Is this the end, desperate for anything else I can try?

[SilentDream]

Hi guys,
I haven’t been here in while. I’m hoping someone has been in a similar situation and can offer some advice.

I live in a small town where it’s mostly farm animals that are dealt with by the vets. I hate to say it but cats are often just not a top priority around here.
Anyway, my mom has a 8-10 year old cat that has had sudden health issues. She’s an indoor/outdoor cat. One day she wouldn’t eat, was lethargic, and barely even got out of bed day or night. Mom took her to vet who said she most likely had infection because she had slight fever, and treated her with an antibiotic injection and something to bring down fever. She didn’t get any better, so a week later mom asked for him to do blood work.

He did that and said her rbc and wbc were low. He gave her a week supply of a different antibiotic that is injected once a day. It’s called enrofloxacin. He told mom that if this didn’t work there was nothing else that could be done for her. So pretty much this is it except to euthanize her. I was shocked because it is so sudden.

So far she has had 4 injections of this new antibiotic and she is making progress, but she is still visibly sick. She has lost weight from all this, but she’s eating a little more everyday, although it’s not enough to sustain her. She did start drinking more on her own too. She’s not dehydrated. She has started to get up and walk around a little during the day, sleeping less everyday (more time spent on the couch VS under the bed hiding). She even batted at her mouse today and played with string when I dangled it next to her. So to me, I see a very slow improvement, but it IS definitely better. but at the same time, I’m not sure if that’s enough. I’m worried that after the last of the antibiotics are injected she’s going to get worse again. Plus her nose seems paler than it used to, and her respiration is 56 breaths per minute. I know that’s fast. Still, I’m hoping there there are other options to try.

Here are the labs that she had drawn on Monday. It’s Thursday now. Has anyone else had a cat with low rbc and wbc that could offer advice? Thank you for reading.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, I haven't had the experience, but nonetheless, can you handfeed her? She needs the extra food, especially canned, or unseasoned boiled chicken with a little unseasoned boiled white rice, and possibly meat baby food like Beechnut both for the calories and for the hydration.

Since she goes out is it possible she ingested something? Is your mom keeping her inside now?

 

[FeebysOwner]

I can't offer much, but if her rbc is low, she is paler than normal, and her respirations are high, she could be anemic. This might be on top of an infection or maybe connected to whatever the infection could be. But as said above, she needs to stay indoors and kept away from possible outside sources that could have led to her present condition.

 

[iPappy]

I can't offer much, but if her rbc is low, she is paler than normal, and her respirations are high, she could be anemic. This might be on top of an infection or maybe connected to whatever the infection could be. But as said above, she needs to stay indoors and kept away from possible outside sources that could have led to her present condition.

Piggybacking on the very real possibility of anemia--if anemia should be the case, keeping her 100% free of fleas will be absolutely critically important. Be sure to check her often with a comb. Can you keep her inside from now on? Do her gums look paler than normal to you as well as her nose? Also, could you ask the vet about the potential anemia, and see if they think B12 drops would be suitable?
I sympathize, because I live in a farm-type area too. There has been an uptick in the last 10 years or so with veterinary care for cats, it's been more slow going but it's definitely improving.

 

[daftcat75]

Can you ask your vet for a few cans of Hills A/D? This is a high calorie, highly appealing recovery food meant specifically for getting sick cats eating again. I call it "cake frosting" because that's how my Betty seems to react to it. I dip all her meds in it and she takes them herself. I smear a bit of it into her food, and call it a starter strip. And sure enough, she always eats at least that much and maybe a few bites more until her meds kick in. And if you do have to go the hand-feeding route, this is the stuff to use because it's already a smooth pate that can be pushed through a syringe rather easily or with a little water to thin it out.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. I am sorry your Mom's cat is so ill and that you have not been given much hope or help with her.

Has this cat been vaccinated? Is the kitty a male or female? Has she or he been spayed or neutered? Are there other cats that this cat comes into contact with? Did the vet do any viral testing? For FELV/FIV? Do you know if the blood work was done in house? If it had, you would have had the results in an hour. If it was sent to the lab, you wouldn't have results for a day or two. Does this kitty ever eat people food? Do you ever give kitty any garlic for anything? If you don't, I am not suggesting you do as it can cause major problems in a cat. Has anyone given this kitty anything other than the medications the vet prescribed?

I am sorry to have to ask all these questions. Just trying to get more information. Are there other veterinarians around that might be more knowledgeable about cats? Are you in the US? If so, the American Association of Feline Practitioners has a list of vets in different areas that are good with cats.

The blood work shows anemia because the HCT is below 25. It is concerning because it shows a low white blood count as well. That can be different things . Panleukopenia comes to mind, as does feline leukemia. Microplasma can also cause anemia and a low WBC. For now, make sure to not let kitty get active or stressed. The cat needs to use every bit of energy to make more red and white blood cells.

 

[Margot Lane]

This is all very good advice. The only other thing I can think is worms, but I’d go w/ all the other advice first.

 

[Antonio65]

Given the very low WBC I think that an infection might be ruled out. Infections tend to make WBC high, not low.
The very low RBC and HCT are typical of anemia. As others said, check for fleas.
The Reticulocytes are quite high, your cat's bone marrow is producing red cells, so the anemia is regenerative, this is good news.

Other than handfeeding her, as suggested, and giving her high calories food, you might consider a blood transfusion. I guess you need to move to a larger city, have your cat blood type tested (Type A or Type B blood) and find a donor.

 

[SilentDream]

Hi, I haven't had the experience, but nonetheless, can you handfeed her? She needs the extra food, especially canned, or unseasoned boiled chicken with a little unseasoned boiled white rice, and possibly meat baby food like Beechnut both for the calories and for the hydration.

Since she goes out is it possible she ingested something? Is your mom keeping her inside now?

Thank you for the suggestions. On the way over to giver her the antibiotic injection this morning, I'm going to get some baby food and give it a try. The last couple of days she has been eating a small amount of canned food, but mostly she just licks all the gravy off the food. Still, big improvement from how she was. Also, will eat about 6-8 of those temptation nibbles treats several times a day. I brought some hard kitten food over she would eat a bit of those. Mom has to take the food to her many times a day to get her to eat. I'll tell mom about the boiled chicken and rice.
I looked around the property to see if there was any obvious sign of her getting into something toxic and didn't see anything, but that is certainly possible. Mom has not let her out since she became sick. Yesterday was the first time she showed interest in wanting to go out at all. She also has 2 other cats who didn't get sick, and they are around her every day. Thank you, again.

 

[Antonio65]

I'm going to get some baby food and give it a try.

Check the ingredients list and make sure no onions, garlic or lemon are among them.

 

[SilentDream]

I appreciate all the suggestions and any help I can get. I don’t mind answering questions at all. Let me try to give a little better history…

Weasy is her name.. She’s about 9 years old and has only had her rabies vaccine many years ago. No other vaccinations. She does get treatment for fleas/ticks in the spring/summer months. She lives with two other cats, neither of which are showing any symptoms of being sick. She has always been a very picky eater, but always ate enough of her favorite food to make her plump lol. She doesn’t get any human food at all, probably because she doesn’t like it. Not even tuna or salmon. Prior to her becoming sick, she had not been treated for any kind of worms or parasites. When she became sick and mom took her in the first time, the doctor did give her a topical de-wormer, flea, and tic med. It was an all-in-one that was placed on her shoulder blade area. He did that because he said she needed it since she was outdoors a lot. At that visit he was not concerned, as he said she looked alert, hydrated, good color, and he thought she simply had an infection due to her high temp and she seemed like she just wasn’t feeling well. So her gave two injections. A fever reducer and a long lasting antibiotic shot. He said that should work within a week. It didn’t work and she continued to feel worse and worse for the next week, until she could be seen again. She had pretty much stopped eating, just a tiny bit here and there. She didn’t do any of her normal activities, she just slept under the bed. So, at the second visit the vet did some blood work. The results only took about half an hour. In was done in the clinic. Vet said the results (the ones I posted earlier) showed she had low rbc and low wbc. He said this was bad news and that he would give her a completely different antibiotic to try for a week, but if that failed to work there was nothing else they could do for her. It’s an injection that she gets once per day, called enrofloxacin.

Today on my way to mom’s, I stopped by the vet and got some of the hills AD diet that was suggested here. She ate a little of that and then she went and ate some kibble on her own. That’s the first time she has actually gone to the kibble bowl on her own to eat. Made us soooo happy! So she’s eating and drinking a little more everyday. She’s not hiding under the bed sleeping alll day/night. She comes out and follows mom around the house. But she still seems very sick. Her nose and gums are not as pink as they used to be. Today her gums were white. Her respiration was better, but still high at 42. She vomited last night, but so far not all today.

One other thing to note. Mom’s other cat has a special diet to prevent reoccurring bladder stones. Weasy eats some of his food regularly, but mom was told it wouldn’t hurt her, and that it could help prevent bladder stones in her.

I cannot thank you enough for the advice, and just taking the time to help. I have written down everything I’ve read here to ask the vet about next time she goes, probably Tuesday, for repeat lab work.

 

[daftcat75]

I'm thrilled she likes the A/D. It is a rich food, though. If there is another wet food that she likes, I recommend mixing the two. She may eat more wet food if it's not 100% A/D. Betty only gets the pure A/D to dip her meds in. After she's taken her pills, I smear a small amount of the A/D into her normal food (I/D in the chicken and vegetable stew cans.) She'll eat her starter strip plus a few more bites until her meds kick in a couple hours later. She needs her meds to eat. But I want her to take her meds with food. A/D helps her get a few bites in her belly until those meds kick in.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Since Weasy has never had vaccinations, she can be tested for some of the more common viral conditions that vaccinations can help to prevent. Knowing that information may allow the vet/you to determine some more applicable treatment options for her.

Are the other two cats vaccinated?
Cat Vaccinations: Schedule, Side Effects, and Costs | PetMD

 

[SilentDream]

I'm thrilled she likes the A/D. It is a rich food, though. If there is another wet food that she likes, I recommend mixing the two. She may eat more wet food if it's not 100% A/D. Betty only gets the pure A/D to dip her meds in. After she's taken her pills, I smear a small amount of the A/D into her normal food (I/D in the chicken and vegetable stew cans.) She'll eat her starter strip plus a few more bites until her meds kick in a couple hours later. She needs her meds to eat. But I want her to take her meds with food. A/D helps her get a few bites in her belly until those meds kick in.

I'll let mom know and she can try mixing it with her other canned food that she likes to eat. It seems that after a few bites of the A/D she got a bit of an appetite for her second favorite food, kibble. Thanks so much for the suggestion.

 

[SilentDream]

Since Weasy has never had vaccinations, she can be tested for some of the more common viral conditions that vaccinations can help to prevent. Knowing that information may allow the vet/you to determine some more applicable treatment options for her.

Are the other two cats vaccinated?
Cat Vaccinations: Schedule, Side Effects, and Costs | PetMD

I'll let mom know to ask about those other viral conditions. Her other two cats are not vaccinated either.

 

[daftcat75]

I'll let mom know and she can try mixing it with her other canned food that she likes to eat. It seems that after a few bites of the A/D she got a bit of an appetite for her second favorite food, kibble. Thanks so much for the suggestion.

I should also add that Betty has come a long way. When I was first discovering and then addressing her IBD, she would eat as high as a 50:50 mix of A/D and I/D. As she regained weight, her nausea lessened and became more manageable, and especially once she started steroids, I've been slowly trimming that mix until she is now eating 100% I/D and only gets the A/D at meds time and the "starter strips" to make sure she eats a little something at meds time. So play around with the A/D mix. Use as much as you need in order to get her through this. But consider trimming the mix as she gets better or if the mix is too rich for her appetite.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. The white gums are concerning. Make sure she is able to stay warm. Keep an eye on her gum color like you have, but also her ear color on the inside of the ear flaps. Watch for any yellow coloring. That would mean jaundice which can happen if a cat doesn't eat.

I honestly think that you need to get a second opinion from a veterinarian that is more experienced with cats. Large animal vets are great for large animals, but for cats, not so much. Baytril (enroflaxin) is a pretty strong antibiotic. This is a week after having Convenia (only long-lasting antibiotic for cats). The concerning thing is that if this is viral, antibiotics will help with any secondary infections but not with the virus. I hope your cat continues to eat and improves. But, the white gums you mention do have me concerned.

I would see if you can find a cat veterinarian near you. You may have luck trying any local cat resources such as breeders of cats in your area that might be able to recommend a cat veterinarian. Cats are just so different from other animals and truly have their own unique illnesses and issues. Do you know what the name of the fever reducer was? Also have you checked the temperature since the first visit? How high was it then? Has your Mom's cat been drinking? Pooping? Peeing?

I sure hope Weasy is feeling better soon.

 

[BellaBlue82]

I agree with the above, it appears kitty is in a state of anemia. My girl Sadie has an autoimmune disorder where her white blood cells attack her red blood cells. Completely idiopathic, but after 4 years of regular blood work you pick up a lot of knowledge from the vets office lol.
The other thing I think of when I see those results is distemper. As Feebys Owner states, distemper is a viral infection and can really make kitty sick. 15 years ago we had an orange tabby who hated the vets office and they refused to vaccinate him because he was so wild. A year later, he ended up getting distemper... And he was an indoor only cat! We still have no idea to this day how he got it. But he had low WBC and RBC from fighting the virus, and was sick for a long while. A few months of medicine and fluids helped nurse him back to health.
The one thing that I see though, her reticulocyte is good. That means it's a regenerative form (versus non regenerative which is always scary as it could be possible C word.) Sadie was on steroids for a while to help bring her RBC and WBC numbers back up. Maybe you can talk to your vet to see if they think that would be something that can help? I think 9 is still young for a cat, I give you credit for not giving up on her.

 

[SilentDream]

I should also add that Betty has come a long way. When I was first discovering and then addressing her IBD, she would eat as high as a 50:50 mix of A/D and I/D. As she regained weight, her nausea lessened and became more manageable, and especially once she started steroids, I've been slowly trimming that mix until she is now eating 100% I/D and only gets the A/D at meds time and the "starter strips" to make sure she eats a little something at meds time. So play around with the A/D mix. Use as much as you need in order to get her through this. But consider trimming the mix as she gets better or if the mix is too rich for her appetite.

I'm so glad your kitty is doing better, and she has helped weasy because I was able to get that food for her, and today I had mom mix it with her other soft food. She finally ate a decent amount of it. Enough that if she would continue to eat like that, it might make a difference. So thank you for sharing your experience with Betty and what you've found helpful!

 

[SilentDream]

Hi. The white gums are concerning. Make sure she is able to stay warm. Keep an eye on her gum color like you have, but also her ear color on the inside of the ear flaps. Watch for any yellow coloring. That would mean jaundice which can happen if a cat doesn't eat.

I honestly think that you need to get a second opinion from a veterinarian that is more experienced with cats. Large animal vets are great for large animals, but for cats, not so much. Baytril (enroflaxin) is a pretty strong antibiotic. This is a week after having Convenia (only long-lasting antibiotic for cats). The concerning thing is that if this is viral, antibiotics will help with any secondary infections but not with the virus. I hope your cat continues to eat and improves. But, the white gums you mention do have me concerned.

I would see if you can find a cat veterinarian near you. You may have luck trying any local cat resources such as breeders of cats in your area that might be able to recommend a cat veterinarian. Cats are just so different from other animals and truly have their own unique illnesses and issues. Do you know what the name of the fever reducer was? Also have you checked the temperature since the first visit? How high was it then? Has your Mom's cat been drinking? Pooping? Peeing?

I sure hope Weasy is feeling better soon.

I think Weasy may be getting better, but I don't know for sure. She's still so weak and slow. Just very sick looking. Every little bit helps though. At the second vet visit she no longer had a fever, but it hasn't been checked since that time. The fever reducer they gave at the first visit was rimadyl. Weasy had not been eating or drinking much, except today she ate and drank more than she has in weeks. She has lost so much weight. She does go potty. Mom is taking her to have her labs repeated on Tuesday. And she's going to get a second opinion in a bigger city after that.