Lethargic cat with high fever but still eating

[theresag556]

Hi fellow cat fans. I have a 1 year old cat, Bitsy,  that has always been very energetic and healthy. A couple days ago, I noticed she was very lethargic and not acting like her normal hyper self however she was still eating and using the litterbox normally. She hasn't vomited either. I decided to take her to the vet the next day where I found out she had a high fever of 105.2. They did blood work on her but nothing looked abnormal. They gave her an antibiotic and sub Q fluids and sent her home. All night, we stressed over what was happening with her and I took her back this morning to the vet to get her temp taken again. The fever had gone down to 103.5. We decided that since it was a holiday weekend, it might be better to leave her there where she can be given IV fluids and be easily monitored. I got a call from the vet a few hours later with an update that her temp  had gone down to 102.5.

So far, this is a fever of unknown origin. Some other background info is that 2 weeks ago, I took in a foster kitten. I had him tested for FIV/FeLV which came back negative. I also had the foster dewormed and vaccinated. He's only about 8 weeks old. I kept them separated for the first week until I could get the little guy vaccinated. When the two cats finally met, it was pretty uneventful. They played with each other and would chase each other. The little guy is not showing any signs of illness currently. 

The other piece of background info is that about a week prior to the first signs of lethargy, Bitsy had gone to the vet for her 1 year vaccine boosters and check up. She was perfectly healthy. That day, she got the FeLV, the 3-in-1 and her rabies shot. When she was a kitten, she never got 3 vaccines in 1 day-the max was only 2.

I hate to jump to the worst case scenario but that's just what my brain does so naturally I've been stressed out that it could be FIP. A friend of mine who was a vet tech for a specialist said that it could be a delayed reaction to the vaccines. I'm racking my brain and so stressed out even though I can't control anything. Any ideas what could be causing this?

 

[catpack]

I do know that the Leukemia vaccine can cause these types of symptoms. One of my vets vaccinated herself in different fingers with all the feline vaccines and I remember after the FeLV one that finger had fever for a week and was hot, red and swollen.

I also know that there can be delayed reactions. I have a cat that had such a reaction to his Rabies vaccine (it was the PureVaxx, so the safest one out right now). It caused temporary paralysis 3 days after his vaccine (he only got that vaccine). He's still not 100% and the reaction happened 2 1/2 years ago.

It's also possible that your girl is "just" fighting off a virus.

I wouldn't be overly concerned about FIP at the moment.

 

[maggiemay]

This does not sound like an FIP cat to me.  My very first thought when I read about the vaccines was that Bitsy is having a reaction to the 3-in-1 vaccines.  A friend's cat did the very same thing and he was young like she is.  He pulled through just fine and is now 7 years old and healthy as a horse.  One thing you might want to do when you bring Bitsy home is start her on some cat probiotics.  All of the antibiotics she's been on can wreak havoc on her digestion.  Probiotics will repopulate her intestinal tract with the essential good bacteria she needs.  It sounds like she is getting very good care, and I think you made a wise decision leaving her where she can be monitored and given fluids.  This is the brand of probiotics that I use.  If you use them daily, they are a wonderful boost to the immune system and also help with digestion:  https://www.chewy.com/animal-essentials-plant-enzyme/dp/49370  I'm sure that Bitsy will be fine.  Send thoughts full of love to her, she'll get them.  I will keep Bitsy in my prayers.  Please post back and let us know how she's doing.  Hugs, sweetie.....

 

[theresag556]

Thank you guys so much for chiming in. We got a call from the vet last night that she is now down to 101. They are gonna take her off IV fluids today and watch how she does. If she can still keep the fever down, we can bring her home today. I'm hoping this is just a freak incident and that whatever caused this isn't gonna creep up in my older cat or foster kitten next. I already give her probiotics and enzymes in her food but thanks for reminding me about the havoc the antibiotics can wreak on her tummy. I will definitely make a point to not forget to include that like I sometimes do.  Keeping my fingers crossed that she continues to do all right after they remove her off IV fluids and we can bring her home soon.

 

[maggiemay]

I do know that the Leukemia vaccine can cause these types of symptoms. One of my vets vaccinated herself in different fingers with all the feline vaccines and I remember after the FeLV one that finger had fever for a week and was hot, red and swollen.

I also know that there can be delayed reactions. I have a cat that had such a reaction to his Rabies vaccine (it was the PureVaxx, so the safest one out right now). It caused temporary paralysis 3 days after his vaccine (he only got that vaccine). He's still not 100% and the reaction happened 2 1/2 years ago.

It's also possible that your girl is "just" fighting off a virus.

I wouldn't be overly concerned about FIP at the moment.

That is SO interesting about the FeLV vaccine producing such a reaction in the vet's finger.  Very informative.  I am not a fan of vaccines, although we must endure them for kittens and young cats, at least at first, and then I prefer to do titer-testing.  I believe overvaccination is a contributor to the current surge of cancer in cats.  I hate that your baby is still not himself 2 1/2 years later and that a cat, of all animals, had to endure temporary paralysis.  That's just wrong on so many levels.  And yet you used the safest Rabies vaccine out there.  Awful.

 
Thank you guys so much for chiming in. We got a call from the vet last night that she is now down to 101. They are gonna take her off IV fluids today and watch how she does. If she can still keep the fever down, we can bring her home today. I'm hoping this is just a freak incident and that whatever caused this isn't gonna creep up in my older cat or foster kitten next. I already give her probiotics and enzymes in her food but thanks for reminding me about the havoc the antibiotics can wreak on her tummy. I will definitely make a point to not forget to include that like I sometimes do.  Keeping my fingers crossed that she continues to do all right after they remove her off IV fluids and we can bring her home soon.

@theresag556   Bitsy is definitely on the mend!  I do believe this was a freak incident, but it happens more often than it should.  It sounds as if this is only Bitsy's body's reaction to vaccines and that it will not impact your other two babies.  I think you have an excellent vet, and he has been wonderful about keeping you informed of Bitsy's condition, but that was far too many various vaccines in one day for her little body to handle.  Since you can't know which actually caused the reaction, my suggestion would be that when she's due for a booster of any vaccine, you have them do titer-testing on her.  That is blood testing that determines if antibodies to these diseases are still present in her body.  If so, there is no need for a booster shot. Sometimes when an animal has had a reaction to a vaccine, the next reaction is worse if they are given a booster shot.  My own belief is that it isn't the killed viruses in these vaccines that causes the reaction, it's the adjuvants added by the pharmaceutical companies to make the immune system respond (such as aluminum and mercury, which are very toxic).   And yet even PureVaxx, which @CatPack  used (I use it too) caused a horrible reaction in her boy and it supposedly contains NO adjuvants.  But one rule I have is never more than one vaccine at a time, and if booster shots are needed, we will do titer-testing first.  As far as the probiotics go, they are the foundation of a very strong immune system as well as helping with digestion, so good for you for already being a fan of them.  Best of luck to you and Bitsy!  Please let us know how she does, but I think your problems are over concerning this incident.  Now you can enjoy your Fourth of July and spoil little Bitsy and the other two.  

 

[theresag556]

So I heard from the vet this morning. Her temperature has climbed up to 102.5 which is the top of the normal range even though she has been on IV fluid throughout the night. She hasn't eaten a lot so they syringe fed her a little this morning. He said the lack of appetite could be due to her being there and uncomfortable and nervous. He did say that she appeared active and happy. Just don't know why her temp has climbed up again. Hope it's not a sign of something more serious.
I don't give boosters to my 8 year old and the only shot she gets is rabies. The only reason I gave the boosters to Bitsy is because these are her 1 year shots. I won't be giving her any boosters from here on out-just the mandated rabies. I'm not a fan of all the vaccines either.

 

[maggiemay]

So I heard from the vet this morning. Her temperature has climbed up to 102.5 which is the top of the normal range even though she has been on IV fluid throughout the night. She hasn't eaten a lot so they syringe fed her a little this morning. He said the lack of appetite could be due to her being there and uncomfortable and nervous. He did say that she appeared active and happy. Just don't know why her temp has climbed up again. Hope it's not a sign of something more serious.
I don't give boosters to my 8 year old and the only shot she gets is rabies. The only reason I gave the boosters to Bitsy is because these are her 1 year shots. I won't be giving her any boosters from here on out-just the mandated rabies. I'm not a fan of all the vaccines either.

 

[maggiemay]

Normal body temp for a cat is 100-102.5.  Yes I knew because of her age why she received the shots.  You're obviously a very good mom who stays on top of things where Bitsy is concerned.  Quite often cats don't have much of an appetite when they have been hospitalized.  Is she still on fluids?

 

[miles k]

Hi fellow cat fans. I have a 1 year old cat, Bitsy,  that has always been very energetic and healthy. A couple days ago, I noticed she was very lethargic and not acting like her normal hyper self however she was still eating and using the litterbox normally. She hasn't vomited either. I decided to take her to the vet the next day where I found out she had a high fever of 105.2. They did blood work on her but nothing looked abnormal. They gave her an antibiotic and sub Q fluids and sent her home. All night, we stressed over what was happening with her and I took her back this morning to the vet to get her temp taken again. The fever had gone down to 103.5. We decided that since it was a holiday weekend, it might be better to leave her there where she can be given IV fluids and be easily monitored. I got a call from the vet a few hours later with an update that her temp  had gone down to 102.5.

So far, this is a fever of unknown origin. Some other background info is that 2 weeks ago, I took in a foster kitten. I had him tested for FIV/FeLV which came back negative. I also had the foster dewormed and vaccinated. He's only about 8 weeks old. I kept them separated for the first week until I could get the little guy vaccinated. When the two cats finally met, it was pretty uneventful. They played with each other and would chase each other. The little guy is not showing any signs of illness currently. 

The other piece of background info is that about a week prior to the first signs of lethargy, Bitsy had gone to the vet for her 1 year vaccine boosters and check up. She was perfectly healthy. That day, she got the FeLV, the 3-in-1 and her rabies shot. When she was a kitten, she never got 3 vaccines in 1 day-the max was only 2.

I hate to jump to the worst case scenario but that's just what my brain does so naturally I've been stressed out that it could be FIP. A friend of mine who was a vet tech for a specialist said that it could be a delayed reaction to the vaccines. I'm racking my brain and so stressed out even though I can't control anything. Any ideas what could be causing this?

 

[miles k]

I had the same deal here, I brought in a ferral kitten, the 1 week later he was just as you explained amd it turned out he had a bad case of Coccidia. Did they check the fecal? I hope your kitty gets better soon I have 11 inside for my colony and 2 adopted outside. Bestof wishes

 

[theresag556]

She is still on fluids. She was eating fine when she was at home even with her high fever. They have not done a fecal test yet. The fecal test done on my foster kitty came back negative so I know he didn't bring anything to the group. Bitsy and her older sis Megan are strictly indoor kitties so I don't know that she could've gotten a weird parasite like that. At first, I thought possibly Roscoe the kitten could've carried something but he shows no sign of illness and he has a lesser immune system as he has only had 1 round of shots since he's still a little 9 week old squirt.

 

[maggiemay]

She is still on fluids. She was eating fine when she was at home even with her high fever. They have not done a fecal test yet. The fecal test done on my foster kitty came back negative so I know he didn't bring anything to the group. Bitsy and her older sis Megan are strictly indoor kitties so I don't know that she could've gotten a weird parasite like that. At first, I thought possibly Roscoe the kitten could've carried something but he shows no sign of illness and he has a lesser immune system as he has only had 1 round of shots since he's still a little 9 week old squirt.

Just so you know, a carrier will often not exhibit any symptoms whatsoever of some infections/viruses/fungus.  I still believe Bitsy is simply having a vaccine reaction, but keep the carrier info in mind.  I adopted a little girl who had lived in the shelter all of her life.  She was 13 months old when I got her.  She looked and acted perfectly healthy, I brought her home, and she walked out of the carrier, immediately held down her big brother and gave him a good face washing.  Within a week, the boy had ringworm lesions on his face.  Only after he was being treated for ringworm did the girl then break out.  She was a carrier, as shelter cats often are, and once both of them (and my entire house) were treated for ringworm, which took months btw, there has never been a recurrence.  They are now about to turn 5 years old.  

Obviously, if what Bitsy is going through was given to her by a carrier, it is a lot more serious than ringworm and the baby would be feeling bad too, I would think.  But I wanted to give you an example of how a carrier kitty can be seemingly symptom-free.  Did the vet say that Bitsy is still eating well?  I agree with you that indoor-only cats are not very likely to pick up a strange parasite.  You actually have two unusual occurrences in Bitsy's life right now that bear consideration - too many vaccines given on the same day about a week earlier, plus the adoption of a brand new kitten. Shelters have given me inaccurate information before.  I had to learn the hard way to have a new kitten completely vetted before bringing him home and letting him interact with my other cats, regardless of a shelter's assurance that he checked out just fine.  It's a separate room for that baby until clear test results are back.  I realize you did all of that, so probably this kitten being a carrier can be ruled out.

 

[catwoman707]

My brain happens to work the same way as yours does, unfortunately!

Fever of unknown origin in a 1 yr old cat, the first thought for me is FIP, not saying that is what's up here! Just not so common to see a fever without cause.

The next thing I look for is whether the fever responds to antibiotic treatment or not.

If it def does, the FIP can be ruled out.

If it does not, my suspicion grows a bit, depending on how long the fever has gone on. A passing virus will not respond to antibiotics, but will run it's course in about 3 days and be gone.

So a fever lasting much longer is highly suspicious.

FYI, fluids can change a fever, but only temporarily.

 

[theresag556]

I've had the kitten tested for FIV/Felv and that came back negative. He's also been dewormed. The fever did go down a bit from 105.2 to 103.5 overnight when I brought Bitsy home and had gone down further to 101 after she was put on IV fluid at the vet office. She was still on IV fluid at the vet office when he called to tell me her temp had gone back up to 102.5 which is still barely in the normal range. I'm kinda freaking out. I want this fever to break for good.

 

[maggiemay]

 
I've had the kitten tested for FIV/Felv and that came back negative. He's also been dewormed. The fever did go down a bit from 105.2 to 103.5 overnight when I brought Bitsy home and had gone down further to 101 after she was put on IV fluid at the vet office. She was still on IV fluid at the vet office when he called to tell me her temp had gone back up to 102.5 which is still barely in the normal range. I'm kinda freaking out. I want this fever to break for good.

The main reason she didn't sound like an FIP kitty to me is that she was eating fine and had a good appetite.  I just read all of the posts again and I see that they had to syringe feed Bitsy at the vet's, but the new lack of appetite could be due to simply being hospitalized.  I know you are freaking out, but even if she does have FIP, it isn't presenting as the wet kind.  And there is hope for FIP kitties:  http://www.askthecatdoctor.com/feline-fip.html   Try to stay positive.  I know how worried you must be.  If her temp is currently 102.5, it is within the normal range - high side of normal, yes, but not considered fever.

 

[misty8723]

 
My brain happens to work the same way as yours does, unfortunately!

Fever of unknown origin in a 1 yr old cat, the first thought for me is FIP, not saying that is what's up here! Just not so common to see a fever without cause.

The next thing I look for is whether the fever responds to antibiotic treatment or not.

If it def does, the FIP can be ruled out.

If it does not, my suspicion grows a bit, depending on how long the fever has gone on. A passing virus will not respond to antibiotics, but will run it's course in about 3 days and be gone.

So a fever lasting much longer is highly suspicious.

FYI, fluids can change a fever, but only temporarily.

FIP was the first thought I had, having gone through it with Darcy.  I sincerely hope and pray it is not that.

 

[theresag556]

So I heard back from my vet last night. He said Bitsy was doing well and they will take her off IV fluid and see if she continues to remain stable and if so, we can bring her home today. I asked if he thought it could be FIP and he said he didn't due to the bloodwork and the globulin and albumin ratio. I guess in FIP cases, there's a certain level and ratio of one to the other that they look for. He felt at this point that we are dealing with a vaccine reaction and that in the future, they would space all her vaccinations out over a period of time. He also said that they decided to switch out one of her medicines, onsior, to prednisone. Paws crossed that her fever stays gone and she can come home today.

 

[maggiemay]

 
So I heard back from my vet last night. He said Bitsy was doing well and they will take her off IV fluid and see if she continues to remain stable and if so, we can bring her home today. I asked if he thought it could be FIP and he said he didn't due to the bloodwork and the globulin and albumin ratio. I guess in FIP cases, there's a certain level and ratio of one to the other that they look for. He felt at this point that we are dealing with a vaccine reaction and that in the future, they would space all her vaccinations out over a period of time. He also said that they decided to switch out one of her medicines, onsior, to prednisone. Paws crossed that her fever stays gone and she can come home today.

Very good news, Theresa!  Just had a cat put on off-label, daily use of Onsior for pain and inflammation, and I found it to be a scary drug.  So is long-term Prednisone, but she probably won't be on it long.  I will keep Bitsy in my prayers.  Hugs to you both.  Please keep us posted about little Bitsy. 

 

[theresag556]

Update on Bitsy. I talked to the vet this morning and he said her fever gone. He was going to take her off IV fluid and see how she did and call me back later in the day. If her temp didn't rise once she was off IV fluid, we could bring her home. Several hours later, I got a call saying I could come pick her up. I picked her up and brought her home where she ate a bunch of food but then she's just been lying around and sleeping and disinterested in play. I took her temp and it was 99.5 which is the bottom of the normal range. Do you think she could just be exhausted from her 48+ hour stay at the vet office or could there be something else wrong?

 

[catwoman707]

Weeell......hmm. It's tricky, it's good that she ate well, but she is a young girl and should be playful, she clearly is not well, whether it be due to the vaccines, or other.

So basically we are at 5 days post vaccines correct?

I would say that any side effect from them would be over with by now.

Eating is good though, so let's just see how the next day or 2 goes and hope for the best.