My feral cat o toke in last year, otherwise healthy got a abdominal distension in lass than 2 weeks and lost lots of weight. Please help

[kat.kl]

Ho everyone, my first message here and hope doing it right... My cute guy (not neutered yet) Tom (must have around 4yo) is a feral cat that showed up here last year at start of 2020... Very happy and impressively healthy compered to any other cat o helped before... He is a hungry guy and o call him cubby Tom because he was very athletic but always had many little cute chubby folds
And strong body with a good but healthy amount of fat.
However, last month I noticed he started losing some weight, nothing big and because I was being careful with the amount of wet food and he is energetic, I guessed he is just normally skinnier (still a chubby guy at this point) but, last two weeks he developed a growing belly and I i performed an examination and noticed the spine bones were much more visible, though it was worms (I had dewormed him in past on my own). Than I ordered the medication and dewormed him last week but he looks very tired, still eat well (always hungry like before) drinks water and make necessities normally (could not see his poop because he goes out to do but i noticed he does it from far and even covers it) and in the last 5 days things toke a turn, after I give him the deworming meds he still have a huge belly and looks like he lost a huge amount of weight even faster!!
I am trying a vet from the weekend when I started to get really worried but all was full near me and the ones I can afford to pay and honestly, have some places here on Houston tx I am afraid to go with him (had terrible experience with other cats o toke to some), anyway I got an appointment for tomorrow morning in a clinic near but I am not sure I should wait after reading about FIP (all in Houston inner loop area are extremely busy for appointment not sure why).

He is not in pain, he sleeps well over his belly and also at the sides, he eats very well and continue to ask me for food and treats, he drinks water, makes necessities as normal before and even gets up to go take a walk in the yard and back in a feel min as always... But he lost so much weight in lass than a week that his bones are so visible, his eyes are easy to see not so happy as before and his belly is heavy for him at pint he lays at the floor to eat his food... His respiration rate is normal, he had no vomit, no neurological signs and has no coughing at all ... When I palpite his belly he do not complaint and he lets me do it as not bothering, also have heard his belly for fluid and could not hear anything... I am not a vet I am not a doc, but as an EMT I assume some basic biology and physiology must be the same (plus I read online about animal bio and physiology to help out).

I used praziquantel tablets for him (Bayer OTC) and piperazine citrate OTC last Wednesday / did not feel very sure about the piperazine because was not concentrated so o waited him to have it cleared of his system and give him a a dose of pyrantel pamoat suspension. All mixed on food and he eats like there is no tomorrow, as always.

I was very afraid of FIP but the symptoms do not add up. Anybody with ideas or experience with this? Most I found to read is about kitties but he is a big boy, young but showed up here already over his 2yo or at it.

A little background about me (human)------
I have not slept much in days worried. Let me explain I am an EMT (humans) and have a red cross cats and dogs CPR license, so I have a bit of notion but not much experience as pet mom... On 2020 many feral and 1 stray (abandoned because found later is elder and have FIV) appeared near my apartment yard (I am lucky first floor) and I started taking care of all and, now, they are all mine... I love them very much and I do what I can without much money as I moved to this place on a separation and with personal and financial issues in the pandemic crises.

I am sorry for the huge message, but i am a concerned pet mom that is financially broke, I will never let him hurt or need medical care because of money, but as I have an appointment for tomorrow I wonder if I should wait or go to an emergency vet hospital anyway as he looks so skinny, tiered and with that huge belly that is making uncomfortable for sure, he can't even itch his ears poor baby.

Pictures you can see the evolution, from 1 week before to yesterday (his sad tired face yesterday)

 

[kat.kl]

It's me again, I am so sorry for the many typos and errors on the huge text above .. I am on the "run" using my tiny cellphone to send this messages, so sorry and hope it was clear enough.. any advice is appreciated.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. It doesn't seem logical that he would have FIP given what you have said. It could be some type of worms that the meds you used don't treat. It could also be a ton of other things too. So, I think you are right in getting him to the vet.

If he is still eating and drinking OK right now, tomorrow's appointment should suffice vs. taking him to an ER vet today.

Please keep us posted.

 

[kat.kl]

Thank you... Yes he is eating and FIP unless wet type and In an abnormal presentation, but as far as I read it woul be very rare, even more in a older cat that was feral up to last year...
He also jumps up the chair but o seen he goes down carefully and he feels heavy, what is very strange as he have lost weight... The belly sounds clear, his longs sounds clear but i can see that he is very tired and frail with the weight loss but not at the point I of not move around when needed... Just so strange the weight he is caring in the belly, something must be and liquid was the most obvious option... Tumor would make some areas of his belly harder I assume, and it all is just bloated but still soft when I pressure carefully to check (does not cause pain when I do, he does not complain).

I will for sure keep posted, I also have a very sad news, my mom had an old Labrador female that went sick last night and passed away, ana aggressive type of tumor, vet said it would not be possible do nothing due to her age and stage... So is a sad they to all of us, we are all very animal friendly from my uncle's and aunt's, all involved with some type of rescue and adapt, usually, animals that has been mistreated or are very sick (from epilepsy to blindness)... However they are all in other countries so the help I get is from text here and there and I do not have the experience they have, so I kind of freaking out a bit... So sorry

 

[kat.kl]

Hi. It doesn't seem logical that he would have FIP given what you have said. It could be some type of worms that the meds you used don't treat. It could also be a ton of other things too. So, I think you are right in getting him to the vet.

If he is still eating and drinking OK right now, tomorrow's appointment should suffice vs. taking him to an ER vet today.

Please keep us posted.

I forgot... The med for worms covered all types I made sure... From roundworns, pinworms, tapeworms... That is why was more than one medication but it could be that he has something still there for sure...
But, is it normal a cat lost so much weight in couple of weeks and gain such a large belly in less time even??
I was wonderful, could the worm infestation (possible roundworm) have get him frail enough to drop his immunity response and developed some type of inflammation on the gastrointestinal region?
If you or anybody here had something like it happened I appreciate to hear about.

 

[FeebysOwner]

It is possible that Tom has some sort of gastrointestinal issue - or, even a metabolic disorder. Either can cause belly swelling and weight loss, but I would have thought the former would have also affected his eating, which he seem fine with so far. You would also think a gastrointestinal issue might cause a change in his stool, but I am guessing you have no way of knowing that for sure? If you can, check his stool - and you might want to consider picking up some of his stool, storing it in a plastic bag and keeping it in the fridge until you go to the vet. They can check for a wide array of parasites, and bacterial/viral conditions via a fecal PCR test.

Is he being fed cat food? If not, he could be facing some sort of malnourishment.

 

[kat.kl]

Hi just to end here and explain what was the evolution of my baby Tom... We went to the vet at early morning yesterday but she sent us to a vet hospital as she was concerned, at the hospital we stayed making testes from morning to 9 pm, when the results of the lest test arrived (ultrasound and some other specialist) he was worsening, his heart beat was lower and the liquid was staring to pressure the lungs and increasing... His blood glucose was also very low ate a point we were concerned he would convulsing... Até that point o was going to transfer him to another place that have more special tests, but, I toke a min to think and talk with the vet and realize the best option was to let him go while hi was not in pain. I asked if I could bring him home and medicate him for pain myself (EMT) the vet was kind and say she could let me do it but, at that point, she told me that he could not make home or drowned and we both know it is a painful death, so I make the kind and loving decision to let him go with dignity and peace by my side.

FIP is hard to diagnose as o read so far and also he was a rare case like the team there said, because he was a feral cat that was otherwise health and strong until it the issue and should have immunity for, however, I also know that it can be genetic and I do not know what type of mix he had, so it was just what it is, a rare FIP situation... I was thinking of use the drug that is not approved by FDA and the vet even told me that it is true the research on it but my baby would not make... I am not a vet but as an EMT I know death just by look at someone eyes and was not different looking at him so, I have to let him go while suffering was not as it could be.

What make me feel a little better is that if he have not found me last year, he would have died alone and on pain at the streets and, at last, with me he had a home, love and all the treats and food he always love to "meow" for... It's so quiet here today, my other cats are quiet and he was the "chubby" funny guy that like to meow to all and everything and explore home, as he loved to jump on my bed and "make bread" over my belly or at the blankets while "purrr" and looking to my eyes with his big kind ones... He was a very kind boy, he bring other cats to eat here at my back yard and never liked to fight, he always tried to be friendly, so much that he become close of my older cat (that likes no other) and once o arrived home alone last night, my older cat, Norman, was desperately looking for him, even entered the toilet (he never does) and jumped in the bathtub to smell it because, Tom, used to take naps in it on hot days... I just cried and hugged him when I see how much he too misses him already

Well, at last I know there was not much I could do and he had a nice one and half year of love with me.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am so so sorry about Tom. But, as you said he had to you take care of him and be with him when it was time to go. And, now he is no longer suffering. RIP little Tom.