My cat is sick...what could it be??...

[jakenjinx]

Get another opinion number definitely number one... and number two get your other kidden updated on all vaccinations (I know, expensive).... but it's for their own safety and health.....

 

[cyberkitten32]

Hi again (i just posted over in the behaviour forum and was browsing this one so thought i'd post here too)
Peanut (my 5 yr old Torti) is sick and i'm not sure if i trust the vet on this one. She started out about 2 weeks ago sneezing ALOT...her eye and nose was slightly runny (clear)..that was the only signs of illness she had. Still eating well, acting ok etc so i assumed it was just a *kitty cold* and decided to wait it out and see. After about a week she started vomiting..it was usually her food (chewed up and partially digested..gross sorry) that she was bringing up (i should mention that about a month ago she seemed to have her first bout with hairballs..she never had a problem with it before and it only happened for a few days so i wasn't overly concerned) Anyway this time when she vomited it wasn't hairballs..it was either her food (like i just said)..or yellow bile (i'm assuming from an empty stomach) Ok..so i start to question her health now...however she was still eating/drinking..altho she was starting to mope around more and sleep more. A few days later i found some diarrhea on my bed that had a bit of blood mixed in it. Again, she was still eating...just REALLY moping around and sleeping more now. Red flags went up all over the place so i called the vet. We got in to see him Thursday. He palpitated her belly..and looked in her mouth...and after she had a bum wash from the loose stool had her temp checked. She had a fever but everything else appeared fine to him. He said the sneezing (which by then was alot less but still present) and the vomiting/diarrhea were not connected. He said it sounded like a *kitty cold*...with maybe a secondary infection. Or perhaps the diarrhea was caused by Colitis (first time diagnosed with this) Anyway..he put her on an antibiotic and we changed her food to Medical Fiber Formula. Sent us home and told me to bring her back sun/mon if she's no better. Here it is Saturday and she's no better. The vomiting isn't as severe..i don't think there's any diarrhea (i haven't seen any)..she's still sneezing..watery eyes and basically looking terrible (however she's STILL eating..purring) She looks incredibly drained/tired and is spending most of the time in one spot sleeping. Altho she looks tired..her eyes r still bright tho (make sense?)
She (and my other cat) r strictly indoor cats and haven't been vaccinated since June 99. The vet says it's highly unlikely that they've contracted anything such as FIP or Feluk. He didn't seem too concerned about her...but jeez if this really was/is just a *kitty cold/flu*..shouldn't she be over it by now?? I started her antibiotics Thursday when we got home from the vet..she's receiving 2 pills a day. I would have expected to see some improvement by now.
Does anyone have any guesses as to what this could be??
I should mention also that 3 yrs ago i used to do foster care work for the SPCA so i had alot of cats/kittens in my house at that time (not all together LOL) Anyway, these other cats were always quarantined away from mine in another room etc...but there could have been contact under the door (when my kids moved the towel)...and i still have some of the stuff (blankets..cat posts) downstairs in the basement that Peanut could very well have made contact with. I've read that FIP can stay in carpets, furniture for years. At that time Peanut was up to date with vaccinations..but now she's not..is it possible that she picked up the virus from my old stuff? Also, before we even got Peanut we had another little kitten that died the day after we got it..not sure if it was FIP or panleukopenia that killed it. I got Peanut a few months later unaware that i should have disinfected and waited at least 6 months before bringing another cat into the home. Could she have been carrying a virus for this long and is starting to succumb to it now??
Any ideas?? I'll be taking her back on Monday if i'm not seeing improvement..but from what i'm seeing right now..she won't be better. I'm really concerned...perhaps the vet wasn't thorough enuf??
If u made it this far..thank u!

Lisa

 

[hissy]

to get a second opinion. I am surprised he did not worm her though, with a fever, he might not have wanted to do this. I know this sounds bad, but if you can make an appt to see another vet, and save some of the sick in a plastic bag, they will be able to determine what is wrong with kitty easier. Also did they even culture her stool? I would go to the store and get a small bottle of pedialyte and some chicken flavored baby food, and mix it up into a watery gruel and see if kitty will take it. Are her gums pale pink or happy pink? Does she have fleas, she could be anemic? There are many things that could be wrong with her, I would get a second opinion.