I have a persian cat which I purchased from a breeder when he was about four months old. He did at the time I was at the breeders have wattery eye's and was sneezing on occasian but she stated that that was normal because she had a cattery and they can catch colds from each other. Since the first month I had brought him home he has had continuous URI's, diarrhea, and ripping his hair out all over his body. I have been told by three different vets that these are all chroinic problems and they end up putting him on anitbiotics or cortizone injections. However, as soon as the medicine is complete not long after the symptoms return. He is also on speical food which consists of rabbit and peas. I have had the cat for less than a year and have spent over 700 dollars on his vet care since. Do you know what might be causing these problems or what I could do to help them without all the cost? He was tested for FIV and it was negative. Any information would be very helpful!! Also I have been in contact with the breeder in regards to this matter, everytime I talk to her she is rude and acts as though I am bothering her. I have never asked for any money but just what is in the best interest of this little guy. I asked her to take him back and she told me she could not because she has kittens even though her contract states that she should get the cat back before it was given to anyone else. This cat has a great personality and I hate the thought of giving him up but the cost of his care is just to high for me to continue unless there is somthing that will last. I thought giving him back to the breeder would be the best for him because it was originally her's to begin with and she would provide him with the best environment, but now I am just thinking she does not care about her breed. Thanks again for any input!!
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sick persian
- Thread starter mp05
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Wow..I dont have any advice. I am sorry to hear of your story. Didnt she give you a health guarentee on this little guy? GOOD LUCK.
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Health guarantee usually means the cat dies from genetic causes. I am having the same problem with my Persian cat. He is also sickly and I spend a lot of money on what seems to be useless vet visits. I think it's just cause they are not as strong as mixed breed cats, but then again my other Persian is doing fine and doesn't need vet visits.
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It is unfortunate that you have found an unethical breeder. Most breeders that I know, truly do care about health issues in their cattery and will do all they can to make it right and give you some ideas as to how to go about fixing it.
My thoughts would be you need a feline specialist to run tests and try and determine what is going wrong with your cat. Yes, it means more money. But perhaps you will have answers and a better path to follow than more frustration.
My thoughts would be you need a feline specialist to run tests and try and determine what is going wrong with your cat. Yes, it means more money. But perhaps you will have answers and a better path to follow than more frustration.
You do have a point, perhaps I should have made myself clearer i my point as well. That most breeders will care about the health of their animal. If this one is sick..it could possibly me something that will affect that rest of her kitties.Originally Posted by elizwithcat
Health guarantee usually means the cat dies from genetic causes. I am having the same problem with my Persian cat. He is also sickly and I spend a lot of money on what seems to be useless vet visits. I think it's just cause they are not as strong as mixed breed cats, but then again my other Persian is doing fine and doesn't need vet visits.
And I am not sure I buy the excuse of when the little one was first purchased.."I have a cattery so they give eachother colds" I have lots of cats, and am just starting a cattery..and if one has a sniffle they go in and get meds....and generally its nipped in the bud there.
Watery eyes and sneezing are common for Persians because of their flat faces. You just have to clean the eye area everyday to keep the tear ducts from blocking up. If the vet bills are going to be a major problem then legally, she is obligated to take the cat back since it was stated in the contract. Worse case scenario, you can threaten to sue her or report her to the ASPCA.
I also got Kionu from an unethical breeder. At 4 months old, he wasn't neutered, vaccinated or put on flea/worm medication. He was infested with fleas, he had constant diarrhea, runny eyes and URI. The vet ran tons of test to figure out what was wrong with him. It turns out he had not been wormed which caused the constant diarrhea, and his URI was due to stress and a change in his environment. After 6 months of testing, we found out he also has herpes. I did report the breeder to the humane society and she was prosecuted, sentenced to jail and was required to reimburse the humane society and myself for medical fees. I wish you the best of luck and I hope everything works out!
I also got Kionu from an unethical breeder. At 4 months old, he wasn't neutered, vaccinated or put on flea/worm medication. He was infested with fleas, he had constant diarrhea, runny eyes and URI. The vet ran tons of test to figure out what was wrong with him. It turns out he had not been wormed which caused the constant diarrhea, and his URI was due to stress and a change in his environment. After 6 months of testing, we found out he also has herpes. I did report the breeder to the humane society and she was prosecuted, sentenced to jail and was required to reimburse the humane society and myself for medical fees. I wish you the best of luck and I hope everything works out!
Yes watery eyes and a little sneezing are normal for Persians (I have one too). Chronic URI's and diarrhea are not. You can give your cat a very small amount of plain yogurt in a bowl for the diarrhea. If you are giving wet food, stop for now because that will not help the diarrhea any, and will kind of defeat the purpose of the yogurt. We give yogurt at my shelter and it works great. If he won't eat plain, then try vanilla, but plain is the best.
Have you taken stool samples into the vet? Has the cat gone through all the normal tests and vaccinations? Is he neutered? Does he still eat normally? With diarrhea cats can get dehydrated easily, so be sure he remains hydrated (pull up on the scruff of the back of his neck and then let go. If it goes right back to place, he is fine, if it says tented up then he is dehydrated) That is when he would need a vet immediately.
About the ripping out of his hair...did he get a bath or a flea treatment when he did this? That could be a reason he was doing this.
Have you taken stool samples into the vet? Has the cat gone through all the normal tests and vaccinations? Is he neutered? Does he still eat normally? With diarrhea cats can get dehydrated easily, so be sure he remains hydrated (pull up on the scruff of the back of his neck and then let go. If it goes right back to place, he is fine, if it says tented up then he is dehydrated) That is when he would need a vet immediately.
About the ripping out of his hair...did he get a bath or a flea treatment when he did this? That could be a reason he was doing this.
Sorry to hear about your baby. Welcome to TCS, btw.
My Garfield has feline herpes, and he often has a runny nose and sneezes. He was not diagnosed by a vet, but in talking to others online I have figured it out.
The treatment is L-Lysine capsules, 500mg per day (I think). I don't actually use this for Gar, as it gave him diarrhea, but that is reportedly a rare side effect. Do a google search for feline herpes, and see if it describes your cat's symptoms.
Also, definitely report the breeder! That is terrible to knowingly sell a sick cat!
The treatment is L-Lysine capsules, 500mg per day (I think). I don't actually use this for Gar, as it gave him diarrhea, but that is reportedly a rare side effect. Do a google search for feline herpes, and see if it describes your cat's symptoms.
Also, definitely report the breeder! That is terrible to knowingly sell a sick cat!
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I don't mean to sound harsh, but you purchased this cat (knowing he didn't look healthy) and it's now your responsibility to take care of him. A responsible pet owner plans ahead for unexpected vet bills. $700 does not sound like a lot of money to me. How much did you pay for the kitten? It breaks my heart when I hear people say that they're going to "get rid" of their pet because it's costing them too much money. Even if you could get the breeder to take him back now how do you know that if you got another kitten somewhere else it might not also have health problems of some type (either right away or maybe years from now). Would you get rid of a child because it had a health problem and wasn't perfect?? I have four shelter cats that are all "throw aways" and get really upset when people think it's okay to dump pets that are less than perfect.
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I understand your reply. However, it is not necessarily true. I have only had the cat for eight months and I have already spent over 700 dollars on him so to me this is quite more than the average a person might spend on an animal in that time frame. I also agree that when you get a pet you must invest in them, but again if on average in a year I am spending over a 1000 dollars if not more than I think that is much more than any pet owner would bargin for. I do not want to "throw" him away that was never my intension but my fear is that over time these problems will increase in cost and I won't have any way to support it. I am trying to be a responsible pet owner by contacting the breeder and asking her for help. My goal always was to keep him in mind and to make it the best situation for him. When I did purchase him he did not look sickly he just had watery eyes and sneezed a few times I trusted the breeder in that this was normal. I purposley purchased from a breeder because I thought they cared about their breeds, I guess I learned my lesson. Also my intenstions are not to purchase another cat I do not want the same thing to happen again I would never "get rid" of my current cat to just go out and get another one. I love him very much and do not want to lose him. However, I do not want him to suffer and I am not sure if I can continue on these extreme cost's to keep him healthy. I believe I am doing the right thing instead of just handing him over to any old person who may not care for him at all.
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I just wanted to thank everyone for all of their suggestions, I really appreciate you taking the time to help me through this tough time. If you can think of anything else please let me know, especially if there is symptoms that are similar to a situation your cat may have had. Again thank you so much for your support.
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I do not feed him wet food and haven't since the first month I purchased him due to the diarrhea. I will definitley try the yogurt I have never heard of that before I hope it works!! I have taken stool samples that was also done the first month I had him and they came back negative. He has been to the vet so many times that if he was dehydrated I am sure they would have known, he does still eat and drink normally though so I don't think that is an issue. Actually, he always wants to eat that has never changed since I purchased him he is a little pig!! The ripping out of the hair was the last symptom to start I did not give him a flea treatment and he was getting baths a lot because the diarrhea was getting everywhere but I don't think that is what is causing the problem because it has continued over the months and I stopped giving him a bath at all because the vet said it might dry him out. He was ripping his hair out so much that he has bald pathces all over. Thanks for your suggestions I appreciate it.
When Kionu had diarrhea, a few people on TCS told me to put pumpkin (only the pure kind) in his food to make his stools firm. You can also use baby food (squash). It didn't completely cure the diarrhea as that was a result of worms, but it did help minimize it. I hope that helps.
Oh pumpkin yes that was the other thing I forgot to mention. Either offer that or the yogurt, my cats never cared much for the pumpkin though. I had to mix it into their wet food. But I wouldn't start back on the wet food for now anyways. Most cats will eat the yogurt.
Finding a feline specialist is a good idea but it will be pricey.
Lysine is also something we use at the shelter and we started it because of herpes but we ended up giving it to all of the cats just to give them an extra suppliment of good vitamins or whatever you want to call the lysine. It comes in powered capsules which you can sprinkle into food or as a yellowish liquid that smells like maple syrup. We syringe it into the cats mouths and make sure they swallow it. Ask your vet what he thinks about it though.
Please keep us updated after you try some of these things...
Finding a feline specialist is a good idea but it will be pricey.
Lysine is also something we use at the shelter and we started it because of herpes but we ended up giving it to all of the cats just to give them an extra suppliment of good vitamins or whatever you want to call the lysine. It comes in powered capsules which you can sprinkle into food or as a yellowish liquid that smells like maple syrup. We syringe it into the cats mouths and make sure they swallow it. Ask your vet what he thinks about it though.
Please keep us updated after you try some of these things...
hmm I will find out where we order it from. We usually order things from drsfostersmith.com but they don't have the lysine I don't think. I will find out.
How very odd! (shaking head)Originally Posted by starlie
Thank you Jen. The only bad thing, is drfostersmith.com won't ship to Hawaii. Even after I offer to pay for overnight!
