Please help! I work at a cat rescue and we have a kitten here who has crazy, off-the-charts blood work (to the point that the vet is surprised she's still alive) and symptoms such as diarrhea, runny nose, shaking of the upper body while breathing (difficulty breathing?).. A few cats from the same household/litter have died prematurely from this weird, unknown problem/virus. She has been on medication for weeks with no improvement. She was on, I think, Clavamox and Medrol. She is now just taking Nutracal.

The vet has no idea what is wrong with her, and we are all afraid that one day we'll come in and she will no longer be living.


What could possibly be wrong and how can we fix it?

Thanks so much,
Lizzie

Does the kitten perhaps have FIP (feline infectious peritonitis)? It is caused by a specific coronavirus, which usually presents itself with a certain protein that is greatly helpful in diagnoses. It is hard to diagnose, but we believe our little kitten has it (by ruling out other diseases and because of supportive bloodwork results) and he will surely die from it. There is no cure for FIP, and many different meds will only help to prolong their life shortly and/or make them more comfortable. Here is a helpful website: http://www.dr-addie.com/WhatIsFIP.htm She might be having difficulty breathing because of fluid building up in her stomach and compressing her lungs. I hope this helps! Goodluck.

Thanks for your response

He is testing for FIP (as much as one can test for it). I am a bit irritated that he didn't test beforehand. The kitten seems to be doing okay, holding in there, eating, sometimes cleaning herself, sometimes playing. I just can't accept that she is just one of that cats who is 'not healthy.' There has to be some reason, even if there is nothing we can do about it.

I got quite a lecture about interfering with the doctor's work..

Wow, um... Has your vet consulted with an internest? She should be on fluids for hydration if she isn't already. She may also have a viral disease like FIP that you cannot test for. Your vet should consult other vets on this matter.