Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I don't know where to start, so bear with me please. Just recently (March 1, 2008), I lost a very beloved cat named "Sonny." Sonny was only 10-1/2 months old and had absolutely NO prior symptoms. In the late evening of March 1, Sonny began to throw up/cough up pure blood. He did this twice and shortly afterwards began yowling so loud he woke my entire family up.

Sonny was rushed to an Emergency Vet and he was gone from me within 15 minutes of reaching the vet. They came in and told me that they had him on a respirator and were basically breathing for him. They asked me if I wanted to continue with resuscitation. I was totally blown away. I told them no because I felt within this short period of time while all this was happening that Sonny suffered so very, very much! I couldn't let him suffer even more. When the vet went in the back to stop resuscitation, Sonny was already gone from me! She told me that his little heart just wasn't beating any more. They couldn't tell me how or what caused this to happen to Sonny.

Needless to say, I was absolutely hysterical crying and in total disbelief that something like this could happen so very, very quickly! I had my Sonny-Sonny cremated and his ashes have been returned to me.

Now here's the very hard part for me. I have a friend who has an elderly cat (he's 20 years old). This kitty had been doing fine up until a day after my very own Sonny passed away. My friend told me that she took her cat to the vet and his platelets were at 3 and that he was at "serious risk of HEMORRHAGING to death."

At the time, I just didn't think it could be anything more than a coincidence. However, my friend contacted me again last night. She told me that her Mom was caring for this particular cat at the time and when she asked her Mom what she was feeding this kitty, she said it was "Science Diet Adult Indoor" cat food. I was FLOORED because this is the food my Sonny ate, too! My friend feels that perhaps there is a connection between this "bleeding problem" and the cat food. We have both contacted Science Diet and I said I wanted this food from the particular product code and UPC number tested. I don't know yet if my friend's cat was eating from the same product code/UPC numbered packages.

With all the recalls from last year, this really got me thinking. I had found a couple of websites where people had complained about certain "dry food" products made by Hill's Science Diet, but these particular brands were NEVER removed from the shelves at the time of the recall! Although, the brand I used for Sonny was not what others had complained about, I'm scared to death! Sonny's death was so very quick, there was no time at all to test him for ANYthing, let alone food poisoning!

What I want to know is: Even though I've contacted Science Diet with my particular story, is there anyway that I, myself, can have this cat food tested for anything that may be "tainting" it? Where would I find this information out? Does anyone else have any experience with labs and the cost of this testing? I'm worried and fear for other cats ANYwhere. What do you think?

First please accept my condolences. Sonny's death must have been very dramatic and heartbreaking for you. I'm really sad for you right now.

Okay...this is weird and may have nothing to do with your problem but I thought I would mention it.

I have 2- 4 y/o sdf's both female I got at the same time from the same shelter. They are not related.

one cat has a condition called feline ensophallic (sp?) granuloma complex that kinda acts like an allergy but is not one. I guess you can say it's a bit more like an auto immune disease....but it's not really. Hard to describe). So anyhow....the only food that cat has been able to eat is Hills Science Diet ZD (allergy formula). If she eats anything else she has these growths (granulomas) that appear on her mouth. Her case is extreme and she is very sensitive and always breaking out so we have to keep her on a maintaience dose of prednisone just to keep her alive. If she's on her pred 90% of the time she's fat (because of the steroid) and happy...she breaks out occasionally but we watch her mouth daily as we give her pills and if she begins to break out we bring her dose up.

Just before Thanksgiving the sick cat's mouth began to break out badly and both cats began with pudding like diarrhea.

Around Thanksgiving one day my Husband who feeds the cats came to me and told me the cat food smelled different. I went to look at it. Not only did it smell different but it was also a darker color then it had been previously.

I contacted my vet right after the holiday weekend and they contacted Hills and Hills confirmed because of that earlier scare the had changed the formula of the food...different carbohydrates as I recall to some hydrolyzed (sp?) form.

Well it became obvious that was the reason both cats were ill...their food had been changed too quickly (it's a dry so we just feed it to both of them). Hill's sales rep for my vet admitted to me on the phone that the company did not notify any of the vets they supply. He said they did not feel it was a significant enough change and later realized cats would have upset stomachs from it when the reports began to come in.

Both of my cats have had some stomach upset since. The one who gets the granulomas still has stools that are on the soft side...no biggie...just a mess if she decides to scoot to clean herself. My biggest problem with the food is we have to be VERY careful with the sick cat and food...we can't just change her to another one because if we do we could set her off so badly we may not ever be able to get her under control again.

What was my healthy cat had the diarrhea and as soon as that cleared up she began vomiting every night. I was in constant contact with my vet over the situation. She was taken in and seen a different vet in the practice when the vomiting started and she put her on a med for her tummy and said she would probably be better after a week's run on that. Well she did get better while on the med but as soon as it ran out the vomiting began again.

This has gone on for a while...maybe 4 weeks or so...she looks otherwise totally healthy....she's the picture of health actually.
Well by last week my vet had had enough of this...he asked me to bring her in and asked if he could perform some tests. Blood work and an x-ray.

Friday after he took the x-ray he came back and announced she has perivascular cuffing.
I asked earlier if anyone knew what it was. I knew it was a heart disease.....but nothing more.
Well I've done more reading and I found out that what it is is a build up of lymphocytes (lymph cells....or another words the cells that are produced during an immune response) and these cells are beginning to encircle (and squeeze) one of her heart valves.

Now remember she had been in as soon as the vomiting started and there was no murmur at that time.....in about a month she has developed a (what the vet called) significant mummer. This is happening fast.

When I looked up the definition of perivascular cuffing it said in part "an accumulation of lymphocytes or plasma cells in a dense mass around the vessel. An indication of inflammation or of an immune reaction".

Now I'm not saying it's the food. I know it could be caused by almost anything she was exposed to that maybe her immune system didn't like......but I am extremely suspicious of the food.

The vet will call tomorrow with the results of her blood work. I intend to speak to him about this idea because I'm now worried about my other cat...you know the one who gets the granulomas....could she possibly have the same heart problem now from the food....I don't think so...she's not vomiting....but I really won't know till the vet examines her.

Your letter just kinda hit a nerve with me since it was the same company. I hope nothing is going on with the food....but I'm more suspicious after hearing your story.
Deb
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Deb
owned by Booger and Tiny Dancer and the mom of the late, great Kakel