Cataholic
01-14-2010, 01:02 PM
My brother and sister in law became first time cat owners over the summer. 2kittens, now 7 months old. An elderly neighbor passed away last month, and they made the decision to adopt one of the 3 cats this woman had. This cat is a female, Chloe, about 3. Chloe lived with a brother and their mom. So, she was not an only cat. And, according to my SIL, the elderly woman did not live as a hermit. She had guests, came and went, etc.
Chloe came to live with my brother and SIL about 10 days ago. They kept her separated for nearly one week before introducing her to their 2 kittens. Introductions seemed to be going okay. There were 2 nights of sleeping together on the bed- Saturday and Sunday, last. Things weren't perfect, but, it wouldn't be unusual for 3 cats to take longer to adapt to one another. While separated, Chloe showed little interest in food. Like, she wouldn't eat. She did pick up a bit after a few days, but, eating seems to be low on her list of things to do.
On Monday, they took Chloe to the vet for a check up. They waited a week to give Chloe a chance to settle in. The vet noticed that Chloe had some bald spots on her back legs (hair loss- alopecia, I think), gave her a 3 year rabies, and some other immunizations (I don't know what they were). Chloe tested negative for diesease, and the vet said no fleas.
On Tuesday evening, my brother and SIL found flea poop. They treated, topically, all 3 cats with Advantage, and treated the house/bedding with something.
On Wednesday, my SIL called about 7 pm to tell me that Chloe was not acting right, not eating nor drinking, kind of huddling, shivering, had something growing on her nose (to me, it looks like a bad case of athlete's foot...), and was sniffling/snorting a little bit. So, off to the ER vets we go. The ER vet was a big waste of money and time. They wanted to do a biopsy, IV fluids, chest x-ray, talked about cancer, etc. We left at 1130, after some sub-q fluids and my SIL took Chloe to the normal vet this morning.
Turns out, Chloe has an auto immune problem. I asked my SIL if she knew what, specifically, and she isn't sure. The vet supposes it could have been brought on by the new home, the immunizations, the Advantage, a combo of them, or one of them. Can't really say. He is starting Chloe on steriods, pain meds and anti-biotics.
My SIL is beside herself, feeling very overwhelmed, and feeling so bad that this has happened to poor Chloe.
Anyone have anything to say, point us anywhere, etc? This is just so shocking, like 0-60 in two seconds. Should she keep Chloe separated for a few days, or, since the intro has already been done, keep that consistent? Anyone had any experience with Advantage products?
Any help would be appreciated. TIA.
Chloe came to live with my brother and SIL about 10 days ago. They kept her separated for nearly one week before introducing her to their 2 kittens. Introductions seemed to be going okay. There were 2 nights of sleeping together on the bed- Saturday and Sunday, last. Things weren't perfect, but, it wouldn't be unusual for 3 cats to take longer to adapt to one another. While separated, Chloe showed little interest in food. Like, she wouldn't eat. She did pick up a bit after a few days, but, eating seems to be low on her list of things to do.
On Monday, they took Chloe to the vet for a check up. They waited a week to give Chloe a chance to settle in. The vet noticed that Chloe had some bald spots on her back legs (hair loss- alopecia, I think), gave her a 3 year rabies, and some other immunizations (I don't know what they were). Chloe tested negative for diesease, and the vet said no fleas.
On Tuesday evening, my brother and SIL found flea poop. They treated, topically, all 3 cats with Advantage, and treated the house/bedding with something.
On Wednesday, my SIL called about 7 pm to tell me that Chloe was not acting right, not eating nor drinking, kind of huddling, shivering, had something growing on her nose (to me, it looks like a bad case of athlete's foot...), and was sniffling/snorting a little bit. So, off to the ER vets we go. The ER vet was a big waste of money and time. They wanted to do a biopsy, IV fluids, chest x-ray, talked about cancer, etc. We left at 1130, after some sub-q fluids and my SIL took Chloe to the normal vet this morning.
Turns out, Chloe has an auto immune problem. I asked my SIL if she knew what, specifically, and she isn't sure. The vet supposes it could have been brought on by the new home, the immunizations, the Advantage, a combo of them, or one of them. Can't really say. He is starting Chloe on steriods, pain meds and anti-biotics.
My SIL is beside herself, feeling very overwhelmed, and feeling so bad that this has happened to poor Chloe.
Anyone have anything to say, point us anywhere, etc? This is just so shocking, like 0-60 in two seconds. Should she keep Chloe separated for a few days, or, since the intro has already been done, keep that consistent? Anyone had any experience with Advantage products?
Any help would be appreciated. TIA.