Cat sick with multiple symptoms - vets do not know

Hi there,

I'm new to this forum. I'm from the Netherlands and I need some help because the vets here simply do not seem to know what my cat has and keep trying different meds but nothing helps and everytime I get a big bill for the wrong treatment.

Okay so I have a male cat who is now 20 months old.

We have 6 cats and he was fine until last September so he was then about 15 months, we had 3 cats back then. We had rescued 3 kittens from Cyprus that almost died in April last year and adopted them. They had to stay another 4 months to get their shots, chip etc until they were old enough to fly to the Netherlands.

When we got the 3 new cats, they mixed fine with the other 3 by the way, the symptoms started with this one cat. He was coughing a lot and kept swallowing so I figured he has a hairball stuck which he can't get rid off so I used hairball medication but that didn't help. The coughing stopped after 2 weeks. Then I noticed he had a scratch on his head with a strange bald spot. Went to the vet who didn't know what it was but it looked like ringworm to me (none of the other cats had this). Treated him for that but no result, if I treated one place, it would pop up somewhere else. This went on for about 2 or 3 months. Went to the vet 2 or 3 times as he still didn't seem to recover. In the meantime he got really quiet, didn't eat much anymore and didn't play anymore so I figured something is wrong still. Vet gave me painkillers and anti inflammatory meds but no result The spots went away after a couple of months but his fur isn't the same anymore. He now has dandruff. I still notice he has swolen glands in his neck, he still does this swallowing every few minutes, still barely eats, lost a lot of weight and has dandruff. Furthermore he seems down and depressed.

At one point I also noticed that he had peed on the litterbox and had some blood droplets after that. That happened twice, this was end of October or beginning of November, didn't happen more than twice.

First I thought he got something from these small kittens (which still might be the case because 2 of them had severe sneezing disease before they came over. One of them lost an eye because of that and the other has very poor vision, has herpes in 1 eye (which is under control) and has a white blister on his other eye. I also thought that maybe it had to do with jealousy as we of course had to give these new cats more attention but even by giving him more again, no change.

Apologies for the long story but I'm really worried about my cat.

I thought it could be a fungus so I treated him for that but no result, I treated him for worms and flees but also no result. Tried different types of food because he doesn't eat most of the time, no result.

Does anybody have an idea what this could be? I'm sick and tired of these vets just looking for 2 minutes and just sending me home with something that doesn't work and costs a lot. He has not been well for 5 months now and I feel so sorry for him.

Thanks in advance for your time.

David

The swollen glands in his neck are called lymph nodes. When you have an infection in your body the lymph nodes will swell up like that because of an increase in white blood cells (that are fighting the infection). Your cat is probably having difficulty swallowing because they are so swollen (why he keeps trying to swallow all the time). It's like when you have a sore throat and go to the doctor and they feel on either side, just under your jaw- the doctor is feeling your lymph nodes.

I'm not sure why he originally had those bald spots, where were they? Near his mouth or eyes, or on the top? I'll bet anything that he has dandruff now and his coat is probably not in good shape because he's not feeling well and grooming himself regularly. 

Seeming depressed and not eating well is another sign that he has some kind of infection. 

Has your vet given your cat any antibiotics, or done a blood test to try and see what is going on? Also, have you had your cat tested for FIV or FeLV? I'd vote for trying a different vet this time if you can.

Will your cat eat meat baby food (without onions), goat's milk, or drink broth? Maybe he'd eat some of this and at least get something into his stomach. 

Thank you for your answer.

The lymph nodes are not that big but I do feel them which is how I know they are swollen a bit. I could be that that is irritating and therefore he keeps swallowing indeed. They are not that big though but I see the link.

It started on his head and then his ears went bald, then he got them in his neck and on his paws. That's why I figured it was ringworm. It looked like that on pics I found online.

He also had crusts of hair in his neck and on his head mostly. Felt like a little crust and then when you would touch them, a chunk of hair would come loose with the crust being some white moldy crust. This however, is not the ringworm as I figured out. It's like a fungal infection so I treated him for that.

He does take care of himself but regardless still has this dandruff but it all must be linked to each other.

I figured out what he eats now so he does get enough food ingested now but it's not going so easily, he is just not eager anymore.

Never given any antibiotics and no blood test done, also not tested for fiv or felv.

We have had several vets now, it just seems they don't know and I'm tired of getting some meds that don't work. One of them mentioned anti biotics but when i asked which kind and to treat what exactly i didn't get an answer so they don't know.... so what would they prescribe then? there are so many different types of anti biotics... that all have a different effect.

Do you know which anti biotics I could try for him to fight off this infection he may have?

Thanks again.

I asked about FeLV because that can cause sores on their faces, but I don't think those are usually crusty. 

Maybe ask to see if you can have a blood test done? That will show for sure if there is an infection because it will measure the amount of white blood cells. Here the test is called a CBC- complete blood count.

I don't know what they have available in the Netherlands for antibiotics. My vets usually prescribe amoxicillin, the trade name is Clavamox. 

What region do you live in? I have a friend in the Netherlands who has cats, maybe she knows a good vet you could try.

i can do that but honestly don't want to go to another vet anymore and tell the whole story again and get the same meds again.

I did some research and found which antibiotics they generally use for cats and they are amoxicillin like you wrote and doxycycline, cephalexin, clindamycin, Orbifloxacin, Clavamox and Baytril.

The amoxicillin and Orbifloxacin look like the type he would need. I see I can order them online somewhere, now I just need to know the dosage he would need and the length of the treatment (amount of days) and i think by doing that I would have a better shot at curing him than the last 5 months of vet visits :\ 

If anyone knows the dosage a cat needs generally I might just do that.

Bleeeh said:

 
I did some research and found which antibiotics they generally use for cats.....
 
If anyone knows the dosage a cat needs generally I might just do that.

Click to expand...

Bleeeh , I have to say that, to proceed like this is so very wrong on many levels and so very unfair to your little cat (and, for your information, the number of antibiotics appropriate for feline issues far exceeds your short list). It's unethical and dangerous to give any drug when no one has any idea of what may be wrong.

I'm unsure how many Vets have seen him.....also unsure if this Vet/these Vets are at the same clinic/hospital. No matter. It is inconceivable that any Vet would not proceed logically to make a diagnosis and explain that process to you. If you described those unusual urination issues, surely that should have mandated testing the urine. It's all very hard to understand.

Here, on the forum, we have learned that not every licensed Veterinarian is competent in Feline medicine.

I'll give you 2 tools that can help you find a better Vet.

In North America there is an organization called The American Association of Feline Practitioners. Veterinarians with a special interest in cats can join the AAFP for a membership fee. People over here who are looking for a quality cat Vet often start their search through the AAFP website. I have just looked for you and there are several Veterinarians in the Netherlands who are members of the AAFP. Membership in the AAFP does not guarantee competency.....it simply provides a list of Vets who wish to be known for their special interest.

I'll give you the search page.....use the "Search by Location" area and start by clicking on the "More Options" bar, then choose Netherlands. Ignore "Practice Type", just click search. When the list is shown, IGNORE the "Cat Friendly" clinics (the first .3). Hopefully there will be at least one close to you. Make sure you request the specific Vet whose name appears on the list. Here it is: http://www.catvets.com/cat-owners/find-vets-and-practices

Now, in Europe, there is a similar organization. It is called the International Society of Feline Medicine and you can search for a cat Vet on their site too. Again, IGNORE the "Cat Friendly" designation, you want an "isfm Practice member". Here is their search page: http://icatcare.org/cat-campaigns-cat-friendly-clinic/accredited-clinics    Again, it will be that specific Veterinarian you should see, not simply any doctor working there.

One more thing: Go back to the clinic(s) where this cat was previously seen. Get complete copies of all the records from those visits (there should be no resistance to your request). Bring those with you to the new Vet.......also, take some time and very carefully write down every detail and approximate date of the issues you have seen with this cat (similar to your first post, but with as much extra attention to detail as you can give)...that will ensure that his history is presented in as orderly a fashion as possible with nothing forgotten nor misplaced.

I hope you can find a competent diagnostician.

Do keep us up-to-date, too.

Thank you for your answer White Shadow.

When I was looking for these meds online yesterday I thought to myself, this is crazy for all the reasons you just mentioned so I abandoned the idea right away again.

The thing you say about that it's dangerous to just give any meds to a cat is the exact thing the vets (the ones I have seen) did here.

I shall look at the link you sent and see if I can find a better vet and make a diary of what has happened with him so far.

Thanks again for your help with this frustrating problem.