We Have An Epidemic :(

We have an epidemic going around our place and are at a loss on how to handle it. Numerous cats are coming down with a throat/mouth condition that keeps them from eating and is basically impossible to get rid of. We can keep it under somewhat control with shots from the vet but we’re going broke. The vets have run blood work, throat cultures, etc. and really don’t have a solid answer. We are heartsick over this and fear our next choice will be to have to put some down.

Sable (mom cat) is down to just less than 8 lbs. She goes in Thursday for teeth surgery in hopes this will help clear her mouth some, and in turn will help the throat. Gable was in yesterday and his is worse than the others. We are just beside ourselves on what to do.

We feel fortunate that this is the first time we’ve had a major catastrophe being such a multi-cat household. It’s just all so sad. Have any of you dealt with anything like this, and what would you do if you were in our shoes?

How SAD! All I can think of, having only two cats, is to isolate the kitties...but you have more than two, so don't know how you would do that.

HUGS and prayers going out, I hope someone here will have ideas!

ETA: The only thing I can think of is to borrow (if you don't have one) an ionizing air cleaner. Also, a small room steamer (like you use when you have a cold) with some tea tree oil in it will really help - the TT oil really cleans up the air.

There is a mouth condition known as "thrush". Did the vet mention anything about that??? It causes little tiny blisters in the roof and the tongue of the mouth. It's painful.

Lisa, please keep us posted.

Thrush is a yeast infection in the mouth. People often get it (and females get the 'other' yeast infection) when antibiotics have been used. The abs kill off all bacteria, creating an imbalance that causes yeast infections.

Maybe something simple like Forti Flora or another acidophilus/bifidus supplement to restore the balance would help. Phone your vet and ask! :love:

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Originally Posted by moosmom

There is a mouth condition known as "thrush". Did the vet mention anything about that??? It causes little tiny blisters in the roof and the tongue of the mouth. It's painful.

Lisa, please keep us posted.

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It's not that. :( Here's basically what is going on:

"Oral and pharyngeal problems can be disconcerting from the viewpoint of the cat owner and that of the veterinary surgeon. These conditions of the mouth and throat are a common occurrence and many of them are unresponsive to treatment. For a large proportion of these conditions no rational therapy is available because, at the moment, we do not completely understand their cause.

Although the causes of oropharyngeal disease in the cat are poorly recorded, it is clear that a number of these conditions may be a consequence of underlying generalised disease, particularly chronic kidney failure, leucopenia (depressed white blood cell count), immunosuppression secondary to FeLV or FIV infections and, rarely, diabetes mellitus. In such cases the oral problem cannot be expected to resolve unless the underlying problem is diagnosed and, where amenable to treatment, treated.

There are a number of signs which will suggest that a cat has some disorder of the mouth or pharynx. The cat may show no interest in food, or may come to the food bowl and then be reluctant to eat. It may chew with obvious caution and discomfort, may drop food from its mouth, or may swallow with great difficulty or discomfort. Excessive saliva may overflow from the mouth, there may be a marked unpleasant odour to the breath and, in some cases, bleeding. Clawing at the mouth and head shaking may also occur, particularly with foreign bodies or very painful disorders. The reluctance to eat may lead to weight loss which can become quite marked."

All of ours have been tested for all diseases and they've all came back negative. This makes it all the harder to cure and keep under control.

That sounds like a strange disease! :( I'm so sorry that you and your cats have to go through this! It must be so painful if it keeps them from eating!!

Hope there's going to be a treatment!!

Kirsten

Lisa, I'm so sorry to hear this. :( I hope you'll be able to find a treatment for whatever it is.

(((hugs)))

Oh no, Lisa, I am sorry to read this! Sable and Gable?!

That write up you provided does not provide much in the way of care, treatment, contagion, etc. I guess because not enough is known about this illness.

Can you keep the healthy ones segregated? As a first step.

I will include your crew in my prayers.

Lisa, I'm so sorry to hear this.:( Hopefully your vet will be able to give you something to make them more comfortable. Since Sable and now Gable have this, do you think that they may be the carriers of this disease? If I were in your shoes, I'd be very upset and probably be freaking out. I know how even one sick cat can make you get into debt because I've been there and I'm still there. I would just try to make the sick cats as comfortable as possible and if you can I'd try to separate the sick ones from the healthy ones. I'll keep everyone in my thoughts and prayers. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

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Originally Posted by krazyaboutkatz

Lisa, I'm so sorry to hear this.:( Hopefully your vet will be able to give you something to make them more comfortable. Since Sable and now Gable have this, do you think that they may be the carriers of this disease? If I were in your shoes, I'd be very upset and probably be freaking out. I know how even one sick cat can make you get into debt because I've been there and I'm still there. I would just try to make the sick cats as comfortable as possible and if you can I'd try to separate the sick ones from the healthy ones. I'll keep everyone in my thoughts and prayers. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

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Gabby first had this and has since past. I'm not sure. Not sure why it started, how, etc. They're all strictly indoors so where in the world did it come from? We may have to put several down if it doesn't stop.:(:(

Does this disease have a name? Is it common in some areas of the country
and not others? I am sorry the Vet hasn't been able to be much help with
this.:( This must be very scary. I hope you find some answers soon.

Thank you everyone! I guess we should feel fortunate we've gone at least 12 years on a very multi-cat household with little problems. How this got started is beyond me. It's all very depressing. Leila is at the vets today and Beavis goes tomorrow. They give them shots of antibiotics, pain meds, and anti-inflammatory meds. They help for a bit but then anywhere between 3 to 4 weeks they all need it again. The weird part is all their tests are coming back fine. We will keep it up as long as we can and then I don't know what we will have to do.

The economy is recovering very slowly - but please ask for help if it will keep some kitties alive. I can give a bit, just a bit. But many bits add up!

Again - try disinfecting the air in your place; could be some spring pollutant that has come in.

Also - your story of working with the park cats has been in the paper. Contact the paper/writer and ask for a follow-up. I am sure help would flood in (or trickle hugely) from that. Don't be shy about it - you and your husband have worked tirelessly and thanklessly at what you do, and you deserve some help!

If nothing else, with money you could board several at the vets and treat the others at home.

HUGS!

This sort of reminds me of my RB Puddy who had CRF and later developed burning mouth syndrome. She got to where she would only lick ice cubes and eat fudgsicles. She had some but not all of the symptoms listed in the article that you posted. Problem is that there really wasn't much to be done for it except to keep her supplied w/bowls of ice cubes in water and hold fudgsicles for her to eat. What clued me in was that her tongue began to hang out. Do your cats do that?

Since it sounds like it has a regular cycle, you might take a look at your routine and see if there is a part of your routine that cycles the same way.
You could take general precautions to prevent and control contagion, as well. Of course, keep the ill sepparate from the well. I would set up a quarentine room, and clean and disinfect the whole house. Wash your hands after every time you handle one of your kitties, and use latex/vinyl gloves when handling them and their waste. Remove your shoes when you come in from outside and spray them with Lysol, inside and out. You may even keep a set of "sick clothes" that you change into to handle your sick babies. Basically, do like they do in the hospital with MRSA.

I know you said they did blood tests, but have they checked for parasites? I would imagine there are some, that during their lifecycle, would cause systematic issues and irritations.

Good luck and we'll keep you in our prayers:love:

Oh Lisa how terrible for you and what a worry.

some of what you describe sounds a bit like what my Ellie has -chronic gingivitis .

I guess it is not that , or the vet would have mentioned it.
It is treated much the same,with antibiotics, pain relief, except long term steriods and there is no cure for it,it can be caused through some of the things you wrote about this illness your cats have, and of course eating is painful and they loose weight, it is often the bacteria in their mouth that they are allergic to, that is what my vet explained to me, and there can be under lying conditions that also cause it like you listed.

I can only hope and pray that you can get the kitties well again, I have only one to deal with and that is hard enough emotionally and financially to deal with so i really have so much empathy for you.

Keeping fingers and all paws crossed for a more positive outcome. HUGS.

I was also thinking that steroids would probably help with this condition. I know that the shots can be expensive but the pills aren't. I just bought 300 pills for Storm and he only gets 1/2 of a pill every morning so this should last him a long time. The cost was only $28. I buy chicken pill pockets and cut them into 1/4's and roll them up into little balls. I then use these to cover up the pill and he thinks he's getting a treat so it's very easy to pill him. When it's time for your cats to get another steroid shot, you might want to try the pills instead to see how it goes since it's much cheaper in the long run. Good luck.:)

My vet specializes in cats and I'm going to e-mail her about your situation. Maybe she's seen a cat with this before and she can give me some more information about treatment etc. I'll let you know.

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Originally Posted by Catty1

The economy is recovering very slowly - but please ask for help if it will keep some kitties alive. I can give a bit, just a bit. But many bits add up!

Again - try disinfecting the air in your place; could be some spring pollutant that has come in.

Also - your story of working with the park cats has been in the paper. Contact the paper/writer and ask for a follow-up. I am sure help would flood in (or trickle hugely) from that. Don't be shy about it - you and your husband have worked tirelessly and thanklessly at what you do, and you deserve some help!

If nothing else, with money you could board several at the vets and treat the others at home.

HUGS!

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Thank you and I will keep all this in mind as a last ditch effort.

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Originally Posted by Medusa

This sort of reminds me of my RB Puddy who had CRF and later developed burning mouth syndrome. She got to where she would only lick ice cubes and eat fudgsicles. She had some but not all of the symptoms listed in the article that you posted. Problem is that there really wasn't much to be done for it except to keep her supplied w/bowls of ice cubes in water and hold fudgsicles for her to eat. What clued me in was that her tongue began to hang out. Do your cats do that?

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YES!!! A couple the tongue is out constantly. I give them half & half milk for the coolness for their throat and hope it will help keep their weight up.

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Originally Posted by freckledimple

Since it sounds like it has a regular cycle, you might take a look at your routine and see if there is a part of your routine that cycles the same way.
You could take general precautions to prevent and control contagion, as well. Of course, keep the ill sepparate from the well. I would set up a quarentine room, and clean and disinfect the whole house. Wash your hands after every time you handle one of your kitties, and use latex/vinyl gloves when handling them and their waste. Remove your shoes when you come in from outside and spray them with Lysol, inside and out. You may even keep a set of "sick clothes" that you change into to handle your sick babies. Basically, do like they do in the hospital with MRSA.

I know you said they did blood tests, but have they checked for parasites? I would imagine there are some, that during their lifecycle, would cause systematic issues and irritations.

Good luck and we'll keep you in our prayers:love:

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All excellent suggestions but with thirty cats we don't have the means to seclude! We even put L-Lysine in their wet food. Yes, the only one that had any parasites was the newby Jewelz who has been treated for this. Thank you!!

This is going to sound odd, but have you had your water tested recently? Maybe there is some contaminant in your water supply which is causing the inflammation. One (expensive, but cheaper than going to the vet!) is buying several gallons of bottled water, and use that to water the cats for a few weeks.

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Originally Posted by lizbud

Does this disease have a name? Is it common in some areas of the country
and not others? I am sorry the Vet hasn't been able to be much help with
this.:( This must be very scary. I hope you find some answers soon.

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It's basically called Pharyngitis. I'm not sure if it's more common in one region vs. the other. Thank you!!

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Originally Posted by smokey the elder

This is going to sound odd, but have you had your water tested recently? Maybe there is some contaminant in your water supply which is causing the inflammation. One (expensive, but cheaper than going to the vet!) is buying several gallons of bottled water, and use that to water the cats for a few weeks.

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This sounds like a good idea.

Also, if steroids help, you can mail-order them from Wedgewood Pharmacy - some are available in Gourmeds treats, Tiny Tabs, or even transdermal (ear gel in a pen). I give Smudge the latter, and it's really not expensive at all, even with postage.

The only other thing I can think of is kitten food to keep their weight up. Good luck, and please keep us posted!

Love, Columbine

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Originally Posted by smokey the elder

This is going to sound odd, but have you had your water tested recently? Maybe there is some contaminant in your water supply which is causing the inflammation. One (expensive, but cheaper than going to the vet!) is buying several gallons of bottled water, and use that to water the cats for a few weeks.

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Was thinking along the same lines. If their tests are all negative and they are indoor cats has something changed in their environment that could have brought it on? May not be contagious just something that they are all reacting to? Poor kitties (and Mom) - really hope the cause is found soon :love:

I sure appreciate everyone’s suggestions and ideas. As far as water being contaminated wouldn’t all of them be sick vs. just some? Plus wouldn’t it affect us? We do have a filter system and I change their water daily. It’s a good thought though.

Beavis is headed in this morning. And Sable goes in tomorrow for teeth removal. Seems this stuff affects their teeth also. Leila wasn’t very bad at all so that’s a good thing. Gable is feeling better after his shot. And others do not even have one sign of it.

The scary thing is this doesn’t seem to have a cure and is recurring.

I just hope that that disease doesnt come up North.
:(:eek:
I noticed that while the Earl of Ebony eats , his jaw doesnt move quite right and food falls out.
We are sending Prayers for those Poor Strays that someone will help them through their ordeal.:love::love::love:
And of course Dear Beavis ^^ Sable ^^ and Gable ^^
:love::love::love:

I did a search and found this article about FCV. It sounds like it might be a possibility.

Love, Columbine

You might want to try some Clinicare or even KMR instead of the half and half. Clinicare is a liquid like Ensure for kitties (and dogs!) so it's nutritionally complete. Some cats can't digest cow's milk very well so if you can't find Clinicare try KMR. It's reasonably priced and available at most pet stores. There is even a powdered version....
Sending you and your kitties warmm fuzzy, positive thoughts.....

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Originally Posted by columbine

I did a search and found this article about FCV. It sounds like it might be a possibility.

Love, Columbine

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Thank you!

Try cleaning with a 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. You can use a spray bottle. As a RN, I LOVE BLEACH!!! It kills everything, including HIV( fragile virus when not in the body). I use it to clean our counters, litterboxes, and all surfaces that the cats go on! Steriods are just a temporary fix. It suppress the real problem that will resurface after the steriods are stopped. And it also masks infections, can produce depression, and increase appetite....Good luck with your cats, will light a candle for you all!!! Sandra

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Originally Posted by dehlers43

You might want to try some Clinicare or even KMR instead of the half and half. Clinicare is a liquid like Ensure for kitties (and dogs!) so it's nutritionally complete. Some cats can't digest cow's milk very well so if you can't find Clinicare try KMR. It's reasonably priced and available at most pet stores. There is even a powdered version....
Sending you and your kitties warmm fuzzy, positive thoughts.....

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Excellent idea!!

New carpet? New bedding? New anything? I would give the water a try, just in case. Cats have a much more delicate 'constitution' than us. And, maybe some of the cats were more fragile?

I am praying for you guys.

First of all, I've been following this thread, but have had no suggestions, only prayers for healing. I have never had more than one cat at a time, so my experience is very limited. I'm sorry you're having this issue. Second...

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Originally Posted by columbine

I did a search and found this article about FCV. It sounds like it might be a possibility.

Love, Columbine

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Thank you for this link! It's pertinent here, and I also think it's the same virus my Pinot had when very young that she is a "carrier" of. I never knew the name, but this sounds like it. I have been warned by three vets NEVER to have another kitty with her.

If this is the same disease, I feel your pain, it's excruciating to watch a kitty deal with this. In our case, she was hospitalized for 12 hours when she became critical, given IV fluids, appetite stimulant and antibiotics with an eye ointment as well. All but the fluids were sent with her for home treatment. If the same disease, the cyclical nature makes sense since you have a number of kitties; mine got it at the shelter. I would definitely ask the vet about this possibility and how to quarantine.

Prayers and {{{hugs}}} - kisses to the kitties.

Maggie

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Originally Posted by columbine

I did a search and found this article about FCV. It sounds like it might be a possibility.

Love, Columbine

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I was thinking the same thing, only the newer virilent strain of it.
http://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=14438

Or possibly FIP
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/in...m/bc/56900.htm

Either way I hope the cats that are sick recover and that no more kitties come down with it regardless of what it is.

Lisa, I finally got a reply from my vet and she said that orophargyneal disease is not a diagnosis but just a description and there are many types and severities. She said that if you have any doubts about your current vet then you may want to see an internal medicine specialist.

I just hope that whatever it is can be properly diagnosed and treated and that no more of your cats will become infected. I'll continue to keep everyone in my thoughts and prayers.

I'm sorry I didn't post till now things have been really crazy around my place. My prays are with you though and prays for your kitties too.

Melissa

Thanks everyone! I have every bit of confidence in our vets. We've been going to them for 12 years now and they've never let us down. These cats have had blood work, cultures, etc. run and no diseases have shown in any tests. Sable is in now at the vet for teeth removal and throat treatment. I sure hope all goes well. Beavis was in yesterday and got his shot and is doing much better today. Gable is eating like an oinker this morning after having his shot.

I stopped last night and bought special milk for Sable when she returns after her surgery. I don't know why I never thought of this myself, so I sure appreciate all these ideas, thoughts, and comments. Keep em coming!:)

How are things?