Sick Cat - Possibly Leukemia, I need your advice CP.

[IliketoPuck]

The title pretty much sums it up.

My Fiancee and I have two cats, a little kitten that we just recently adopted, and a two year old tabby that we got from petland a year and a half ago.

The two year old has recently (the last month and a half) become increasingly lethargic and uninterested, he has also lost over two pounds which is quite a lot for a cat his size. His day consists of sleeping, eating a little bit of food, and staring at the wall. This is completely inconsistent with how he used to act, he used to play, fetch and generally have a high energy level.

So we took him into the vet on Friday and had some blood work run on him, and it came back today. The vet suspects it's leukemia, but the screen for it came up negative on the blood work, yet she still thinks it might be leukemia. In any case he is very anemic at the moment, and for whatever reason his bone marrow isn't producing enough red blood cells. She has prescribed him some steroids (which are just a stop-gap measure at the moment), but beyond that has suggested taking a bone marrow sample to be sure if it is leukemia or not.

IF it is leukemia, there isn't anything we can do and if it isn't leukemia, they don't have any idea what is making him sick, and the steroids may or may not help to bring his red blood cell count up.

I guess what I'm asking is if any of you have any past experience with something like this.

We don't want to have to put Theo down, but we also don't want to see him suffer, and to be honest we can't afford to pay thousands of dollars in vet bills for a bone marrow sample that would just confirm that we can't do anything.

In addition, the vet mentioned if he has leukemia he might be able to transfer it to the kitten, which would devastate my Fiancee, all in all I got absolutely no advice on where to go from here.

Thanks in advance.....it's been a ****ty day, any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.

[JiriHrdina]

First - sorry to hear. I've been going through a pile of stuff with my cat for the last year. She's about 18 though so the situation is a little different.

I would get a 2nd opinion - I had a vet mis-diagnose my cat recently. Maybe if you take it to another vet they will see something the first one didn't.

If you want PM me and I can recommend someone.

My whole approach with my cat has been not to put her through any unnecessary suffering or pain....but again with a younger cat its a tougher call.

Good luck with it all.

[IliketoPuck]

Thanks Jiri, I think a second opinion is a good idea.

At the end of the day I guess it comes down to quality of life, I don't want to see him suffer too much.

Even if the steroids help him spring back for a little bit, he will still deteriorate eventually.

We are very worried about the second cat however, and don't want her to contract it, even though it is highly likely that she already has.

Its so tough because he is such an awesome little guy, but it is what it is I guess.

[Pinner]

Putting a pet down is often much more humane than treating disease.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by IliketoPuck

We don't want to have to put Theo down, but we also don't want to see him suffer, and to be honest we can't afford to pay thousands of dollars in vet bills for a bone marrow sample that would just confirm that we can't do anything.

Not sure if you read the Euthanasia thread, but it's a good place for some thoughts about the subject. In fact just yesterday my gf and I had to euthanize our 4 year old cat for many of the same reasons. She was perfectly fine two days ago, and yesterday we woke up to her barely moving. Long story short, while the immediate vet bills weren't cheap, it was the long-term costs, commitment, and the the thought of her suffering, that made our decision for us. It was tough....extremely though to be honest.....but I think we made the right decision. I'm sure you will too.

[IliketoPuck]

It is a very sad situation, and as I've been researching it, it seems like there might be a few ways to counter the anemia if it isn't feline leukemia, if it is he really doesn't have a chance.

And we also don't want to prolong the inevitable at the cost of his quality of life. He used to be such an active cat, and now he stares at the wall or looks at you with sad eyes...sucks.

[Captain_Obvious]

Sorry to hear about this. I am a cat person and have had to put a couple down over my life time (thankfully they both lived to a good age for cats though)...

It is certainly a tough call, but at the end of the day you hit the nail on the head with the quality of life bit.

If it appears the cat is suffering at all, it's best to say your goodbye. The urge to hang on too long is usually a bit selfish on our part as pet owners. If they are sick and suffering, say your goodbye and have it put down.

Some advice if it comes to that: Ask the vet to hold your cat while they give it the injection. I did this for the last two cats I had to have put down and it was bitter sweet in a way. It was hard for me but in both cases the little fella was in my arms at the end and I'm sure it took some comfort in it's familiarity with me in it's final moments.

Best of luck with everything.

[GoFlamesGo89]

I asked an adult (human) hematologist about this, and here's their take without knowing any other info about other cell counts, and cat-specific knowledge:

1. There may be other reasons why the red blood cell count is lowered, for example in humans, certain viruses (eg. parvo virus) causes this. Also, iron or vitamin B12 deficiency.
2. Other illnesses such as an infection, inflammation, other types of cancers could be the primary issues, and the anemia a side-effect / complication.

She definitely doesn't think the bone marrow is worth it if nothing can be done, but it may worth checking with a vet if any of the other possible effects can be tested for using simple blood test. If nothing else comes up, then she recommends the most humane course of action.

One thing which didn't make sense is the transmission of leukemia to the kitten (although that may be an animal specific thing) which certainly isn't heard of in humans. I would check into that as well.

Hope that helps.

[mikey_the_redneck]

This place is hilarious, as if I got an infraction for that...

[JustAnotherGuy]

I am dealing with a sick older cat and had an issue recently with a hamster. So I kinda understand what you are going through. So many thoughts and directions and possibilities.

You sound like you are good people and you want to do the right thing. I believe that you have love in your heart and the decisions that you make are the right ones because of that. That little kitty is lucky to have you guys as his 'owners'.

[IliketoPuck]

Thanks for the advice and ideas everyone, I just want him to get back to being how he was, and will do everything within reason to get him there.

Iron deficiency is a possibility, but he does eat a diet rich in iron, so I'm not sure if it is that, but to be honest I'm no vet, just a concerned owner.

Anemia in cats is almost always caused by some more severe underlying condition. Hopefully the steroids help to get him feeling a little better and maybe it is just something as simple as a virus or bacterial infection.

[afc wimbledon]

I would suggest finding someone who can look after the kitten while you try to work out if the older cat is contagious.

[psicodude]

I had a cat die from Leukemia a few years back and your description of the symptoms sounds exactly the same as my cat had. He went from perfectly healthy to barely able to move within a few days. Very sad.

Getting a second opinion is the prudent thing to do, but if a second vet says it's Leukemia, please have the decency to put the animal out of its misery. Judging by your posts here, it sounds like you are a realistic person, but I have seen friends make very poor judgments about their pets based upon emotion alone.

I hope it works out well.

[First Lady]

Difficult situation indeed, when there is not immediate explanation and remedy.

One thing I will say though, about all animals and pets in particular; they will put up with a lot of pain and suffering before it actually becomes noticable to us.

I've sadly seen cases where the owners hold onto hope too long. They try everything under the sun and the pet is basically "just getting by".

[IliketoPuck]

We don't want to put him through pain, just so we can be with him for a longer period of time.

A question for the owner who had a cat die of leukemia, how was it diagnosed? Through a blood test or marrow test?

[psicodude]

Originally Posted by IliketoPuck

We don't want to put him through pain, just so we can be with him for a longer period of time.

A question for the owner who had a cat die of leukemia, how was it diagnosed? Through a blood test or marrow test?

Blood test.

Maybe we were further along in the disease though, because you stated your cat can still get up and eat. My cat literally could not move, so I suppose there is a possibility it's not Leukemia.

It was about 5 days between the first symptoms and us putting him down.

[CaptainCrunch]

You learn something new everyday, I was like, how in the hell can Leukemia be contagious.

So I looked it up and its a viral disease.

Sorry, back on track, but you have to do what you think is best for the cat and for yourself. Its not worth it to the cat nor to you to make it suffer through this. Your also stuck in a tough spot because of the economic reality that the tests are expensive.

I hated my dad for a long time when he put my dog down, I never thought of the dog who was my best friend as being ill. but I'm glad he did, the poor thing was suffering and it wasn't fair to him or us.

[IliketoPuck]

Originally Posted by psicodude

Blood test.

Maybe we were further along in the disease though, because you stated your cat can still get up and eat. My cat literally could not move, so I suppose there is a possibility it's not Leukemia.

It was about 5 days between the first symptoms and us putting him down.

The blood test we just got back showed that he was negative for leukemia, yet the vet still seems to think that a marrow test would prove that he has it.

This is where I am leaning towards thinking that he might not have leukemia but that it might be something else that is causing the anemia.

If it something easily fixable, that can improve his quality of life then obviously we will do it, I just don't know if playing ring around the rosy with the diagnostics is the way to go.

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by IliketoPuck

The blood test we just got back showed that he was negative for leukemia, yet the vet still seems to think that a marrow test would prove that he has it.

This is where I am leaning towards thinking that he might not have leukemia but that it might be something else that is causing the anemia.

If it something easily fixable, that can improve his quality of life then obviously we will do it, I just don't know if playing ring around the rosy with the diagnostics is the way to go.

I had a cat where a vet couldn't seem to figure out the problem . . . .

In the end, after batteries of other tests looking for other things, we finally went to the expense - basically a last straw - of x-rays and found the cat had swallowed a nickel.

The metal was gradually dissolving in his stomach and slowly poisoning him, creating a lot of the problems you described.

An operation and the greatest cat in the history of the world lived many more years. The vet liked to take that half-dissolved nickel around to schools and show the kids what stomach acids can do.

Ultimately, we always outlive them so there's always a sad day coming in the future. If it doesn't have to be today, however, then that's a bonus.

Cowperson

[IliketoPuck]

Just talked with the vet, apparently the lab tech that did the blood work was shocked that theo was able to still function with how low his red blood cell count is. He is one tough little guy.

I asked the vet to be completely frank with me, and she said that they have no idea what is wrong with him, obviously they suspect leukemia, but can't prove or disprove it at this point. She said to keep giving him the steroids and hopefully he will bounce back over the next few weeks.

I did ask if he was suffering or in pain, and the vet said no he was not, but that he is just dozy because of the lack of blood cells. If he continues to use his litter and eat regularly then we are just in a wait and see pattern.

I got all choked up last night when he crawled over and snuggled on my chest for an hour....it is hard to remind yourself that it is an animal, but he knows what's going on, i'm sure of it.