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I had a cat that passed away a few days ago. He was 15 ...

Sent to Cat Experts March 14 12:10 PM

I had a cat that passed away a few days ago. He was 15 years old and had been an outside cat for 6 years. Last year he was taken to the vet because of vomiting, a fever and weakness. He had seemed a little sluggish for a few days before I took him in. After the blood panal came back, everything seemed fine aside of his liver. They think that he had eaten something that was poisioned. He recovered. A few nights ago I let him in and he seemed fine. The next morning he was not moving (seemed to be paralysed) and nearly unconsious, no fever. I rushed him in and they took blood. Everything came back normal, aside of low RBC and WBC, and low blood sugar. They said his heart was beating strong. He never regained consiousness, and stopped breathing. They suggested letting him go naturally because they believed he was suffering. All they could determine was that he had eaten something poisionness again. I am stumped because it happened so differently from the time before. The cat didn't vomit, had no tempurature and had normal liver function. I was hoping you guys could give me a little insight as to what you think may have happened.   Thanks, Cyndi Bonini

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Age: >12; Male; Breed: Cat

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $10
Answer
March 14 12:27 PM (17 minutes and 34 seconds later)
         
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It might be he had an issue with a tumor causing too much insulin production resulting in low blood sugar
http://www.felinediabetes.com/hypogly.htm
The low RBC and WBC might indicate a problem such as feline leukemia
http://www.bright.net/~zimm1/FightingFeLV/
and you can read here about what the blood cell count info can indicate
http://www.petplace.com/cats/understanding-blood-work-the-complete-blood-count-cbc-for-cats-2/page1.aspx
My guess would be he might have had a cancer in the bone or also elsewhere that caused his body to shut down.
So sorry for your loss. If you have not seen www.petloss.com and the rainbow bridge story you might find it some comfort.
Hope this helps you!

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NancyH -- Cat Health, Behavior, Care Expert -- 100% Positive Feedback on 2170 Cat Accepts
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March 14 2:02 PM (1 hour and 34 minutes and 46 seconds later)
         
Reply to Nancy Holmes's Post: I just read the info. I was wondering if you feel it possible he could of eaten something toxic due to the low RBC (as this is linked to internal bleeding which is caused sometimes by poision), or if it was not likely? Is vomiting common in poisioning, and could he have eaten something and not vomited? Could Leukemia be a possibilty due to low WBC (I read that it usally causes WBC to elevate). Also, is there a condition that would of caused both his blood sugar and blood counts to be low? I still feel a little uncertain as to his condition. He had his shots, so could he have still gotten leukemia? Is this something that could of killed him quickly, with little signs of illness? I am asking this last question because he seemed fine that night before. Thanks again...cyndi
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Answer
March 14 2:23 PM (20 minutes and 59 seconds later)
         
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It might be he ate a mouse with toxins in it from rodent bait. Usually you'd see coagulation issues with that.
The best way to know for sure what happened is to have a necropsy done which is like a human autopsy.
Sometimes animals show little sign of a problem until it gets to the point the system is overwhelmed.
If you are concerned about poisons then if you get another cat I'd keep it as an indoor pet only.
If he had shots against feline leukemia then that was probably not the issue. However a bone cancer could have caused the white and red blood cells both to drop off as the bone marrow is what produces the blood cells.
Cancer can cause an upswing in insulin which will drop blood sugar if the cancer cells are in the pancreas too.
Its really hard to say. If your vet said maybe poison perhaps someone put out something toxic to keep 'stray' cats from defecating or urinating on their property. Perhaps the cat's favorite hunting area was where someone dumped toxic waste too. A lot of possibilities in a cat that roams free.

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NancyH -- Cat Health, Behavior, Care Expert -- 100% Positive Feedback on 2170 Cat Accepts
30+ years cat owner, rescue, breeding, study of behavior & health care
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