My Kitty Tom

Stacy Brown ( sbrown@mcslink.com )
Thu, 18 Feb 1999 08:33:12 -0600

I am writing in regard to my cat Tom. He was diagnosed with fel. leuk. a
few years ago, but has always remained quite healthy. He only once got a
little fever two years ago when we moved from Oklahoma to Texas. It cleared
up in about 3 days, and he has been great ever since. We recently moved
again, but within the city to a very peaceful apartment. He seemed pretty
happy, still playing, eating well. Last week however, I noticed he seemed a
little depressed. I believe something got ahold of him and he wasn't
feeling so well. He was eating a little less, not quite as active, etc. By
the weekend he was drinking tons of water and not eating. Then I noticed
him visiting the litter box with no results. I rushed him to the vet
fearing crystals in the bladder. It turns he has a bladder infection, and
then his bloodwork revealed his white cells to be 2.something, and his red
down to 25. The doctor warned me that the fel. leuk. had finally affected
his bone marrow, and that this could be the beginning of the end. He put
him on some routine antibiotics to try to kick the bladder infection. I
asked him about drugs such as interferon, etc., and he said he could check
into getting them and the cost, etc., but that he really didn't believe they
were any help. Now Tom has been on the antibiotics for three days, and he
is getting worse. He is finally eating some, though he needs lots of
encouragement to do so. He is weak and lethargic, and I fear he is maybe
hallucinating. He is gazing around as if following the movement of a fly or
bug, but there is no bug, and he prefers to hide in the cabinet where it is
dark. I could not get off work to stay home with him and I'm really worried
that my doctor is just not going to do anything to work with me on this. I
worry that he should maybe be on an IV or that there is something else we
are not catching. The doctor also said his urine is extremely diluted.
Does anyone have any advice? I plan to call around to other vets during my
lunchbreak, and to go home to check on him. I don't want him to have to
ride in the car in this state. His health just went down so fast, in just a
few days time. I would appreciate any advice.