Mystery Kitten

[T.O.]

On Thursday I brought home a kitten from a suspect situation. He was not 8 weeks old as they said, but 4 months. He was skin and bones and obviously something was wrong so I took him anyway. The other cats looked fine. They knew he had untreated ear mites.
I gave him a bath as soon as we got home. He didn’t fight it. He seemed weak and if you asked me I’d guess he was starved and dehydrated. I had to force wet food into his mouth to get him to start eating. His belly was bloated and hard.
On Friday I got him into a vet. Said he wasn’t dehydrated and could be just a skinny cat. That day he had 3 large formed stools and his belly became that of a normal kitten. The vet treated him for ear mites. Negative for FeLV and FIV. Vet didn’t suspect FIP.
He mostly slept the weekend. His awake periods longer every day. By Monday enticed him to play a little with a laser pointer. Although he moves slow and cautious, he did show he could move like a kitten. His appetite continues to be good. Formed stools. No vomiting. He just acts like a much older
Blood test came back Monday. Elevated liver enzymes. 160. And slightly elevated white blood cells. So I was surprised to get bad news since he was improving.
Now everyone is tired of my obsessing and observations. So here I am on an Internet forum looking for any sort of information I can get.

 

[strider rose]

is the kitten going to be ok ?

 

[T.O.]

is the kitten going to be ok ?

I don’t know! That’s the mystery. I don’t if he’s normally just a super chill feline. Idk anything. And in context... I lost my ride or die feline of 14 years to cancer last fall. Followed by a tragedy with his replacement. So I’m hyper-worried and not good at waiting.

 

[strider rose]

im so sorry about your loss , its rough when you lose a family member ...
Mamanyt1953 can you help this person out ?

 

[T.O.]

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Very pretty boy!! The higher liver enzymes could be the result of his malnourishment before you got him. What did the vet say about the numbers? I am not a vet, so I hesitate to quantify it as a possible case of hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease) brought on by not being fed enough - but, regardless it sounds to me like he is on the mend. His energy level will likely pick up as he continues to improve.

Getting adequate calories and nutrients into him to allow for the fat in his liver to be broken down should hopefully restore his liver to normal function. Ask the vet when you should have his liver enzymes retested. He is young enough that it would be my hope he will recover fully.

 

[stephanietx]

I would work on getting him eating better and healthy. Are you feeding him kitten food and adult food? I would mix them, especially wet food. You could also get some Science Diet a/d from the vet for extra nutrients. He's probably been so stressed out and his body under stress for so long that he's finally able to rest. You should see him perk up once he gets better nourished.

 

[T.O.]

Hi. Very pretty boy!! The higher liver enzymes could be the result of his malnourishment before you got him. What did the vet say about the numbers? I am not a vet, so I hesitate to quantify it as a possible case of hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease) brought on by not being fed enough - but, regardless it sounds to me like he is on the mend. His energy level will likely pick up as he continues to improve.

Getting adequate calories and nutrients into him to allow for the fat in his liver to be broken down should hopefully restore his liver to normal function. Ask the vet when you should have his liver enzymes retested. He is young enough that it would be my hope he will recover fully.

The vet... hmmm. Much to be desired. The vet said “he could just be a skinny cat.” If I had options on vets I’d take them. But it’s who could get me in without a three weeks wait. He’s getting rechecked in two weeks. I had that good food over the weekend because insisted I thought he was malnourished. Right now I am feeding him canned Nulo. Says it’s for kitten and cat. But I’m feeding him as often as he wants if because that’s the only thing I got to on off the internet: feed a damaged liver. If I called and asked the vet he might even agree. He’s the sort that will throw antibiotics at a problem if you ask, but mostly relies on tests to do the work for him. If I was home I’d have 3 amazing vet clinics to pick from with amazing veterinarians who don’t rely so heavily on tests.

 

[T.O.]

What I mostly have from the vet is could be congenital, could be an event. Could be something he’s learned to live with. I can give you antibiotics in case it’s an infection.

 

[T.O.]

I would work on getting him eating better and healthy. Are you feeding him kitten food and adult food? I would mix them, especially wet food. You could also get some Science Diet a/d from the vet for extra nutrients. He's probably been so stressed out and his body under stress for so long that he's finally able to rest. You should see him perk up once he gets better nourished.

He is perking up. Filling out. Getting opinions. Starting to play.

 

[FeebysOwner]

He’s the sort that will throw antibiotics at a problem if you ask, but mostly relies on tests to do the work for him. If I was home I’d have 3 amazing vet clinics to pick from with amazing veterinarians who don’t rely so heavily on tests...What I mostly have from the vet is could be congenital, could be an event. Could be something he’s learned to live with. I can give you antibiotics in case it’s an infection.

Yes, there are a lot of vets that throw antibiotics out as the first course of treatment, especially if the WBC is elevated. But, you would be amazed at how many members on this site complain about vets NOT doing blood tests and other tests to try to help resolve a health issue. In many cases, the tests can help immensely. Tests can be used to confirm or rule out a vet's suspicions as to what might or might not be a problem.

For now, keep doing what you are doing with him and see what the tests say about his liver enzymes after the next blood work is done. If the liver is functioning better at that time, then you pretty much can assume it was from his lack of nutrition.

 

[T.O.]

Yes, there are a lot of vets that throw antibiotics out as the first course of treatment, especially if the WBC is elevated. But, you would be amazed at how many members on this site complain about vets NOT doing blood tests and other tests to try to help resolve a health issue. In many cases, the tests can help immensely. Tests can be used to confirm or rule out a vet's suspicions as to what might or might not be a problem.

For now, keep doing what you are doing with him and see what the tests say about his liver enzymes after the next blood work is done. If the liver is functioning better at that time, then you pretty much can assume it was from his lack of nutrition.

That surprises me. I prefer vets that know their vocation enough to have an idea what they are looking for before ordering tests. I’ve seen vetting where they are more than happy to run every test un-thoughtfully and run up a bill.

 

[Willowy]

Yeah I'm guessing everything is caused by malnourishment and general unhealthiness. Feed him up, keep him warm and hydrated and all that, and once he's looking better have the blood tests redone. I bet they'll look a lot better. If he doesn't pep up in the next couple of days you might consider the antibiotics just in case he's incubating an infection somewhere. But high WBC can also be caused by stress on the body so that's probably what it is.

 

[T.O.]

This liver thing sounds more like the answer than anything else. Reluctant to eat (at first), underweight (vet said he was at the right weight, but he was obviously skin and bones. And has plumped up in days). Depressed (I did think if cats got depressed that’s what it would look like (I was kicking him out of bed to use the litter box and eat, you could feel how full he was letting his bladder get). Constapation. Yep. We didn’t see any signs of jaundice though.

 

[T.O.]

This is him today. And he isn’t sleeping all day. Playing like a kitten.

 

[FeebysOwner]

He's looking much better! His expression is better, and his eyes have brightened up!! I do admit, you don't have a very helpful vet...but get him (did you tell us his name and I missed it?) back into shape, get the blood work re-done and see how things stand then. Use this vet for what you can to help him, and then perhaps continue your search for another vet.

Given his underweight condition, not feeling very well, and coming from a 'suspect' environment all would surely have a cat in a somewhat depressed state. If not mentally, physically for sure.

 

[T.O.]

Billy Ghost. And he’ll see our regular vet once we go home.

 

[Norachan]

Gorgeous cat! I've taken in very malnourished stray and feral cats that have had similar energy levels and liver/white blood cell counts. Lack of nutrition can lead to anemia as well as liver problems. It also means that their muscles are very weak, which could explain why he is doesn't play as much as you'd expect a kitten to.

Plenty of good quality food and regular meals is the answer. It's not uncommon for cats that have been starved to lose a lot of hair, so don't be shocked if he starts molting huge amounts of fur soon. It will grow back in as he recovers.

 

[T.O.]

Gorgeous cat! I've taken in very malnourished stray and feral cats that have had similar energy levels and liver/white blood cell counts. Lack of nutrition can lead to anemia as well as liver problems. It also means that their muscles are very weak, which could explain why he is doesn't play as much as you'd expect a kitten to.

Plenty of good quality food and regular meals is the answer. It's not uncommon for cats that have been starved to lose a lot of hair, so don't be shocked if he starts molting huge amounts of fur soon. It will grow back in as he recovers.

I did notice areas on his legs that were extremely thinned out. Can see his pink skin. I thought it was his fur type. Hmmm.


His appetite is now amazing compared to days ago. Feeding that liver is easy.

 

[fionasmom]

Liver enzymes go out of whack very easily with humans as well as cats and dogs. So many times in my life a vet has called to discuss liver enzymes with one of my pets for various reasons and I have had variations myself. Once years ago from extreme dieting and once from taking too much acetaminophen to clear up flu symptoms. I think that his boy is really on the mend and you have done a wonderful thing to have given him the chance that you did. I agree that you should retest and refer to your regular vet. Nulo should help him a lot. What an adorable little Billy Ghost he is.