Cat Seriously Sick

Status
Not open for further replies.

ConorG

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Aug 22, 2021
Messages
22
Purraise
45
Hello Cat People.

My female Cat Kitska is very sick and we don’t know what’s wrong with her. She is about 5 years old - she was a stray who turned up at our doorstep 3 years ago. She started to get sick just over 3 weeks ago, was not eating and lethargic. We took her to the vet and they did say she had a fever but did not know why she was sick. They gave her some drugs and also offered a FELV/FIV test - we did the test and she turned out positive for FELV. She got better after the vet for 1 week then started not eating again and also not peeing a lot. Took her back to the vet again - they thought it may be a urine infection, she also had a fever again - so kept her in overnight on a drip and gave her 3.75mg Mirtzapine and metacalm. She was very upset the next day at home and hid all day. Came out in the evening but could hardly walk and stumbling. She started to eat again - and got a bit better for a couple of days.We gave her metacalm on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and was back to normal more or less. We then gave her 3.75mg of mirtzapine on Tuesday and evening and she collapsed, rolling around, legs can’t walk etc She has been like this since - for the last 5 days. Now she can’t walk and is not eating, we brought her back to the vet on Friday and they are not sure what is wrong - why she can’t walk. She has got rid of the fever though. They also said on Friday she has an ear infection so now giving her Surolan ear drops. She is very weak - refuses to eat so we now have started feeding her food via a syringe. She hates it and fights back. We are booked in for the vet tomorrow for X-rays. In the space of 3 weeks she has gone from healthy to all this -don’t know what to do and wonder is she dying. Any advice would be appreciated.

Conor & Kitska
 

Attachments

neely

May the purr be with you
Veteran
Joined
Dec 22, 2005
Messages
19,637
Purraise
47,802
Welcome to TCS! :wave3: I'm glad you joined the site but sorry your cat, Kitska, has been ill for the past three weeks. Although I have never had a cat diagnosed with FELV I cannot offer specific advice but thought one of these threads on the forum might have some helpful information for you. I'm sure other members who have experienced this diagnosis will come along to offer their advice too.
Best of luck, please keep us posted on her progress. :rbheart:

FeLV Testing, Vaccines, Treatments... what I learned. Maybe it'll help someone else.

Indoor cat of 7 years suddenly tested positive for FELV - multi cat household. Devastated and lost.
 

FeebysOwner

TCS Member
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jun 13, 2018
Messages
22,439
Purraise
33,202
Location
Central FL (Born in OH)
I don't have much to offer, but ask your vet if her inability to walk could be tied to the ear infection, as it can cause balance issues. They might consider testing to see how severe the ear infection is and if it is traveling/has traveled into the middle/inner ear. Also, until this all can be sorted out talk to the vet about if she is stable enough to have a feeding tube inserted. You could feed her, up to and including meds, through the tube, giving you all more time to try to resolve her problems. I haven't done it myself, but there are many members on this site who have fed their cats at home through a feeding tube and say it is much easier than one would think. If she is willing to eat anything on her own, she can do that with the tube in place too.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

ConorG

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Aug 22, 2021
Messages
22
Purraise
45
Thanks neely neely and FeebysOwner FeebysOwner for coming back to me. I hope it is an ear infection and the vet thought it may be but wasn’t sure so wants to do the X-ray tomorrow. I am a little concerned about it as they will use anaesthetic and I wonder is she strong enough to bounce back afterwards. She can’t walk and is peeing her bed today. I read about kidney disease as she has all the symptoms- hopefully the vet can figure it out soon…
 

neely

May the purr be with you
Veteran
Joined
Dec 22, 2005
Messages
19,637
Purraise
47,802
If you don't mind my asking, what exactly is the vet going to take x-rays of and what are they thinking is causing her problem? The reason I'm asking is if for any reason you are unsure about her treatment or her condition worsening you may want to consider looking into getting a second opinion, possibly from a Veterinary Internal Medical Specialist.

Good luck with the anesthesia prior to her x-rays tomorrow, we'll be thinking of you. 🤗
 
Last edited:

FeebysOwner

TCS Member
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jun 13, 2018
Messages
22,439
Purraise
33,202
Location
Central FL (Born in OH)
I am a little concerned about it as they will use anaesthetic and I wonder is she strong enough to bounce back afterwards.
neely neely 's comments brought something else to mind - most vets who have any experience with x-rays do not have to have a cat sedated in order to take them. Ask why that is necessary. Hopefully, they can try to get the x-rays without sedation before resorting to it.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

ConorG

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Aug 22, 2021
Messages
22
Purraise
45
Hi neely neely and FeebysOwner FeebysOwner ,

Kitska had a rough night - but started to drink water by herself, I stayed up with her all night - slept on the couch. She was constantly moving - not sleeping - still not really walking. Took her to the vet at 8am - and questioned the need for Anesthesia. The vet re-examined her and found she had got a fever back and was massively dehydrated. Also lost more weight - down to 3.57kg from 4kg in a weekend. She is also peeing a lot. The vet is keeping her in for IV drip and more blood tests. The worst part the vet does not know what is causing it - 3 weeks in and 4 Vet trips - hopefully will get some sort of answer after the blood tests today…. If not think I need a second vet opinion…
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #8

ConorG

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Aug 22, 2021
Messages
22
Purraise
45
I just spoke to the Vet and he said Kitska has tested positive for kidney failure and believes in last 2 weeks eaten something really toxic as blood was done a couple of weeks ago and kidneys were fine. Her kidneys are in a bad way so she will stay at Vet until Wednesday on IV - then he said depending on condition we may have a decision to make on Kitska’s future. Apparently also some signs of Anemia - but he is not worried about that…
 

dolceshmolce

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Aug 3, 2021
Messages
38
Purraise
40
I don’t have any advice to offer, and I cannot say that I can understand all of what you are going through, but I just wanted to pop in and say that I have a FeLV+ kitty that is struggling, too. It’s just not fair, our sweet cats don’t deserve this suffering. You are not alone in the fight against this wicked retrovirus ❤
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12

ConorG

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Aug 22, 2021
Messages
22
Purraise
45
Thank you everyone for the support and good thoughts and prayers! I believe the positive vibes are paying off. I just spoke to the vet and they redid the kidney tests and they are back within normal range!! However she is still not eating and depressed - so the vet will send her home tonight and she will go back tomorrow to get back on the drip for the day. Just need her back eating as has not eaten by herself in a week - all the stress - but the kidneys are getting better for now!! So very happy and need to support my furry friend and stay positive!
 

di and bob

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
16,582
Purraise
22,959
Location
Nebraska, USA
Thank goodness! Now is the time to get her back to eating. Delectable Lickabels treats in the stew flavors are my go-to food for sick cats, as is shaved deli turkey, Arby's roast beef, boiled chicken, and Gerber baby food in the meat only kind. ANYTHING to get her eating! I'll pray for her complete recovery......
 

neely

May the purr be with you
Veteran
Joined
Dec 22, 2005
Messages
19,637
Purraise
47,802
Just need her back eating as has not eaten by herself in a week - all the stress - but the kidneys are getting better for now!! So very happy and need to support my furry friend and stay positive!
So glad she's showing improvement and fingers crossed it continues. :crossfingers: Regarding her not being interested in food I thought this Article might have some advice and helpful information for you. (Please note #3 as well as #4 in the Article.)
How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again – TheCatSite Articles
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #15

ConorG

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Aug 22, 2021
Messages
22
Purraise
45
Kitska came back at 5pm yesterday and she looked like she had made a great improvement- she could walk and stand herself - something she could not previously do. For the first 2 hours she was walking all over the house and enclosed back yard - then got very sleepy. She also refused to eat food - had little sniffs and licks but could not get her eating decent amounts. I stayed with her downstairs sleeping on the sofa until 02:30am - then went upstairs to bed and got woken at 4am by Kitska coming up the stairs and she meowed lots when saw me. Took her downstairs- tried to feed again - no luck - but she demanded lots of petting - head butting me etc - then I placed her on a rug next to sofa and I went to sleep there again til 07:30am and she stayed still all night and then took her back to the vet. My concern is she refuses to eat - I tried - mackerel from a can - fresh turkey, 2 lots of wet food - tuna and crunchies…. Nothing she really wanted. Vet will call me later with an update…
 

neely

May the purr be with you
Veteran
Joined
Dec 22, 2005
Messages
19,637
Purraise
47,802
Thanks so much for the update. :thanks: I'm glad she showed signs of improvement when you picked her up at the vet yesterday but sorry to hear she's still not eating well. Please keep us posted after you hear back from the vet. We'll be rooting for Kitska and you.:hugs:
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #17

ConorG

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Aug 22, 2021
Messages
22
Purraise
45
Kitska is home now. She stayed in for 2 more days on the IV drip. So had 5 days overall. Also can now fully stand up and walk about. Her kidneys have been tested again on Friday and back in normal range! She has been sleeping a lot and having very small amounts of food. Little bit of turkey and wet food - but eating by herself just a very small amount. She has a few mouthfuls at a time. I guess after so long away and been on IV it will take her time to eat like she used to?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #18

ConorG

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Aug 22, 2021
Messages
22
Purraise
45
Kistka has been back home for 1 week now. She has been eating little bits and pieces every day until yesterday afternoon where she stopped eating again and became withdrawn. Took her to the vet today and she has a fever again. They vet tested her kidneys and they are fine within normal range. They believe she is sick because of FELV and her white blood cells are decimated and down to 0.5. Apparently should be 2.4 minimum. She is on antibiotics - but vet feels she could be back in again soon with another fever as no white blood cells and FELV. They did mention euthanasia…. Think we will have to play it by ear see if she can fight the infection off….
 

FeebysOwner

TCS Member
Staff Member
Forum Helper
Joined
Jun 13, 2018
Messages
22,439
Purraise
33,202
Location
Central FL (Born in OH)
I hope the antibiotics help! I don't know what all you tried before to get her to eat something, but you might see if she would be willing to eat the A/D Recovery food - which you should be able to get from your vet. I have seen so many folks on this site say it seems to appeal to a wide range of cats and is considered to be loaded with nutrition. At least give it a try. If that doesn't work, get the Gerber Stage 2 baby food meats and see if she will eat those. If she does, maybe you can sneak in a bite or two of the A/D food here and there?

Building up her strength with good food will help her fight the fever and aid the antibiotics in making her feel better. It is also crucial to ensure she eats when taking the antibiotics as they have been known to cause upset stomach, especially if food isn't routinely eaten.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top