Two Cats Saw the Vet Tonight: One Diagnosed with FIP, the Other with Cancer; Need Advice on FIP.

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meeyow

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I just returned from a bad visit to the vet.  I noticed my FIV+ cat had a distended belly and thought it was due to worms from our flea infestation.  When the swelling didn't go down after giving him a worm pill 2 days ago I went to the vet.  He has about a liter of fluid in him (the vet saw this from the ultrasound and also removed a large syringe full of it).  He's eating, but not well.  He goes to the food bowls (I have all kinds of food for him) and meows.  Nothing appeals to him.  I picked up some Fancy Feast in the oval container and he ate a little of that.  Vet gave him a steroid and said he couldn't promise anything - the cat might get worse or he could release the fluid.  All suggestions are appreciated.

My other cat had dental work done at the end of February, but returned to pawing at his mouth and this time there was drool on the right side.  Tonight the vet saw a large tumor on the left side!  He scraped it and looked under the microscope and is pretty sure it's cancer.  I was shocked when I could see that tumor with my bad vision.  He took a biopsy and the results should be back in about 5 days.

Six days ago marked the one year anniversary of the death of my cat due to cancer.  I also put down another cat in March from uncontrollable asthma.  So, this has not been a good day or year for me.
 

mphscat

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So sorry you and the cats are going through this. Have all these cats been eating the same thing and, if do, what?
 
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meeyow

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So sorry you and the cats are going through this. Have all these cats been eating the same thing and, if do, what?
Yes, they eat the same food.  For years they ate Wellness, both dry and wet.  Then this FIV+ adopted me in December. He was fine with the food, then a couple of months ago he decided he didn't like it.  I have gone through so many brands that he refused to eat or that he'd eat for awhile, then stop.  Sadly, I've had to switch to junk food just to get him to eat. As a result, the others are eating junk, too.  But I still offer Wellness wet and one of them eats it.  

I knew it would a battle with the FIV+ cat, but didn't realize it would come to this so fast.  I wanted to see my holistic vet, but she's closed tomorrow and doesn't have an appointment available until June 16th.  I have a kit of homeopathic remedies and was hoping someone experienced with them could recommend something.

The cat who was put down in March ate raw and Wellness canned. I would change his protein source regularly as that was what was helping me control is asthma.
 

misterwhiskers

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I am so sorry you are having to go through this again. Sending hugs to you and your feline friends.
 

mphscat

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I am so very sorry you're going through this. I guess you know the drill about getting a cat to eat...warm up their normal food, try jar of baby food or sprinkle on some Parmesan on the food.

Personally I'm a fan of Nature's Variety. You might want to try a small can of that? Let us know how it goes. Again I'm so sorry you're going through this.
 
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meeyow

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I am so sorry you are having to go through this again. Sending hugs to you and your feline friends.
Thank you.  The one with oral cancer is about 13 years old, but the one with FIP is still so young.  He's the best cat I've ever had and I'm just heartbroken and in shock.
I am so very sorry you're going through this. I guess you know the drill about getting a cat to eat...warm up their normal food, try jar of baby food or sprinkle on some Parmesan on the food.

Personally I'm a fan of Nature's Variety. You might want to try a small can of that? Let us know how it goes. Again I'm so sorry you're going through this.
I hadn't tried warming up the food. With canned I have to stir it around, so he can smell it.  I'd never heard of parmesan.  Thanks for the info.
 
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mphscat

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Just a few seconds in the microwave to warm it...just be sure to not get it too hot. The Parmesan trick I learned by myself when living in Italy but I've heard other people suggest it as well on this site.
 

catladyvettech

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So sorry you're going through all this!!! Sending you good thoughts and hugs for the kitties.
 
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meeyow

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Just curious, did the vet test the fluid in your cat's abdomen or send it out for analysis? Did they suggest a diagnosis? Depending on what kind of fluid it is and what's causing it, maybe a diuretic would help. Sometimes giving a drug like Lasix (furosemide) can help the body get rid of excess fluid in the thorax or abdomen. So sorry you're going through all this!
No he didn't do any tests nor suggest sending it off to a lab, even though I asked if there were any other tests to do.  He did say that it could be his liver, but all signs point to FIP (FIV+ and young age) and that even if it wasn't his liver it could still produce results with elevated enzymes which wouldn't tell us anything.  I mentioned something about a diuretic and that's when he said he was hoping the steroid would have that effect.   When I got home I opened one of my holistic pet books and in it the vet recommended not giving a steroid, saying it could make things worse.  

When my vet extracted a bit of fluid, he squirted some on his finger and rubbed it between his two fingers then sniffed it.  That was the unofficial test.

In that same pet care book, the vet recommended a couple of homeopathic remedies.  The strength of my kit is different from what he listed, so I'm not sure how to dose it or which to use.  I do have one of them, for sure, but haven't checked to see if I have the other which I think would be the one I'd try first.
 
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meeyow

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Just a few seconds in the microwave to warm it...just be sure to not get it too hot. The Parmesan trick I learned by myself when living in Italy but I've heard other people suggest it as well on this site.
Do you mean the kind in the can?  All I have is the kind in the bag that isn't very stinky and isn't a powder.
 

mphscat

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Yes the canned food. Canned food is good for them because of the moisture content and nothing will entice a sick cat to eat than some slightly warmed stinky canned cat food. :)
 
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meeyow

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Yes the canned food. Canned food is good for them because of the moisture content and nothing will entice a sick cat to eat than some slightly warmed stinky canned cat food.
I meant the Parmesan - did  you use the one in the can?  

I always prefer canned cat food for my babies, because of what you said - it's much better for the kidneys.  

Today the one pictured in my profile (FIP) was ready for breakfast.  There was dry in the bowls, but he likes his fresh.  So I put out a little more of two kinds and he ate from both.  Then I gave him one of the pouches of Fancy Feast and he ate well.  The one with cancer appears to not feel so well today - probably has pain from the biopsy, but he did meow and purr when I rubbed him.

I live in a small town that doesn't offer much in the form of quality cat foods, so it's one reason why I'm offering Fancy Feast - I can't just run to the store and pick up something good as it doesn't exist.   I order all their food by the case and right now I have no idea what to order.  I'm going to drive out of town to Petco to get some other brands.  Right now I just need the FIP one to eat anything.
 

mphscat

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Yes the parmesan in the can should do fine. About food, when i want to try something new, i but it at the PetCo/Petsmart and if they like it, i then order it from Chewy.com and it's delivered to your home. GREAT prices and great service.

About your FIP cat, there is a member on her, LDG, who has a lot of knowledge about the subject. You might want to reach out to her.

Glad one of your kitties is eating. For the other, you can look in to getting some high calorie past at the PetCo. Tell them what is going on and they'll know what to suggest.
 
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meeyow

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Yes the parmesan in the can should do fine. About food, when i want to try something new, i but it at the PetCo/Petsmart and if they like it, i then order it from Chewy.com and it's delivered to your home. GREAT prices and great service.

About your FIP cat, there is a member on her, LDG, who has a lot of knowledge about the subject. You might want to reach out to her.

Glad one of your kitties is eating. For the other, you can look in to getting some high calorie past at the PetCo. Tell them what is going on and they'll know what to suggest.
Thanks for the info.  I do the same....try foods from Petco/Petsmart/my holistic vet, then order accordingly.  I've ordered from Chewy.com once, when they had a great price on canned Wellness, but the price went back up the next month.  I normally order from PetFlow where the prices are always better and the discount for repeat orders is better.  The plus side to Chewy is that orders arrive much faster if you need something in a hurry.

I did search for FIP when I checked the forum last night, but I was so overwhelmed when I saw so many posts.  I clicked a few and thought I'll just ask for help.  Today I'm still drained from crying and lack of sleep.  It did my heart good when I got up and the FIP meowed for food.  I'm not too worried about the other one eating; he might have eaten while I was sleeping.  If he doesn't improve I'll call the vet for pain meds; I had some that I threw out three days ago!  The pills were in the pill cutter, so I didn't have the original container nor did I know the name.  Figured I wouldn't need them (I'd gotten them in February when the cancer cat had dental work - I'm still shocked that this large tumor popped up so fast).
 

mphscat

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Yes you need to get some pain mess ASAP because you can only imagine how uncomfortable he is.

And please look for LDG. If I remember correctly, her signature has a blurb about FIP is not necessarily a death sentence. She knows LOTS about it.

Best of luck to you and your kitties. Keep letting us know how it goes.
 
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meeyow

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Yes you need to get some pain mess ASAP because you can only imagine how uncomfortable he is.

And please look for LDG. If I remember correctly, her signature has a blurb about FIP is not necessarily a death sentence. She knows LOTS about it.

Best of luck to you and your kitties. Keep letting us know how it goes.
Thank you again.  I messaged her and am awaiting a reply. I also called the vet and will pick up pain meds later.  Last night the vet offered me the option of extracting the fluid from the FIP cat, but I figured it was cost prohibitive.  I regret not asking the price and when I called today they said the only vet in the office has 3 emergency cases and gets off in about an hour.  Since he didn't sound optimistic about the outcome from extracting the fluid, I think that might have impacted my reaction.  Anyway, he will be in the office on Monday and can give me an estimate.  I guess my question is this: is it something I should do, especially since he's eating (meaning he's not ready to die yet)?
 

mphscat

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I have no experience with FIP but I would say to give the steroid a chance to work, talk to your vet on Monday and talk to LDG and then make a decision. personally I as long as the kitty is giving signs of enjoying life, I'd do whatever it takes (credit, 2nd job) but that's me and no everyone has that option. Just take it a day at a time and knowledge is power...the more you know, the better decisions you can make
 

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I'm really sorry for what you're going through, but I have a little more bad news. meeyow meeyow is mistaken. The link LDG has is about FIV, not FIP. Everything I know about FIP is that it is terminal, and fast progressing to boot. I'm so, so sorry. :hugs:
 
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mphscat

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I do know there are different kinds of FIP...wet and dry, if I'm not mistaken. Again, knowledge is power so learn what you can from your vet, read the other postings about FIP and do some research and then you can make a informed decision.
 

nansiludie

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Very sorry to hear this has happened. I do hope you can keep them comfortable for now.
 
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