Any vets around please?

[NotShortImFunSized]

Hello,

I don't know if anyone can help but I just wanted to ask some advice. My sisters cat appeared unwell yesterday morning. Was just laying splayed out on the floor, didn't want to move, was very stiff, not very reactive to noises etc. She's only 8 months old so very unusual. Also was drinking when offered water then bringing it back up again a couple of minutes later.

She phoned the vet for advice, explained all the symptoms and they advised her to keep an eye on her and bring her to see them in the evening.

So she did this. Cat also had a very low temperature. Vet said no idea what's wrong, will keep her in and administer fluids and antibiotics. Ring and see how she is in the morning.

So then there's no change this morning. Vet says well I'll send off the blood we took yesterday and see if it shows anything.

They've just rang her back confirming antifreeze poisoning saying it's now too late to do anything and if no change by morning she will have to be put to sleep :(

All I'm really asking is surely if a cat showed with those symptoms would antifreeze poisoning be instantly suspected and surely the bloods should have been sent off and checked straight away?

Or is this one of those things that is easily missed?

Not that it's going to help in any way now. Poor little pussy cat. Only a baby :(

[thecatneuterer]

Oh god. How awful. I'm afraid I don't know the answer to your question though.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Oh god that's horrifying. Your poor sister, she must be in bits.

I'd be on the war path over that one.

[NotShortImFunSized]

Thank you for your replies. Still no change. So, so sad :(

[Toddlerteaplease]

The was a cat on super star with this and they gave it vodka. He survived. (With a hangover)

[Toddlerteaplease]

Supervet

[CatNip2]

IMO vets seem to use the anti freeze poisoning a bit too regularly these days, said the same about mine , suggested PTS, but in the end we agreed to put her on a drip and keep her in, twenty four hours later she was jumping around. Vet agreed no poisoning. She was just off colour and had got a little dehydrated.

[littlefrenchonion]

I'm a veterinary nurse and had your sister phoned my surgery with that description I'm afraid I would have asked her to come straight down, not wait until the evening!

Poisoning can sometimes take a while to emerge so repeated tests will show the condition worsening and the diagnosis becoming clearer, so I'm not too surprised of time scale here, especially if they needed to send blood away for further testing. If poisoning of some sort was suspected, intensive fluid therapy to flush out the toxins is usually first port of call, so that sounds about right to me.

I do think your sister should be questioning why she was not advised to get down to the surgery immediately though. Time is of the essence with poisoning cases. Sounds like the poor animal was in a state of collapse!

[Miloarmadillo1]

I'm a vet. Any animal that is collapsed should have been seen immediately. Sadly if the cat was showing symptoms of antifreeze poisoning it would likely have been too late anyway. If you know they've ingested it you can use alcohol as an alternative substrate, by the time they are collapsed and vomiting the damage has been done. But there are other causes of collapse that respond to prompt treatment.
I'm sorry for your sister, it is a rotten way to lose a cat.

[NotShortImFunSized]

Thank you for your replies.

You're not going to believe it. She called vet at 9.30am as advised as she hadn't heard anything.

Vet was full of apologies for telling her kitty wasn't going to make it and to prepare the kids for the worst. She said she fully expected to go on to find her already gone this morning. But no. She was full of beans, trying to rip the drip out, eating, drinking, purring away!!!! She said the only thing she can think of is maybe a congenital kidney problem. So at the moment she's weak but at home almost like nothing's happened.

She's going back on Thursday for more tests to see if they can get to the bottom of it.

None of us can quite believe it after seeing what state she was in?!

Just keeping our fingers crossed that it's nothing too serious and something that can be managed for her to live a long, loving life :)

[Madbengalmum]

I think i would be using another vet in future.

[thecatneuterer]

I'm very happy to hear she's ok. I think the main failing in this was the advice to delay in taking her to the vet - it should have been treated as an emergency.

[MoonfaceAndSilky]

Oh that's fantastic news.
I, too, would be looking for another vet though.

[torthecatlady]

I'm glad to hear she's got more energy. I hope all of the tests come back ok. Please please please keep us updated!

[torthecatlady]

Out of interest, was it an independent vets or one from a bigger chain?

I would query why the vets said to wait and see if there was an improvement before bringing her in.

But in terms of a diagnoses, it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact cause and people do make mistakes.

From what I've read, poisoning does stop the kidneys functioning properly, so a kidney problem and poisoning could be mistaken for each other, particular as kidney-related illnesses tend to be in older cats.