My Cat Leo - what is wrong with him?

Wed afternoon he threw up and then acted really funny afterwards instead of going on about his biz. He is a very healthy indoor cat but his personality is like a big bad cat unless something scares him, and he freaks out when it rains, storms, or some certain noises just spook him.....but other than that, he's a beautiful happy indoor cat.....He threw up 5 times but each time wasn't very much...Later that evening, we took him to the ER MED VET because of the way he was acting...They kept him over night and did blood and x ray and everything looked normal and fine. I know he was terrified in addition to whatever was wrong with him being in a strange place like that over night. At any rate, this morning, I put him on a blanket and he laid there pretty lifeless. He had been salivating at the vet but he wasn't salivating much when he got home and he didn't throw up at all today. He would move to one spot about 3 or 4 feet and plop and lay there as if that was all the strength he could muster. He did this all day and this evening. Didn't eat or drink, but mostly just tried to move about occasionally  but would end up plopping in an area and just lying there lifeless....he also pee'd twice on the carpet......Around midnight tonight, I checked on him lying there and his paws were cool. I picked him up and brought him in the room with me and laid him on a blanket and he meow'd a terrible sounding meow (like he does when it storms) ...He laid there for about 30 minutes and he tried to get up and stumbled all over the place trying to walk almost like his paws were asleep or something. So my cousin has taken him back to the vet again tonight....I was going to take him tomorrow to his regular vet but I felt this could not wait. Something is wrong with him! I called the vet before bringing him explaining this to her and she seemed to think there wasn't anything much they could do until tomorrow.....What does that even mean? This cat is sick. I have no idea what he could have eaten. My other cat is fine..They stay indoors and I'm really good about not letting them get into anything chemical wise or anything like that, but I guess he could have eaten a bug or something....I've looked everywhere trying to find any sign of anything he could have gotten into and I find nothing...

Leo passed. I've been crying non stop for the past hour. I just can't believe how fast this came on out of no where! We had him since a kitten and he was around 10 years old. I knew something wasn't right with him today. I didn't care if their x rays and blood work was normal. He was so lifeless. This all happened so fast, less than 48 hours. In the ten years he's never once had diarrhea, drank lots of water, and was just a gorgeous cat. The vet said she thinks it was a viral infection of some sort and his glucose was in the 50s and he had emphysema in his back legs (not lungs) whatever that means. She said that even if he had stayed at the vet instead of being home all day today before going back to the vet that this wouldn't have changed the outcome. I keep walking around the house and I just can't stand the thought of him not being part of my life. I'm so devastated right now. He was a very happy healthy cat the ten years we had him and he knew he was loved and he loved equally. 

I'm so sorry to hear that your beautiful baby is gone. Stupid vets!

How awful... I'm so sorry for your loss. So frustrating when those we seek help from have no good answers. (Hugs)

I'm sorry, too...I wish I had an answer for you, or even an educated guess. [emoji]128532[/emoji][emoji]128532[/emoji][emoji]128532[/emoji]

RIP, Leo.

You really did your best. I feel awful for you. This is every cat owners worst nightmare.

I hope an advisor can offer you something more...the thread likely will be closed soon, out of respect, but you might get some more input in Crossing the Bridge.

Wow! I am so so sorry this has happened. Leo obviously made his mark in the world and within your heart. Just as our families do (because they are our families) and they can become ill suddenly sometimes for no apparent reason. He knew from your post I believe how truly loved he was! That's why my Mom always told me as I was growing up to treasure those in my life daily because I didn't know when my last would be with them (I lost my Dad at 5 months old). I'm glad he was always happy and healthy to the end!     Peace be with you!

I am so sorry.  Prayers from here for you to have peace and comfort in knowing that you gave him a good life and so much love.

Oh my goodness, I am so sorry for your loss; I was hoping and praying Leo would be better today, you have my deepest condolences. Fly Free Sweet Leo, land softly; you were so loved.

Well a few days later and I am not crying as much. I just can't understand what happened. I talked to his primary vet who is connected with the ER vet.  The Vet says it being bizarre is an understatement. I've wracked my brain trying to think of anything he could have gotten into. He's never EVER been outdoors. I don't live in a cluttered house and am quite the neat/ clean freak, so I pretty much know every nook and cranny of my house and their habits.....There was no new toys, nothing NEW that I can think of.....I looked everywhere trying to find signs of him getting into something....and nothing!

If someone has any clue I will describe what happened. Wed morning, woke me up as usual not giving a crap about my sleep to feed him, running up on the bed, clawing.....So put food in his bowl and he was happy, then he took a nap and I don't remember much until the early afternoon when I saw him throw up and then act really weird, tail went down and he moved slowly like something scared him.....then he threw up again two more times until finally the last time was just a little saliva, then he laid around all evening moving here and there and acting pretty lifeless. But no more puking. Around midnight (ish) took him to the vet where he spent the night. They said blood was good but sugar was a wee bit high, but nothing drastic. They did x ray and he wasn't constipated and they didn't see anything unusual. That morning we picked him up at 8 am and he had been salivating at the vet but when he got home he wasn't as much. I laid him on a blanket and he smelled like pee. I know how terrified he gets at storms and loud noises so I was sure the vet experience traumatized him in addition to whatever was wrong with him..

I let him lay on the blanket but he just seemed so strange...He would make eye contact with me at typical buzz words I used that he liked but I got little response. After about  20 min's he made his way to the litter box to pee but I could tell it was hard for him to climb in and out and he didn't bath but just laid down after he got out. He would move about 3 feet and plop as if that was all the energy he could muster.....he did this all day, moving small amounts from here to there and would lay in a spot perhaps 30 min's before moving again. He didn't meow hardly at all the entire day. A couple of times he peed on the floor when moving from one location to the other. I called his vet and talked to him and he said he's probably just nauseated and cats will act like that until they feel better, so I was just checking on him, laying on the floor and gently petting his head and talking to him......I had NO CLUE he would be dead within hours! During the evening doing other checks on him, I felt his paws and they were cool and I tried to get him to make eye contact and his eye contact wasn't nearly as good as it was earlier. I brought him in the room with me and put him on a blanket, where he then got up to do another "move" I was guessing only this time he put his paw out and couldn't walk, he tried, but he staggered and collapsed. I then rushed him back to the ER vet and she said his sugar was low and within 20 to 30 min's he passed away.........

My other cat shadow has been eating same food, drinking same water, everything same. She is fine. 

I'm regretting not doing an autopsy because I just want to know so bad what killed him. The vet said an autopsy wouldn't necessarily let us know for sure....but it's too late for that now......

does anyone know what this could have been.......He was in such a protected environment . I don't use cleaners that will make them sick....and if I do, I make sure they are no where near the area. But I hadn't used any type of strong cleaner in the past few days anyway.  I've looked under beds, behind tv's and I see nothing. They never chewed cords, etc.....never got up on kitchen counters as I trained them not to...

The only thing is my friend Liz said her mom had a cat that died very similarly and it was a brain tumor. The cat got lifeless suddenly and laid there not feeling well and died within a day. That's the closest thing. I told the vet that and he said he didn't think so because a brain tumor would take longer. Whatever this was, it hit him so suddenly. I hope it's nothing I unknowingly caused....I miss him so much he was an awesome cat.

How high was his blood sugar? That does seem rather strange...undiagnosed diabetes can lead to ketoacidosis which causes a lot of symptoms to which you describe but you seem like an owner that probably would've seen signs coming like increased thirst/urination.  As for the undiagnosed tumor, it is always a possibility, untreated aggressive cancer usually kills cats within weeks/month and cats can be very good at hiding symptoms. There is always the chance he got into something and ate something as well...cats are sneaky. Was there any poison around? Perhaps a mouse that had been rat poisoned or something a bit more inconspicuous? I am not sure how stuff like that is detected.

I'm so sorry about Leo. To lose such a dear friend so suddenly and for no apparent reason is beyond horrible. I haven't a clue what happened to him but think it's highly unlikely you did anything wrong. You obviously are an experienced cat mom, very in tune to your kitties and your home is safe. I can only imagine the grief you are going through but really feel you must not blame yourself at all. You did everything right. I hope with time the shock of losing Leo so suddenly will ease and you can gain some comfort with happy memories. He was a beautiful cat, obviously happy and well loved. RIP dear Leo.

He weighed 18 lbs! The vet said the first night when his blood was normal, his was very slightly elevated which could be simple stress. Not sure what the # was on his sugar. He was Very muscular and energetic. We don't have mice. I've never ever seen a mouse in my house. I use Electronic Cigs because I quit smoking back in 2009 and used them ever since. I keep my stuff in one location on the kitchen counter that he ever got up on, and even if he did, I don't see how he could have gotten to it. Toilet bowls always stayed closed. I always thought he ate a lot but I don't ever remember him drinking that horrible of an amount......Then again, I wasn't watching him constantly. I thought it was strange the vet said he looked a little fat the first night when I never thought he looked fat at all......He looked just like he did in the pics before he died.

I have two litter boxes and I always thought both of them used both litter boxes, but Shadow has only used ONE, while Leo used both....It's amazing how many times a day I had to clean them vs NOW........It's like NOTHING with her whereas he would poop and pee but I would not call it frequent. I think he would pee 3 or 4 times per day (if that).....

One thing worth mentioning is he had air under his skin in the back of his legs, the vet called it emphysema but not like what's in your lungs. I remember a long time ago when I switched Cat food, I noticed this long hairless stripe on the back of one of his legs where it looked like he bathed the hair off . I would notice it as he exited the room when I could see him walk away....It was just like thin long hairless stripe running down his back right leg (maybe 4 inches) and super thin.......I thought it was a food allergy so I changed their food and the hair eventually grew back there.....this was years ago.......and when the vet said that about his back leg, I remembered that from years ago and wondered......The doctor thinks it  could possibly have been some sort of overwhelming infection that the body couldn't respond to quick enough, or venom of some kind from a spider........But poison? I've examined everything. There are only 2 of us here and I'm the only one that cleans the house so I know where everything is and what they may have gotten into.. The ONLY change I can think that I made is I broke their water dish which is a square glass pyrex dish, so I started using another glass water dish.....I always put ice and filtered fridge water when I changed their water and they loved to play with the ice and dip their paws in and it made them want to drink water......I just always thought he was a prettier more healthy looking cat than Shadow (not that she isn't healthy), but I was always so sure she would be the one to go first.....and to see the way she's acting as I type this - running through the house acting like a psycho cat as if nothing has happened. She is getting over this quickly, that's for sure.

I guess he could have had symptoms and he was hiding them......but I didn't notice a thing out of the ordinary.

The ONLY thing I regret is that I didn't play with them for exercise as much as I probably should.....so they slept a lot.....usually in the same room. I would get boxes for them to play in or paper bags and things like that....but I wouldn't play with them like I should. But I loved on Leo a lot.....rolling him on his back and putting my face in his belly....he trusted me completely.....Shadow won't let me do that simply because Leo would jump on her and bully her occasionally and she freaks out when someone does that to her. Before I got Leo, she would let me do that.......As cute as he was, he could be a total BRAT to her and I would always stop it......

It really could be any of those things...a large appetite can be a sign of diabetes, and increased drinking and urine output too. Look up ketoacidosis in cats, maybe you can rule it out or in with the sympoms of it. That would have shown up on a urine test, but did they ever take a urine sample?.Did they take his temperature? His blood counts were normal though, right? Usually fever and altered WBC counts can show infection. I have no idea on something like a spider bite. 

I'm so very sorry you lost him like that. Please do not think it was anything you did. May he run free and rest in peace. He really was a handsome kitty. 

I do think it is very strange he had air under the skin if I am understanding your post right.

Yes they took his temp, it was normal and urine sample was normal. The first night. He didn't start salivating UNTIL he got to the vet the first night. The next morning when he returned home I wiped the saliva off and he didn't really salivate much the entire day after that. The vet said cats will do that when they are scared so when he returns home he will probably stop and he did. Honestly I do not know.I assumed they knew what to check for in a cat, so I didn't question it. 

You have to understand something about this cat. He was big and bad and proud will his tail straight up MOST of the time....But let raindrops start hitting the roof or a clap of thunder, and he became this insanely terrified cat. I mean to the point where he would PEE himself sometimes.......He was ALWAYS like this.......That's when I found the traveling vet who came here over the years because I KNEW that he would be traumatized if he had to go to a VET outside the home....So I can imagine that he was in some sort of STATE in addition to what was wrong with him exacerbating it most likely.

I free fed them both.....I wouldn't say they ate massive amounts of food, but Leo definitely more than Shadow.....But even still, over the years, I don't recall him eating any more food than normal or going to pee more than normal...He always would let us know if the food bowl was empty, but this went on for YEARS. This wasn't anything new or different. I dunno...It just should have shown in his blood labs as something abnormal, but they didn't........So strange!

Maybe it was something neurological that happened all at once. July 2012 I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't roll over. I was paralyzed on my left side. I'd had a stroke in my sleep. No one prepares for one. However, if the dr.s had been watching another med had caused high cholesterol which cuased a blood clot to form in the atorey in my neck which went to my brain. I now have seizures (epilepsy) because of it. You just never know what can happen day to day in your or your loved ones (pets) lives. That's why we need to be Thankful for them daily. Don't feel bad for not noticing anything. No one noticed anything in me either (not even the drs) but they were all there to help when I needed them!      We are here for you!!!!

Thanks everyone for the words. They help! I think I have been and still am a decent cat parent........It's unbelievable how close you become to them. Over the past few days after his death, I don't ever remember going through this kind of pain and void......even when my mom and grandma died. They were in another state and I didn't have them in my face 24/7 like Leo.......and animals are so innocent and can't tell you anything.....We had ten GREAT years together. From a little kitten to an almost 10 year old cat.......I did everything I could. Took him to the vet TWICE.....laid with him talking to him while he was sick, trying to let him sleep. Not knowing what was really going on. If I had, I would have spent more time lying down with him talking to him.......not that that would have helped him.......I do know that that cat knows I loved him and he trusted me.....I can say that for 100 percent fact. I just wish I could have had him years longer.......He was so pretty and happy.....

RIP LEO

So very sorry to read this news.  On behalf of the TCS Team, we offer our condolences on the loss of your Leo.  We will close the thread now as a sign of respect.  We invite you to post a tribute to Leo in our Crossing the Bridge thread if you wish:  http://www.thecatsite.com/f/19/crossing-the-bridge