Bit of a mystery

[QuigIey]

My 20 lb male cat of 14 years with no prior health issues had a wet belly and was leaving behind puddles of water wherever he'd sit. The cat was urinating in his litter box and the puddles were odorless and did not smell like pee. To me it seemed like the cat was leaking through his gut.

The vet performed a urine test with a prognosis of struvite crystals and had concluded that a partial blockage is what had caused the cat to pee an odorless liquid and that it was not anything from his gut.

The cats stomach was shaved to reveal a severe dermal rash with his stomach covered in dark red blotches. The vet said that he had never seen anything like this in his 20 years of practice and asked if the cat had been sitting in urine. I would frequently change out the paper towels placed beneath the cat where he slept that would become soaked. Also, the cat was left overnight at the vets to collect a urine sample and when I had brought him home, he along with the cage were drenched in urine.

I was also told there was a swelling in the urethra.

The cat was prescribed:

- Royal Canin S/O for Urinary tract.

The cat has rejected this food. I have changed his diet to strictly canned wet food and adding extra moisture. The vet agrees. The cat no longer drinks out of his water bowl but pee's more so since being switched to strictly wet food.

- 20 Clavamox 125mg chew tab which I administered every 12 hours for 10 days.

- Viaderm - K.C. Cream (CORTICOSTEROID) applied twice daily for a week

The rash has not subsided.
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I just came back from my third visit. Here is a video of the cat "leaking" from his stomach which is what I have been asserting all along. The cat did not have a blockage.



The vet says this is cellulose leaking and that it's not a bad thing since the cat's body is trying to re-organize itself (no idea)

The vet has taken X-Rays and no sign of tumours or anything unusual. No blood work.

The vet has now prescribed:

- Metacam Feline once daily

- Another round of - 20 Clavamox 125mg chew tab every 12 hours for 10 days.

- Baytril 50mg once a day.

The vet says if there is no visible improvement in a week that an intrusive biopsy will have to be performed and that a specialist will have to be seen.

Also, I'm to continue with the Viaderm - K.C. Cream (CORTICOSTEROID) applied twice daily for a week

 

[stephanietx]

I would seek a second opinion. If you can find a cat-only vet, that would be great.

 

[di and bob]

I am a RN, and though I have never seen this in a cat, I do know that skin ulcers and cellulitis can 'leak' clear fluid, often in big amounts. It could be so many things, like weeping eczema, something that is causing inflammation and making the blood vessels dilate and weep fluid. I would think oral prednisolone and possibly an antihistamine should be prescribed. but that needs to be determined by a vet. I will pray for your little one to recover, he must be in misery.......

 

[iPappy]

I have no idea what this could be. I have never seen anything like it, nor heard of anything like it. I really hope a specialist can help. Please, please keep us updated!!!

 

[QuigIey]

I am a RN, and though I have never seen this in a cat, I do know that skin ulcers and cellulitis can 'leak' clear fluid, often in big amounts. It could be so many things, like weeping eczema, something that is causing inflammation and making the blood vessels dilate and weep fluid. I would think oral prednisolone and possibly an antihistamine should be prescribed. but that needs to be determined by a vet. I will pray for your little one to recover, he must be in misery.......

Thank you so much, you're prayers are really appreciated. He's actually quite playful and doesn't seem to be suffering at all.

I've lost complete confidence in my vet and am not going to administer the same round of medication that was prescribed for the misdiagnoses (urinary blockage). If they didn't work the first time around why would he prescribe them a second time.

 

[di and bob]

That really doesn’t make sense. Now that you have thought about it, ask him and see what he says. I have had great luck with prednisolone, in fact two of my cats are on it right now, along with lasix. It has made all the difference!

 

[QuigIey]

I've had another vet provide a second opinion and based on the info in this post along with the video but without providing medical records as I did not want to insult my vet, the other vet had also not seen anything like this and said that the medication prescribed was probably to cover a wide spectrum in combating anti-fungal anti-bacterial or to possibly prevent risk of infection.
I regret that in my panic I had said that I had lost confidence and will follow the advice of my veterinarian.

I did find an interesting article Fluid in the abdomen is also known as abdominal effusion or “ascites” and am wondering if the below may be what I am dealing with...

• Diseases of the liver such as hepatitis or cirrhosis
• Excessive loss of albumin due to kidney failure
• Diseases of the heart, especially right sided heart failure

Just grasping at straws at this point.

 

[di and bob]

But it could be cellulitis or eczema too, so don’t panic. Those diagnoses will show up on blood tests. I doubt it is heart failure with no coughing and extreme tiredness. I myself would try the steroid and see if it would help.

 

[white shadow]

.
Hi Q QuigIey and welcome to the forum !

Let me speak to your last post (immediately above).......frankly, I don't believe that ascites is at work here....these cats have a visible, drastic accumulation of fluid in their abdomens.....and, in any case, without a break/opening/wound in the belly, they would not "leak".

In your video, it does look to me that there is a wound/opening of some sort there....because most of the fluid is really clear, I'm taking it to be some type of superficial damage to the upper layers of the skin.......but, a 'partial urinary blockage'???? That's madness! Urine would never leak out from the belly like that!

To get to the bottom of it, the area first needs to be totally shaved and examined.

And, whatever about all that, IF a urine analysis found struvite crystals and overly acidic urine, that needs to be addressed, and is a totally separate issue.

Can I ask where you're located by country?
.

 

[QuigIey]

Hi, thank you for your answer. I'm in a small town North Ontario Canada with only one vet in town. The cat was shaved but other than noticing the red blotches on his belly, no wound was visible. Also, the vet viewed the video and said that it appears as if there is a wound but upon examination along with a technician is not able to find anything.

The puddles of water subsided for a period of about a week, began again yesterday evening and have subsided again this afternoon.

The cat is an indoor cat and his sister sometimes attacks him by raising her paws and hissing but nothing ever too serious... I wonder if she attacked him somehow. I hope that's all it is. Thank you.

 

[white shadow]

.
Ah, yes........"a small town North Ontario Canada", now that's something dear to my heart. And, just beautiful country!

I don't know what to say or suggest.

If you were able to travel to a larger center, then choose that city and google exactly this: "cat-only veterinarian in (name of city)". That might offer a second-opinion resource for you.

Make sure you address the acidic urine, too!
.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. I am not a veterinarian. I will be blunt here.

Your vet is spitballing by throwing a bunch of meds at your cat without an actual diagnosis.

Go see a veterinary dermatologist and get this figured out. That is if all else seems normal. If not, then you need a veterinary internal medicine veterinarian. Without specialists, you run the risk of dealing with this for a long time or maybe never getting it under control.

I would not want to use steroids because, we don’t know what it is. I am assuming your cat is overweight since he weighs 20 lbs. The last thing you want is for him to be diabetic as well. Steroids can be systemically absorbed through the skin. And if your cat is licking the steroid cream off of his belly, that’s even worse.

 

[silent meowlook]

Also, Metacam and steroids should not be given together

 

[QuigIey]

.
Hi Q QuigIey and welcome to the forum !

Let me speak to your last post (immediately above).......frankly, I don't believe that ascites is at work here....these cats have a visible, drastic accumulation of fluid in their abdomens.....and, in any case, without a break/opening/wound in the belly, they would not "leak".

In your video, it does look to me that there is a wound/opening of some sort there....because most of the fluid is really clear, I'm taking it to be some type of superficial damage to the upper layers of the skin.......but, a 'partial urinary blockage'???? That's madness! Urine would never leak out from the belly like that!

To get to the bottom of it, the area first needs to be totally shaved and examined.

And, whatever about all that, IF a urine analysis found struvite crystals and overly acidic urine, that needs to be addressed, and is a totally separate issue.

Can I ask where you're located by country?
.

Hi. I am not a veterinarian. I will be blunt here.

Your vet is spitballing by throwing a bunch of meds at your cat without an actual diagnosis.

Go see a veterinary dermatologist and get this figured out. That is if all else seems normal. If not, then you need a veterinary internal medicine veterinarian. Without specialists, you run the risk of dealing with this for a long time or maybe never getting it under control.

I would not want to use steroids because, we don’t know what it is. I am assuming your cat is overweight since he weighs 20 lbs. The last thing you want is for him to be diabetic as well. Steroids can be systemically absorbed through the skin. And if your cat is licking the steroid cream off of his belly, that’s even worse.

Also, Metacam and steroids should not be given together

Thank you, excellent post. The cat is wearing a cone. I haven't and will never give Metacam because the potential side effects concern me. Thank you for letting me know about the Metacam and steroids.

I was told steroids were prescribed to try to lessen the severity of the red areas on the skin and that if there was no improvement in four days then a biopsy would be done but I've been very hesitant in even applying it because I've read about the the side effects and also that steroids make bacterial infections worse.

The closest veterinary dermatologist is eight hours away so at this point I'll administer pills only and monitor for a while before hitting the panic button. Great forum.

 

[Kwik]

Welcome to TCS,I'm sorry your boy is having problems - I'm praying for you & ,him ,that you'll find the right Vet to properly diagnose and treat him

I do agree with di and bob ,cellulitis appears to be leaking from nowhere and it does happen in felines as well as humans but thered be some type of redness,itching,swelling or accompanying symptoms he needs to be seen by someone who's response is not " I've never seen anything like this in my life" - that's when you should immediately be referred to a specialist and not prescribed medications to see " what works"???Sorry,,thats just not right

Sounds like you may have to do some research for Vets who specialize in Felines and maybe drive a distance but it will be well worth the ride- make your calls,explain what you see( describe his weeping skin area)explain how far you have to travel and take it from there- thats my suggestion(& don't google,there's far too many things this can be and you'll drive yourself crazy)

Does he have blistering,any scabbing,redness? There's many infections that can mimic cellulitis as well - there's test to determine whether it's fungal,,bacterial and so on- a broad spectrum would not be my choice ,a culture would be in order

Please let us know what you decide to do

 

[QuigIey]

Welcome to TCS,I'm sorry your boy is having problems - I'm praying for you & ,him ,that you'll find the right Vet to properly diagnose and treat him

I do agree with di and bob ,cellulitis appears to be leaking from nowhere and it does happen in felines as well as humans but he needs to be seen by someone who's response is not " I've never seen anything like this in my life" - that's when you should immediately be referred to a specialist and not prescribed medications to see " what works"???Sorry,,thats just not right

Sounds like you may have to do some research for Vets who specialize in Felines and maybe drive a distance but it will be well worth the ride- make your calls,explain what you see,explain how far you have to travel and take it from there- thats my suggestion(& don't google,there's far too many things this can be and you'll drive yourself crazy)

Thank you excellent advice. I found a feline only vet 2 hours away but they are closed this Friday evening. I will try to get a hold of someone. The fluid leakage has started again and I am keeping him hydrated and I only hope there isn't significant blood loss by the time Monday rolls around. 2 weeks and $1500 in and am no further ahead... so frustrating.

 

[QuigIey]

Welcome to TCS,I'm sorry your boy is having problems - I'm praying for you & ,him ,that you'll find the right Vet to properly diagnose and treat him

Also, thank you very much for your prayers. They mean a lot to my wife & I.

 

[silent meowlook]

I knew a cat that had something similar, as in red patches, but he also had hardened skin in the abdomen. It leaked fluid. Just a clear odorless fluid. His liver values were very high. An ultrasound showed almost like a hematoma on the abdomen. This was an indoor kitty with access to the garage. He was hospitalized for over a week and recovered somewhat. I think I remember us having to do a plasma or albumin transfusion, but I am not sure on that.

Some time after the cat was back at home the owner called to say that during their car’s oil change the mechanic let them know he found cat hair and maybe old dried skin in the car engine block.

The entire thing was just so weird because to have caused the damage to the liver, you would think the cat must have fallen onto the hot engine, but why would the hood be up on a hot car, and whoever closed the hood would have seen the fur. So, just way too many weird things that didn’t add up. Plus the cats fur did not look burned on the cat.

No help, I know but cats do strange things and get themselves into trouble all the time. Maybe this is something like a weird injury.

 

[QuigIey]

I knew a cat that had something similar, as in red patches, but he also had hardened skin in the abdomen. It leaked fluid. Just a clear odorless fluid. His liver values were very high. An ultrasound showed almost like a hematoma on the abdomen. This was an indoor kitty with access to the garage. He was hospitalized for over a week and recovered somewhat. I think I remember us having to do a plasma or albumin transfusion, but I am not sure on that.

Some time after the cat was back at home the owner called to say that during their car’s oil change the mechanic let them know he found cat hair and maybe old dried skin in the car engine block.

The entire thing was just so weird because to have caused the damage to the liver, you would think the cat must have fallen onto the hot engine, but why would the hood be up on a hot car, and whoever closed the hood would have seen the fur. So, just way too many weird things that didn’t add up. Plus the cats fur did not look burned on the cat.

No help, I know but cats do strange things and get themselves into trouble all the time. Maybe this is something like a weird injury.

I'm really trying to figure it out. He only has access to the main floor and I supervise him when we go for walks in the basement. I saw him trip a few times when running up the basement stairs and am wondering if maybe that did it? He lives in a loving household and we treat him very gently other than the constant kissing we subject him to. His sister hisses at him a lot but she couldn't have bitten him... I hope it's nothing more than some injury that'll hopefully heal on it's own.

 

[Kwik]

I'm really trying to figure it out. He only has access to the main floor and I supervise him when we go for walks in the basement. I saw him trip a few times when running up the basement stairs and am wondering if maybe that did it? He lives in a loving household and we treat him very gently other than the constant kissing we subject him to. His sister hisses at him a lot but she couldn't have bitten him... I hope it's nothing more than some injury that'll hopefully heal on it's own.

That's great,2 hours away isn't so bad - it's a trip but much better that 8....
I don't think you should be beating yourself up about this-I think it's quite safe to say it's not your fault,stuff happens. After you find out exactly what this is then perhaps you'll be able to better determine the cause.It might very well be a fungal infection that can be addressed with the proper antibiotic- cats can pick up alot of things off the floor and it doesn't mean your not doing a good job at cleaning either- something gets wet,mouldy and you never even know it but your not 6 inches off the ground or lying on it either

Try to pause your brain,keep him well hydrated and well fed the weekend and get to that Vet asap - everything else is out of your control

Yes,I pray - because I Know Who is in ControlSo rest assured I'm praying with you and your wife