Poor immune system

[poorkittyhealth]

Hi I wondered if anyone had experience of dealing with a cat with a poor immune system?

We have had our cat a year (he is 2 in Dec) and since we have had him, his health hasnt been great. First he had giardia, then he had an eosinophilic granuloma that took ages to go and he had anaemia, so that was months of treatment.

He has been good for a few months and then at the weekend I realised he didnt seem himself, he seemed a little slim, he was separating himself off and wasnt as active. Was still eating and drinking but didnt seem right.

Took him to the vets expecting some bloods and maybe meds and instead its been a whirlwind of tests and treatments resulting in him being in and the current suspect is a poor immune system. We are still waiting for some results to see is there a root cause or does he just have an immune system that isnt working properly.

What I am trying to figure is how this looks going forwards. Ive been told he could be at higher risk of a blood clot but its not common, however he will be on life long meds.

I am hoping once he improves, he has a good quality of life still but I have been told he will for the short term be on a lot of medication and in the long term, he will require meds. I just wondered if others have experience of this.

I want to give him the best chance, he is only young, but I dont want him suffering.

Has he got FIV. My cat has this and immune system is under par he’s not in any medication though.

No, its been tested for previously and they are retesting but dont believe he does. They are testing mycoplasma too, if thats correct. They have a few bloods that are going to take a few days but they suspect he just has a poorly immune system without a cause as lots has been tested for.

They said its immune mediated anaemia I believe.

Watching because I have literally just come back from the vet with similar issues.

Cat had some issues in foster (she’s a rescue) and had some antibiotics then, a year on she’s had an upper respiratory infection which hasn’t shifted with the first dose of ABs so she’s now had an injection and vet too took blood as she’s lethargic and losing weight, and has just called to say she’s anaemic and they’re doing a full blood work up and also tests for FIV and leukaemia etc.

Looking online the outlooks don’t appear to be positive so wondering whether I should just resign myself to having her pts.

Ive been told today that if he continues improving, he will have a good quality of life but will need meds and monitoring for life. My concern was not dragging him through it if he would be poorly and ill but they said he should have a good life still.

But right now he is still quite poorly and its going to take time to improve. I can see it in his demeanour, he just isnt himself but im giving him time and he is being monitored closely.

Vet has confirmed she doesn’t have FIV or leukaemia, but thinks she may have FIP which is terminal.

Im so sorry to hear this, however FIP can be treated but it needs to be fast and it is expensive. There are groups for more information, if you want links I can get you the info as they are a great resource.

I know of at least one kitty that has made it through FIP treatment

This is the group that is recommended to reach out to for help www.fipglobalcats.com

Have you had blood test results back yet?

How is your cat now @@poorkittyhealth

So vet suggested to start treatment before the results were back because the markers were so definate. However by Tuesday she had taken a major turn for the worse, was no longer eating, and was just a little scrap really. So I took her into the vet, and they admitted her on to some fluids to wait for the drugs to ahrive. She had her first injection on Tuesday and seemed relaxed at least but by Tuesday night she was flat and refusing to eat or drink.

On Wednesday the vet called to say she was very worried about her as her iron levels were dangerously low, and suggested that the only option for her was a transfusion but that would cost £6000 😱. I had to say that I just couldn't afford that but asked if there was any chance that she would improve on her own. The vet said I could take her home and give her a chance, so I went and got her, and had planned to give her another day.
So Wednesday night was a bad night and Ihad decided to take her to have her put to sleep yesterday, but when DS got up and emptied the other cat's bowl she jumped off of my bed and ran downstairs. She didn't eat of her own accord, but we fed her some chicken and chicken soup from a spoon, then later Igave her some sardines and she gobbled them up.
Today she actuAlly ate the food from her bowl, and I've been feeding her little and often and was also syringe feeding her water, but she's since started to drink.

On Wednesday her gums and nose and ears were white because of the anaemia, but they have more colour now.

I think we have a long road ahead, but if she continues to improve then I think there's hope as long as she continues to respond to the treatment.

@AnywhereAnyoneAnyTime sounds like you have had as stressful a time as we have had.

So our boy was in from Weds to Sat, came home with 7 different meds after having a full body CT and a heart scan. He has had the full works. Added with a 3 day stay the bill is currently close to your transfusion cost. Hoping the insurance pays out for at least some of it but thats a problem for another day if they dont.

He went back in today, his numbers didnt go up as much as hoped but had gone up more than expected last week, so we have one med increased. We also had one stopped because results came back that he doesnt have an infection.

So the thinking is it is immune mediated anaemia. This has caused his heart to be enlarged and has fluid around it, they believe this is the cause as no issues with the heart were found.

So he is being monitored in the hope his anaemia improves, then he will be on one medication, whatever he responds to best. He will have another heart scan in a month, the hope is that things improve with his heart.

I think he has recovered well so far and hopefully continues improving. We were told transfusion may have been an option but with cats with poor immune systems it can end up killing them so that was a very last resort. We have also been told having immune issues can cause clots which can cause sudden death, its not common but they wanted to make us aware.

Its been a lot given he isnt even 2 yet but hopefully the rapid treatment has given him a good chance. He is finally improving in himself, back to sitting with us, he is still lower in energy but I can see it slowly getting there.

How is he now @poorkittyhealth
we were back at the vet on Monday, she’s much brighter and her red blood cell count has risen from 9 to 23. But she’s still losing weight so that needs resolving.

He is doing good, we are seeing slow progress and little improvements. He has a high up window ledge that I realised he hadnt used in a while, yesterday he started using that again so I assume he is getting more energy for jumping.

His numbers were up to 23 last Friday, hoping they improve a little more this Friday. Also hoping to see a little weight gain as his appetite is good.

He has honestly been a star taking his meds, I was so worried seeing as he was put on 7 different medications but we have a nice easy way to get them all in, and luckily already dropped 1. Hoping we lose a few more soon if we keep seeing improvements.