I recently asked about my 13 year old cat's condition. Since my last discussion with Petdrz, my cat's condition has taken a turn for th worse. I did some research after you provided me with your assessment, and I found that she is displaying all of the symptoms for diabetes. The following blood levels were found in April 2012:Amylase: 2181; RBC: 10.17; Neutrophilis: 2412; and Lymphocytes: 936 Glucose: 83Based on what I have read about cats with diabetes, I have observed the following symptoms: 1. Cat no longer jumps off of or onto the bed or walk up and down the stairs; cat takes frequent breaks between walks; cat is not balanced while walking and can sometimes trip; plantigrade stance on both front and rear legs; drinks lots of water quickly--as if she hasnt taken in water for weeks!; urinates outside of the litter box, and has difficulty getting up and standing from a lying position. I took my cat to a different doctor and presented the test results. He stated that he thought the problem was neurological (damage to neck nerve) but after doing numerous test NOTHING supported his assertion. When I suggested diabetes, he was adamant that he could not be. He suggested high end testing. In order to rule out diabetes I asked him to do a urinalysis. He did the test and stated there was not sugar but that there may be a urinary tract infection but he would need to do blood test to confirm. Thoughts?
I am sorry to hear that her symptoms are worsening. If the blood glucose was within normal and the urine was negative for glucose, that would adequately rule out diabetes. There is nothing in the blood values you noted that have me too concerned or point to any specific disease. I have the agree that the problem seems neurologic at this point and these can be difficult sometimes to confirm as bloodwork and xrays can be normal. More advanced imaging, like an MRI may confirm, but I understand it is not in everyone's price range.
As far as the urine being suspicious for a urinary tract infection, I am not quite sure I understand. If they were wanting to confirm an infection, a bacterial culture of the urine would be needed, not a blood test. Perhaps they were worried about a urinary infection that had ascended to the kidneys and they were wanting to check the kidney blood values to rule out kidney failure. Failing kidneys could lead to an increase in water intake and litter box behavior changes. It could also lead to weakness. It is possible that there is a neurologic lesion and the kidney findings are incidental and not related to the neurologic symptoms.
Hers sounds like a complicated case. It often takes the expertise of multiple doctors to get to a diagnosis. If the new tests that they are wanting to run do not confirm a diagnosis, I would ask for a referral to a specialist. Good luck and please let me know if you have any further questions.