16-yar old Diabetic Tomcat in Remission, possible botfly infection

[Mashah]

Hello,
Our tcat became diabetic almost 8 years ago. After 6 months on insulin and special cat food, there was no improvement so we put him on hommade cat food only (farm chicked) and in teh course of one weekend he went into remission.
So if anybody is thinking about trying this approach with their diabetic cat, I can say that it has been working for us.

He's been having some health issues recently, but his glucose and fructose levels are in check. Iwould really appreciate your opinion of several issues:

1. We're still waiting for an ultrasound to see what's going on in his abdomen: sudden onset of food intolerances provoking diarhea, loss of weight due to wanting to eat only certain foods have a strong smell; it seems that his sense of smell is not as strong as it used to be.

2. In the meantime he got hit by an episode of arthritis. The vets said that it's this cold and dump weather. Suffering from an inflammatory arthritis myself, this seems liek a logical explanation.

3. But ever since this morning his right front got swollen and has a small wound on the side, like an "incision". The vet put him on an antibiotic and gave him an injection of an anti-inflammatory drug, that truned him around. However, since it's Saturday, the vet on duty is not our usual, experienced vet, and she was simply buffled by this problem with his leg.

I'm thinking possible botfly infection. He's been in the countryside last weekend.

His leg is swollen and painfull and there's a "wound" on one side. He's been licking it so his skin is fur-free and the "incision" and old blood (crust) is visible.
Tomorrow is Sunday and most of the clinics are closed.

Thank you for your help.

 

[Caspers Human]

Does your cat go outside and hunt rodents? That's the main way that a cat can get botflies. (AKA: "Warbles.")

If it is, indeed, warbles, there will be a maggot (the larva of an insect) living under your cat's skin. It will need to be surgically removed by a vet.

After some time, the maggot will hatch and burrow out from your cat's skin and leave a wound behind. That wound can get infected and turn into an abscess. Again, it will need to be surgically treated by a vet.

After a vet treats the wound, antibiotics or other medicines are often given.

The chances of getting infested depends on where you live, what the prevalence of botflies is and whether your cat has been going to places where it can be exposed. Botflies usually hang out near rodent burrows such as rabbit holes. Exposure happens when your cat goes after a rabbit or some such thing.

The way to keep your cat from getting warbles is to keep it away from places where it can be exposed. Keeping the cat indoors is the best way to prevent warbles but, yes, I know that's often easier said than done.

Is it really a botfly? I don't know. I've only seen warbles on horses. I've never seen them on cats. They are icky, little things! YUCK!

If it's not a botfly, it could be an ordinary abscess. It could have happened after the cat got in a fight with another cat or some other animal. It could have happened after the cat got injured some other way. Regardless, whether it's a warble, an ordinary abscess or some other problem, this is going to need treatment by a vet. If it actually is a botfly larva and you mess around with it and kill it while it is still living under your cat's skin, you could cause infection to spread. Sometimes, killing a larva under the skin, like that, can cause allergic reactions. Either of those problems can be life threatening. Only a vet or an experienced farmhand should try to treat things like this.

You say that your cat could be diabetic. Diabetes and warbles are two, separate, problems. They are unrelated. However, diabetes can complicate the matter. Diabetes makes it more difficult for wounds to heal. It can cause immune system problems and it can mess with other physiological systems, too. In other words, a diabetic cat with botflies is likely to have more problems.

I say again: Call your vet.

Will this problem keep over the weekend? I don't know. Maybe.
Does your vet have an answering service? You can call the answering service who will contact the vet and relay your message. If the vet thinks there is a problem, they will contact you, directly. If your vet thinks it will keep, the service will call you back and schedule an appointment on Monday or the next day.

In the mean time, until you contact the vet and decide on a plan of action, keep an eye on the cat. Look for signs of infection and other signs of trouble. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, take the cat to an emergency clinic, ASAP.

More about botflies/warbles here... (Pet MD) Botfly Infestation: How to Handle Warbles in Cats

My cats and I are sending you "Get Well Vibes!"

Thoughts and prayers be with you!

 

[Mashah]

Thank you so much for your reply!
He was seen by a vet yesterday because of his swollen leg. Unfortunately, I didn't know about this then, so I asked general questions like could that be an infection. I even thought that his leg might have been broken, or at least that he had a dislocated joint. My husband saw the blood while I was holding him for the vet to take his tempereture. He won't let us touch this leg itself.

Anyway, the vet who works on Saturdays isn't really experienced and had to consult with her boss, our usual vet vet. However tehy are both city vets and they did not respond when we kept telling them that every otehr weekend we go to the countryside where our cat goes out. he stays close to the house and doesn't hunt anymore, but there are animals there for sure! All sorts of mice, for starters, sometimes rabbits and night animals like foxes, badgers, wild pigs... We also have fields with cows, sometimes horses around the house.
He doesn't hunt as I said, but he like sto hang around where the mice and such "congregate" and watch them.

The first thing tomorrow, I'm going to the clinic and if they are not familiar with this, I have to find vets whi are and who know how to diagnose and take the "beast" out.

I'm also looking for information about the incubation period (before a cat feels something more than itching), etc. I was wondering if this could provoke some other issues. He started developing digestion issues as if he had suddenly become allergic to certain foods. It all begun when he didn't want to eat what he usually eats and lost weight. We had to start buying for him canned cat food (of good quality) but even though it was chicked he started having diarhea.

Thank you again!

 

[silent meowlook]

From what you are describing, it sounds like an abscess. If there is wound on the leg, it could be a bite wound and now the leg is infected and painful. Or, it could be broken. Did they X-ray? Did they do any blood work?

I have seen wounds get maggots on cats before but it has always been a stray cat that has gone neglected for some time and it smells awful. I don’t think this is the case here, but of course I don’t know.

Check to see if any of his nails are shredded. In the meantime keep him inside and make sure he is eating.

I have seen bot flys on large animals, just not cats, but it is possible.
Why is your cat still a Tom?

 

[Mashah]

Thank you!
We're back in the city, so he isn't going out.
His nails are fine, no signs of damage.
He eats and drinks, pees and still has diarrhea if he eats anything else than chicken.
When I said "tomcat" just wanted to say that he's male

He reacted well to an antiinflammatory injection yesterday, that is supposed to last 48h. And he's been on antibiotics. Hopefully the vets will be able to tell us something tomorrow.
No, they didn't do an X-ray. That's the problem with Saturdays. The vet on duty is inexperienced and didn't want to do anything that will bring him pain.
The blood work they did a week ago showed that the some of the livers enzymes were slightly elevated, since that was the only thinbg that was out of check, they took it into account. Also they mentionned "cells in blood that shouldn't be there" (that's why we're doing an ultrousound of abdomen, they're looking for tumors); But other than that no signs of infection. His body tremperature was normal as well.

Thank you again!

From what you are describing, it sounds like an abscess. If there is wound on the leg, it could be a bite wound and now the leg is infected and painful. Or, it could be broken. Did they X-ray? Did they do any blood work?

I have seen wounds get maggots on cats before but it has always been a stray cat that has gone neglected for some time and it smells awful. I don’t think this is the case here, but of course I don’t know.

Check to see if any of his nails are shredded. In the meantime keep him inside and make sure he is eating.

I have seen bot flys on large animals, just not cats, but it is possible.
Why is your cat still a Tom?

 

[silent meowlook]

If you are giving him chicken, make sure you are supplementing it with the proper vitamins and minerals. Mazuri makes a good one.

 

[Mashah]

If you are giving him chicken, make sure you are supplementing it with the proper vitamins and minerals. Mazuri makes a good one.

Thanx for the recommandation. I'll check Mazuri out. Teh German one I've been using doesn't have a nice smell according to cats' standards.