Very sick cat and no diagnosis

[Sussexbythesea]

Still no long-lasting improvement. Went back yesterday for repeat of the anti-inflammatory, anti-sickness and appetitive stimulant as stopped eating again. Had another set of bloods done including extra one for pancreatitis and everything still completely normal. All other checks, temp etc. all within normal range. Back to square one again today not eating. I’ll speak to my vet tomorrow but I’m not hopeful.

 

[SO1]

I am sorry to hear about your cat. Have they tested her for worms which can cause lack of appetite and upset stomach.

 

[PurBee]

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Still no long-lasting improvement. Went back yesterday for repeat of the anti-inflammatory, anti-sickness and appetitive stimulant as stopped eating again. Had another set of bloods done including extra one for pancreatitis and everything still completely normal. All other checks, temp etc. all within normal range. Back to square one again today not eating. I’ll speak to my vet tomorrow but I’m not hopeful.

Sorry he’s still poorly Its so strange bloods arent flagging anything at all.
Apart from urine in pee initially. Shady suggested kidney crystals, maybe thats a route worth discussing more with the vet. If its a kidney stone or largeish crystals moving about - judging from what pain humans experience from them, blood in pee is common too, a cat likely would go off food, and walk strange. I’ve heard stories of people doubled over with such issues, and they can be very sudden onset. Just not seen usually in a relatively young cat, but not absolutely impossible.

I also wonder if its nerve damage, caused by some acute incident, as xray ruled out breakages. Most other things are more slower progressing, like endocrine dysfunction.

Ive had an older cat get progressive nerve damage via suspected viral issues, showing slowly progressive gait strangeness, appetite changes, as the virus damages spinal nerves/brain. Personality change and eye-stare changes too. An acute nerve-damaging incident could show this suddenly.

Poor Pepper. Did he have any scans of his kidneys and urethra area that could show up crystals/stones?

 

[Shady]

I was really hoping for an improvement, so am really upset to see this update, and even more so for being so unusually lacking in suggestions and possibilities for what could be wrong. The lack of anything showing in tests is strange and frustrating
I have known cats to get incredibly ill from things like plug ins and salt lamps, and cystitis from too many Dreamies. When my cats get ill, I tick off a list of possibilities tied to how and where we live, but with Pepper I can only go by what you have written, and he is testing normal for everything so far that I would have checked myself
I would possibly try syringing liquid food into him to see if he can keep anything down, also to see if it might stimulate him to eat , but it's always a 50 50 chance that it might make him worse, and stress him out too much. I'm sorry for being so useless
Really hope the vet has a lighbulb moment tomorrow. I'll be thinking of you both. xx

 

[AmyMay]

I can’t remember if you’ve taken a urine sample in. But really good to get it tested if you can.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I can’t remember if you’ve taken a urine sample in. But really good to get it tested if you can.

He had one taken with a needle and it had blood in it but it was sent for culture and there was no infection present. Ideally they’d like a pee sample collected as can introduce blood into the sample using a needle. I haven’t been able to do that because he won’t pee on the plastic litter. I feel I can’t make life more uncomfortable for him at the moment so have given back the normal litter tray which he has used.

This afternoon he took a turn for the worse and had some kind of seizure. Legs went all straight and stiff and afterwards he was very floppy. I sat with him on my lap for an hour or so and he slept and seemed to recover. He seems ok at the moment and I didn’t want to stress him out further by taking him to the out of hours vet as I don’t think there is any benefit to that. I will be taking him to my vets asap tomorrow. He’s sleeping in the sofa with Chance at the moment.

 

[Boulty]

Very random and slightly left field thought but has he at any point been tested for toxoplasmosis? Only thought of it as you mentioned him becoming a bit neuro and it can also cause loss of appetite and other vague signs. May not be as not common for it to actually cause clinical signs but can occasionally.

 

[Shady]

Very random and slightly left field thought but has he at any point been tested for toxoplasmosis? Only thought of it as you mentioned him becoming a bit neuro and it can also cause loss of appetite and other vague signs. May not be as not common for it to actually cause clinical signs but can occasionally.

Not random at all Boulty as it wouldn't show in normal blood tests, but I would think a high temperature would be present if there were other cliical signs. I ran parasite possibilities through my head as well ,including piro as i've had both cats and dogs with that since moving to France.
The seizure is a real worry, but could in fact point the vet in the right direction
Fingers crossed for today . xx

 

[Sussexbythesea]

Bizarrely he’s massively improved since yesterday and is almost back to his old self?!!

He’s bright and eating and better than I’ve seen him for days.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

Very random and slightly left field thought but has he at any point been tested for toxoplasmosis? Only thought of it as you mentioned him becoming a bit neuro and it can also cause loss of appetite and other vague signs. May not be as not common for it to actually cause clinical signs but can occasionally.

I’ve definitely thought about that plus FIV as some symptoms match. As you can imagine I’ve done a lot of googling.

 

[Shady]

Bizarrely he’s massively improved since yesterday and is almost back to his old self?!!

He’s bright and eating and better than I’ve seen him for days.

OMG !!!!
I did not expect to read this
Something shifted when he had the seizure maybe..... Honestly i've considered so many things, from virus's to low sugar, mini strokes, epilepsy
I really hope he continues to improve. xx

 

[Sussexbythesea]

OMG !!!!
I did not expect to read this
Something shifted when he had the seizure maybe..... Honestly i've considered so many things, from virus's to low sugar, mini strokes, epilepsy
I really hope he continues to improve. xx

Thanks I’ve got everything crossed that it continues.

This is what he was like yesterday- I took photos for vet. I’ve put behind spoiler in case you don’t want to see. Not sure spoiler is working?





Today.

 

[ycbm]

Bizarrely he’s massively improved since yesterday and is almost back to his old self?!!

He’s bright and eating and better than I’ve seen him for days.

Our cat with toxoplasmosis had one last major fit after a number of smaller ones, and when he woke up from sleeping it off never had another symptom, or any treatment. Prior to that he was a bit like yours and by the time we got the results back, he was fine. I hope yours follows the same path.
.

 

[Shady]

Thanks I’ve got everything crossed that it continues.

This is what he was like yesterday- I took photos for vet. I’ve put behind spoiler in case you don’t want to see. Not sure spoiler is working?

View attachment 134370
View attachment 134371


Today.
View attachment 134372

Well that looks like a bright eyed normal cat in the last photo . No discharge from anywhere , eyes the same, coat good , relaxed sitting....
First two are difficult to judge but he looks stiff and has found a corner there and something to press against . No peeing at all?

I'm taking note of Ycbm's post and hope Pepper has the same. I would definitely run this past the vet based on her cat and see what she thinks of blood testing

 

[Shady]

Our cat with toxoplasmosis had one last major fit after a number of smaller ones, and when he woke up from sleeping it off never had another symptom, or any treatment. Prior to that he was a bit like yours and by the time we got the results back, he was fine. I hope yours follows the same path.
.

Can I ask why your vet tested for toxo in the first place Ycbm? It doesn't show in normal tests, so something must have alerted your vet , or did you go through the same amount of investigation before the vet thought it might be a possibility ?.

 

[fiwen30]

Nothing m ouch useful to add I’m afraid, but my only suggestion was to photograph & video any symptoms to show to the vet - relying on an animal to present the same at hone as at the vet is near impossible! But seems you’re onto that already. I hope you continue to see improvement in him.

 

[ycbm]

Can I ask why your vet tested for toxo in the first place Ycbm? It doesn't show in normal tests, so something must have alerted your vet , or did you go through the same amount of investigation before the vet thought it might be a possibility ?.

We had found evidence he was fitting, from cat sized circles of spit left on the floor, and he was wobbly and had lost his appetite. There was nothing more obvious in the blood tests. We had made her aware that he was a cat with access to a big rodent and rabbit population which he made the most of, and she decided that toxoplasmosis was a sensible test. He came back positive for it but by the time the test was done he was completely normal again, so we chose to watch and wait. He died several years later (PTS) from heart failure.
.

 

[meleeka]

Well I wasn’t expecting the latest update! I’m so please he seems to be on the mend. Keeping everything crossed he continues

 

[Highmileagecob]

It might be worth considering epilepsy as a last resort. Pretty uncommon in cats, but it can occur.

 

[Shady]

We had found evidence he was fitting, from circles of spit left on the floor, and he was wobbly and had lost his appetite. There was nothing more obvious in the blood tests. We had made her aware that he was a cat with access to a big rodent and rabbit population which he made the most of, and she decided that toxoplasmosis was a sensible test. He came back positive for it but by the time the test was done he was completely normal again, so we chose to watch and wait. He died several years later (PTS) from heart failure.
.

That's really interesting , thanks Ycbm . That would make sense too if he was a prolific hunter. I'm guessing the vet didn't give antibiotics then, namely climdancyin ?
I'm interested as all mine go out, and I was certain a few years back that one of the dogs had picked it up by eating cat poo , but vet dismissed it straight away and tested for piroplasmosis (ticks) which came back positive. On paper the symptoms are the same , but she said with toxo clinical signs were not obvious .

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Glad to hear he's on the mend. Must have been a worrying time for you.

 

[easteregg]

I had a cat with epilepsy. Prior to having two clearly identifiable seizures, he had intermittent episodes of walking in circles, looking disorientated and vocalising loudly in a rather distressed way. After the second seizure, he was started on an anti-convulsant and this controlled it very effectively. He was on the medication for about 8 years until he was PTS at 15 due to cancer. I hope he continues to improve as it's such a worry when they're poorly with no clear explanation.

 

[Clodagh]

That's really interesting , thanks Ycbm . That would make sense too if he was a prolific hunter. I'm guessing the vet didn't give antibiotics then, namely climdancyin ?
I'm interested as all mine go out, and I was certain a few years back that one of the dogs had picked it up by eating cat poo , but vet dismissed it straight away and tested for piroplasmosis (ticks) which came back positive. On paper the symptoms are the same , but she said with toxo clinical signs were not obvious .

I’ve had a dog test positive for toxoplasmosis, when she was twitching and unstable. Vet said it showed a historic infection rather than current.
She still twitches now so

 

[Shady]

I’ve had a dog test positive for toxoplasmosis, when she was twitching and unstable. Vet said it showed a historic infection rather than current.
She still twitches now so

Yes it's interesting Clodagh and I was quite surprised by the vets comment, but I honestly didn't know enough about the two things to think further. I had a read up later about cycles/ progression and stuff. One of the dogs was really quiet one afternoon and I noticed an intermittent tremor like he was cold. I know the dogs eat cat poo and i'd seen him scoff some down the road, so I assumed there was a connection, ie toxo, however vet said nope as soon as she saw him, did an ear prick for blood and it showed piro. Gave a jab , said he'd be fine ,and that was the end of it. Both the dogs have had it , and two of the cats. There is a big tick problem here

ETA . Incase it's of further interest regarding symptoms
With the first dog Odes, he was just very quiet , took to the sofa and the tremors were mostly in his back legs. Not twitching, proper shivery tremors, gums were a bit pale
With Molly the other dog, she was not very interested in her breakfast, but ate it slowly and then when we went out I saw her pee was dark. Came back straight away and she went on the sofa while I called the vet. Then noticed the tremors starting. In both cases vet gave one injection and the dogs were back to normal the next day.
Cats were almost the same. Both quiet and a bit hunched, and had full body tremors.
I can't quite work out how far into the infection progression this was, as it seems to read that once you see symptoms like this , the animal is pretty poorly , but I can only say that in all cases the symptoms were the same, came suddenly, and were impossible to miss unless you have a distant relationship with the animal, and the vet only gave one treatment and they were fine. I do understand tho that it can be a serious life threatening illness.

 

[Clodagh]

Yes it's interesting Clodagh and I was quite surprised by the vets comment, but I honestly didn't know enough about the two things to think further. I had a read up later about cycles/ progression and stuff. One of the dogs was really quiet one afternoon and I noticed an intermittent tremor like he was cold. I know the dogs eat cat poo and i'd seen him scoff some down the road, so I assumed there was a connection, ie toxo, however vet said nope as soon as she saw him, did an ear prick for blood and it showed piro. Gave a jab , said he'd be fine ,and that was the end of it. Both the dogs have had it , and two of the cats. There is a big tick problem here

ETA . Incase it's of further interest regarding symptoms
With the first dog Odes, he was just very quiet , took to the sofa and the tremors were mostly in his back legs. Not twitching, proper shivery tremors, gums were a bit pale
With Molly the other dog, she was not very interested in her breakfast, but ate it slowly and then when we went out I saw her pee was dark. Came back straight away and she went on the sofa while I called the vet. Then noticed the tremors starting. In both cases vet gave one injection and the dogs were back to normal the next day.
Cats were almost the same. Both quiet and a bit hunched, and had full body tremors.
I can't quite work out how far into the infection progression this was, as it seems to read that once you see symptoms like this , the animal is pretty poorly , but I can only say that in all cases the symptoms were the same, came suddenly, and were impossible to miss unless you have a distant relationship with the animal, and the vet only gave one treatment and they were fine. I do understand tho that it can be a serious life threatening illness.

Sorry OP as not intended to derail. I don’t know if T was tested for piro. Interesting though.

 

[Shady]

Yes, sorry too!
Back to Pepper, and I hope he is still doing well. xxx

 

[Sussexbythesea]

Yes, sorry too!
Back to Pepper, and I hope he is still doing well. xxx

It’s always good to hear other experiences as you can’t always get that from Google or the vet. I’m always banking these experiences for future use if not for now.

He’s not as good today more wobbly again but is still eating and is “Pepper”. He’s snoring on my lap at the moment. I’m reluctant to subject him to another vet visit at the moment.

 

[Shady]

It’s always good to hear other experiences as you can’t always get that from Google or the vet. I’m always banking these experiences for future use if not for now.

He’s not as good today more wobbly again but is still eating and is “Pepper”. He’s snoring on my lap at the moment. I’m reluctant to subject him to another vet visit at the moment.

Yes good idea, leave him be and keep your phone near. I wondered if the seizure was him passing a stone and afterwards he was feeling a lot better. Impossible to know , but if it was actually more stroke like, then he would be tired and wobbly today . Or of course it's neither of those things....
Anything different with his food by chance?It's a long shot but I discovered that Felix As Good as it Looks was literally killing my oldest Oriental, and it was only by luck that I chanced across the FB group talking about it. Stopped all Felix products and she started to get better straight away. That was 3 years ago and she's now 16. Or different flea products maybe? Sometimes the answer is right in front of you .
xxx

 

[Sussexbythesea]

Yes good idea, leave him be and keep your phone near. I wondered if the seizure was him passing a stone and afterwards he was feeling a lot better. Impossible to know , but if it was actually more stroke like, then he would be tired and wobbly today . Or of course it's neither of those things....
Anything different with his food by chance?It's a long shot but I discovered that Felix As Good as it Looks was literally killing my oldest Oriental, and it was only by luck that I chanced across the FB group talking about it. Stopped all Felix products and she started to get better straight away. That was 3 years ago and she's now 16. Or different flea products maybe? Sometimes the answer is right in front of you .
xxx

Although he has had Felix sometimes he hasn’t had any the last couple of weeks. He’s had various small pouches or tins of extra tasty like Purina Gourmet Intense. No flea or wormer used recently. I’ve got no flowers in the house and only one plant, which isn’t accessible. I don’t use any room scents or deodorisers. Other cat is fine. They’re being kept mostly separate as he’s a thug and I can’t trust him.

I’ve rung my vet and asked them to call me back. He’s definitely got something upper respiratory going on and he’s got noisy breathing but heart and lungs ok on previous checks. It’s still a mystery .

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Has he been checked for nasal tumour? Our last cat started with what looked like a cold, sneezing and off her food, eventually found to have nasal tumour. Really hope it isn't.