New Re-homed cat, very lethargic and non-reactive.

So glad you finally found out what was wrong. Your kitty is in good hands now. I so hope she gets b etter.

Hello all...

I just got off the phone with my vet - and her prognosis is not great

Her bloodwork is showing as mostly being within the low and high ends of normal range - consistent with what would be presented given her deydration and the fever. 

She has a very high white cell count, which could mean some sort of infection/inflammation, but, there are no outward signs of a wound or abcess or anything external that could cause that, so he's not certain what could be the root of it.
Right now she is on a fluid drip, and a course of antibiotics, and they are going to continue for 48 hours to see if she hopefully responds. With the rehydration, there should be a slight drop in her fever, but the antibiotics should bring it then all the way down and hopefully wipe out the cause if it is an infection. 

 
If she doesn't respond to either of those - then his worst-case scenario is leading him to think that it may be Non-Effusive FIP. But he's not ready to make that diagnosis yet. 
He is going to call me after 12 hours, to give the treatment a chance, and then continue from there - but then it's going to depend on what the next course or treatment is, and what her possible prognosis could be. 

Given my situation.. that I only adopted them 5 days ago... I don't know what to do. The shelter does provide pet insurance, but it's extremely minimal (and this may not even be covered, since she has had this prior to being adopted, he said she could have had this for a few weeks even). I have no problem with covering these tests now and the cost of her hospitalisation.. but it's the going forward with the uncertain outcome that is leaving me in absolute knots. Especially since right now there's no obvious cause for this. 

He very gently let me know, that pretty much all the next steps in diagnostic testing would be, unfortunately, very expensive given the type of test (3D gastric ultrasound and others), and are really only used to test for conditions where the prognosis is not good, usually fatal...so, I need to prepare myself for a humane euthanisation, if she doesn't make a significant improvement within the next 24 - 48 hours. 

Honestly... I don't know what to do... 

I was so happy to get these lovely little furbabies, and I adore them both so much already.. but I was never prepared for something like this... and at the same time, there is a limit to my resources, especially in the middle of this insurance limbo.. and I hate myself for even having to think of that and having that be even an issue... I just don't know what to do..help...

I'm very sorry to be the bearer of such bad news... I wish it wasn't the case, since she's already in my heart and this is absolutely tearing it to shreds right now. 

Sorry

Mariel

I just wanted to say how sorry I am that you're going through this.  If these are indeed your cat's last days--and I sure hope they aren't--she's very lucky to have you to comfort her through them.  I'm pulling for you both.

I am so sorry, Mariel. Hugs to you. Let's hope for the best right now.

I'm so sorry to hear this.  Sometimes there just aren't words to do the feelings justice. 

Hi. I have a special needs cat. I am also special needs so I have seen those kinds of signs in both mammals. It is typically a sign of depression. Depression either makes them eat excessively thinking it will bring happiness, or the opposite extreme of starving themselves unintentionally. It is typical to only want to sleep when depressed hoping for a better result when they wake up. She is probably morning from her bad experience at the previous home since you got her within a week that did not give her time to morning. In this case, it is locked in from way back causing her to shut down.

The first thing is, get her out of depression. I have seen online different around the house ways of treating different things to avoid the big vet bill and take care of the baby.

I know the sun produced natural source of vitamin D, which is the happy pill. You can try taking her outside to get the sun, and when she is outside to try giving her milk, high vitamin D milk. The more sun, milk and other sources you find online for vitamin D, is the sooner she will get better. Once she is better, then if she goes back to what she does now, you will know it is an ongoing special needs condition. However, when she returns to this, you will already know what to do.

I hope this helps.

PreciousMommy

Oh dear I'm so sorry Mariel!  Obviously she had this while at the shelter so I really think they should take some responsibility with the cost.  At least they need to contact the owners and find out if she was starting to get sick while still with them.  I know that doesn't help the situation she's in, but believe me I know how it is when financial resources are not unlimited.  However sometimes having all the money in the world still won't help if the disease is untreatable.  

But let's not lose hope!  Hugs to you.  Just know that all of us will be hoping for the best for little Koi today.  

Hello all...

Update on Koi's condition overnight - her fever came down to 39 from 41C, and she is responding to the fluid therapy. She's still not eating though. Her Urinalysis was clear - so there's no sign of infection or anything that could be causing the fever there.
They are going to start her on a mild antibiotic today (because she was dehydrated for so long, they are cautious about being too aggressive) and then give her a mild appetite stimulant as well.
Then they are also going to do a full virus screening - to see if there is any more information there, but most especially to screen for the Corona virus. I was told that if she tests positive for that, then it's a 90% chance that it's FIP... which is fatal.

So.. I'm still waiting, but that's the latest info I have.

Thank you all for being there
Mariel

Oh, Mariel. I'm hoping for the best for little Koi. Please keep us updated. Praying for a full recovery and no FIP.

My last picture of her... sweet little Koyuki

Poor sweet kitty!     

Still hoping for the best.        

At least it is good news that her temp is down to within normal range...39C = 102.2.  Normal is 100 to 102.5.  

While I was reading this thread I might have missed this, but I didn't notice if anyone asked if you were feeding the cats the same food as the shelter was.  The reason I ask is because my own cat, Sweetie, is extremely finicky and will only eat one brand of cat food and absolutely won't touch anything else.  Maybe  Koyuki   is the same way?  And I have to add, she is so cute and sweet looking, I hope she will be ok.

Hello all

Just wanted to let you know that I just got an update from the vet on Koi's condition. For now she is stable, and her fever has come down very slightly, so it's moving in the right direction. She's still not eating though (and apparently they've got 5 different foods in the cage with her).. so they are very worried about that.

 
They are trying her on a stronger antibiotic, and an anti-nauseant to see if that will help encourage her to eat.. but otherwise, she is still serious, but stable for now. 
We are just waiting on some more test results, which will hopefully come in tomorrow afternoon sometime - the vet even said I could come and visit her, as that may encourage her to eat a little.. so... here's hoping. 

Anyway, just wanted to let you know - and to thank you all again for your kindness in helping, you have really really made me feel like there is some hope - and I'm so grateful.. thank you, sincerely, thank you for being lovely humans. 

Mariel

One thing I must tell you is that if she tests positive for corona virus, it does NOT mean she has FIP.  75% or more of cats who have lived in group situations like catteries and shelters will test positive for corona virus.  If they have either had it or been exposed to it they can test positive. If she tests negative for it, it DOES mean that she does NOT have FIP, however, so that test is good way to rule out FIP.   It's possible she just caught corona virus or something else intestinal at the shelter and is going through it now, in addition to being depressed.  It's also possible that she had corona virus as a kitten and the stress of losing her family and going into a shelter triggered it, so we cant  say for certain it is not FIP. If her fever comes down in response to the antibiotics, then it is probably NOT due to FIP.  The fact she had a high white cell count would favor a bacterial infection and her body responding to it.  Often with viruses, the white cell count goes DOWN, not up, but then the animal can get a secondary bacterial infection because the virus knocked down its immune system (the white cells).   It would help tremendously if we knew more about her background.  How old is she?  Most cases of FIP are in cats under 18 months of age, or very old cats or those with compromised immune systems, like can happen with FIV. 

There is no test for FIP anyhow, and wet FIP becomes obvious by fluid in the abdomen or chest or both.  I have been through dry FIP with three different cats over the years and none of them looked nearly as good as your cat does now, by the time they were sick with it, so if she does have it, she certainly has not had it very long.  I can understand how the vet would consider that as a possibility, since she's behaving like an a dry FIP cat does, refusing food, being depressed and lethargic, and running a fever, but there are many other things that can cause those same things.  I did suspect she was very sick with something, as I told you Saturday, which is why I stressed the urgency of getting some calories and fluids into her while waiting to see the vet on Monday, but didn't think she was so critical that she needed to go to the emergency vet on Sunday if you were able to get something into her, and you were doing a great job with that, so even though she was dehydrated and feverish, she was OK to wait to see the vet on Monday.  Another thing to look at, you said she didn't come in at the same time as her housemate because she needed to get her shots.  Did she stay with a vet before she got the shots?  Because the shots don't protect them instantly, so if they she was not vaccinated and was exposed to something at the vet hospital, she may have caught something there.  As you said, they didn't notice anything at the shelter but she may have started to come down with it as soon as she came in. 

If there is nothing obvious in the lab results, forget about additional expensive tests.  The old vets and old folks like myself will just say treat the symptoms as best you can and time will reveal more, so take it one day at a time.  In a case like this, "Why" is not a useful question, rather ask "What can we do about it?" and do that.  Which is what you are doing. There is a reason you adopted them, and it may have been to save her life.  I would think the insurance that comes with her would cover this as those short-term policies that come with cats adopted from shelters are meant to cover things just like this, animals that get sick in the first month.  It is not considered a pre-existing condition (even though it may have been one) because there was no previous diagnosis of anything.  NOW, of course, anything after this might be considered a pre-existing condition, so sometimes it is best not to extend the original policy.  If you are going to get pet insurance, start a new policy because they won't cover this after the first 30 days.  (I had that experience once!)

I'm so glad she has stablized, Mariel, and I hope the test mean good things for her. Let us know how she is when you visit her.

Oh, Mariel. At least she's in the right place. I hope she starts to eat something, although feeling the way she does, she has no appetite. I hope they can give her an appetite stimulant to get her going. I'm praying for little Koi. I hope she's a fighter. I know her new mom is. Bless you, Mariel, for being there for her. I hope with each passing day there's a huge improvement. You're going to give her a wonderful life. Please keep us posted.

Hi
 

@Red Top Rescue  - thank you so much, your advice and expertise is really helpful. Agreed that there's no definitive way to say for sure it's FIP - my vet was just leaning in that direction, since all the other tests came back negative. He is slightly more optimistic about her though - since the antibiotics are bringing the fever down slowly... but still not out of the woods. 
I'm not sure if she stayed at the vets before getting the shots - there is so very little I know about what happened prior to her adoption, and the shelter can't really help, because they know so little as well (I did ask if they could contact the owner, but have got nowhere on that yet)

My vet was in agreement as well about the additional expensive tests - he is also of the mindset to treat the symptoms as they appear, and take it from there - so, definitely will do as you both suggest. 

In terms of insurance - I've already extended (and upgraded) their insurance... 

The 'gift' insurance doesn't cover this though - I checked with the provider, but, they did say I could still submit a claim for the blood testing / urinalysis, which will still help a bit.

The new policy covers everything - but I will double check with them tomorrow about if this now is considered a pre-existing condition ( I don't know, since we don't know what her condition is!)

Thank you again though - your advice is invaluable!!

Mariel

Hi @Aislinn  @DreamerRose - thank you both! I am not going to let her go down without a fight.. I haven't been able to love her for long enough, so I want her back!!
Will absolutely keep everyone posted, and am looking forward to seeing her tomorrow. 

Thank you!

Mariel

Atta girl!

I saw your message came in as I was typing my last message.  Make sure they continue syringe feeding her if she won't eat!  The fluids aren't enough.  Most vet techs know to do this but in some hospitals, they only do what they are told so the vet needs to tell them to do it.  Vets have a good high calorie food called A/D that has the consistency of baby food and has very high calories.  It can be mixed with formula and syringe fed.  They also have a sticky sweet tube of something called Nutrical, which is a high calorie supplement to help keep the blood sugar up, and that helps too.  Also, steroids will make her feel better (gets rid of the aches and pains) and also stimulates appetite. 

I can point you to some good places to learn about FIP but you don't need to do that yet because you don't know that she has it.  The fever coming down is a really good sign!

You said something about "maybe giving her a stronger antibiotic," but be sure they do NOT use the long-acting Convenia injection.  In fact have them write "no Convenia without express permission" on her chart.  I will private message you with the why of that, but suffice it to say that the side effects of that antibiotic include appetite suppression and depression, plus it kills most of the good bacteria in the gut, so it is definitely CONTRAINDICATED in this case.  Stick with the tried and true normal antibiotics.  It sounds like the one she is on is working so stick with it and give it a little time.