I have a very sick kitty!

[BarbPond]

Our cat Gabby has been sick for awhile now and we thought it was a digestive problem so the vet and I tried different diets. Evidently that was not it as he kept getting worse. Anyhow I managed to get a stool sample this morning and brought Gabby to the vet.

The news is not good.

He has the Feline Immunodeficiench Fivrus or FIV for short. I think he has had it since he was rescued from Hurrican Katrina as he never has grown as much as a normal cat should and has always been skinny even when he eats well. But the pass couple of weeks he has been getting worse. Last night he had a high fever so I spent most of the night up with him and wiping him with a cool rag. Finally the fever broke and I got him to drink some water. But he would not eat.

Anyhow when I got home from the vet today he ate like it was going out of style all evening. Doc said to go ahead and feed him whatever he wanted. I happened to have some left over chicken, which he loves, and so I shredded that and he gobbled it up. He also ate some dry food then went to the water fountain and drank lots of water. He is sleeping peacefully right now with no fever.

We will have him put to sleep next Monday or Tuesday. Want to wait so that Wayne will be home to tell his little "pal" bye. I also need him here to help bury him in our cat cementary. If he gets worse in the meanwhile I will just have to let the vet put him to sleep and cremate him. Sigh...

Here is a photo of him before he got real sick and lost weight.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Welcome to PT! I'm so sorry to hear that Gabby has FIV and that's he so sick. I thought that although cats will have a weaker immune system with FIV that they can still live long fairly normal lives. I know that several people on PT have cats with FIV. He sure is a very handsome boy. I'm a huge orangie fan. I hope that a miracle will happen and he'll become stronger and will be able to gain some weight back. I'll keep him in my thoughts and prayers.

[Karen]

Poor Gabby, give him a kiss from me!

[jennielynn1970]

I have fostered cats with FIV and they DO NOT have to be PTS. If he can get healthier and regain some weight, he could live a full and healthy life. Please give this poor boy a chance. FIV is not a death sentence, it's only one if you make it one.

My kitty, Honeybun, has FIV. I've had him for about 5 years, and he's about 15 years old, if not a bit older. He has had FIV for years and years. It is NOT easily transmissable, and once a cat is healthy, they can live full lives. Give your guy a chance, please. Many vets will just say to put them to sleep, but that does not have to be the alternative. Most live full, very healthy lives. It's only when they contract something else that their immune system has a hard time dealing with it. Get him healthy, to a good weight, and he'll make you a very happy FIV+ kitty owner.

[pomtzu]

Please don't give up on him yet. It just sounds like he isn't ready to leave for RB at this point. He's eating and drinking and seems comfortable, so what's the hurry? As long as he continues this way, it seems he's not in any pain or distress. See what Jenn posted. Gabby could still have a lot of good years left.

[Freedom]

Yes, my Bobby is also FIV+. Cats do NOT get sick and / or die from FIV. It weakens the immune system, so they need more help fighting off illness and disease. There is an underlying problem which it sounds like has not yet been diagnosed.

Something as simple as a URI, aka "kitty cold," can be tough for an FIV+ kitty to fight off. My vet will start antibiotics sooner w/Bobby than with another cat.

Also, an FIV+ cat should not have a regular rabies shot, which includes live rabies virus. They get the rabies shot with the killed virus.

Finally, FIV is NOT diagnosed from a stool sample! It is diagnosed from a blood test.

Please take Gabby to another vet.

[moosmom]

FIV+ cats can live long lives! Please do not give up on him. Just make him happy and comfortable for as long as possible.

Just because a cat is FIV+, is NOT a death sentence. Please re-think your decision!!

[catmandu]

Poor Gabby, you are such an Owesome Orange Cat.
We are praying for you, that you can live as good a life as possible with your illness
Your Family will do their best for you, and will give you every chance
We LOVE Orange Cats here and are wishing and praying for You Gabby.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

FIV is like the cat version of HIV that humans get. Infected cats can live for quite some time if maintained properly. I used to work at a vet and one of our regular clients had a FIV+ cat that came in once or twice a year for bloodwork. This particular cat was being treated with a medicine generally used on humans but I'm not saying they all have to be. I know they had this cat for years and years and he was fat, happy, and healthy.

[kaycountrygal]

I am sorry to read about your cat Gabby. I've never had a cat with FIV but others have suggested that he can live a somewhat normal life. Maybe you would consider holding off on the PTS and see how it goes. Kay in NC

[momcat]

I'm so sorry to hear this. After reading the posts from other PTers familiar with FIV, please consider getting a second opinion.

[smokey the elder]

If the secondary infection is dealt with properly, an FIV+ cat can live a long time. I agree: please get a second opinion.

[BarbPond]

Thanks to all of you who answered my post and gave me advice. I really do appreciate it! And I am sorry about such a long post.

And NO we will not rush into this!!! That is one of the reasons I did not get it done right away. I never rush into something like that. The condition that he was in yesterday just made me feel like I should put him out of his misery but he has improved over night. Therefore we will not have him put to sleep! I have been reading up on this problem and learning more about it.

We of course want to keep him with us as long as possible and will do so! We dearly love the little guy! He has been through so very much especially surviving the hurricane and flood when just a few months old.

Gabby is 6 1/2 years old. The photo I posted is years old and taken before he started getting real sick. At this point he weights he only weights about 5 lbs and is very skinny and boney even though he eats. I have been trying different foods and stuff to help him gain weight for over a year now. He has not gained any that is noticable. Laura has met him and can verify how skinny he is. She is out of town right now so I couldnt consult with her.

He is very weak and does not play anymore. Just not his old self. He has been running low fever on and off for the past month or so and the other night his fever was much higher. Also he was not drinking water or urinating. That really made me worry but I gave him water with a syringe. That seemed to help some.

I think that I mis-stated the importance of Doc checking his stool sample. Sorry but I was upset and not thinking right. The doc also checked his gums and mouth and showed me the red areas in back of the mouth and behind the teeth. Not the type of red associated with a tooth infection. And both me and the doc knew already that he was anemic. The doc said that he really didnt see much use in a blood test due to the fact that Gabby was showing so many of the symptoms of FIV unless I want him to do it. I didnt see much sense it doing that while he was already feeling so bad.

I have been reading in my cat medical book and these are the symptons that the book lists for FIV that Gabby has had:
anemia
mouth & gum disease
long standing diarrhea
lost of appetite and weight with emaciation
fever
eye discharge
ear infection (mites that I cured)
infection from scratching a flea bite that the doc cured with an antibiotic cream.


Some things about me since most of you dont really know me yet......

I am 66 years old and have had and loved cats all my life! I have raised (sucessfully) 4 children and now have 6 grandkids. I divorced my X after 40 yrs of marriage for lots of reasons but one of the reasons was his hate of cats! He would not let me have but one cat at a time and I didnt like the way he treated them! Oh he knew better then to physically hurt them but he still tended to scare them.

And then I met Wayne who adores cats. I actually met him on a cat site! We have been married for 7 yrs now. Wayne had never been married before! He drives a big-rig and hauls chemicals all over so isnt home but about 5 days out of 7. Therefore I have to make lots of decisions when he isnt home and I cant reach him on the cell phone. He is from Canada. I was able to talk to him briefly last night and again this morning and he also wants to give Gabby a chance.

We have only had 3 of our cats put to sleep and all 3 were due to old age and kidney failure. Their names were: Tic, Tac and Kiki who were all at the age of 13-19 years at the time. Tic and Tac were Wayne's cats before we married and he had them since they were kittens. Kiki was my cat that I raised from the time she was 6 wks old. We now have 10 cats! It seems that the good Lord sends us new kitties to help ease the lost of the others!

I have another kitty here that has medical problems. His name is Grumbles. He is kind of grouchy, hence the name, but also at times he is a big love bug. He has problems with kidney stones and is on special food.

I worked at Lamar-Dixon in Gonzales, La. to help feed and tend to the cats rescured from Katrina. It was both a heart warming experience and at the same time a sad one! Fact is we have 4 cats that lost their homes in New Orleans.

As stated above anemia is common with FIV cats. I am well informed on anemia as I am anemic myself. A few months ago I had to go get a blood transfusion. Three pints of blood! And I take some extra strong iron pills! So I know what that makes you feel like!

I have not been here much due to my health and eyes. I had catarat surgery in November on both eyes and they are still trying to get my new glasses right due to the fact that they had to correct some other eye problems at the time. I go on next Monday to get my computer glasses! That will help with the posting on here.

Here is a link to our cats web site in case anyone wants to see them all.
http://www.eatel.net/~meme/OurCats.html

[pomtzu]

Thank you for elaborating somewhat on Gabby's condition. Hoping that he will continue to be with you for some time to come.

I enjoyed meeting all of your kitties on their website. I just love the name Grumbles too - so funny - yet he did look like he fit the name!

[Taz_Zoee]

I'm glad Gabby is getting another chance. I know how it is watching them lose weight and there's nothing you can do for them.

I looked at your site and got to see all the pictures of all your babies. They are beautiful! Lots of orangies!! And the two newest additions are just adorable.
It's wonderful to hear you found the man of your dreams that shares your love of cats. I am lucky enough to be with someone that shares my love of dogs and cats. We have two of each.

I hope your eyes are better soon so we can keep updated on Gabby and the rest of your crew.