[juliekatb]

I don't know if this is the right place to post or not (it won't let me post anything under health/nutrition). This is long, but thank you for reading...

I have a 9 month old kitty named Spartacus. We got him back in January and he was as sweet as he could be (still is), ate a lot, played, acted like a normal kitty. At the end of April we adopted a new kitten and it took a few days for Spartacus to come around, but he finally did. He plays with her and bathes her, so although his symptoms started after we got her, we don't think she is the problem (and she tested negative for those terribly cat diseases). Well about a month or so ago, I noticed Spartacus started peeing outside of the litterbox and just didn't eat as much as he used to. He just seemed to get more and more lethargic so we took him to the emergency vet who told us that he thought it was a Urinary Tract Infection (but his bladder was empty so he couldn't test him) and gave him Clavamox. Well the next day we took him back to our regular vet. She did a urinalysis test and that came up negative. He still acted funny so we took him back and they did a blood test and x-rays. They gave him fluids for dehydration.

His white count was extremely low and his blood wouldn't clot after the test. He bled for a lot of the day. The vet said that was worrisome, but his tests showed he didn't have anything like infections, diabetes, ect. The x-rays showed he had a little heart and a small liver, but still no reason why he quit eating. She gave him medicine to get his digestive tract going more. He poops some, but not every day. He eats some but not very much, as he continually loses weight. He doesn't really drink either. He's now down to about 4.8 lbs. The vet said she's never seen a cat literally starve himself to death without any reason behind it. His heart and lungs sound okay, his coat is fine, his eyes are clear. Other than being skinny (and I know he's not himself) you can't tell he is sick. He does eat cat litter a lot so we replaced the clay litter with natural wheat stuff (she said we can do a pancreatic enzyme test on him, but his symptoms don't match what the test is for). She gave him nutrical about two days ago and I have to put a glob on his nose several times a day so he will be forced to lick it off. He seems to have eaten a little more, and he's definitely drinking more since we started giving him that.

She said don't give up on him yet, we will see if this nutrical will help and we can beat this thing. However, if not we need to start thinking about what we want to do. We have spent hundreds in vet bills and can't afford anymore. We can't afford exploratory surgery (and he might not even survive through that anyway if we did since his blood won't clot.) I don't want to put my baby to sleep. Has anyone ever heard of this?!?

 

[dweamgoil]

I am no vet, but the fact that he eats litter was an automatic red flag for me. Was this clumping clay litter? To me, it sounds like your kitty may have an intestinal blockage:

Intestinal Obstruction in Cats | petMD

Again, I am no expert, but just something to think about.

 

[Luvmyfurbabies]

I am also not an expert on this but what I do know from experience is that a cat that doesn't eat is not a good thing. Have you tried putting pate wet food in a liquid syringe to force feed him? I've had to do it and it's not really that hard to do. I went very slowly so as not to choke him so it does take some time. But I felt better because I knew I was actually getting food down him. It's something that is done with patience and not done all in one sitting. I had a Persian cat about a year and a half ago who stopped eating and I thought I tried everything.............everything but this. Wish I had known. It's funny how much you learn when you have an sick cat. I'm hard on myself about this because I feel if I could of got some food down him he might of had more strength to fight off whatever was ailing him. Also there is a prescription food I think called AD that is suppose to be very stinky and attractive to cats. I believe it's high in calories and used to get cats to eat that won't. I would ask your vet about both of these things to see if this is a good idea for your situation. I know this doesn't help all of his major issues but just getting him to eat might give him some strength. As far as a liquid syringe I just went to a pharmacy and when I told them what I néeded it for they gave me one. The hole didn't look big enough to get food through but actually the pate came though it easily and in very small amounts so I could better judge how much I was giving my kitty.
I learned to do this with my kitty I have now.
Best of luck to you. I know how exasperating this can be.

 

[doodlebug]

I think this issue is beyond your vet's capability. I have learned that if the local vet seems stumped and is just throwing out try this and try that, then it's time to go elsewhere. I know you said money is short, but if you want to get to the bottom of this you will need to take him to a veterinary school clinic...they have tons of specialists and are up to date on the latest info and have current specialized equipment.

For me the big red flag is the blood not clotting. This is not a typical symptom, so the vet shouldn't be looking for the typical problems found in cats.

 

[sunset97]

With his blood not clotting I wonder if he has hemophilia. Years ago when I was a kid we had a male siamese that had hemophilia. We didn't know it until we went to have him neutered. He bled to death. Now that was in the late 1960's, so vet medicine has come a long way since then. Back then they didn't do pre-op blood work prior to surgery or they would have found out he had a problem clotting his blood. I hope they can figure out what is going on with him.

 

[Luvmyfurbabies]

I am also not an expert on this but what I do know from experience is that a cat that doesn't eat is not a good thing. Have you tried putting pate wet food in a liquid syringe to force feed him? I've had to do it and it's not really that hard to do. I went very slowly so as not to choke him so it does take some time. But I felt better because I knew I was actually getting food down him. It's something that is done with patience and not done all in one sitting. I had a Persian cat about a year and a half ago who stopped eating and I thought I tried everything.............everything but this. Wish I had known. It's funny how much you learn when you have an sick cat. I'm hard on myself about this because I feel if I could of got some food down him he might of had more strength to fight off whatever was ailing him. Also there is a prescription food I think called AD that is suppose to be very stinky and attractive to cats. I believe it's high in calories and used to get cats to eat that won't. I would ask your vet about both of these things to see if this is a good idea for your situation. I know this doesn't help all of his major issues but just getting him to eat might give him some strength. As far as a liquid syringe I just went to a pharmacy and when I told them what I néeded it for they gave me one. The hole didn't look big enough to get food through but actually the pate came though it easily and in very small amounts so I could better judge how much I was giving my kitty.
I learned to do this with my kitty I have now.
Best of luck to you. I know how exasperating this can be.

One more thing I thought of...............yesterday I purchased some feliway diffusers in hopes that it wold help my kitty with his current medical issues. I too adopted my Persian in January. He is about 8 months old and was going outside the litterbox one day and acted as though he was in pain. He also made frequent trips to the litterbox back and forth with very little coming out. Long story short, my vet ran urine tests, bloodwork, x-rays as well as an ultrasound and found really nothing to point to. What we've decided may be the problem is an inflamed bladder ( though the jury's still out on this one ). But anyway; where we are at at this point is trying different things try and find some improvement. Sometimes an inflamed bladder is brought on by stress. Now I can't for the life of me figure out what could be stressing him out. I have two other cats and they get along really well. No one is fighting for position, or litterbox rights, or food. But the feliway is suppose to create a calming effect for cats in a multiple cat home and work as a destresser. So I went and bought two for my house. If you google it and read reviews you will find that it solved many issues for many cat owners. Not sure if this could help you at all but I'm at the point that I'm willing to consider anything that could be somewhat beneficial. I too have spent much money at the vets on just this issue alone only to discover that we really don't know anything for sure, so I completely understand where your coming from. I bought mine from petsmart but I saw that you can get them on amazon as well. I'm only on day 2 with the diffusers but your suppose to give it some time to work. I'd ask your vet about this as well.

 

[Luvmyfurbabies]

I think this issue is beyond your vet's capability. I have learned that if the local vet seems stumped and is just throwing out try this and try that, then it's time to go elsewhere. I know you said money is short, but if you want to get to the bottom of this you will need to take him to a veterinary school clinic...they have tons of specialists and are up to date on the latest info and have current specialized equipment.

For me the big red flag is the blood not clotting. This is not a typical symptom, so the vet shouldn't be looking for the typical problems found in cats.

I tend to agree. I had to make the hard decision to change vets as well. I loved my vet and he was wonderful with our dog but hen it came to cat issues I felt like much wasn't getting resolved. I now go to a cat specialist that's 45 minutes away but that is all they do, and they are so knowledgable. They have told me things that were never ever brought up in conversation before. They have all my cats now on a complete wet diet and informed me one of my cats was way overweight. With there instruction he has actually lost weight and his energy has tripled. Changing to a cat only vet has been extremely beneficial in more ways than I can ever begin to tell you.

 

[laurief]

Litter eating can be a symptom of anemia, and if your cat bled for an entire day, I would think that anemia may be an issue at this point. I agree with doodlebug that your cat's symptoms are VERY worrisome and not at all the "average" symptoms that vets are used to dealing with. If I were in your position, I wouldn't waste money with a vet who is guessing at a diagnosis. I'd do as doodlebug recommended and get the cat to a university vet school clinic where veterinary specialists and comprehensive diagnostic equipment are available. That'll be your best bet for a diagnosis and potentially effective treatment.

Laurie

 

[laurief]

Hmm, I just googled some of your kitten's symptoms, and what popped up is feline distemper. You didn't mention all of the symptoms I've read in relation to distemper, but then, distemper patients don't always display all of the symptoms. Bloodwork in distemper patients will show low WBC and decreased platelets (which can cause an inability to clot), so your kitten's bloodwork seems consistent with distemper.

I urge you to google feline distemper and read up on it ASAP. There is no medical cure for distemper, but if you can keep your kitten alive for the next few days with fluids, assist feeding, and supportive care, he may survive this infection (if it is distemper).

Laurie

 

[juliekatb]

Thanks so much everyone for trying to help. To answer a few of some of the questions:

- He is eating a little bit. Our vet told us not to force feed him while he is still willing to eat on his own. He's just not eating enough. I've been giving him nutrical for two days now and he has started drinking water again. He seems to be eating more yet, he's gotten picky. He will only eat tuna, which I know is bad for cats. I just went to Petsmart this morning and bought a ton of tuna flavored cat food, so hopefully this will work just as well.

-I'm curious about the blood clotting thing too. I wonder if this just started? He was already fixed when we got him, so I don't know if they had problems with it then.

-I read about cat litter being a sign of anemia too. He was eating clay cat litter and so I changed it. The vet checked him for blockages, but he didn't seem to be blocked up on Monday.

- We don't have any vet school clinics where I live. I can take him to another vet in town once I save up money.

-I looked up Distemper too, but he's been vaccinated and our little kitten Luna has been vaccinated as well. So, I'm not sure how he could get it if he had it?

**!!** - I forgot to even mention this for some reason.. His back legs are really weak. Sometimes he walks bowlegged, sometimes like he is drunk (his butt will tip over). I know this is a sign of diabetes, but he doesn't have it. They tested him for it. He has lost some muscle mass, but it's only his back legs, not his front. So if not diabetes, what could it be?

 

[Galathiel]

The weak back legs and loss of muscle mass also sound a bit like myelopathy.

Paralysis-inducing Spinal Cord Disease in Cats | petMD

 

[doodlebug]

Is it possible that he has ingested poison, in particular I'm thinking of rat poison...either the poison itself or an animal that may have consumed it. There are several types but one of them is an anti-coagulant and in addition to blood not clotting it causes lack of appetite, trouble walking etc. He doesn't seem to have all the symptoms, but if he ingested just a little he may not display all of them...

 

[laurief]

-I looked up Distemper too, but he's been vaccinated and our little kitten Luna has been vaccinated as well. So, I'm not sure how he could get it if he had it?

How old was he when he had his last distemper vaccination? If he was less than 16 weeks old, maternal antibodies may have interfered with the vaccine and left him without adequate protection. Also, some vaccines are not 100% effective.

I forgot to even mention this for some reason.. His back legs are really weak. Sometimes he walks bowlegged, sometimes like he is drunk (his butt will tip over)

Hind end weakness can be caused by a number of things. Among them are:

Low potassium
Anemia
High phosphorus
Metabolic acidosis
Diabetic neuropathy
Arthritis
Hypertension
Constipation
Heart problems

Given the bleeding your baby experienced, my bet is on anemia.

As doodlebug suggested, some of your kitten's symptoms are also in line with anticoagulant poisoning. If your kitten goes outside, he may have gotten into some rat poison or a poisoned rodent in your neighborhood. If he doesn't go outside, he would have had to access the poison or a poisoned rodent in your home.

Laurie

 

[juliekatb]

Thanks for your replies everyone.

He was much older than 16 months when he got his last distemper. We got him around 16 weeks and then did vaccinations after that and he had them every few weeks. He had his last vaccinations in May (he still has one left in November but I can't remember which it is).

I wondered about poison too. However he is an indoor cat, and we haven't used any rodent or even bug spray. So I have no clue what he could have gotten into, if anything.

I thought it was anemia that he has too, but the vet hasn't said it. She checked his gums the other day and said they didn't look pale. I'll double check during our next appointment. However, I did read that many cats that have anemia usually have an underlying illness.

To my knowledge he has not been injured. The vet did x-rays and didn't see any injuries either. This reminded me of something that happened back in May - I believe he was already showing his other symptoms by this point. He and our other kitten were playing and it sounded like she might have jumped on him or something but he ran into the living room dragging his hind leg. However, when I coaxed him out from under the chair he wasn't dragging it anymore, which I thought was weird. I didn't think about it again though. This is so puzzling and frustrating. I just want him to get better but my hopes feel kind of shot.

 

[doodlebug]

I wondered about poison too. However he is an indoor cat, and we haven't used any rodent or even bug spray. So I have no clue what he could have gotten into, if anything.

But could he have caught a mouse in the house and consumed some of it? The mouse could have been poisoned elsewhere before it got in.

 

[Arianwen]

Haemophilia crossed my mind as well.

Is there more than one vet in your practice? Maybe you could get a second opinion without even going somewhere else. Having said that, vets have their specialisms and I use one practice for my cats and dogs and another for my horse.

 

[Sunlight]

I have a cat, who walks like you wrote it. She did not want to eat or drink, she was sad, so we took her to the vet. She had a terrible ear infection, what she hided from us. When she begun to get better the balance problem came. What is strange because it had to come with the ear problem, but our came after. The doctor told me probably it stayed and he had right. So Moro walks how you described it.
I hope and wish you will find out what is wrong with your kitty and you can save her.

 

[juliekatb]

Thanks everyone. I'll write all this down before the vet appointment. We have two vets, and they both have looked at him and discussed his problem with others. Maybe an answer will come soon. Waiting is terrible.

Also I should probably check about ear infections. He always has gunk in his ears, but the vet said he didn't have earmites. Our other kitten doesn't have that problem so I always wondered why he did.

We live in an apartment. I've never seen mice, but I have seen some insects like spiders.

Good newsL Ever since I started giving him Nutrical he has eaten more and started to drink water again!

 

[Sunlight]

It is a good news.
When my cat had the ear infection, we could see only with the right "tool" deep down in her ear.