Automatic Litterbox Central

Well, I have learned a lesson. I'm not sure that learning it will make much difference in the fate of the kitten involved but perhaps it will help someone or some other cats out.

I have been recently posting in the LR forum under the topic Urine Seeping Into the Drawer -- basically another poster initiated the topic but, a bit after I responded to it, it also became mine as urine started turning up next to the LR at my house and in the drawer as well ... So I ordered some accessories from the LR folks and waited to start a new experiment thinking my two kittens were simply growing and not going all the way in the LR before peeing -- thus, were peeing out the door.

Instead, I ended up taking the suspect kitten to the Vets, yesterday (and today, as well). She is only eight to nine months old. A mixed breed, from an animal shelter although she looks and acts like a Rag Doll -- the roundest deep blue eyes, medium coat of cream and black, points on the face, ears. Just a doll and sweet as can be.

And, as it turns out, not doing very well. Her white blood count is sky-rocketing to 50,000 when it should be in the 10,000 to 20,000 range -- at least that's what I think the Vet said. So far $300+ in exams, blood & urine tests, & fluids with no definitive diagnosis. After researching, tonight, I am guessing FIP -- a very difficult to diagnose viral infection with no cure -- Many of her symptoms fit. Some do not so I am continuing checking out her symptoms. She's home and I am force feeding.

But the lesson here is even in young seemingly healthy cats, if they start showing abnormal litter box behavior, take 'em to the Vet first. I didn't. I assumed the cats were fine. They were all eating, playing, etc. Then last week this little kitten started drinking a lot and sleeping a lot, taking her toys under the bed, and staying there. She quit playing, and two days ago, quit eating.

Oh no! I am so sorry. FIP is horrible. That is what they first diagnosed my Lily with, and I almost had to be carried out to the car, I was so upset. Poor kitty. I hope that isn't what is ailing her. Is it contagious? being viral, I would think so, but dont really know that much about it, just that it is deadly. Check your PM, I may have an idea for you.

ab

Thanks, Abbey. I hope you got my return message. I had posted the results of Yang's ordeal in the LR forum ("Urine Seeping Into the Drawer" topic) but had not returned to add the results here which I will do, now. Yang was about 9 months old and none of this is typical for a 9-month-old cat.

On Dec. 16th, Yang, despite her drinking, was seriously dehydrated. Back at the Vets for the third day in a row, she received subcutaneous hydration. That night, on Wednesday, she began accepting some food, and seemed better on Thursday morning with the exception of her stomach which had expanded considerably. I took her back to the vet for hydration. I think our plan at that point was to hydrate her intraveneously to clear more toxins from her system, and repeat the blood and urine tests to determine any changes (hopefully in a positive direction). But, in the late afternoon, when the vet staff got ready for the blood tests, Yang's stomach had grown even more. Fluids meant to hydrate her were ending up in her stomach. She was anestasized, the fluids drained, and I rushed her to the 24-hour emergency surgery center for pets in a nearby community where she had an ultrasound that night and on Friday morning, a radiograph to determine if there was a tear in her urinary tract that was causing the urine to leak into her stomach. If so, perhaps the tear could be repaired. Instead the staff found that urine was seeping bilaterally from both kidneys, also an odd finding, and the kidneys were not (obviously) processing urine. I was told there was nothing they could do for Yang.

After her ordeal that week, I brought Yang home so she could be here for a bit, sitting in the meditation room, being outside in the fresh air, being petted for awhile. She had very little energy. And then with a great deal of grief and sadness, I took her to a nearby Vet clinic and had her "put to sleep". Her last minute was spent in a quiet purr. Between the dehydration and urine seeping into her stomach, she would not have lived long if even through the weekend.

Yang had no obvious signs of illness -- so few that I was the one insisting something was wrong during our initial visit to Vet. Here's a sequence of her subtle symptoms in case this helps any other cat:
1) Litter box accidents started in mid to late October but were in definitely in process by October 31. (I attributed the accidents to the wrong cat and for the wrong reason -- kitten growth, not turning around in the LR, and urinating outside the door. My solution was to order some accessories for the LR that would encourage the cat to enter the LR fully and turn.)
2) Yang's loss of energy became somewhat apparent in early December. She didn't play as vigorously with her feather toy. I was puzzled by this but did not see it as indication of illness and at this point, had not connected the litter box accidents to Yang.
3) By the second week of December, she was obviously not feeling well: she crawled under a bed with her feather toy and stayed there.
4) We had a heavy freeze for five days, lost electricity for two days. Yang's protest was a gentle "meow" at her water fountain that wasn't flowing. The other cats modeled lapping behavior in still water and she immediately caught on! I put out a second litter box for the cats and used crystal litter part of the week. The crystals helped determine two things: (1) Yang was having the litter box accidents since she used the very edges of this box: (2) Yang's urine went from yellow one week to clear the next. Clear urine can mean that the kidneys are not processing toxins. This causes dehydration. The cat begins to drink more to compensate. The urine output increases and the color of the urine is clear. (NOT good)
5) She vomited on two different occasions.
6) On December 13, she didn't eat. I called the Vet on the 14th and took her in. Her symptoms were not typical -- no fever, high white cell count; her kidneys were enlarged (also NOT typical), tests were run, hydration started, antibiotics given, and you know the rest.

I don't know what happened. I didn't want an autopsy done (and maybe I should have done that for peace of mind if nothing else). Her history and symptoms fit FIP but she didn't have it according to two Vets. All viruses were ruled out. She may have had a genetic disorder or had damage done to the kidneys at some point that continued to progress or she may have had cancer, tumors in the kidneys. If one kidney had been healthy, she could have lived. If hydration had been successful, she might have lived.

The kidneys can function quite well until they have lost 70% of their filtering process and then obvious signs of illness will turn up. Yang's signs were the litter box accidents, lack of energy, vomiting, loss of appetite. Cats will also start drinking considerably more, begin to look for and drink at odd places (out of a faucet, for example -- Yang chose the jets in the bath tub), urinate more, lose weight, and their coats will become rough. With chronic kidney failure (usually in older
cats or young cats with FIP), the signs are subtle and the loss of kidney functioning slow as appeared with Yang. Acute kidney failure as with poisoning (antifreeze) can be quite obvious and quick.

Of course I am not a kidney expert and only learned the above through Yang's ordeal.

Yang was a sweet, sweet kitty and is missed.

I feel your pain and wish there was something appropriate to say in this situation. My heart aches for what you are feeling. I'm so sorry. She is with Nuba now and they are probably exchanging stories about the mom who loved them both dearly.

ab

Thanks, Ab.