Cat Sick Four Weeks Now, Please Advise.

[Anna Jackson]

Hi guys, so almost four weeks ago I woke up one morning and my cat seemed very lethargic and just not herself. The night before she was fine, she was outside i caller her in she came in, ate and went to bed with me as she always does. The next morning she seemed off, I fed her some water and watched her ate a little bit of kibble but then i was off to work. having my little sister checking in on her. By the next day she had gotten worse, not eating at all and not moving to do anything other than use the litter box, while i was at work my sister sent me a picture of her eyes as it was leaking, i'll attach it, and told me she wasnt getting better, so i had her picked up and dropped off at the vet. once arrived and checked the vet called me to inform me that she believe this is a case of
poison, as my cat, mystery was salivating a lot and that was a sign she had ingested something which wasn't good for her.she was given several shots and then put on drips, spending the night there. the vet advise that the situation was very touch and go and she wasnt sure if she would make it. The next morning, the vet called me to tell me Mystery was doing great, she was eating again and that I could come for her. I sent someone to pick her up, by the time i came home from work she seemed to be doing better, not eating as much but acting strong again. however, that same evening i noticed a sore on the corner of her lips,i called the vet about it and she said she didn't see anything but to just monitor her. she was kept indoors for the next week as she slowly fell back ill. By the next Friday, she was drooling excessively, making a mess all over herself and at this point I'm seeing a sore to her back near her tail.Now a couple of weeks ago, prior to all of this she had fallen ill for a couple of days and couldn't walk, when i saw the sore I thought she had gotten into it with one of the strays, but since fallen ill she had been strictly inside, so I'm now realizing these sores are forming on her body and in her mouth. The saturday, this is the 3rd of March, i took her back to the vet. we examined her mouth where another sore was spotted on her tongue. Now the vet is just flat out confused and doesnt know what's happening with my cat. she states, it's a virus but there is no way of knowing exactly what it was and that my cat would be very sick basically for the rest of her life. she gave her a vitamin shot, a does of steroid and then prescribed her prednisone and amoxicillin, the steroids for the next 10days cutting the dose in half after 5 days and the antibiotic for the next five days. now it's a week after and yesterday i notice she's not doing well again, this morning she's bacl to drooling and just sleeping whole day or hunched up. i am force feeding her every two - three hours and giving her water but I don't know what to do again.I will try a new vet, but with all the medication she's been on I'm not sure what they're going to give her next. i am just hoping someone knows what this is and can actaully offer a solution that can help. also, she was treated for fleas the last two times with frontline plus and that just isn't working. so i'm not sure if this could be flea related, we're waiting for a month the pass to try bravecto. she eats regular friskies canned pate and kibble food. i have two other cats they are doing great and healthy, i just really need some help trying to find out how to help my cat. if anyone has ever experience anything like this please let me know if you know smething that can help. she also has a temperature when the gets like this. i'll attach pics of the sore as well. Advise would be greatly appreciated, please.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
I am so very sorry to hear this! Cats can become allergic to fleas but I don't know how that manifests.
How long before she initially started this was the frontline administered?
As you mentioned, try a different vet and I'm sending all my good thoughts to you and your kitty!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I am trying to absorb all of this. Mystery:
1.) first fell ill and couldn't walk - and then OK?, but next
2.) possible poisoning - given shots of what? and IV fluids, I guess. The eye watering was believed to be part of the poisoning? All OK after that?, but then
3.) sore on her mouth, and then a less than a week later,
4.) drooling, peeing/pooping on herself, and more sores on her body and mouth, then another vet visit,
5.) sore on her tongue, and vet thinks she has a life long unknown virus, gives her steroids and antibiotics, and she did improve some??
6.) after completion of above meds, she is drooling again and not eating much.

Do you see my abbreviated, and probably somewhat inaccurate, summation above, should encourage you to get all of her records copied for yourself and taken to another vet?

I don't see how the flea treatment is a problem from the idea that it is not working as it would seem to be that it is working for the other cats, correct? So, rather than not working, it might be that she is allergic to it.

Please get her records and get her to another vet- preferably a cat only vet.

 

[Anna Jackson]

Hi. I am trying to absorb all of this. Mystery:
1.) first fell ill and couldn't walk - and then OK?, but next
2.) possible poisoning - given shots of what? and IV fluids, I guess. The eye watering was believed to be part of the poisoning? All OK after that?, but then
3.) sore on her mouth, and then a less than a week later,
4.) drooling, peeing/pooping on herself, and more sores on her body and mouth, then another vet visit,
5.) sore on her tongue, and vet thinks she has a life long unknown virus, gives her steroids and antibiotics, and she did improve some??
6.) after completion of above meds, she is drooling again and not eating much.

Do you see my abbreviated, and probably somewhat inaccurate, summation above, should encourage you to get all of her records copied for yourself and taken to another vet?

I don't see how the flea treatment is a problem from the idea that it is not working as it would seem to be that it is working for the other cats, correct? So, rather than not working, it might be that she is allergic to it.

Please get her records and get her to another vet- preferably a cat only vet.

Hi, just to clarify,
1.)when she first fell sick and couldn't walk she had a sore between her leg.
2.) With the possible poisoning, she was given:
Atropine Inj.
Trisukel Iinj (trying to read the bill)
Vitples Injection
Dexomethosone Inj
Iv fluids
Vitamin inj.
3.) Sore on her mouth the day i got her home from the first vet visit.
4.) Not peeing and pooping on herself, she's still using the box, but with the drooling she's doing it all over herself because it really is excesive.
5.) she improved almost immediately after the second visit with the steroids shot: (she got dexamethasone inj., vitamin inj., predisilone)
6.) she's still on the predisilone, 1/4pill twice a day. no longer on the amoxicillin.

It's only working for one other cat, the smallest cat actually. we normally use ADvandate 2, but they have been out and switched the the frontline plus, which she still has fleas.

 

[Furballsmom]

Can you use a flea comb, and also either salt or diatomaceous earth and vacuum a lot? Also put a flea collar into the bag to kill those that you vacuum up. (I'm not suggesting a collar for your cats).
Homemade Flea Remedies For Cats

Cat Fleas

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thanks for the additional information, appreciate your patience in telling me about it. And, I am so glad to hear she has had some improvement with the steroid shot!

To respond to the simplest thing first - is the correct amount of flea treatment being given to each cat based on weight? If it is working for the smallest cat, perhaps the dosage is in accurate for the older cats? I am sure there are rare cases where a flea treatment might not work on one cat when it works on another - but as I said that would be rare.

Are you attributing the sores to the fleas? Is she scratching a lot? Do what Furballsmom suggested by actually using a comb and look for fleas. Her issues probably have nothing to do with fleas at all.

Next thing that comes to mind, when she had this first sore on her leg - that was severe enough to stop her from walking - how was it treated? And, it is really a sore on/around her anus (sorry I can't tell from the pic)? Did anyone figure out where it came from? Does the vet think it is somehow connected to the other sores that have now cropped up?

I am not a vet, but I am beginning to think all of her issues are related, and not necessarily from fleas. If it is some sort of disease/virus she caught, there are tests that can be run to narrow down what it might be. At least if you had an idea of what you were dealing with, you and a vet could determine a proper course of action.

I really hope you will get a second opinion. And, as I said, you have a right to copies of all her records to share with another vet - at least reducing the expenses you might have to incur.

 

[Anna Jackson]

Thanks for the additional information, appreciate your patience in telling me about it. And, I am so glad to hear she has had some improvement with the steroid shot!

To respond to the simplest thing first - is the correct amount of flea treatment being given to each cat based on weight? If it is working for the smallest cat, perhaps the dosage is in accurate for the older cats? I am sure there are rare cases where a flea treatment might not work on one cat when it works on another - but as I said that would be rare.

Are you attributing the sores to the fleas? Is she scratching a lot? Do what Furballsmom suggested by actually using a comb and look for fleas. Her issues probably have nothing to do with fleas at all.

Next thing that comes to mind, when she had this first sore on her leg - that was severe enough to stop her from walking - how was it treated? And, it is really a sore on/around her anus (sorry I can't tell from the pic)? Did anyone figure out where it came from? Does the vet think it is somehow connected to the other sores that have now cropped up?

I am not a vet, but I am beginning to think all of her issues are related, and not necessarily from fleas. If it is some sort of disease/virus she caught, there are tests that can be run to narrow down what it might be. At least if you had an idea of what you were dealing with, you and a vet could determine a proper course of action.

I really hope you will get a second opinion. And, as I said, you have a right to copies of all her records to share with another vet - at least reducing the expenses you might have to incur.

Hi, the correct dosage was given to the the cats based on weight. I really don't know what to attribute them to. A friend suggested a food allergy developed. At the moment she is only eating treats on her own. even if i put the treats in some canned food she's not touching it, i have to blend it and feed it to her in a syringe.

When the sore first appeared, i had a bottle of apo amoxi at home so i was giving her that twice a day and force feeding her, there wasn't any drooling at that point and after a couple of days she was back to normal.

The vet suggested a form of feline herpes which she said there is no test for. But i will be taking her to another vet in the morning, I am just really exhausted it's been a tough month with her and I can't imagine what she's going through. She was just up kneading in the bedroom but now she's really hunched up on the bed.

 

[Athenaglaukopis]

I’m so sorry to hear about your kitty, the only suggestion i have is transfer factor for cats, check it out online

 

[inkysmom]

Could she have Lyme or a tickborne disease? Some of her synosymp sound like allergies but allergies don't cause fever. Drooling can mean nausea or poison.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I wish we could help more. I am glad to see you are getting a second opinion. I sure hope it reveals some possible solutions. Please keep us posted. I am crossing my fingers that something can be found to help her out.

Just so you know, feline herpes is not curable, but it is treatable and can be managed.

 

[Furballsmom]

not to hijack the thread, FeebysOwner is there a way to message you?

 

[inkysmom]

My cats have had feline herpes for years. It's very common in multiple cat households. They've never gotten that sick just from the herpes. My cat with cancer has had the herpes turn into a major secondary respiratory infection and been hospitalized for not eating. That wasn't the herpes, that was his weakened immune system from the cancer and chemotherapy.

Something else is going on with your cat. I'd go to a hospital and get a good internal medicine vet.

 

[inkysmom]

My cats have had feline herpes for years. It's very common in multiple cat households. They've never gotten that sick just from the herpes. My cat with cancer has had the herpes turn into a major secondary respiratory infection and been hospitalized for not eating. That wasn't the herpes, that was his weakened immune system from the cancer and chemotherapy.

Something else is going on with your cat. I'd go to a hospital and get a good internal medicine vet.

 

[FeebysOwner]

not to hijack the thread, FeebysOwner is there a way to message you?

See Conversations (your Inbox), I sent you one.

 

[Anna Jackson]

An update. We had blood work done and she has feline lukemia. She took in again, not eating and vomiting and at this point she's really weak. Right now she's living on being force fed. I don't know what to do. Not to mention i fear for my other cats now.

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm so sorry to hear this!

Not to mention i fear for my other cats now.

I'm not clear, why do you fear for your other cats?

 

[Anna Jackson]

I'm so sorry to hear this!


I'm not clear, why do you fear for your other cats?

The vet advised that it is contagious and they've been living together.

She's been vommiting since last night non stop.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I am so sorry. Did the vet do both ELISA and IFA testing?

Were any of your cats ever tested for it before? Were any of them vaccinated for it? Regardless, the other cats need to be kept from Mystery, and they need to be tested now.

Are they able to give her anti-nausea meds?

 

[calico man]

I can't really offer any advice but lots of best wishes for your kitty and I know how frustrating it is. Hopefully she will get better asap and please keep us posted.

 

[Anna Jackson]

Hi. I am so sorry. Did the vet do both ELISA and IFA testing?

Were any of your cats ever tested for it before? Were any of them vaccinated for it? Regardless, the other cats need to be kept from Mystery, and they need to be tested now.

Are they able to give her anti-nausea meds?

They were vaccinated. She would have been vaccinated too. When she was three months old. I will check back her card. And yes she got treated for the vomiting but now when i try to feed her she's not even swallowing and still gagging.