Hi All!
This site has been very informative and I hope some of you may recognize what may be going on with my 3.5yr old cat Momo. He's an indoor cat, but I do give him a few minutes supervised time outside to munch on grass a few times a week. Before I begin (this is LONG because I want to include EVERYTHING), I've spent over $1000 at the vet in in less than two months and I'm considering reaching out to another vet, but don't know if I should.
Mid Oct 2013 - Found 3 ~6wk kittens under my neighbor's house. Started feeding them and looking for homes. Kittens are left OUTSIDE.
11/2/2013 - 2 of 3 kittens taken for first vaccines. One of those goes home with a friend.
11/6/2013 - In the morning, Momo (3.5yrs, eats fancy feast a few times a week and Merricks grain free) has odd sore on his nose. It looks raw, but he's otherwise eating normally. I go to work with reservations and come home early to see that it's worsened and his behavior is "sad." He's in his "sick" pose (feet curled under) and he did not eat anything that day. I take him to the vet and there he weighs 12lbs (last year he was 14lbs) and has a fever. Blood is drawn for a panel, sub q fluids given, an amoxicillin shot, and meds to take home (augmentin and mendizole). Blood work reveals negative FIV, FeLV, FCV/FIP, no blood parasites, but elevated neutrophils and monocytes and albumin.
11/7/2013 - The kitten that did not receive vaccine had to be euthanized. In the morning as I was leaving for work, I found her barely breathing, severely dehydrated and crying when moved. She got up but was all wobbly and fell over. Clinician thinks it may have be antifreeze poisoning (I live between two auto shops). That night, I take the other kitten in and keep him locked in the bathroom away from Momo (this kitten is acting 100% normally).
For the next few days, Momo is recovering. Eating less, but eating. I start to introduce him to the kitten and his energy perks up as they play around.
11/27/2013 - Something may be off with Momo. He is acting somewhat normally, though he has calmed down a lot now that the kitten is here (or has he just been sick this whole time??) Over the next few days he has an occasional cough (maybe once or twice) and decreased appetite. I think he has a hairball stuck and home treat for that. Slightly worried, I syringe fluids into him, but he is barely eating (1oz). He is moving around though, not hiding, and not having any accidents using the litterbox.
12/2/2013 - I take him to the vet as he refused food and didn't use the litterbox at all overnight and that day. He has palpable constipation and a fever. While blood was drawn the vet saw that he was severely dehydrated and immediately put him on an IV with a shot of amoxicillin. They do xrays (definitely constipated with gas present), in-house blood work (this time all white blood cells except lymphocytes are elevated, along with "TP" (whatever that is) and Globulin; albumin is in normal range; "PLT" is lower than normal). Fecal and urine tests are ordered.
12/3/2013 - Momo comes home a COMPLETELY different cat- he is so happy and playful and EATING!! That almost 24hrs on IV certainly did the trick. An enema was done after the fever dissipated and he was stable for a few hours. Fecal results come back normal- no giardia, no other internal parasites. He's prescribed doxycycline and three days of canned a/d. At this point I keep the kitten (who is perfectly normal and honky dory) in the bathroom to closely monitor Momo's eating and eliminating habits. Vet wanted to do a full blood panel (thought Momo may have FIP) but changed his mind since Momo was negative last month.
For almost one week (until the doxy ran out basically), Momo has been GREAT. Eating at least 6oz of a/d or fancy feast plus up to 2oz of kibble a day. Very playful with the kitten and even with me! I called back for the urine results and was told that there was a bit of blood and glucose in it but no sign of infection. Stool is soft and he has some gas. No problems urinating or having accidents; I can't tell if there's blood in the urine because it's that walnut litter (which I hate, but that's another rant) which is brown. I do notice black spots on the side of his month where I've been injecting the antibiotics (feline acne?) and one eye is getting a bit of rust-like crust.
12/10/12 - In the morning Momo does not want to eat as much ("maybe he doesn't like this flavor, chicken hearts and liver?" is what goes through my mind), but he does eat about 2oz. He has been in his "sick" pose a few times over the last week, but he's in it when I come home and has barely touched the rest of the food. He does eat though in my presence when I get a different flavor of food, almost the whole 3oz and some kibble. I take him to the vet (he doesn't want to go in the carrier, a good sign to me, since before when he was feverish he was completely docile) but his bladder is empty and I need to bring him back. When I get home I notice he is squinty eyed most of the night. He eats a little- maybe the fruitless visit stressed him out?
12/11/12 - This morning (FINALLY HERE) Momo has to be coerced into eating. He is in his "sick" pose most of the time though he has walked around, napped stretched out, and even begged to go outside (I gave him 3min supervised time so he could munch on grass). His water intake is good, but I can't tell if it's excessive since he prefers smaller glass/ceramic bowls used for baking, and then half of the water is on the floor too. He has had about 1oz of wet food so far and has munched on dry food- I'm concerned he won't eat when I go to work. Sometimes he looks bright eyed and cheery, sometimes he's squinting and in his "sick" pose, sometimes he's in his "sick" pose and then will suddenly pounce on the kitten, and sometimes he's just lying down looking sad. I'm at my wit's end (and credit cards limit).
THANK YOU if you've read all of this. Honestly it felt good too just to get it out. It's been cold here so I have two heaters on, but it still is maybe ~70F in my room and 60-65F in the kitchen (that's curtained off from the bedroom; I live in a studio apt). The kitten is put in the bathroom when I'm not home so I can monitor Momo's feeding/eliminating habits, and is quite a happy, playful kitten.
If anyone has any ideas/leads/advice, I would be grateful. I will be picking up some lysine today to start giving to Momo- it doesn't seem like it will hurt.
This site has been very informative and I hope some of you may recognize what may be going on with my 3.5yr old cat Momo. He's an indoor cat, but I do give him a few minutes supervised time outside to munch on grass a few times a week. Before I begin (this is LONG because I want to include EVERYTHING), I've spent over $1000 at the vet in in less than two months and I'm considering reaching out to another vet, but don't know if I should.
Mid Oct 2013 - Found 3 ~6wk kittens under my neighbor's house. Started feeding them and looking for homes. Kittens are left OUTSIDE.
11/2/2013 - 2 of 3 kittens taken for first vaccines. One of those goes home with a friend.
11/6/2013 - In the morning, Momo (3.5yrs, eats fancy feast a few times a week and Merricks grain free) has odd sore on his nose. It looks raw, but he's otherwise eating normally. I go to work with reservations and come home early to see that it's worsened and his behavior is "sad." He's in his "sick" pose (feet curled under) and he did not eat anything that day. I take him to the vet and there he weighs 12lbs (last year he was 14lbs) and has a fever. Blood is drawn for a panel, sub q fluids given, an amoxicillin shot, and meds to take home (augmentin and mendizole). Blood work reveals negative FIV, FeLV, FCV/FIP, no blood parasites, but elevated neutrophils and monocytes and albumin.
11/7/2013 - The kitten that did not receive vaccine had to be euthanized. In the morning as I was leaving for work, I found her barely breathing, severely dehydrated and crying when moved. She got up but was all wobbly and fell over. Clinician thinks it may have be antifreeze poisoning (I live between two auto shops). That night, I take the other kitten in and keep him locked in the bathroom away from Momo (this kitten is acting 100% normally).
For the next few days, Momo is recovering. Eating less, but eating. I start to introduce him to the kitten and his energy perks up as they play around.
11/27/2013 - Something may be off with Momo. He is acting somewhat normally, though he has calmed down a lot now that the kitten is here (or has he just been sick this whole time??) Over the next few days he has an occasional cough (maybe once or twice) and decreased appetite. I think he has a hairball stuck and home treat for that. Slightly worried, I syringe fluids into him, but he is barely eating (1oz). He is moving around though, not hiding, and not having any accidents using the litterbox.
12/2/2013 - I take him to the vet as he refused food and didn't use the litterbox at all overnight and that day. He has palpable constipation and a fever. While blood was drawn the vet saw that he was severely dehydrated and immediately put him on an IV with a shot of amoxicillin. They do xrays (definitely constipated with gas present), in-house blood work (this time all white blood cells except lymphocytes are elevated, along with "TP" (whatever that is) and Globulin; albumin is in normal range; "PLT" is lower than normal). Fecal and urine tests are ordered.
12/3/2013 - Momo comes home a COMPLETELY different cat- he is so happy and playful and EATING!! That almost 24hrs on IV certainly did the trick. An enema was done after the fever dissipated and he was stable for a few hours. Fecal results come back normal- no giardia, no other internal parasites. He's prescribed doxycycline and three days of canned a/d. At this point I keep the kitten (who is perfectly normal and honky dory) in the bathroom to closely monitor Momo's eating and eliminating habits. Vet wanted to do a full blood panel (thought Momo may have FIP) but changed his mind since Momo was negative last month.
For almost one week (until the doxy ran out basically), Momo has been GREAT. Eating at least 6oz of a/d or fancy feast plus up to 2oz of kibble a day. Very playful with the kitten and even with me! I called back for the urine results and was told that there was a bit of blood and glucose in it but no sign of infection. Stool is soft and he has some gas. No problems urinating or having accidents; I can't tell if there's blood in the urine because it's that walnut litter (which I hate, but that's another rant) which is brown. I do notice black spots on the side of his month where I've been injecting the antibiotics (feline acne?) and one eye is getting a bit of rust-like crust.
12/10/12 - In the morning Momo does not want to eat as much ("maybe he doesn't like this flavor, chicken hearts and liver?" is what goes through my mind), but he does eat about 2oz. He has been in his "sick" pose a few times over the last week, but he's in it when I come home and has barely touched the rest of the food. He does eat though in my presence when I get a different flavor of food, almost the whole 3oz and some kibble. I take him to the vet (he doesn't want to go in the carrier, a good sign to me, since before when he was feverish he was completely docile) but his bladder is empty and I need to bring him back. When I get home I notice he is squinty eyed most of the night. He eats a little- maybe the fruitless visit stressed him out?
12/11/12 - This morning (FINALLY HERE) Momo has to be coerced into eating. He is in his "sick" pose most of the time though he has walked around, napped stretched out, and even begged to go outside (I gave him 3min supervised time so he could munch on grass). His water intake is good, but I can't tell if it's excessive since he prefers smaller glass/ceramic bowls used for baking, and then half of the water is on the floor too. He has had about 1oz of wet food so far and has munched on dry food- I'm concerned he won't eat when I go to work. Sometimes he looks bright eyed and cheery, sometimes he's squinting and in his "sick" pose, sometimes he's in his "sick" pose and then will suddenly pounce on the kitten, and sometimes he's just lying down looking sad. I'm at my wit's end (and credit cards limit).
THANK YOU if you've read all of this. Honestly it felt good too just to get it out. It's been cold here so I have two heaters on, but it still is maybe ~70F in my room and 60-65F in the kitchen (that's curtained off from the bedroom; I live in a studio apt). The kitten is put in the bathroom when I'm not home so I can monitor Momo's feeding/eliminating habits, and is quite a happy, playful kitten.
If anyone has any ideas/leads/advice, I would be grateful. I will be picking up some lysine today to start giving to Momo- it doesn't seem like it will hurt.