I got a Bengal from a breeder here in Indiana but the cat came from Flordia. She is a year old Bengal and was brought here after the huricane. She came here last November. She is sick and I have taken her to the vet (4 or 5 vets) and she isnb't getting better. We've tried anitibiotics and I've tried a humidifier, but she sneezes and has green snot coming out of her nose. She gets worse when the weather is cold or the air is dry. She was found outside along with 2 other cats, one is also sick the other isn't. I'm running out of options and money fast and despertly need help. I need some ideas that may have been overlooked so that I can sugest it to one of her vets. Have there been any outbreaks like this? Has this been incountered before? I don't expect you to cure her, but I need help please. I don't want her to suffer and I don't want to put her to sleep. It isn't FIV or Feline Lukemia, she's been tested for both many times. Any sugestions or things I could try?
Answers:
There are apparently several unscrupulous (or hopefully just ignorant) Bengal breeders in the southeastern United States who have endemic FIP in their catteries. :-/ (I can't name names, however.)
The vaccine is ineffective at preventing it, and actually causes worse disease if they get it after vaccination (paradoxically), according to impressive research by Cornell and other renowned facilities. Most (uninformed) breeders give it anyway, however. I don't give it to my own cats.and won't until Cornell and/or Auburn give it a thumbs up.
FIP is a very frustrating virus of cats, as transmission is unpredictable..as well as clinical signs. One of my own cats in veterinary school was confirmed (on necropsy) to have FIP. A young stray kitten I had adopted who lived with her for several weeks never contracted it, however..and lived (in very good health) until she was almost 18. Any chronically ill cat is suspect. They don't all have the abdomen full of fluid that led to the name of the disease. It's one of the oldest diseases of cats, yet the least amount has been learned about it in the past 20-30 years, compared to other feline diseases. It's just elusive that way.
It's hard to test for, also. There is just NO specific test available, despite what some commercial laboratories are trying to pull over on the public recently. There are certain blood abnormalities (a very elevated blood protein level) and a problem in the internal structures of the eye (chorioretinitis) that are suggestive of it if FeLV and FIV have been thoroughly ruled out. (Those viruses can 'hide out' in the bone marrow, btw.and may not always show up on standard blood tests.)
Feline distemper (panleukopenia) doesn't sound likely at all, based on the signs you've described. It is not common anymore (due to vaccination programs), and it's relatively easy to diagnose with a simple CBC anyway. Its symptoms are GI-related, as it's basically the feline version of canine parvovirus. (Canine parvo originally came from feline distemper as a mutation, in fact.) The names are confusing, because canine distemper often causes either upper respiratory and/or GI signs, progressing to neurological. Canine distemper and Feline distemper are NOT the same thing. The causative viruses aren't even in the same family. There's a long story about how those names came about that way, but they've just never been changed once the feline 'distemper' virus was actually verified to be a parvovirus instead. Feline URI's are much more likely to be caused by rhinotracheitis, herpesvirus, calicivirus, chlamydia, etc. A snotty dog IS likely to have 'distemper'.but not a snotty cat.
If I were you, I'd ask for a referral to a feline internal medicine specialist (board-certified)..preferrab. at a University or other well-respected referral facility. Yes, it's more money.but it's your best chance of getting to the bottom of it in the most cost-effective manner. Many university teaching hospitals actually have lower fees than general practitioners, in fact..even though they have the best specialists.
Kitty prayers to you both. I hope it's NOT anything like that, because the prognosis is poor. :-(
Did they take skull/sinus x-rays? (Usually takes a specialist to interpret them properly, however.) Do a culture? A CBC and blood chemistry profile? Use an endoscope to look up in there (under sedation)? We just had a similar case in this week, except it was a Dachshund. Had been sneezing and having on-and-off nasal discharge for 6-8 weeks. He (and his owners) were miserable. Original DVM treated with antibiotics and antihistamines (nothing wrong with that to start), but just continued them when they kept going back, in spite of the fact they weren't helping. We are not specialists, and don't have an endoscope, but my colleague in our clinic who saw the case simply sedated the dog heavily and looked into her nostrils with an otoscope (usually used to look into ear canals.) She thought she might see the tip of something wayyyyy up in there. It took some work and a good bit of ingenuity, but she was finally able to extract what turned out to be a 3" blade of grass that had apparently been up in there the entire time. (Needless to say, the little dog and his owners are VERY grateful!, lol.) If your kitty was in Katrina (or one of the other hurricanes), there's no telling WHAT kind of debris might be lodged up in there. Depending on where she's been in the country, cryptococcus might also be a possibility..easily diagnosed with a stained 'snot' smear (sorry, lol) and microscope.
Those are just the first thoughts that come to mind. Hope it helps.
Seriously..it sounds like second opinion time, but since you've already gotten 4-5 opinions, I'd seek the help of an actual specialist at this point if I were you. Make sure you take copies of everything that has been done thus far..all test results, and copies of the doctor's notes.
Once an animals develops URI (Upper Respiratory Infection,) they are prone to getting it for the rest of their lives. One thing you can try are vitamins. You have to boost your cat's immune system.
Because I always have sick fosters in the house, I give my own cats Viralys Lysine. Your vet can get this for you. It's very inexpensive and cats usually love it. Since they started taking it none of them have developed URI.
In addition to this, your vet should have your cat on Amoxi or Clavamox. Keep up with the humidifier..it will help break up the snot, which she's currently sneezing out (this is a good thing!) Keep her away from drafts and make sure your house is nice and toasty for her! Good luck!
I am not sure what is wrong with your cat, but the other day i was watching discovery channel and a dog got this disease because of some bacteria around the house, couldn't breathe and had a lot of phlegm in his lung. vets had to keep him overnight and almost didn't make it.
your cat might have gotten some disease before you got him, or have gotten it from another cat. If possible find another vet in the area, sometimes going to just one doc isn't enough. I really hope your cat feels better soon.
Has this cat been vaccinated? It could be feline panleukopenia or FPV which is often referred to as feline distemper or feline parvo. A friend of mine brought in a kitten from the Marion animal shelter, it got sick about 10 days later with a fever of 105 and an upper respiratory infection. The kitten was put on Keflex and is actually better, but their older 9 month old kitten got sick and died within 24 hours, and their 2 year old got the uppper respiratory symptoms. It sounds like an upper resp virus. The Indy humane society was not accepting cats for a while because of an outbreak with feline distemper.
Have you had her vaccinated against feline distemper (Panleukopenia)? Or against Rhinotracheitis? You really want the vet to comb through any vet records possible. Distemper and parvovirus in canines seems to be making a slight comeback recently, and feline distemper is basically a mutated form of canine parvo. I'm sure she's been checked for simply an upper respiratory infection, but you always want to double check everything. Good luck!
feline herpes, sounds a lot like the sympoms my herpes cats show.
start her on 500mg-1000mg of l-lysine (you can get it in the supplement isle at walmart) I would probably start off with the 1000mg dose once a day.
also give 12.5mg of benadryl twice a day.
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