Sick kitty....not reallly a ?, just worried.?

Question

My cat has not been herself for a week. Past 3 days she has not been eating. She has lost alot of weight in the past week.
Took her to the vet today, did tests and blood work. They gave her sub Q fluids and sent me home with Clavamox. Vet called tonight and said her white blood count was sky rocketed. I cant remember if she said 5100 or 51,000...but it was real high, which means she has some sort of real bad infection, but they don't know what or where.
She did eat a bit tonight (warmed canned food), but I am worried about her. Vet said if she isnt any better, they may need to up the strength of the meds and possibly hospitilize her to give her more fluids.
What can I do to help her pull through? She was out a little bit today, and only ate maybe 1/4 of a small can of food. But it is more than she has eaten in 3 days. I just dont want to wake up to a dead cat in the AM, and I also don't want to have her hospitalized if I can nurse her back at home.

Lilbit....she has never been outside, no other cats. She has been tested for leuk/aids..negative. They also retested her today..neg. She is not spayed, vet wondered about a uterine infection, but she said they were rare in cats (??) I will see how she does by tomorrow after her 2nd dose of meds, if no better, back to the vet we go. I just wasnt sure if I should be doing anything differently besides the warmed canned food and water through a syringe (which I havent had to use..she ate and drank on her own again just now) Thanks

Answer 1

There is no way you will be able to nurse her back to health at home! if her WBC count was that high. There is deffinately something wrong. An infection is brewing very well somewhere. Sub Q fluids is probably what made her feel better today. If a cat for any reason doesnt eat...you need to go to the vet asap! Cat's don't just not eat. And if a cat has lost weight,...that's definately something to worry about. Did she have a fever. Has she been tested for feline leukemia/aids? these are some things to consider. Does she go outsides, does she get into fights, and is she spayed. There are many things that can cause her to be this sick. But I would advise having the vet help her. She sounds seriously sick. White blood cell count for cats on the high end of normal is 17,000. So if the cell count is 51k, the most probable causes are leukemia, a horrible abscess, or pyometra...which occurs in unspayed females. It's basically an infection of the uterus. Which can happen to any unspayed female, no matter how well up to date they are, or how well they are taken care of.
It is very possible that she has pyometra, it's not that uncommon. We just had a cat in last week that had kittens and an infection developed....pyometra. If you dont have them spayed at 6 months of age, the chances of them getting pyometra and breast cancer go up with age. until you get them spayed. If the vet did an x-ray they would be able to tell for sure if it was pyometra. The uterus will show up on film, and it's not supposed to usually. They tend to have higher risks of pyometra after a heat cycle or delivering kittens.

Answer 2

I agreee that the fluids have made her feel better and now she is eating. That's very good. It will take a while for the Clavamox to have an effect on her system.

If she continues to eat a little and you get some more water down her she should do alright. For a cat who is very ill and not eating well it is perfectly safe to have her on baby food for a few days. Get the Gerber's turkey and/or chicken. Read the ingredient label. It must not have ANY onion or garlic. Cats really like this food and it may help her appetite -- probably no more than two days with that and then you can go back to the regular canned cat food (which has taurine added - a must for a cat).

Answer 3

Re: one of the answer posts above: Please do NOT give Benadryl (or any other OTC medication) to any sick cat without your veterinarian's specific okay....especially one with a WBC that high!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <---(Did I use enough exclamation marks???) You could mask important symptoms, resulting in delayed diagnosis. At worst, you could kill her. Always...and I do mean ALWAYS...check with your vet before giving 'human' OTC meds to cats.

Excellent answer, LilBit! You gave very good and accurate information. You sound like a very knowlegable and well-trained veterinary technician. :-)

It's impossible to make a definitive diagnosis without an actual examination and reviewing all the test results firsthand, of course....but based upon the history provided here, pyometra should be at the TOP of the differential list, imo.

A WBC of 51, 000 does indeed indicate a massive infection somewhere (mild elevations are common in stressed cats...but 51K is MUCH more than stress will cause)...and in the case of an unspayed female, a uterine infection (pyometra or metritis) is the most likely/common source. You are exactly right, LilBit...pyometra is not at all uncommon in cats, and it can be rapidly fatal if not quickly diagnosed and treated with surgery. (This is but one of a multitude of reasons why cats should be spayed around 4-5 months of age....before they hit puberty. I'll do them as early as 3 mos.)

The very next things that should be done by your veterinarian upon seeing a WBC that high:

1. Confirm that the count really IS that high by simply scanning a stained blood smear under a microscope. (If it looks normal on the slide, there might have been a lab/equipment glitch.) That will also indicate which TYPES of WBC's are elevated (bands, neutrophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, etc.)...which is information that is needed to rule in and rule out other disease processes that cause elevated white counts.

2. IMMEDIATELY x-ray that cat's abdomen!!!! (An ultrasound is better, but more expensive....and the vast majority of pyometras are easily diagnosed with plain x-rays anyway.) An x-ray might also identify something like a swallowed sewing needle (usually attached to a thread the cat was playing with) that perforated the intestinal tract and caused an internal abscess/peritonitis...which is another common cause of really high white cell counts in cats.

3. HOSPITALIZE the cat for intravenous antibiotics and intravenous fluids. (There is nothing at all wrong with subQ fluids and oral antibiotics while awaiting test results...but a WBC count that high indicates that more aggressive treatment should be initiated ASAP, until the cause is found and/or the situation is resolved.)

It sounds to me that this IS very possibly a pyometra situation. If so, it is probably what we call an "open" pyo...which means some of the pus is draining out of the vaginal area through an open cervix. Many owners report that they aren't seeing any vaginal discharge, but that's because it's not as apparent in cats as it is in dogs. (Cats often clean it up, even if they're feeling bad.) If it were a "closed" pyometra, that means the cervix is closed and the pus has no where to go. The abdomen rapidly becomes larger as the uterus expands with pus, and the cat will generally go into toxic shock (the bacteria creates toxins that cause kidney failure) and die within around 48-72 hours. Because this particular kitty has been sick longer, that's not likely the case...which means she has a good chance of survival with appropriate medical treatment and surgery ASAP. (Again, that's presuming a diagnosis of pyometra is actually confirmed.)

There are certainly other causes of high white blood cell counts in cats, but like I (and LilBit) said....when it occurs in unspayed females, pyometra is a LIKELY cause...one which should be looked for. I can't for the life of me figure out why your DVM said it was not common in cats. It's not as common as it is in dogs...no doubt. But it IS seen a good bit in cats, too.

Whatever the diagnosis turns out to be, I sure hope your kitty recovers. Best wishes and prayers to you both that everything turns out okay.

Answer 4

Just watch her closely, try and make sure she drinks water even if you put some in a syringe and give her a little that way (you can also mix canned food with a little warm water and stir it up and feed to her in a syringe).You can look at her gums to see if she is pale looking, if so..get some hot water bottles (wrapped n a towel) or warm towels and place around her to keep her body temp up...Be sure and give her lots of love and keep giving her the meds..that will make her feel better.

Answer 5

Give her half gatorade/powerade and water get you a syringe or something you can squeeze it into her mouth with, that way it will help keep her hydrated. A high wbc is over 10 or so. Your vet probably said 15K instead of 51K as a 5 would not be a high wbc. And at a 51 I would think they would suggest hospitalization to begin with.

Answer 6

Just continue doing what the vet says. If she ate more today than she had in 3 days, that's already a good sign. Just let her rest as much as possible and pet her gently every now and then and speak soothingly to her so she feels your love.

Answer 7

get to drink as much water as you can and rest her. but mainly pay give her affection- it can go a long way. take her to the vet to check up onher, and stay in touch with the vet. i personally dont think you will be able to fully cure her by yourself without the proper stuff, so she may have to be hospitalized.
i hope all goes well!

Answer 8

Can't spell but try 1/2 of a benadryal

Answer 9

She probably should be on an IV with that kind of infection. Keep her calm and try to get her to drink water.

Answer 10

Please don't give your poor kitty a Benadryl! If she's feeling that poorly, she won't be as stressed out by being hospitalized as you'd think. Take her in. First thing in the morning.