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We have a cat, indeterminate age but probably about 10. WE've

Sent to Cat Experts October 29 2008 at 8:52 PM
   

We have a cat, indeterminate age but probably about 10. WE've had him at the vet's several times lately to run tests because he has been losing weight (although eating well) and his coat looks all scraggly. She's run all kinds of tests. It's not feline AIDS or leukemia, no thyroid problems or any of the usual. His teeth and gums look good. The only thing is he's very anemic. He's on an antibiotic and a steroid. Suddenly he's started peeing in inappropriate places. In the recycled paper box, in the bathtub and the worst, on the kitchen counter. Any ideas why?

 

Optional Information:
Age: 10; Male; Breed: Cat

Already Tried:
All kinds of tests for all the usual things. He's taking a steroid and an antibiotic. It seems sometimes that he's maybe not really 'with' it. He's very anemic./p>

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October 29 2008 at 8:57 PM (4 minutes and 18 seconds later)
         
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Dr. K -- Veterinarian -- 99% Positive Feedback on 930 Cat Accepts
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October 29 2008 at 9:00 PM (3 minutes and 13 seconds later)
         
Problem is, he was doing some of this inappropriate urinating before he got on the medicine. Not on the kitchen counter but in the bathtub and paper box. He's an inside/outside cat and will use the litter box but usually goes outside.
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October 29 2008 at 9:01 PM (1 minute and 2 seconds later)
         
Does he drink excessively? If so, was he doing this before he started taking the steroid?
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October 29 2008 at 9:04 PM (2 minutes and 53 seconds later)
         
I wouldn't say he was drinking excessively but he will very rarely drink out of his water bowl. He likes the water in the bathroom sink or, if there's water in the kitchen sink (say I have something soaking), he likes to drink out of that. I really haven't noticed much of a change in his drinking habits.
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October 29 2008 at 9:11 PM (7 minutes and 16 seconds later)
         
Did he have a CBC/Chemistry panel? Did the doctor rule out kidney disease?

How anemic is he? Do you know what his HCT or PCV is?

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Dr. K -- Veterinarian -- 99% Positive Feedback on 930 Cat Accepts
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October 29 2008 at 9:14 PM (3 minutes and 29 seconds later)
         
Yes, I'm sure he had the CBC/chemistry panel. She checked his kidneys. His blood count is very low. Last time it was 13 which was up from what it had been. But she told me 30 is about normal so I know he's very anemic. He's always been a lethargic cat. He weighs about 7 3/4 lbs which is up from the 7 lbs he weighed when I first took him a couple of weeks ago but I would guess, at one time, he weighed 10 lbs at least.
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October 29 2008 at 9:22 PM (7 minutes and 22 seconds later)
         
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13 is certainly a very low PCV. Severe anemia can have many different causes. The two main types of anemias are a regenerative anemia (in which the bone marrow is still working to create new red blood cells), or a nonregenerative anemia (the bone marrow is not creating new red blood cells).
If your cat has not yet had a reticulocyte count done....then this should be done first. Mainly because if the anemia is regenerative, then we know that there really isn't anything wrong with the bone marrow.
The causes of regenerative anemia...are things that are causing red blood cell destruction. They include the following:
Immune-medited hemolytic anemia
Lead poisoning
Infectious diseases that attack red blood cells (Hemobartonella)
Oxidant injury (chronic ingestion of oonions or garlic, tylenol, zinc (usually in the form of a swallowed penny), moth balls, etc...)
Heartworm disease
Vasculitis
Blood loss inside the body from trauma
Bleeding cancers
Rodenticide poisoning (warfarin)
Bloodsucking parasites (fleas, ticks, and hookworms)

I know that this last one may sound crazy to you, but I have actually seen cats so riddled with either fleas or hookworms (or both) that it has made them dangerously anemic.

A nonregenerative anemia would be a much different set of causes. The list would include:
Chronic renal failure (your cat should certainly have other changes on the blood and urine panels if this were the case).
Chronic liver disease (same)
Aplastic anemia
or Pancytopenia (caused by proliferative cancers that invade the bone marrow)

With a HCT as low as 13....a blood transfusion is certainly in order. I recommend that you ask your vet for a referral to a specialist in veterinary internal medicine. Most specialists are located at referral centers or colleges of veterinary medicine. The benefit of seeing a specialist, is that you are more likely to get a quick and accurate diagnosis of your animal's problem, and thus a faster resolution of the symptoms. It is also more likely that a specialist has seen this problem before and treated it successfully.



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October 29 2008 at 9:25 PM (2 minutes and 40 seconds later)
         
Thank you. YOu've been very helpful.
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October 29 2008 at 9:31 PM (6 minutes and 15 seconds later)
         
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