Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
I have a problem with my 1 1/2 yr old, indoor, neutered, male cat. He was JUST diagnosed with FeLV.(He must've been born with it)The 1st sign that there was anything wrong was this year in Feb. then March, and now. The first 2 months that this happened, each episode lasted for 5 days, then he was back to normal. He was sleeping a lot, not drinking much water at all, and he was having problems urinating,(with very little outcome). So,I was thinking kidney stones, not FeLV. Well, now he has regressed and his symptoms are even worse. He first started showing signs (little water intake, sleeping alot, lethargic, wobbly rear end) about 11 days ago now. On 05/30, I took him to the Vet. because he would start to growl, for no apparent reason. He obviously was in pain. An X-ray showed that he had dried feces in his colon that he apparently was having trouble pushing out. So,they gave him an enema. Since then, he has only defecated once. He is dehydrated, and getting worse since he will not drink anything at all now from his bowl.

Starting 06/01,I started giving him Pedialyte & water, via/syringe (often). He is dehydrated, much thinner, and has constant dry mouth. I tried feeding him all his favorites for 2 days & he wanted none of it. So,yesterday I started mushing up wet cat food, and feeding him 24ml. every 5 hrs. via/syringe. In his feeding session, I also give 12ml. Pedialyte. With the syringe, he laps up the food like he is very hungry. And, yet he won't eat any other way. Why do they stop eating? do you know?

My question is this, have you ever heard of a cat with FeLV, that went downhill so quickly after they FIRST started to show signs? From what I've read, cats don't usually show signs of FeLV until they are 3 yrs old. Why would mine start early? When the Vet called w/his blood test results, he told me he had the virus, but did not say it was in a severe stage, or give any inclination that was where he was quickly heading. So, I'm in a panic because he is deteriating so quickly. Would baby food have better protiens, than wet cat food? Should I give him that? And, how much/often? Also, will I be syringe feeding him for the rest of his life? What makes them bounce back? I figure that if I keep him fed and hydrated, that secondary diseases won't form, like kidney failure & so on. Am I wrong in thinking this? What secondary infections can still occur if his body has nutrients & fluids?

To me, he is my son. And, I will be devastated if he dies before I can get a handle on this situation. Any advice that doesn't come w/a price tag, seems to be more honest & helpful. When I pay for it, advice becomes misleading. I don't need a Vet. to tell me I should hospitalize my cat, when there is less than a 50% chance of him coming out of this. Also, I don't feel right leaving my cat at a place that does not have staff to monitor him overnight. From previous experience, I've come to the conclusion that Vets give advice based on money, and not with consideration to my animals outcome. If my lil guy doesn't have a chance, then further Vet care is just more suffering on his part. So, some honest answers would be very helpful at this point. Please give me your thoughts, I am totally lost here. What would be your next step?

Thank you, - to anyone that responds.
Dandilion

Hi Dandilion,

I'm sorry you feel the way you do about vets. Yes, there are some bad apples out there, but there are lots of good, honest ones also. And in my opinion, your cat needs one if you want him to have the best possible chance.

There are times when syringe feeding and giving fluids orally isn't enough. This is when IV fluids, or at least subcutaneous fluids, and possibly a feeding tube may be needed. You also need to know if there is a bacterial infection present, how your cat's organs are functioning, and whether or not he is anemic.

FeLV positive cats can indeed go downhill rapidly and symptoms often start in kittenhood, not at 3 years of age. They may stop eating because of nausea, weakness, or just plain lack of appetite. Sometimes appetite stimulents are helpful.

I am very sorry that your cat is so ill and know what it is like to possibly be facing the loss of a precious baby. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing whether or not your cat will pull through this. You will have to decide how much you want to treat him.

If this were my kitty, I would have a blood count and full blood panel done and go from there. A severely anemic cat may require a blood transfusion to have any chance at all. You may have to decide how far you want to go with your kitty. And again, I feel that a vet needs to be part of the decision.

Take care, and I'll keep your baby in my prayers.

PHKitkat

PHKitkat,

I appreciate you responding with your opinions, but I still hold true to mine. I know there must be some caring Vets out there. I just unfortunatly have not had the pleasure to come across one. Here are a few examples:
I took my two kitty's to be vaccinated & neutered, and they were infected with Distemper (AKA Parvo) from unsanitary cleaning methods. They both died 2 weeks later, and to boot, they never gave them their vaccinations that day. The Vet there admitted to having 2 cats on premises while my cats were there. And neither one of those cats made it. But this Vet still denied that my cats picked this up at their establishment. Sympathy -they had none.
My next experience was when I took my next kitten to be neutered at a different place. Well, let's just say that when he came home... he still had his testicles. Only they were dried & stuck to the inside of his pet carrier! When I asked what the ??? to the Vet Tech, I was told that during surgery, the Vets just toss them over their shoulder to wherever they may fall.(I swear)
And now, with my cat Butler. I had X-ray's done, and supposedly a CBC. For $109.00, it better have been a complete blood test too, but I am now having my doubts. The Vet called with results of this blood test, & he just said; "your cat has FeLV". But when I asked him what stage the virus had gotten to? or how severe he had it? he said; he didn't know! He told me that the blood test only stated "yes" or "no" to if he had FIV/Felv or not.??? A blood test SHOULD show his white blood count, kidney & liver status, the whole shabang! And anything not the norm, is an inclination of what has been affected, and should therefore tell us just how bad off he is at this point. But this "wonderful" Vet. has no news for me. Not even an educated guess to where my lil guy stands. He DID say that his WBC was normal, so I "think" he might've ran the whole test.... but I have my doubts. I think I'm going to go down there and see for myself just what kind of test he took. Because that Vet trip was really worthless. I mean, isn't part of the visit "client education"? He didn't give ANY advice to what I should be doing to keep him alive. So you see, I have had the proper tests done. I GUESS I'm still just a little confused to what the RESULTS were! Because of that #!%! Vet!
Now that you see that I have "just" reasons for my feelings of Vets, maybe in the future you shouldn't be so quick to defend them. YOU might not have had any bad experiences with them, but there are those out there that have. In fact, there is even a Legal "Forum" where the hotest topic is "Bad experiences and/or misdiagnosed at Vet clinics". So, I know I'm not alone here. And what is really sad is, that the most caring Vets that I have ever had the chance of witnessing in action, are those on "Emergency Vets" -on TV. Those kind of Vets I could really use in my town! Especially at a time like this!

Dandilion ^..^

If he is not eating, try pureeing raw beef liver with an equal amount of water and giving this to him. If he won't eat on his own, give by syringe. If he is becoming dehydrated, ask the vet to show you how to give fluids under the skin, and how to recognize dehydration. I put FeLV positive cats on500mg Vit C twice a day, give homeopathic FeLV nosode daily, and put them on a good immune stimulant. Your cat probably got Feline Leukemia from its mother, and became symptomatic when some stress threw it out of balance.

Dr Tobin,

Thank's for responding. My cat has started to gain back some weight. I was really worried about that. You suggested what to feed him, but how much & how often? Is the current amount I'm giving him ok? And how much water intake should he be getting? He has a fever,& when they do -don't they urinate less? Because he doesn't go much anymore.

You didn't answer one of my questions that I was concerned about;
"I figure that if I keep him fed and hydrated, that secondary diseases won't form,like kidney failure & so on. What secondary infections can still occur if his body has nutrients & fluids?"

Can you tell me what you know? Also, you suggested that I use (homeopathic FeLV nosode). What does this do? And since my Vet isn't too helpful in suggesting ANYTHING that will help keep my baby alive,what good(immune stimulant)would you suggest?

When Butler was born,he had worms.(now gone)And when he was about 4 months old,he had Stomatitis. It went away only when I took Butler to my Vet(Asst.)Teacher,and he gave him a shot that miraculously cured him.(within days)I'm still not sure what he gave him,I know it wasn't Penicillin though. Anyways, Butler's mouth smells like it did then. Like there's an infection somewhere around the mouth -though I see nothing. Could this smell possibly be coming from within?

One more concern,& then I'll let you go. He has constant dry mouth -that water does nothing to cure. What can I do for this?

Thank's so much for your time & input.

Dandilion ^..^

Think of Feline Leukemia as an immune breakdown. In many ways, it acts similar to AIDS in people, whereby the body is open to infectiions and metabolic disturbances. There is no set of symptoms that taken together indicate FeLV. The Feline Leukemia Nosode focuses the body's immune system on the FeLV. An immune stimulant useful against viruses should contain echinacea, arabinogalactan, beta glucans, and possibly andrographis, elderberry, St. John's wort, and golden seal.I don't know anything about the smell you refer to, but perhaps your vet teacher can help you again with this. Cats eat about 6 oz. meat a day, which also supplies most of their water, so they tend to drink little, but this can vary depending on their condition and needs.