Very sick cat and no diagnosis

Sussexbythesea

Sussexbythesea

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Long one and any ideas needed 🙁

My lovely cuddle buddy Pepper is very poorly. I noticed he was in pain about two weeks ago and took him to the vet Friday evening. I thought he had either been bitten and had a brewing abscess on his back or I was worried he may have a urinary blockage.

Even though he didn’t have signs of an RTA the vet decided he might have a diaphragmatic hernia and recommended x-rays. I said it was highly unlikely he’d been hit by a car. She then showed me the x-rays and tbh I couldn’t see anything but I’m not a vet but she indicated she thought she saw a problem. As it was after 5pm I was referred to another out of hours practice. They let him rest before examining and they couldn’t see anything on the x-rays and didn’t have any symptoms of a DH so they were puzzled by his referral. His oxygen levels were fine, blood pressure etc. fine. They couldn’t see anything so took some bloods and all came back clear. So far this has cost me £300 for unnecessary x-rays and exam plus nearly £200 for bloods.

He didn’t have a temperature but the second vet gave him a shot of anti-inflammatory. Over the weekend his pain / symptoms seemed to worsen and he was pacing and occasionally losing balance. I had lost confidence in my first vet practice (been there 30yrs but no permanent vet anymore) so I transferred all my animals to a new practice.

First visit he was checked over and the vet couldn’t find any pain and he didn’t show his balance issue. So exam fee only and no diagnosis. Again he deteriorated becoming very unsettled, hair on end, hunched and generally unwell. So I got a second appointment with a different vet but initially again he hid his symptoms. We talked a bit then checked him again and he seemed to have pain around the kidney area so she admitted him for tests. A urine sample was taken and had blood in it. So they sent sample for culture and then ultra-sound his kidneys, bladder etc. they saw everything was perfectly normal.

This was last Thursday. He was sent home with antibiotics and gabapentin. Early hours Saturday I woke to him vomiting and he was distressed and breathing funny. But by morning he had mostly recovered so I decided it was a reaction to the gabapentin. I was woken again the next night and he sounded like he was chucking up a hairball but nothing came up. The next night I woke up to him walking around in circles and occasionally losing a bit of balance. I got him an early appointment Monday morning the urine sample has since come back and there is no infection present.

I saw a third vet and she did some neurological tests but again nothing. He’s still in pain so she wanted to try to get rid of the pain to eliminate the pain causing other symptoms so he’s been on oral morphine since Monday. Next appointment is tomorrow. I don’t think the morphine is working but it’s hard to give so may not be getting full dose. I was supposed to try to get another urine sample but he’s refused to pee on the plastic granules and after 36hrs of not peeing I gave him a normal litter tray which he used.

I don’t know what to do next obviously I can’t let him suffer much longer but it’s hard when there is no diagnosis 😞.

I’ve spent over £1200 so far and he’s not insured.
 
Highmileagecob said:
Do you think he may have had access to a poisonous substance? Cats can be very sensitive to a lot of household stuff eg Savlon, aspirin, antifreeze, plants, spot on stuff if licked off....
Fingers crossed you manage to pull him round.
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Not that I can think of but I had considered it. I would have thought it might show up on blood tests for liver and kidney function. Possibly viral but no temperature, not anaemic.
 
So sorry to read about your cat. I lost a sweet little cat last year in similar circumstances, although his symptoms were different. It's so hard to make that call when you see them suffering but you still hope there's a possibility they may recover.
 
This keeps going round and round in my head ,and I keep coming back to the kidneys , only I can't make it all fit because of the tests you've already had done, but a blockage / stones somewhere would cause symptoms such as pain and blood in the urine, vomitting and disorientation . However you're not finding anything despite what does look like some extensive testing . I'm quite stumped. What does jump out is that 36hrs is a heck of a long time for a cat if he does need a pee. He may not like the crystals, but I would expect one of mine to go somewhere else if they really needed to. Also of note would be the quantity of wee , colour and smell.
Was there anything at all not quite the norm in the lead up to this. Less food or water intake, upset stomach, over grooming, anything really
I would always try and video anything out of the norm for the vets. This has helped enormously on two occasions, as animals have a habit of presenting with absolutely sod all symptoms the moment you get to the vets.
I honestly don't know what to suggest except to try a few more days on something like metacam, or see if there is a further diagnostic route you are willing to take.
I really feel for you and do hope something can be done. There are times though when you just have to let them go. xxx
 
In April this year, at 15 years old, King Kevin Kat became very thin and eventually refused all food. I took him to the vets and they diagnosed an inoperable stomach tumour. He was pts there and then.
In you and your cats' case, I think that this is the kindest option.
 
It does sound neurological.

Could he have fallen? I can remember from a long time ago a colleagues cat fell off a fence - we all assume cats bounce but this one started to show neuro signs 24 hours later and the vet conclusion was he had done 'something' which wasn't curable sadly.

Is the pain relief making any difference?

Horrible for you xx
 
I had a female cat, who when younger was climbing all over stuff stored in a barn trying to catch swallows flying about and nesting in there. She changed behaviour for a couple of days, not stark symptoms like your boy, but just slept more, ate less, then she reverted to normal.
It was only by looking in the barn for something after she recovered that i saw cat paw prints on things stored high-up, so assumed she possibly had a fall and had slight internal bruising. She was mostly a ground cat, didnt hunt for mice nor stray off-property, so a fall was our last conclusion.

As your bloods etc are clear, i wonder if he’s had quite a severe fall impacting his nerves? Hence his sporadic longer lasting symptoms?

Or maybe he has been clipped by a car, and its internal bruising/nerve damage?

🙁 You’ve had all the routine tests clearing him of the most common issues, and as he is just 8, it sounds like maybe some accident has happened to him, poor boy.
I’m sorry youre both going through this. All we can do if give pain relief etc and see if time is a healer, if he seems to be going way or the other. Sending bucket loads of healing vibes for him xx
 
Thanks for all the support and suggestions. I thought today was going to be the end and got myself into a right state but the vet thinks as he’s young and strong and all tests are ok so far that she thought there was still some things to try especially as doesn’t appear that ill when at the vets. He’s now on metacam which they were avoiding initially due to potential kidney disease. Although not 100% ruled out nothing has shown on any tests.

He appears a bit brighter and more settled. He did show excitement over some tuna but then wouldn’t eat it. Tomorrow he’s going to have an appetite stimulant as needs to eat once on oral Metacam. He’s a bit snuffly which may be because he’s low. His lungs are fine though it’s upper respiratory.

I will absolutely not let him suffer unnecessarily but hoping that it’s something he can recover from even if he spends a bit of time feeling rubbish. If he’d shown advanced kidney disease or was already old and frail I’d probably make a different decision. I don’t think we’re out of the woods at all and I still have a feeling of dread. 😟

He’s currently sleeping with me and Chance on the sofa.
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When they're young it's worth giving them every chance. When mine had cat flu she was so poorly it was horrible to watch, but she bounced back. She needed appetite stimulants too. In fact every time she's been ill or sore (fights she didn't win) she's stopped eating.

Let's hope whatever it is just needs time and with the pain relief it'll sort itself out.
 
Have any of them checked blood pressure at any point? If he’s had neuro-like symptoms at any point it would probably be a good shout. Usually an underlying cause but high blood pressure can cause some weird signs if it affects the brain. He’s probs a little on the young side but never say never.

I presume they also are of the opinion his heart is ok as again having wobbly episodes could be linked to cardiac issues. Wouldn’t explain the pain though.

If pain seemed localised to his face would suggest asking about feline orofacial pain syndrome but doesn’t sound like it is and also the meds he’s already tried should have helped if it was something like that.

You could ask if there’s a feline medicine specialist locally you could be referred to as they may have ideas of more weird & wonderful things it may be if the most common things have been ruled out which it sounds like they have.
 
I am really pleased to read this and a few days of metacam would have been my choice if no further deterioration had occured, which it hasn't . The vet is correct regarding his age and test results. I was actually wondering if somebody had kicked him in the side rather than he's fallen ( but yes, that is possible ) ,as he has no signs of claw damage/ scrapes/ lameness. A glancing blow from a tyre could be possible , but no other damage was found. It's a strange one and I did ponder on a stroke, but dismissed it
It could explain the pain and blood in the urine if he'd been kicked/hit in that area.
Cats and dogs can often get really disorientated if they vomit violently too, i've seen it myself , and the meds given could easily have upset him
Yes lots of smelly, tasty food needed. Everybody raves about those Licky Lix things? don't know how you spell it
I'm going to keep everything crossed for you both xxx
 
Sussexbythesea said:
Tomorrow he’s going to have an appetite stimulant as needs to eat once on oral Metacam.
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Mine loved foods with gravy but when she wasn't eating and needed Metacam I bought her the cat soups and she duly lapped up the soup along with the Metacam
Sussexbythesea said:
there was still some things to try especially as doesn’t appear that ill when at the vets.
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If there are further incidents try filming then so you can send to/show the vet. Your vet will be able send videos to a cat specialist if they need specialist help
Boulty said:
You could ask if there’s a feline medicine specialist locally you could be referred to as they may have ideas of more weird & wonderful things it may be if the most common things have been ruled out which it sounds like they have.
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I was in a similar situation with my beloved outside cat of 8 years and it did not end well, I hope you will not experience anything like I did, hopes and prayers towards your cat <3
 
So Pepper had a good night and then went back to the vet today. He had another shot of Metacam and was given an anti-sickness jab and an appetite stimulant. I had to go out so I left some food out in the sitting room where he us shut in during the day and he had eaten a whole pouch and some Dreamies by the time I got home. However he is now very vocal and wandering around and wants to get out. I offered more food but he didn’t want it.

So he has improved but is still acting oddly. Hoping it’s a side-effect of meds rather than the Metacam affecting his kidneys.
 
Thats sounding more positive, now he’s eating. All animals are a worry when they refuse food we know they love. Also him wanting to go out instead of remaining still/disoriented is a good sign.
The drugs could be causing some weird behaviour, as any cat ive had on meds have universally behaved weirder (than normal). One female was nice and docile while on cat morphine! 😁
More healing vibes Pepper turns this corner and heals well. Youre doing the right thing keeping him in - especially if he’s not acting himself due to meds.
 
The stimulant can cause them to become very vocal - I remember that well. She went from being horribly lethargic to wandering around the house yelling and eating all the tasty expensive stuff

Fingers crossed he keeps improving
 
Going through this emotional rollercoaster must be so hard for you, and would be difficult enough if you knew what you where actually dealing with, but even worse when you're just stumbling around blindfolded. Fingers crossed that now that he's both eating, and on a pain medication which works for him, that his body gets the energy to hopefully fix whatever is going on inside of him on its own.
{{{{{{Vibes}}}}}}
 
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