Experiences with pneumonia?

[flcat]

Off my other thread; my 20 month old cat died of pneumonia. Around midnight noticed rapid breathing, not eating, general lethargy. We stayed up to see if need to take to emergency, but his condition stayed the same, so took him to vet in morning. After five days despite efforts, he died.

He was not sick, he has never been sick, he was perfectly fine in the morning, evening he appeared to just be doing what he does, the midnight feeding is when my wife noticed him.

I am at a loss of how in the world this happened. Why it hit him so hard and fast. He had rapid breathing, 42-60 per minute, but he still had energy to get on the cat tree and walk around some. He made no noise breathing nor had open mouth breathing. he had a fever. I was thinking FIP or something.

He snap tested positive for felv, though blood work showed the immune response was strong and vet said it was not a factor.

A few years ago I caught a kitten and he had pneumonia, but he got treated just fine though it took several trips throughout the year.

I am just baffled at this, and of course feel very miserable. He was such a great, kind cat.

It is a multiple cat household.

 

[cmshap]

I'm so sorry that this happened to your cat.

I honestly have nothing of value to add, except that I know these things can hit different individuals extremely harder depending on so many genetic factors. I know that is basically a non-answer (I really can't offer anything close to an answer), but these cases can be very different from one to another.

I had a case of pneumonia (as in myself, a human case) that no doctor could figure out for a long time, and I had a myriad of tests and procedures and minimally invasive exploratory surgeries, which resulted in zero answers. I eventually had 25% of a lung removed to basically cut out the problematic area.

Again, I'm sorry I'm not giving you more helpful information, but I just know that there are so many possible explanations, and I really wish I could give you a better one. My main point is just that such a condition can just hit some individuals extremely hard.

 

[Kflowers]

In my experience, and from what vets have told me, pneumonia is a difficult illness to survive and treat. That you brought one through it, is amazing and something to be held onto as a gift, usually you don't win with pneumonia. Considering the whole of illnesses cats get pneumonia is less painful than many lingering illnesses that cats die of. I know that's not a comfort to you, there is no real comfort for it.

I also know that in people as well as cats it's often hard to tell when someone has pneumonia until it's fairly advanced.

 

[di and bob]

Pneumonia can be a virus too, it is only when it morphs into something bacterial that they can treat it with antibiotics. my cats have FeLV, and when it reoccurs they get horrible pneumonia symptoms. I have almost lost them several times. The best thing I have found is to keep their immune systems strong, keeping strictly indoors and giving the DMG, a supplement in a tiny bit of lickable treat every morning.
I am so terribly sorry for your loss, You tried, you really did. He will always be a part of your soul......RIP sweetheart.

 

[flcat]

Thank you everyone, I am still just devasted over this.