Ask Me Help Desk - Old cat, chronic diarrhea, eye mucus

I have an eleven year old barn cat with chronic diarrhea, bloody stool, and mucus around his eyes that sometimes mats his eyes closed. I took him to the vet who diagnosed him with Feline Distemper. He gave me an oral paste, Enisyl-F, and said it would help the symptoms, but that the Distemper would be with him forever.

The symptoms have never gotten much better, and my cats persistent symptoms don't match what I've read about Distemper on the inernet. Does anyone have any idea what disease/parasite, etc. might cause both the bloody diarrhea and eye mucus? I would appreciate any ideas that I could follow up on.
Thanks!

It is very difficult for a vet to separate this particular diagnosis, from others that produce the same syptoms, and actually say your cat has distemper, although if your cat never had a vaccination against feline distemper then there is a good chance this is the cause of the symptoms. Enisy-F is a dietary supplement not a cure and will only fulfill one function. I assume he is not drinking at all and it is imperative that cats have water down with their food at all times. I am not saying that you don't, I am just pointing that out.

Normally distemper is relegated to very small kittens, the runt of the litter in a barn who can't fight long and hard enough to take a nipple from a stronger sibbling and doesn't have a well developed immune system, they expire with convulsions. Unfortunately I have seen this happen.

I am sorry to say that is probably no cure for your cat's condition. If he has distemper he has reduced white blood cells enabling him to fight off the condition. Dehydration is the result and there is no way, at home, you can prevent this from happening. You just can't make him drink and liver failure will follow.

I wish I could say there is hope, but I cant.

I have questions though. Have you had this cat since kittenhood, the entire eleven years? If so, did he always display symptoms of this disease, although carrying on with day to day activities ?

Our cat was sick, and it ended up being a brain tumor. He was 13, and just too weak, and miserable all the time. Sometimes we just have to do the best thing as to end their misery. We always wish that GOD would take them in a gracious manner, like nature intended. But that's not always the case, and WE have to do it.

If your cat's quality of life has gone away, you need to help him out.

I wish you the best.

Thanks to both of you for your resposne. The cat has actually had these symptoms for years - he showed up as a barn cat and has always looked a bit sick, but acted fairly healthy. We live in the country and he stays outside. The diarrhea has just gotten worse the last couple days. A friend recommended I give him a good dewormer and put him on high fber food to help the diarrhea.

Quote:

You just can't make him drink and liver failure will follow.

You can't make a cat drink, but you can give them subq fluids at home.

Distemper symptoms usually come on rather suddenly. It also more likely will affect a younger cat cause an older one can be more resistant. It sounds a little odd since he has had these symptoms for years. Was blood work done? It's all related to gastrointestinal stuff, but I'm wondering if there's some other problem going on, like having a lot of trouble with parasites (being outdoors that wouldn't surprise me) or IBD. I'm wondering if it's related to the food he is eating. What's he eating?

The dewormer is not really a bad idea. I could easily see that being the problem. Seems like it wouldn't hurt to try an antibiotic as well, though sometimes that's difficult without knowing exactly what it is. (Although they can cause diarrhea in some cats, depending on how they react.)

As for high fiber, that shouldn't be necessary if the diet is good to begin with. But being a barn cat, it's hard telling what he's eating. Most foods that are specially made to be high fiber are crappy foods to start with. You can look for something that has like pumpkin or squash in it. (You can actually feed a bit of pumpkin if he'll eat it.)

If he's had chronic diarrhea, he is likely very dehydrated. They do not have to show obvious symptoms to be dehydrated. If you're using dry food, keep in mind it's dry. That is dehydrating to a cat without diarrhea because cats get their moisture from their prey and not much from drinking water. An average dry food is about 10% moisture. So that is just making things worse.

The eye mucas could be infection, maybe just chronic from living outdoors. Some diseases, which may exist, can lower their immune system and open them up to getting other infectious stuff. So you may have two or three different things going on at once. That complicates diagnosing anything of course.

I realize this is a barn cat. Cats do live better when kept as "pets" indoors, but he's been a barn cat probably his whole life and I'm sure is quite used to his freedom. I don't know how much you can do for him in that situation. You have the choice of bringing him inside, or just do the best you can for him being outdoors.

If it seems he can't be treated well enough to have at least a respectible life, then it may be time for him to move on. I do hope you can do something for him though.

Thsnks so much for taking the time to reply. I will definitely try canned catfod for a while (his appetite has always been good) and get a dewormer right away. I will also ask the vet about getting an antibiotic and something for his eyes. He's a sweet old cat, but I know you are right. I'll do the best I can to improve things for him, and then think about next steps.

Hello, I would like to ask what kind of conditions exist in the barn where he lives? Old deteriorating lead paint? That can cause diarrhea in older animals.

Or is there Moldy bedding? Do you house poultry including pidgeons living in the rafters? He could have a chronic condition due to these, known as farmer's lung its similar to the black lung of coalminers.

George - it's actually a clean barn. We don't have any farm animals. The cats sleep in the barn when the weather turns bad. It's just a metal pole barn that holds the tractor, lawn mower, tools, etc. We keep hay out there for them in the winter. Thanks for your ideas.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tickle

It is very difficult for a vet to separate this particular diagnosis, from others that produce the same syptoms, and actually say your cat has distemper, although if your cat never had a vaccination against feline distemper then there is a good chance this is the cause of the symptoms. Enisy-F is a dietary supplement not a cure and will only fulfill one function. I assume he is not drinking at all and it is imperative that cats have water down with their food at all times. I am not saying that you dont, I am just pointing that out.

Normally distemper is relegated to very small kittens, the runt of the litter in a barn who can't fight long and hard enough to take a nipple from a stronger sibbling and doesnt have a well developed immune system, they expire with convulsions. Unfortunately I have seen this happen.

I am sorry to say that is probably no cure for your cat's condition. If he has distemper he has reduced white blood cells enabling him to fight off the condition. Dehydration is the end result and there is no way, at home, you can prevent this from happening. You just can't make him drink and liver failure will follow.

I wish I could say there is hope, but I cant.

I have questions though. Have you had this cat since kittenhood, the entire eleven years? If so, did he always display symptoms of this disease, although carrying on with day to day activities ?

I thought the virus that causes feline distemper (feline distemper virus, FDV) IS found by performing lab tests on the body secretions - salive, urine, feces, vomit.

I also have never read it's normally a disease of small kittens.

I have read that after the first week if the cat survives it's a good sign. The majority die soon after diagnosis or becoming ill.

What is your source?

Feline Distemper = Panleukopenia.

Do you have other barn cats? It is highly contagious.
If you have the money, take the cat back to the vet. Panleuk CAN be treated. It's similar to parvo in dogs. They could put him on IV fluids to help with his dehydration, and get him on antibiotics to help out.

Here's some info if you wish to read up:
http://maxshouse.com/feline_panleukopenia.htm

Quote:

Originally Posted by tickle

Enisy-F is a dietary supplement not a cure and will only fulfill one function.

Enisyl-F was probably prescribed as a way to manage his URI. We usually dispense it for cats with FHV or FVR.