HE IS ALREADY BEING TREATED BY A VET
before anyone says rush the cat to the vet!
However the vet is uncertain what is wrong thought they seem a good vet, have consulted with other collegues and have showed great care and interest in the problem. He is a lovely cat and we really want to help him.
The cat has control of passing solids at a normal frequency but they are very soft followed by a trail off into 'soup' each time he goes and this has been going on for at least 2 months and probably longer at a more minor level. He is also suffering from minor internal bleeding that the vet says must be near the very end of the digestive tract. His stomach rumbles really loudly and he is clearly in pain on occasion, though both of these latter have stopped since steroid injections.
The cat has been wormed, had antibiotics, been tested extensively for parasites, bacteria and virus infections (some done by Edinburgh University Vet Feline dept) and all have come back showing nothing.
The vet is now treating him with steroids to try and reduce the inflammation and speed of the digestive tract. The cat has put on a bit of weight since (he is normal weight, but never gained weight even though eating loads, though he is a very active cat and must use up calories).
The vet is now treating this as either irritable bowel syndrome or possibly cancer though they think the cat is very young to have cancer, so its less likely. Another possibility is that he has some other unknown underlying health problem that is having a knock on effect, but there are apparently lots of possiblities including the cat being born 'faulty' on some level - my words, not the vets.
The vet does not want to do a biopsy as it is risky and the treatment would probably remain steroids whatever the outcome. There have been no scans or xrays, but I don't know if they would help anyway. He could just have an allergy to some item he is eating, but its hard to pick out what it could be. Simplifying his diet seems to have helped a bit.
The cat is a stray we have adopted (the whole area knows the story of his abandonment). He lived rough on what he could catch or steal for about 18 months.
Anyone had similar with their cat and did they find any way to improve the situation?
Thanks. And sorry about the yucky details!
Yes, one of mine did. The story doesn't have a happy ending though. She died almost exactly a year ago.
The vets couldn't really do too much and reckoned she had Leukemia. Which is surprising as she was an indoor cat.
The symptoms here sound almost exactly the same, btw.
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The cat is a stray we have adopted (the whole area knows the story of his abandonment). He lived rough on what he could catch or steal for about 18 months.
could just be as simple as the change of diet then? Seen that happen a lot
Sounds very similar to a problem we had with a cat a long time ago. Turned out to be the feline equivilent of AIDS. Not that this will make you feel any better right enough.
Ours was kind of similar, but it was when we'd just brought her home from the adoption centre & she wasn't house-trained. It eased once we were letting her outside to do her stuff, so possibly not quite the same background.
From my much more knowledgable g/f:
"so, my parents breed Bengals, and I got a kitten right when they started out years ago. My cat had been wormed and vaccinated and vet checked but had this really wattery diahorea, often with blood in it.
A very unpleasent time for both the cat and myself, I had it at the vet regularly but they couldn't find anything wrong, despite various tests and swabs, which obviously there was. We contacted other breeders and they suggested it might be Giardia, and that a normal worming dose wouldn't clear it. So, taking their advice we used a wormer called panacur for 5 consecutive days and it sorted everything out.
There is a new wormer on the market for cats that kills Giardia which, I believe, would only need one dose. Otherwise a normal wormer needs to be used over 5 days. I would check with your vet which wormer has been used, and if it hasn't been treated for Giardia I'd give it a go. Either way, a 5 day worming won't harm your cat.
Apologies if you've already tried this, good luck"
I would just like to thank everyone who has replied so far, as all these possibilities are worth checking out and we will mention the medical ones to the vet when we go back.
franciscobegbie - I am sorry for the loss of your cat. Awful to loose a pet isnt it. Most kind of you to reply.
Have you been mansexing it?
We had almost exactly the same symptoms with our Tonkinese. The vet gave him the standard treatments, kaolin, anti-inflamitories, some other orange stuff that he spat out and it stained the paintwork!
About 2-3 weeks ago the vet went for steriods an a change of food. This has 'solved' the problem within two days. The food is Purina hypoallergenic.
I am anxiously waiting the steroid wearing off in the next week or so.
Matt
Many years ago I had a cat who starting to pass blood on her stools, it turned out to be bowel cancer - she was only 7. Of course I'm sure that many conditions can cause a cat to pass blood, so I hope it turns out ok for yours.
Absolutely, try to knock out the IBS / allergy potential first ...
One quick thought on that - Does he drink cows milk? - if so, take this out of his diet - lots of cats are lactose intolerant.
If he's had tests for viral infections, I'd assume (but check) that the tests would look at Feline Immunodeficiency, and Feline infectious peritonitis (although it's really not sounding like the latter, other than the looseness of stools). The infection vectors for both those, and for Feline leukaemia are there in his past, as he's been a feral/semi-feral, so will have almost certainly had contact / fights with infected cats. His overall condition will give some indication there, as those conditions do degrade the overall health of the cat - but your vet will know all this of course ... 😉
He might have 'IBS' from eating something duff / rank in the past and having damaged / irritated his gut lining, he's having problems getting it back on an even keel. Stress is also an IBS trigger of course ...
Steroids will help repair any irritation, and slowing down the digestive tract will help too, as it'll limit the physical attrition. Worming will also help.
Does he still eat from the wild, or has he stopped that?
Eating 'game' will reinfect him with worms, but is hard to stop - even in cats that have never been feral ...
Ideally, you'll find the right steroid does over time, and treat him with the lowest level he needs. You might find that this is a chronic condition however, if it is IBS/allergy.
Has your surgery got (or could recommend) a feline nutritionist you could talk to about allergies / IBS. It'll come down to not feeding stuff with too much crap in it, but Hills and Royal Canin, cater for lots of 'special' dietary requirements.
Fingers / paws crossed.