Cat has seizures, weight loss, chewing loud

[dentsu]

Hi!
Our 4 year old castrated male cat has had tons of health problems recently.

All started in March 2023, with fever and flu like symptoms. Main concern is his thrid eyelids are showing, back then it was 24/7.

Was diagnosed with cat flu, got pain killers and antibiotics after symptoms didn't go away in a week.

They seemed to help a little but the symptoms came back when the medications ended.

Got blood panel done to check his platelets and crp. Tested for Chlamydia, Mycoplasma and a few other that I can't remember now.

All came back normal and negative but vet guessed it could be mycoplasma due to symptoms.

We got a month long round of antibiotics and after this he seemed normal.

Then he started having "seizures" where he would stare into nothing and not react.

These turned into partial seizures, he's had two that we've seen.

He would stare into nothing, he would go limp and his eyes rolled back. His paw would make a rigid kneading motion and his head would tilt back and forward. Then he would be in and out of consciousness.

We rushed him into er and were told it seems like epilepsy.

His eyes don't react to threat even when he's "normal" and he has numbness in his face after these episodes.

His front paws are also lazy to react when pressed against the edge of a table.

We were put on Fenobarbital.

We had a check up at a different clinic and they wanted to test for toxoplasmosis due to the variety of symptoms.

While waiting for results he started vomiting liquid every morning, and he also chews soft food loudly and is very slow to eat.

Also checked liver, kidneys, blood sugar, proteins, electrolytes and crp.

He had very slightly elevated liver levels (within range) that is normal due to his medication.

They found antibodies for toxoplasma and we were put on Clindamycin yesterday.

I told them about the vomiting and they said to give him food right before we go to sleep since it seems like he's on empty stomach when he vomits.

He was 5.3kg a month ago, a week ago he was just 5.05kg.

I'm scared since nothing seems to help and I love him so much!

I'd like to hear similar stories and suggestions.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. I am sorry your cat is so ill. If he hasn’t seen a specialist, you need a referral to one ASAP. This is too much for a general practice veterinarian to handle. You will save allot of time and money in the long run, getting him seen at a specialty hospital. One that hopefully has a neurologist as well as an internal medicine specialist. This is a complicated disease and he has very serious symptoms.

It does sound treatable, but he needs specialty care

Please let us know what happens. .

 

[dentsu]

Hi. I am sorry your cat is so ill. If he hasn’t seen a specialist, you need a referral to one ASAP. This is too much for a general practice veterinarian to handle. You will save allot of time and money in the long run, getting him seen at a specialty hospital. One that hopefully has a neurologist as well as an internal medicine specialist. This is a complicated disease and he has very serious symptoms.

It does sound treatable, but he needs specialty care

Please let us know what happens. .

We were seen in a hospital last time, they told us that if the antibiotics don't seem to work soon, we'll have to travel multiple hours to the biggest hospital in my country but we don't want to stress him too much since that seems to be a trigger for the seizures.

I'm honestly at a loss for what to do.

 

[silent meowlook]

Oh I am sorry you don’t have one closer. What country are you in?

 

[silent meowlook]

You have probably already read this but there is information here. Is your cat on Prednisolone?
Toxoplasmosis in Cats

Was any fungal testing done? Did they test for Cryptococcus?

 

[dentsu]

Oh I am sorry you don’t have one closer. What country are you in?

Finland

 

[dentsu]

You have probably already read this but there is information here. Is your cat on Prednisolone?
Toxoplasmosis in Cats

Was any fungal testing done? Did they test for Cryptococcus?

He's only on Clindamycin and Barbivet (fenobarbital) and the earlier antibiotics were tetracycline. He was also on metacam.

I have read about corticosteroids too but we weren't prescribed any. I might have to give them a call about that!

 

[dentsu]

You have probably already read this but there is information here. Is your cat on Prednisolone?
Toxoplasmosis in Cats

Was any fungal testing done? Did they test for Cryptococcus?

Also forgot to add, I don't think they tested him for anything else

 

[fionasmom]

It is possible for your vet to consult with the specialty clinic/hospital if they are willing to do so. It is not the same as taking the cat in person, but might be of some help.

They told you that the phenobarbital has to be administered exactly as directed and at the specified times? I agree that there is so much going on that it might be overwhelming to a standard practice.

 

[silent meowlook]

Ok. If he has been on Metacam, he can’t have steroids for a washout period of, I forget how long. 2 weeks maybe. You may not have Cryptococcus in your area.
There is an online resource fog Veterinarians called VIN. They may be able to get some help there as well.

 

[dentsu]

It is possible for your vet to consult with the specialty clinic/hospital if they are willing to do so. It is not the same as taking the cat in person, but might be of some help.

They told you that the phenobarbital has to be administered exactly as directed and at the specified times? I agree that there is so much going on that it might be overwhelming to a standard practice.

I'll ask about a consultation!
And yes, we were told to give him a half dose twice a day and that it has to be precise and always on time.

I don't know how it's even possible that he's so normal while also being very sick.
It's just so strange!

 

[dentsu]

Ok. If he has been on Metacam, he can’t have steroids for a washout period of, I forget how long. 2 weeks maybe. You may not have Cryptococcus in your area.
There is an online resource fog Veterinarians called VIN. They may be able to get some help there as well.

He was on metacam in March/April so it's been a few months.

I'll probably give them a call to ask about a consultation, steroids and also about the chewing since I got overwhelmed when I last spoke to our vet and completely forgot!

 

[silent meowlook]

It is hard when you have so much going on with your cat. It is easy to forget important information and questions. I usually try to write down everything before I get to the vet. Just so I don't forget but then I forget to bring the list I have. .
I was wondering because as far as I know, Toxoplasmosis usually doesn't cause an issue in cats unless they have a compromised immune system. I am not a vet, this is just in my experience. Do you know if your cat has been tested for feline leukemia or feline immunodeficiency virus? The test is often done when the cat is a kitten during the initial vaccination protocol at around 3 months of age or older.

I sure hope your cat is doing better by the time you see this.

 

[silent meowlook]

I was wondering if there are any feline only veterinarians around you. I understand that the specialists are far away, but sometimes a feline only veterinarian will be better at managing a difficult cat medical case because all they do is cats so their focus and learning is all cat related. Just a thought.

 

[dentsu]

It is hard when you have so much going on with your cat. It is easy to forget important information and questions. I usually try to write down everything before I get to the vet. Just so I don't forget but then I forget to bring the list I have. .
I was wondering because as far as I know, Toxoplasmosis usually doesn't cause an issue in cats unless they have a compromised immune system. I am not a vet, this is just in my experience. Do you know if your cat has been tested for feline leukemia or feline immunodeficiency virus? The test is often done when the cat is a kitten during the initial vaccination protocol at around 3 months of age or older.

I sure hope your cat is doing better by the time you see this.

He hasn't. We got him from a friend who neglected him, and they got him from some random lady who found him and his sister in the woods. He was separated too soon.

We got a rescue cat in December 22 and he was tested and came back negative but the symptoms started a few months after they were let in the same space (January) so we have been thinking about FIV/Felv.

We also have thought about testing the sick cat since he's had small problems since we got him in 2021, but the tests are very expensive and we're running out of money

Also we were told the tests are inaccurate when tested so long after first symptoms so I don't know if it would be worth it anyway.

 

[dentsu]

I was wondering if there are any feline only veterinarians around you. I understand that the specialists are far away, but sometimes a feline only veterinarian will be better at managing a difficult cat medical case because all they do is cats so their focus and learning is all cat related. Just a thought.

We were seen by a cat specialist and she's one of the best around here. I also forgot to add in my other reply that he wasn't brought to the vet until we got him and he was already 2 years old when he was vaccinated for the first time.

 

[Kflowers]

It is always difficult to resist getting tests, but if you need to save a bit back to cover emergency treatments then you must do this.

FIV cats can live for a good while. You will just need to keep up with the various illnesses they catch. Keeping both your cats away from other cats will help. Always washing your hands when you first get home before touching them and leaving your shoes where the cats can't get near them will put a little distance between them and outside germs. You can put a small cabinet on your stoop or porch, or in your entry hall for shoes.

 

[dentsu]

It is always difficult to resist getting tests, but if you need to save a bit back to cover emergency treatments then you must do this.

FIV cats can live for a good while. You will just need to keep up with the various illnesses they catch. Keeping both your cats away from other cats will help. Always washing your hands when you first get home before touching them and leaving your shoes where the cats can't get near them will put a little distance between them and outside germs. You can put a small cabinet on your stoop or porch, or in your entry hall for shoes.

Thank you! We already keep our shoes out of reach since he chews on them and carries them around! I woke up to him carrying my crocs into bed once lol

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. The tests are accurate, at least in the US. The test is looking for antibodies in the blood, so if the cat has FELV or FIV, it comes up positive. I am sorry the tests are expensive there.

If it was my cat, I wouldn’t spend the money on the tests at this time. With any expensive test, you have to ask yourself and your Vet, “what will I do with the knowledge I gain from the test?” “Will it change the current treatment plan?” If not, I don’t do it. Use your money for treatments. Just my opinion.

I am glad you are already seeing a cat Veterinarian.

 

[dentsu]

Hi. The tests are accurate, at least in the US. The test is looking for antibodies in the blood, so if the cat has FELV or FIV, it comes up positive. I am sorry the tests are expensive there.

If it was my cat, I wouldn’t spend the money on the tests at this time. With any expensive test, you have to ask yourself and your Vet, “what will I do with the knowledge I gain from the test?” “Will it change the current treatment plan?” If not, I don’t do it. Use your money for treatments. Just my opinion.

I am glad you are already seeing a cat Veterinarian.

Hi! They tested our new cat with a rapid test, not from blood since it's cheaper.

I would like to know if he's positive since we'd like to get a third cat someday, but then again it might be far in the future and if he's negative it's just a waste of money.

We'll talk with our vet about it but our main goal is to get him into a better shape. <3