Hi there,

My cat has been very sick the past few months and we have done everything we possibly can for her. She's been to the vet easily over 30 times for various blood counts and meds and I am desperate for her to be well again.

The story is long, but thank you for taking your time to help.

Her mom was wild and dropped her off on our door step at about 3 weeks old, I bottle fed her and she was the perfect little kitten. Now she is about 9 months old and for the past three months has been very sick. It started with some crusties on her ear. I took her into the vet to get her shots and to ask about the crust and they said they could not give her the shots until she was 100%. The vet looked her over and decided we NEEDED to X Ray, so we did that. She say that the intestines look like they were tangled up and she believed it was a string. So we decided to operate. A few hours later she came back and said that it was not a string, it was a small 'water' ulcer that she had only ever seen in Colts, and that she couldn't give us anymore information because she didn't know from the top of her head. She said there would be no more problems. A few weeks later she started up again, we didn't really like that vet so we went to another. After going through everything he basically asked us if we took her to a 'real' vet. He was quite upset. So after ridiculous amounts of blood work and meds. Her white blood cell count has gone from 44 to now a 66. Normal is between 5 - 19 I was told. She seems to do fine on the meds and doesn't vomit but as soon as the course is done she starts up again. Her ears started getting sores on them because she was scratching her ears and face so much. The last med course we gave her had ear drops and now they have all seemed to clear up and she seems to be getting hair back on them but she is starting to puke again. It starts with just once a day then gets to the point with blood. She has no problem eating, going to the bathroom. Somedays she is good and jumping around like her normal self and others she is just lazy and sleepy. We have tried everything and done lots of tests and now they say the only thing left is to do a biopsy, but I really don't want to put her through that. Please, if anyone has any information I would so greatly appreciate it. Thanks so much.

A biopsy on what?

Has anyone tested her for allergies?

Has your cat been tested for FIV/FeLV?

Yes she has been tested for FIV, twice and its negative. I'm guessing a biopsy from her stomach, I'm not too sure, it's because they think it's cancer.

No, she hasn't been tested for allergies, but the vet did switch her food to a wet hypoallergenic cat food because he said you never know.

Yes she has been tested for FIV, twice and its negative. I'm guessing a biopsy from her stomach, I'm not too sure, it's because they think it's cancer.

No, she hasn't been tested for allergies, but the vet did switch her food to a wet hypoallergenic cat food because he said you never know.

Please use the Answer box like you did with the first response, and not the Comment box, unless it's a very short comment of just a few words.

He switched her to hypoallergenic food "because you never know"? But that's his job to find out and to know!! I'd avoid a biopsy (unless he has real facts to back him up) and check for allergies. Stomach cancer? What evidence does he have so far for that?

What about an infection somewhere? Liver? Kidneys? How long is the course for the meds?

She could have allergies. My boy suffered from allergies and he still does at age 11, but I have it under control. He would vomit, had sore all over his face, head and back, his eyes water after he eats, he has diarrea and blood in his stools. He is otherwise healthy. His fur is nice, he is a bit overweight and his breath is fine. It took some time but I made some changes and they are paying off. Do not use any plastic. I switched to glass or ceramic bowls and it made a HUGE difference. Do not use the plastic covers on cans of food. I tried all sorts of kinds of food (including perscription) and Science Diet seems to work the best. I have heard other people who's cats with problems cleared up after moving to Science Diet. I switched him to the Nature Science Diet. My cat still uses a plastic cat box but if your cat has bad allergies to plastic you might want to try to find another kind of tray or box.
I have a lot of experience with abandoned, sick or abused cats and I am a big believer in using natural holistic ways to soothe them, as they are animals. Medicine is necessary sometimes but I truly believe in mimicking the nurturing a mother would give, especially if this kitten was abandoned. Keep her warm against your body give her long strokes with your hand like her mother would clean her and make the environment as warm and natural as possible. I think all the stress of car rides, cold metal tables at the vet and the smells and sounds of other animals at the vets just adds stress to the animal and makes it harder for them to recover.