Problems with my 10 month old kitten.

[danipoz]

About 2.5months ago my kitten started eating less of his grain free food, i tought maybe he just got bored so i tried a few different ones with no success ( before he wasnt picky at all but now he refused most of the food i offered) he also got diarrhea and was lethargic, turns out he had an infection and a fever which was treated with antibiotics by my vet. His fever went away for a couple of days but he still ate only small amounts in a 24h period, barely even ate cooked chicken which he was crazy about before. Took him to the vet and he still had an infection, after another round of antibiotics he started eating but the new food( he would still refuse the old one). After a week or two he started eating less of his food again and was lethargic and very sleepy and moody but the difference now is that his third eyelid started showing when he was relaxed which wasnt the case before but his eyes where looking normal when he got excited about something or during the trip to the vet or in the vets office. Now a complete blood test was performed with FVP,FIV, FELV, corona,giardia tests which where all negative and blood sugar was normal(vet insisted to not charge me for these tests), turns out his hemoglobin and something else was lower than normal, his white blood cells where slightly elevated, platelets where very high too. Vet said he still had some kind of infection, so he treated him with different antibiotics for 5 days and then did another blood test, almost everything went back to normal except platelets which are now slightly elevated but vet said probably because he is slightly dehydrated, he also said that there is nothing physically wrong with him and because i free fed him i should try scheduled feeding, which i will try in the following days. But if nothing is phyisically wrong with my kitten, why is he still lethargic most of the time and seems depressed, has no interest in food or playing and his third eyelid showing only when relaxing. What can i do?

 

[VAMama]

He may have developed an allergy or intolerance to something in the home. As cats reach adulthood their bodies can change.

 

[Kris107]

His pee and poop good?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. It sounds to me like he is still sick. I suppose, depending on how long it has been since his last dose of antibiotics, that he is still experiencing some side effects from those, a lack of appetite being one of them. Most antibiotics can wreak havoc on the digestive system. Some cats will relate the food they were eating with how the antibiotics made them feel and blame the food for it. So, he may be having an aversion to those foods. I'd try foods he has never eaten before, and see if any of them appeal to him. Or try the Hill's recovery food that most vets carry to see if he would eat it. It seems a lot of cats like it. Another thing to try is baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut), as they seem to go over big with many cats who are lacking an appetite for regular cat food.

Further, cats can still harbor an infection without it necessarily showing up in blood work. It is also possible that he wasn't given any one antibiotic long enough to actually eradicate the infection.

If the vet thought he was dehydrated enough to have an increase in his platelet count, did they administer any fluids to help with that aspect? Did the vet have an explanation for the things you are seeing in your cat like the lethargy and the third eyelid?

Some cats will show their third eyelid when relaxed even if not sick, but I am not sure that if it wasn't happening before he got sick if it could just show up now - seems a bit coincidental, but I suppose it's possible.

 

[danipoz]

Hi. It sounds to me like he is still sick. I suppose, depending on how long it has been since his last dose of antibiotics, that he is still experiencing some side effects from those, a lack of appetite being one of them. Most antibiotics can wreak havoc on the digestive system. Some cats will relate the food they were eating with how the antibiotics made them feel and blame the food for it. So, he may be having an aversion to those foods. I'd try foods he has never eaten before, and see if any of them appeal to him. Or try the Hill's recovery food that most vets carry to see if he would eat it. It seems a lot of cats like it. Another thing to try is baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut), as they seem to go over big with many cats who are lacking an appetite for regular cat food.

Further, cats can still harbor an infection without it necessarily showing up in blood work. It is also possible that he wasn't given any one antibiotic long enough to actually eradicate the infection.

If the vet thought he was dehydrated enough to have an increase in his platelet count, did they administer any fluids to help with that aspect? Did the vet have an explanation for the things you are seeing in your cat like the lethargy and the third eyelid?

Some cats will show their third eyelid when relaxed even if not sick, but I am not sure that if it wasn't happening before he got sick if it could just show up now - seems a bit coincidental, but I suppose it's possible.

The first two times it was 1 antibiotic injection a day for 2 days, the last time it was 1 injection a day for 4 days which was a different one. About the third eyelid vet said it could be normal or a slight viral infection which should clear up but it didnt, he also got some other shots i think vitamins and something else. His poop is normal. Vet also added that his appetite and lethargy could be due to stress of vet trips and try to schedule feed him and add some chicken meat/liver/heart to try get him to eat, if he doesnt eat in the morning vet said to take the food away and not give him anytihng until the evening and repeat, hunger will make him eat eventually. I gave him a can of wet food just now and after 5 mins he just licked it a little bit and turned away, but suprisingly he eats the stick cat treats, i will try tommorow with chicken as my vet said.

 

[FeebysOwner]

if he doesnt eat in the morning vet said to take the food away and not give him anything until the evening and repeat, hunger will make him eat eventually.

I can never agree with a vet who suggests such a tactic, but that is your call to make. Trying to starve a cat into eating is rarely successful, and can lead to more digestive stress due to the acid build up in the stomach. I also have no idea how schedule feeding will resolve any issue, including stress. IMO, the vet is just throwing ideas at the problem and hoping something sticks, or that it passes on its own while keeping you busy trying stuff. Maybe it will. I hope so for both your cat's and your sake.

A lot of cats will eat things like lickable treats when they are feeling bad - just like the baby food meats. The goal with any of these types of things is to make sure he has something in his stomach to absorb stomach acids and to help encourage him that food isn't what made him feel bad in the first place.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[danipoz]

I can never agree with a vet who suggests such a tactic, but that is your call to make. Trying to starve a cat into eating is rarely successful, and can lead to more digestive stress due to the acid build up in the stomach. I also have no idea how schedule feeding will resolve any issue, including stress. IMO, the vet is just throwing ideas at the problem and hoping something sticks, or that it passes on its own while keeping you busy trying stuff. Maybe it will. I hope so for both your cat's and your sake.

A lot of cats will eat things like lickable treats when they are feeling bad - just like the baby food meats. The goal with any of these types of things is to make sure he has something in his stomach to absorb stomach acids and to help encourage him that food isn't what made him feel bad in the first place.

Let us know how it goes.

Its not like my cat didnt eat anything, he did eat but only like 10g of dry food troughout the day, not much but still something. Gave him a few stick treats and he ate them aswell. I didnt mean to say that my vet suggested to starve my cat he said to remove the food so it isnt available 24/7 so he could actually feel the hunger. I will try with some meat tommorow, anything else i can try? And thanks for your concerns!

 

[FeebysOwner]

The dry food probably works better for him as it will absorb stomach acids more quickly and may have even done so to help offset the antibiotics - just a guess on my part. Here are some other ideas.
How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again - TheCatSite

 

[Kris107]

Not a vet, but would give him some recovery time but trust your instincts. If he isn't himself then vet again. Different vet if need be. You know your boy.

 

[danipoz]

UPDATE: Two and a half months ago my cat started eating less and stopped playing and was lethargic, turns out he had a fever, got antibiotics, he started eating a little bit more but then stopped again, turns out he still had a fever, another antibiotic treatment later he still didnt eat and started losing weight. Every test was done on him, fiv,felv, parvo, giardia,corona all negative, blood sugar normal. PLT almost double the maximum normal amount, WBC slightly elevated, RBC slightly elevated, HGB normal, MCV and MCH lower than normal, gums looked normal. A week later and a new antibiotic another blood test was done. WBC normal, RBC and HGB normal, PLT still higher than normal but lower than the first time, mcv and mch slightly better but still below normal. Vet says he is slightly dehydrated, give him wet food or meat and its going to be ok. A week later he still didnt eat, got a fever still, then got some kind of antibiotic tablets that i gave him for 5 days, didnt help. In all of this mess he lost weight and was lethargic but had slight bursts of energy sometimes. I was going to wait until monday to take him to the vet again but i noticed him licking/eating his litter, i freaked out and called my vet and because we dont have an ER for animals in my town a vet opened his office at 10pm to check him out. His gums and ears where pale, turns out he is anemic now and was dehydrated a lot, he also has a heart murmur and vet said he could have a kidney and heart disease which is probably inherited because my cat is only 10 MONTHS OLD!!!. He Got a lot of fluids, electrolytes,vitamins,minerals and vet said let him rest for the night and he should brighten up a little bit tommorow so to offer him some cooked meat. Also suggested an ECG. Will he even survive???? Will he need meds for the rest of his life? What could be wrong...

 

[GenCat]

From what I understand a constant fever can be an indicator of FIP and tests can be unreliable so they have to confirm by looking at blood tests/overall symptoms. I would inquire with your vet about this.

If they do confirm it is FIP please join the FIP Warriors group on Facebook for further information. Will keep your boy in my thoughts

 

[Caspers Human]

You need a second opinion. Not because I think your vet isn't doing a good job. It's because I think that two heads are better than one.

Is your vet a single proprietorship or a group practice? If it's a group, you should, at minimum, ask your attending vet to consult with one or more of their colleagues. If it's a sole practice, ask your vet for a recommendation then have them send your cat's charts to the other vet. If those two vets are familiar with each other, you might not even have to take your cat in for another visit. The two vets could do this consult by phone or via internet.

Have you taken any time to rule out any potential problems in the home environment? Do you remember the TV show, "House" where a patient would present with some strange constellation of symptoms then the doctors would go to the person's home to investigate? Maybe you could do a little investigation around your own house?

If a cat eats garlic it can cause anemia. If somebody sprayed the wrong household chemicals or pesticides in the house, those could make a cat sick. Maybe there is another pet in your house or a neighbor's house that has transmitted some illness to your cat.

If your cat's illness has been going on for two-plus months and your vet has already checked all the common causes, I think it's time to start looking at the cat's living environment for any potential sources of illness.

No matter how hard we try to keep our cats out of harm's way, they can get into virtually anything when we aren't looking.

 

[neely]

From what I understand a constant fever can be an indicator of FIP and tests can be unreliable so they have to confirm by looking at blood tests/overall symptoms. I would inquire with your vet about this.

My thoughts exactly. Having experienced similar symptoms with one of our younger cats I completely agree. FIP is more common in kittens and cats between the age of 1-3 years old. If your vet does not take this more seriously I would consider getting a second opinion and please don't wait. Best of luck and please keep us posted on his progress.

 

[stephanietx]

I don't know where you are (what country), but please join the FIP Warriors 5.0 group on Facebook.

 

[danipoz]

Today on monday morning he got multiple tests done again, CBC, BMP and an ultrasound of the entire abdomen. His pale gums where caused by mild anemia, his RBC is normal but his hemoglobin is slightly lower. He also has lower than normal electrolytes, turns out he has kidney disease, his kidneys are enlarged, has fluid around his liver and kidneys, is having short and heavy breaths, has 0 energy, just lays all day, barely moves... he got fluids again, also 2 different supplement/medications to try restore him a little bit, i was also given a pate that is designed for bad kidneys... but its been like 6 hours and he is still the same, keeps laying down with his eyes open, not even sleeping and has trouble breathing still and sometimes makes noises like he is in pain, ... Vet said IF he recovers he can have a decent life with a specific diet... He is only 10 months old... I just cant watch him like this... im a grown 25 year old man and im crying because of my little precious boy...

 

[KittyCat_chitchat]

Firstly, I'm really sorry you and your cat are going through this.

I'm not an expert, so I don't know, but it may be a case of waiting until the drugs kick in. I would contact your vet ASAP and ask how long they would expect it to take before a cat started responding to the medications he's on.

Myself I'm still relatively new to the forum, but I believe FeebysOwner is the person who generally gives advice on kidney disease, so hopefully they'll see that I've tagged them here and get back to you. If they aren't the right person, they'll likely be able to tag someone who does know about this.

Should your cat pull through this, there are plenty of threads here about the best diet for a CKD cat. Unfortunately, though, if his condition as you've described it doesn't improve, IHMHO the kindest option would be euthanasia.

There is nothing wrong with crying about something like this, no matter your age, gender, or anything else. It never gets any easier to see an animal that is part of your life suffering and contemplate that this might be when you loose them, regardless of how long you've had them. Pets live with you, and loved by you, and are a part of your day-to-day life, so they are just as important as any other loved one. I will never understand the people who say "It's just a cat."

BUT, try to be strong for your cat. Animals are extremely sensitive to our emotions, and if he picks up on your distress, it might counteract any fighting his body is trying to do right now. I know from person experience that it isn't easy at times like this, but try your best to be calm for his sake and let him know that you love him and are there for him.

Anyway, sending love and support for your and your cat.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Six hours isn't really that much time to see a turnaround after getting first doses of medications. BUT, was he having trouble breathing while at the Vet? This is definitely concerning and the Vet needs to know about it if it is new. What are they doing about the anemia, which you mentioned above? And what medications did they give you for him? Did you ask about FIP ? Since we aren't Vets, we can't really tell you (nor do we know) what is happening, but we can certainly keep our fingers crossed that he turns the corner and starts feeling better. If it turns out to be FIP, you will definitely need to join that group mentioned above. For kidney disease, did the Vet say it is chronic kidney disease, or acute? Did they see any nodules or anything similar on his kidneys to think perhaps it is genetic? What breed is he? Right now I would say the kidney issues are NOT what is causing the breathing issues, or the anemia, as far as I know. I have had three kidney cats and none of them ever had issues like that, but they were not kittens when they got it, and they had CKD, not acute kidney disease.

I have attached a link to a website devoted entirely to kidney disease in cats. This particular page I linked to discusses enlarged kidneys. If you scroll down about half way you will find on the left hand side another link that says "renomegaly (Enlarged Kidneys)" Click on that and it will take you to that specific info. (If the link doesn't take you directly there) Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Other Diagnostic Tests

(Edited since threads were merged)

 

[FeebysOwner]

I don't believe your kitten/cat has kidney disease at his age, unless it would be genetically acquired, but there are too many other issues going on. I think as others have mentioned, this could be FIP. Are you familiar with it, and can you ask your vet about it? It is very hard to confirm through most testing, so see what your vet says, and then join the FIP Warrior group to ask for assistance. FIP Warriors. I believe to access this site you need to be on Facebook. If not, either join, or email them at [email protected].

You will likely need to have copies of all the tests that have been run to share with the group. And, a list of any medications that have been given. FIP was fatal a while back, but can now be cured if you get the right help. So, don't delay. Get in touch with them first and find out what they need.
Feline Infectious Peritonitis | Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

Just curious, where are you located - you don't have to give specifics, just general location.

 

[danipoz]

I don't believe your kitten/cat has kidney disease at his age, unless it would be genetically acquired, but there are too many other issues going on. I think as others have mentioned, this could be FIP. Are you familiar with it, and can you ask your vet about it? It is very hard to confirm through most testing, so see what your vet says, and then join the FIP Warrior group to ask for assistance. FIP Warriors. I believe to access this site you need to be on Facebook. If not, either join, or email them at [email protected].

You will likely need to have copies of all the tests that have been run to share with the group. And, a list of any medications that have been given. FIP was fatal a while back, but can now be cured if you get the right help. So, don't delay. Get in touch with them first and find out what they need.
Feline Infectious Peritonitis | Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

Just curious, where are you located - you don't have to give specifics, just general location.

I didnt say in the original post that his BUN levels are increased and creatinine is decreased. The vet also did a SDMA test, normal range is 0-14, 14-20 is the range where more tests should be done to check his kidney function… his result was 29. during the night he started having more and more breathing problems, he was suffering. His stomach also started filling with fluid… i talked to my vet and she said all the fluid buildup in the lungs and now stomach is because kidneys are failing completely. I asked about euthanasia and after a few hours of thinking and crying i finally and painfully decided to make him stop suffering, in the car he started being very vocal and suddenly just stopped, sadly he passed away.

 

[DeesCats]

D danipoz , I am so sorry for your loss.