return and now along with that her cats are dying. Even when they hadn't been in immediate contact. (e.g. one has died in the house while the other was outside.)

The symptoms are different for each cat (at least that I am aware of) but some that I have seen or heard are:

Lethargy **

Heavy saliva

diarrhea

dehydration

They won't eat or drink

And if this matters, many of the cats will not touch the ground because of fleas.

**Lethargy is a very common symptom that we have noticed between most of the cats so far.

She has taken some of the cats to the vet but as far as I know the vet had just counted it as dehydration.

I tried googling the symptoms with no luck.

So I have come to this forum to ask if anyone who is familiar with cats knows what's wrong with them? Is there some disease being spread from the fleas?

TLR Multiple cats are dying with none of the same symptoms.

You said that the cats won't touch the ground because of the fleas. Does your aunt keep the food and water bowls on the ground? If so, the cats could be avoiding eating and drinking for that reason, and that could lead to the other symptoms you described.

If the cats are infested by fleas, they could also be anemic, which would definitely make them lethargic and not want to eat.

Have any pesticides been used in attempts to get rid of the fleas? It kind of sounds like a toxicity issue. Although generally poor conditions can cause all kinds of problems---parasites, bacteria, whatever. There are some flea-borne diseases, but I don't know where she lives and some of them are fairly localized.

Can she be convinced to accept help? Do you think there are any organizations in the area that will help her get all the cats fixed and vaccinated, help with parasite control, improving sanitation and conditions?

She usually does but once they start showing those same symptoms she will keep a bowl somewhere up high where they can reach.

I had not thought about them being anemic but that is a good point.

And she had one die just today that had been energetic not two days ago just suddenly died.

First of all, has she been treating the cats or her house for the flea problem? It sounds like a poisoning. Why are the cats dehydrated, because of refusing to drink or no available water? I agree that a heavy flea infestation would cause lethargy and eventually death. The first thing to do is to get rid of the fleas. I know this isn't easy but maybe she could get family or a humane society to help, it sounds like her cat population may be getting out of hand. When too many cats congregate in one area, disease and death soon follows. I'll pray that this dear lady finds help, she deserves it for loving so many cats!

She used some flea medicine on one of the cats in the garage a few days ago (I can't recall the medicine name right now but it was some organic marigold type) and the next day they wouldn't move from the window and were salivating a lot. Although I understand what you mean by poor conditions as it was my first time in the garage and it smelled very strongly of cat feces.

As for her accepting help, she has always been extremely stubborn when it comes to that. Moreso, when it comes to her cats or belongings. (She likes to decorate so she tends to hoard things to the point one room in her house is completely inaccessible.) I could try to convince her but I am not sure how she would take it.

Thank you for understanding where she's coming from (same with the others as well I was afraid to post the topic).

But yes she used an organic marigold flea medicine on one of the cats and the next day it was lethargic and refused to eat or drink. Then it would salivate a lot. Water is available in many places they just won't drink it. She does plan on getting rid of the fleas though just doesn't know how if that makes sense.

Ramil said:

 
She used some flea medicine on one of the cats in the garage a few days ago (I can't recall the medicine name right now but it was some organic marigold type) and the next day they wouldn't move from the window and were salivating a lot. Although I understand what you mean by poor conditions as it was my first time in the garage and it smelled very strongly of cat feces.

As for her accepting help, she has always been extremely stubborn when it comes to that. Moreso, when it comes to her cats or belongings. (She likes to decorate so she tends to hoard things to the point one room in her house is completely inaccessible.) I could try to convince her but I am not sure how she would take it.

Click to expand...

toxic to cats

"Marigolds are sturdy, perky little annuals, colorful and exceptionally easy to grow. Their pungeant aroma helps keeps insects at bay, and they are commonly planted near roses to deter aphids. However, if your cat eats marigold leaves or stems, she will suffer mild mouth irritation, possible drooling, tummy pain and diarrhea."

http://cats.about.com/od/catsafety/ss/toxicplants_9.htm

She can use diatomaceous earth. It's sold at at farm stores like Tractor Supply. Tell her to make sure it's the livestock feed additive kind, not the kind sold for pool filters. It's bad to breathe it in (irritating to the lungs) but otherwise it's non-toxic. She can apply it to the floors, beds, even directly to the cats (as long as she isn't making a cloud that will be inhaled). If she can afford it, she can buy the large dog size of Advantage II or Frontline Plus (these are the ONLY otc brands/formulas that are safe for cats!!! NO OTHER BRANDS!!! Very important!!!) and split the dose up for the cats (dosage instructions can be found online). The price per cat can be lowered to about $1-$2, which is a lot better than paying for a full cat dose for each cat.

I believe the "marigold" pesticide was probably pyrethrin (it's actually from chrysanthemums, but close), and unfortunately cats are very sensitive to pyrethrin . Just because something is natural doesn't make it safe for everybody.

I know it seems harsh, but if this was my aunt who was refusing help, was living in bad conditions and had dying cats, I would exercise some tough love and report her to the SPCA. Then she has no choice but to get help. Yes, it does mean that she would probably lose custody of the cats, but I believe it would truly be the best thing for her and for the cats in the long run--even if she is angry at you. It is also possible that some of the cats who are too far gone might get euthanized, but being humanely euthanized would be a better option than having the cats suffer and slowly die. If it is something treatable, the cats would be nursed back to health and adopted out.

I don't know where you live and if you even have an SPCA organization near you. If not, you can probably find some other animal rescue or enforcement agency near you.