I would have posted this in health and Nutrition; however I feel it is more beneficial to be posted in here.
In no way am I trying to scare any one but I feel that knowing that Pyometra exists and can happen to any unaltered female cat is very important.
Here's how the story goes and why I felt I should post this thread.
My own cat was about 7 weeks into her "pregnancy" when I noticed a brown discharge coming out (kind of like chocolate milk). I thought for sure she was in labor until I noticed how uncomfortable she was becoming, meowing and growling and the amount of the discharge coming out was increaseing. I called the emergency vet who told me originally it could probably wait until morning (so I wasn't charged more for an emergency visit). Well, I insisted I bring her in to see what was wrong and I think my cat knew she needed to go as well because she crawled right into the cat carrier when I set it on the floor and layed down.
An hour later we were at the vets office. The vet examined her belly and asked if she was for sure pregnant because she couldn't feel any fetuses. Well, I was in shock because I was SURE I had felt them moving!!! She said she was going to take an x-ray to be sure. The x-ray was taken and while it was developing her temperature was taken--- 102 degrees!!! I was at a loss of words because in no way had she been acting as if she was sick. She was eating and playing and doing everything she would normally do. The x-ray came back only to reveal a uterus full of puss and infection and NO kittens. The discharge I had seen was puss!! She said it was PYOMETRA. The vet was suprised that my cat was not yet dead since in most cases Pyometra is fatal because it is diagnosed so late. This condition mimics normal pregnancy and so it is very hard to recognize that anything is out of the ordinary. Luckily my cat had what they call an OPEN Pyometra whereas most cats have a CLOSED Pyometra (where none of the puss is released) which makes it even that much harder to diagnose! I had two options really- try the less effective treatment of giving antibiotics and just hope for the best (not a good prognosis) or have a Pyometra spay done (a little better but still not great because the uterus can explode as it is being lifted out resulting in the infection spreading to the abdomen).
$700 later my cat was home and recovering from her surgery. She is doing remarkably well now.
Please keep in mind that this condition is quite rare in cats but it is always better to be aware that it is out there and COULD happen!!
Below are two sites with some good information explaining this condition. The second one explains in more detail what causes Pyometra.
http://www.cat-world.com.au/PyometraInCats.htm
http://www.animalhelp.com/library/ar...l.cfm?artid=36
Thanks for reading
In no way am I trying to scare any one but I feel that knowing that Pyometra exists and can happen to any unaltered female cat is very important.
Here's how the story goes and why I felt I should post this thread.
My own cat was about 7 weeks into her "pregnancy" when I noticed a brown discharge coming out (kind of like chocolate milk). I thought for sure she was in labor until I noticed how uncomfortable she was becoming, meowing and growling and the amount of the discharge coming out was increaseing. I called the emergency vet who told me originally it could probably wait until morning (so I wasn't charged more for an emergency visit). Well, I insisted I bring her in to see what was wrong and I think my cat knew she needed to go as well because she crawled right into the cat carrier when I set it on the floor and layed down.
An hour later we were at the vets office. The vet examined her belly and asked if she was for sure pregnant because she couldn't feel any fetuses. Well, I was in shock because I was SURE I had felt them moving!!! She said she was going to take an x-ray to be sure. The x-ray was taken and while it was developing her temperature was taken--- 102 degrees!!! I was at a loss of words because in no way had she been acting as if she was sick. She was eating and playing and doing everything she would normally do. The x-ray came back only to reveal a uterus full of puss and infection and NO kittens. The discharge I had seen was puss!! She said it was PYOMETRA. The vet was suprised that my cat was not yet dead since in most cases Pyometra is fatal because it is diagnosed so late. This condition mimics normal pregnancy and so it is very hard to recognize that anything is out of the ordinary. Luckily my cat had what they call an OPEN Pyometra whereas most cats have a CLOSED Pyometra (where none of the puss is released) which makes it even that much harder to diagnose! I had two options really- try the less effective treatment of giving antibiotics and just hope for the best (not a good prognosis) or have a Pyometra spay done (a little better but still not great because the uterus can explode as it is being lifted out resulting in the infection spreading to the abdomen).
$700 later my cat was home and recovering from her surgery. She is doing remarkably well now.
Please keep in mind that this condition is quite rare in cats but it is always better to be aware that it is out there and COULD happen!!
Below are two sites with some good information explaining this condition. The second one explains in more detail what causes Pyometra.
http://www.cat-world.com.au/PyometraInCats.htm
http://www.animalhelp.com/library/ar...l.cfm?artid=36
Thanks for reading