Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Last week my girlfriend and I rescued a Calico who had been begging at a local gas station... she was skin and bones.

We started feeding her, and she gained weight well, and started looking much better. Last friday we had her at to the vet to be checked out and she tested positive for Feline Leukemia. Still seemed a healthy and very happy kitty.

Basically while we have had her, she has been a chow kitty eating what we gave her (Iams kitty chow, shes about 8months) sleeping alot and playing / exploring a bit.

Last night she stopped eating like a switch had been thrown. This morning she ate like 3-4 pieces of food. Tonight she had a good amount of food... but seemed to only eat while she was being petted. She was also off her water.

We noticed that the left side of her head below the jaw was swollen... so we tried giving her water with a straw which she took well.

Any ideas? I know that thoat cancer is common with Feline Leukemia but could it really swell up like that over night? or is this something else? Our vet is out of town until friday so Im looking for any info I can find.

Thanks In advance.

Hi There,

Thank you for rescuing this precious kitty.

I think this lump may be an enlarged lymph node. This isn't unusual in FeLV positive cats, or cats that have other diseases that affect the immune system. Enlarged nodes are often common when infections are present. Throat cancer is actually not common in cats at all.

There is a chance that this lump could be an abscess, which would probably require minor surgery and antibiotics. If this is the problem, your kitty can become sick very, very quickly and the infection can spread. If there is any chance of getting another vet to see your kitty before Friday, it would be a good idea, just in case.

I would also look into getting some Interferon for your new baby. It would help to boost her immune system and help her to do as well as possible with her disease. Your vet hopefully has some onhand.

Try feeding something easy for her to eat, like strained meat baby foods (with no onion added). Baby food also contains a lot of water, which is also important. Most cats really go for it, especially the chicken and turkey flavors.

Take care, and please keep us updated.

Regards,
PHKitkat