Cat illnesses

[cmh9023]

My cat Charlie has been very lethargic for several days. I took him to the vet on Friday. They did an x-ray to check for the beginnings of pneumonia since he's had that before. They also wanted to look at his heart because he had to have an ultrasound once because it looked somewhat enlarged. The x-ray looked fine. His temperature was normal, his weight was the same as his last visit, his fecal sample came back fine. I've seen him poop but not sure about pee (I have two cats so its hard to tell) but he's not going outside the litterbox at all. I've also seen him eat and drink (again hard to know how much with two cats).

However, he is still so lethargic and sleeping all the time. I worry because he is normally an absolute wild man...VERY active. Earlier tonight he was sound asleep on his back and didn't move when I called his name or even when I touched him at first. I thought he was dead! But then he finally woke up. I also worry because his is FIV positive so I try to catch any health problems very early on.

The vet said to watch him for another day or two. If he is still lethargic to bring him in for blood work. I'm definitely taking him in on Monday. What other illnesses could this be? What kind of illnesses will the blood tests test for? He's about 1 1/2 lbs overweight. Could that be part of it?

Sorry this is so long. He's my heart cat. I found him in very bad shape living under a bush when he was a kitten, so we've been through a lot together. I worry about him so much. I know there's some "cat people" on the forum so I thought I'd ask.

Thanks,

Cara

 

[seniorcats]

It sounds like he had a really good check up and it's good news that his xray and temperature were normal. Maybe it's just the weather even if he is indoors all the time. How old is he? Our Goblin has been a wild man bouncing all over the place. He is finally settling down at the age of 3.

FIV is a very slow disease to develop and most cats live very long and healthy lives especially if they are indoors and without stress. Our FIV kitty, Screech, lived for 10 years after we got her. She was 12 going on 13 before she ever had a serious health problem.

The blood work would probably be a Complete Blood Count (CBC) and it checks the same thing as the human CBC http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/cbc/test.html

Some diseases can causeelevations in the numbers and it may not mean anything. My own CBC's always produce high numbers indicative of inflammation but it's simply because I have a genetic autoimmune disease. It doesn't mean I have any new illness or problem.There are ranges for the numbers and your vet can tell you what is normal, abnormal and if it has any significance.

It's a good indicator of infection and canhelp identify liver and kidney problems and anemia. Gum infections, bladder and kidneyinfections and anemia seem to be some of the things that can bother cats with FIV.

I think you're doing the right thing by getting the blood work done. Some vets may also add a thyroid panel to the CBC but usually they do that for older cats. What sounds really good is that he is eating and has a normal temp. I've always found my cats will stop eating if they feel the least bit bad.

Another new thing I learned at the vets recently, they now have new equipment to check the status of the teeth below the gum and find infections before they really become a serious problem. Our vet took some really neat pictures to show us some develping problems where the roots were going bad before the teeth showed a problem. You may want to ask your vet tocheck his mouth really well. Again, if he iseating, a dental problem seems unlikely.

You desreve a big pat on the back for taking great care of your cats and especially for having an FIV cat.

 

[cmh9023]

Thanks for writing back, Seniorcats! I was about to go to bed but decided to check my posting one more time.

He is about 2 1/2, which is approximate since I found him. I've thought too that maybe he is just finally settling down. It just seems strange that he settled down SO much in about a week's time. It's so strange not to see him harassing my other cat and wanting to wrestle her, not chasing his toys, etc.

The vet commented that he had great looking teeth and gums so that was good news. I also thought about thyroid. My older cat had hyperthyroid and got a radioactive iodine treatment that basically cured it. For him I was thinking maybe hypo-thyroid instead of hyper?

I just followed him downstairs and sat for awhile to see what he would do and I was glad to see he both pooped and urinated. Now I'm going to follow him upstairs to see if he eats and drinks..haha. Well, I actually know he is doing both because he also has feline herpes so he gets a squirt of lysine mixed with a little food and water every day. He ate that just a little while ago.

Does 1 1/2 pounds seem a lot overweight or just a little? He weights 13 pounds and definitely has a little belly on him. The weather has been bad here. It's rained and stormed for 8 days in a row. Yuck. I find I'm just so much more familiar with rabbit illnesses. I came by both my cats unexpectedly and never had cats before in my life.

I'm hopeful that even with his FIV status he can live a long and happy life. I take him to the vet the moment I notice anything is amiss I just love him.

Cara

 

[seniorcats]

It's good to hear someone else 'stalks' their animals to see if they are eating and pooping. They always seem to knowwhen we're watching. Maybe it is the weather. We've had similar weather and my catsare being total bed lumps.

Hypothyroidism is rare in cats but it can happen. Hyperthyroidism is more common in cats. Like dogs and humans, with hypothyroidismyou would notice lethargy, weight gain, dry skin, fur dullness, drying and fur loss, achy and stiff joints. I could talk about thyroid disease all day because I also got my thyroid 'nuked' with radioactive iodine 10 years ago. Cushing's disease or syndrome, which can add weight, isn't that common in catsand it's usually secondary to something else. Blood work would identitfy a thyroid problem and possibly adrenal problems.

I think Iheard a cat food commercial that said 2 pounds overweight in cats is like 20 pounds overweight in humans. Don't know if it's true or not.

Diabetes can be a problem in cats - usually older cats. But then there is either a big weight gain or big weight loss, plus lots of water drinking and urinating.

I'll be interested to hear what your vet has to say. Yeah, I love all my cats too. They come first before the rabbits. Hope no one is offended by that.

Ann