Sick cat with no diagnosis....can anyone help?

Question

My cat Friskey recently became very sick all of a sudden. I took her to the multiple clinics and finally ended up at the U of I small animal clinic where they did an ultrasound. Basically, in a nutshell, all her blood work and other tests came back fairly normal with the exception being a very elevated wbc count (42,000). But she does not have an elevated temperature. The only clinical signs she is showing is lethargy and vomiting, but that has subsided in the past day. The ultrasound reveled a small nodule on her liver, but her liver enzymes are normal. The next best step (or so they say) is a biopsy of the liver and small intestine. I don't know what to do, if I should go ahead with the surgery or what. Oh and my cat is 16 by the way. And this was really sudden, before this all she had was slight renal failure and borderline hyperthyroidism. Otherwise she was very healthy and active...I am very distraught over this.

yes they did give her an antibiotic which proved unsuccessful....they could potentially try others but without knowing the type of possible infection it would be tricky. and some antibiotics are hard on their kidneys, and since she already has the slight renal failure......hmm thats an concerning thought about the possibility of cutting into the liver nodule and spreading the infection...i will ask the vet about that

I know, this is a very sad situation for me....I've had her since I was 6 yrs. old.....now I'm 22 and I can't bare the thought of losing her....I'm a pre-vet student so obviously animals are my life....

yes, they did determine that the high wbc was due to neutrophils....indicating some type of bacterial infection, but so far they cannot find any such infection.....very good pt. about the shadiness of teaching hospitals....i suspect they may just be doing unnecessary testing on her.....the ear thing you mentioned is curious indeed.....we've had a problem with moths in our new townhome

Answer 1

Closely monitor eating habits. 16 is very old and is suspect, but it could have eaten something it disagrees with. have some kitty grass available to help clean it's system. Be very sure it is getting plenty of fresh water. good luck.

Answer 2

I agree with the previous poster. I hope they gave her an antibiotic, preferably broad-spectrum. Even without a fever the high WBC pretty much indicates an infection. I would hold off on biopsies for right now.

The specific breakdown of the WBC might give some clues: is it just ALL WBC's evenly elevated, neutrophils elevated, and are they predominantly band or segmented; is it eosinophils elevated, or basophils, or macrophages or monocytes? This could tell you a little about whether it's viral, bacterial, parasitic or something else--and where the source of the problem might be.

I'd also suggest that a veterinarian check (gently, by feel) her spleen: is it enlarged? (because of the high WBC).

Also check her ears: is there any discharge or sign of infection? An ear infection can cause an elevated WBC, dizziness, lethargy and vomiting (but no fever). My doofus cat let a silverfish (insect) crawl into his ear and die there. Probably about 4 weeks later he had the symptoms you describe. The vet and I had NO idea how doofus kitty would let a bug crawl into his ear!

Check your cat's teeth (or have the vet check them)--she could have an abscessed tooth or a gum infection causing the symptoms.

I know that university clinics can be excellent, BUT sometimes they miss the obvious in their enthusiasm for the unusual. Rule out the common things first, if you haven't already.

Answer 3

I think you should give her time. Let her alone, except for the antibiotics and fluids. Say, for a week or 10 days. Sometimes cats spike their WBCs and puke. The vet I work for (she's been practicing for 24 years) said it can be just one of those contrary things cats do.
Always, ALWAYS, always, get a second opinion before you do any sort of surgery. Even a biopsy. Just because they are doctors doesn't mean they know everything and never make mistakes.
Have another ultrasound in a week and see whats going on, then decide based on findings.
Please consider that she may be nearing the end of her life. At her age, surgery and other treatments can cause more suffering than an elderly cat needs to endure.
Good Luck, I hope everything turns out well.

Answer 4

You can't fight the inevitable...It's a hard decision to make but given the 16 wonderful years you and Friskey have had together it might be time to put the cat down.
I too had a white and liver colored cat named Frisky and she lived to be 13. You must have been a devoted owner and just like a family member we don't want to give up on our loved ones.
After Frisky started vomiting after every meal and she began to lose her sight we decided to humanely put her down. We looked down every avenue but just couldn't let her suffer.
If that's you choice it is not a condemning one for you. Nature will eventually take it's course. But like nature a new life can begin again with a new one. There are so many out there that need a loving environment and people like you are the ones that keep the shelters from overflowing.
I don't mean this advice to be cold, it is not my intent. If I'm correct 16 is close to 90-92 yrs old. My cat is 7 and the vet says she's about 42 yr old.
Good luck and sincere wishes...

Answer 5

It depends on the situation. If the dog is whelping a litter of pups or a cat has a little diarhhea then the first option would be to handle it at home to see if the situation gets better. And while waiting people can ask other pet owners if they have any ideas on how to deal with the problem and ask for general advice. If it doesn't get better then the next option is the vet. Some people do have a few hum dingers on here, but for the most part the questions are good, valid ones.

Answer 6

i can't give you a diagnosis, but i wonder, did they give you antibiotic for the cat? with a high white count like that, i would think the most likely scenario would be infection. the nodule may or may not be related, but if it is a pocket of infection, cutting into it might spread the infection. if the cat is not in imminent danger, i would want to try some antibiotics (maybe a couple at the same time, if they think her kidneys can take it). at least for a few days, then a repeat of the blood count to see if the white blood count is any better. good luck.

Answer 7

I feel for you, it sounds simply like old age. A friend of mine just put her cat down, Tiger was 18 and displaying the same kind of symptoms. Its hard to lose a pet especially when they have been with you for such a long time, i wish you all the best in whatever choice you make for your friend.

Answer 8

Aw, this is such a sad situation. The kitty is so old that she may just be shutting down slowely and to put her through surgeries that will take so long for her to heal from may not be fair. You need to think if she is suffering now and what you think will be the outcome of any surgeries. You have to think of her and not your sadness of losing her.

I had my kitty Velvet for 11 yrs and all of the sudden one night he was very sick and kinda limp. He couldnt breathe and had been coughing up brown fluid. I took him to the emergency vet at 2am and had an xray of his lungs done (they wanted to rip me off for $600 worth of tests, c'mon now, why take advantage of people like that?) and we could see that for some unknown reason (I think it was a cancer that had been growing over time) his lungs were filled with tissue growth and that was why he couldnt breathe. It had just got to where he was too old to deal with it anymore I guess. They wanted to do all kinds of things and cut him open just to keep him alive for the weekend. Why? He was so sick and sad and peeing all over himself cause he didnt care anymore and was weak. I think we know how this ended and it was a very hard decision for me to make. I actually couldnt even suggest it, I had to hint to the dr until he suggested it but I knew it was best for my boy.

Good luck with this and remember all the good times you have had with your sweet kitty.

Answer 9

I am not a vet, but I have worked with animals for years. I'm sorry that you and your cat are going through this. But if all these tests have come back normal, is it possible that all that is wrong with her is old age? 16 is really old for a cat, maybe life is just catching up with her.

Answer 10

I am a cat lover from way back...

Has your sweet kittie been checked for feline leukemia? I had a very young kittie in 1979 that died of the same symptoms...then, they didn't know what it was...I still miss my Turkie!!!

love & best wishes, Korky