Cat Fever?

[Domy]

Hi all,

Sorry for my first post being such a downer but just wanted to get some opinions on my poor 3 1/2 year old kitty.

Last weekend, she seemed really off. You know how you know when they aren't acting the same? Well this is what we had. She was lethargic, was not eating, not playing, anything. She was also shivering quite a bit.

We took her to the vet on Monday and she was diagnosed with a bad fever (quite a bit higher than regular fever). We are unsure the reason as to how she got it, but the vet things it could be possible that our younger cat jumped on her and bit/scratched her.

Our vet gave our cat a couple of shots, and she didn't seem to be much better the next day so we took her back for bloodwork. Fortunately for us, nothing was detected in the blood test. We gave her some medication over the last 3 nights and ran out yesterday.

Last night she seemed to be doing better, but not fully better. She was eating quite a bit more and was even showing signs of play and walking around. The same goes tonight. I was able to play quite a bit of string games with her while she lied down and again quite a bit off food.

We think we're on the way to recovery but there are still a few worrisome items:
- We haven't seen much poop at all. We gave her some pumpkin with her food tonight which I hear helps.
- She still shivers, especially when she is starting to go rest. When I place my hand on her, I find she shakes sometimes.
- She eats and drinks, but I normally have to bring her the food. She'll walk by once in a while, but won't eat unless I bring it over.
- She is still lethargic

Anyways, I've had cats growing up but have never seen one with a fever. It's strange and am not sure if things are progressing or not. It seems being sick for 5-6 days is not good, but am not sure what else this could be.

Thank you all!

[14+kitties]

Personally I would be calling the vet again. You may need more medication and possibly more extensive blood work to find out what is going on.
Have you checked her temperature to see if it is normal or still high? Has she used the box to pee? Was the pumpkin you gave her plain pumpkin, not the pie filling? What medication was she put on? Is there any sign of a bite or scratch from your other cat?

[Domy]

Originally Posted by 14+kitties

Personally I would be calling the vet again. You may need more medication and possibly more extensive blood work to find out what is going on.
Have you checked her temperature to see if it is normal or still high? Has she used the box to pee? Was the pumpkin you gave her plain pumpkin, not the pie filling? What medication was she put on? Is there any sign of a bite or scratch from your other cat?

Ya we talked to our vet again today (earlier this afternoon). She thought it would be best to see what happened over the weekend since she has improved although not fully. If still bad by Monday we already have an appointment reserved . The next step is xrays I believe which i'm not sure what that could uncover?

Unfortunately im by myself so its hard to check temperature. When we took her to the vet the 2nd time, it was down but only 1/2 degree.

She has peed quite a bit, and actually I just came upstairs after watching her poop! It was a very small poop, but it was really nice to have proof she pooped.

As for pumpkin, yes I got the plain pumpkin (nothing added) and not the pumpkin filling .

There is no sign of scratch or bite on her.

I'm more or less worried that there is something serious going on, but am not sure if she is on her way to being better. Do fever symptoms last longer than a few days? Any other ideas what this could be? Thanks!

[14+kitties]

Seeing as we aren't vets we really can't answer that. We can give you some ideas but not much else. We do have a wonderful vet who pops in when he can. I will PM him and see if he can give you some help.
As for taking temps..... do you have a regular thermometer? All you have to do is put the thermometer between the front leg and the body and leave it for a minute. Make sure the tip is actually under the leg. It may not be 100% foolproof but it may give you an idea. A cats' regular temp is between 100.5 to 102 F or 38.1 to 39.2 C. Higher than that I would wonder about contacting the vet.

[Domy]

Originally Posted by 14+kitties

Seeing as we aren't vets we really can't answer that. We can give you some ideas but not much else. We do have a wonderful vet who pops in when he can. I will PM him and see if he can give you some help.
As for taking temps..... do you have a regular thermometer? All you have to do is put the thermometer between the front leg and the body and leave it for a minute. Make sure the tip is actually under the leg. It may not be 100% foolproof but it may give you an idea. A cats' regular temp is between 100.5 to 102 F or 38.1 to 39.2 C. Higher than that I would wonder about contacting the vet.

Thanks for doing that for me, really appreciate it. She seems good right now, but obviously shes up and down. I tried the temperature but came up with 93.9, which I know is wrong. Going to try again!

[Domy]

I think I got it right this time. 103.2 Fahrenheit. I know this is not good, but she was in between 41 and 42 her first vet trip. I believe the 103.2 convert to 39.6.

Sucks that she is still not in normal. I guess i'll keep monitoring this weekend to see if any improvements take place, and back to the vet Monday.

Thanks again for your help!

[Dr Lee]

Originally Posted by Domy

We think we're on the way to recovery but there are still a few worrisome items:
1 - We haven't seen much poop at all. We gave her some pumpkin with her food tonight which I hear helps.
2 - She still shivers, especially when she is starting to go rest. When I place my hand on her, I find she shakes sometimes.
3 - She eats and drinks, but I normally have to bring her the food. She'll walk by once in a while, but won't eat unless I bring it over.
4 - She is still lethargic

I am sorry to hear that she is not feeling well.

1) It is unusual for young cats to become obstipated (severe constipation) but some constipation can occur. It is important to make sure the cat is not dehydrated as it is a common cause of constipation. Another cause of lack of bowel movements can be not enough food ingested (although it sounds like this is not the case - especially with the pumpkin). Treating any dehydration is important. Warm baths can help promote a bowel movement.

2) Shivering makes me concerned that an infection is still present - regardless of whether she is running a fever or not.

3,4) If she is still lethargic and does not have a great appetite then I am concerned. If you finished the antibiotic course, then more antibiotics is likely indicated. Your veterinarian may recommend the same antibiotic or a different antibiotic. While it sounds like your pet has had some improvement but not "great" improvement, may warrant a different antibiotic. Every antibiotic gets a different spectrum.

I would also recommend a recheck. Sometimes it can be challenging to find the infection or to control the clinical signs. Your veterinarian my want to run additional blood tests (remember there are literally hundreds of different types) or radiographs (X-rays).

Regardless, with what you are describing, I would not "see how it goes" but I would at the very least get a refill of antibiotics however I really recommend a recheck examination with your veterinarian.

I hope this helps.

Best of luck.

[Domy]

Thank you to you both for the advice. I certainly won't let this just take its course and will take her in ASAP.