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Old October 9th 09, 08:00 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
John Ross Mc Master
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Default Ping Phil All the cats in the house are sick

On Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:30:06 -0600, MLB wrote:

MLB wrote:
John Ross Mc Master wrote:
On Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:15:45 -0600, MLB wrote:

John Ross Mc Master wrote:
On Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:19:48 -0600, MLB wrote:

John Ross Mc Master wrote:
On Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:12:13 -0600, MLB
wrote:

John Ross Mc Master wrote:
On Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:12:29 -0600, MLB
wrote:

John Ross Mc Master wrote:
On Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:27:41 -0700, cl wrote:

John Ross Mc Master wrote:
They have been to a vet and he's running blood and stool tests.
The vet doesn't have a clue yet. I get the blood results
today and the
stool tests in 5 days. I'm posting here to discover if
anyone else has
had the problem. I am syringing chicken broth down their
thoats all
the time as well as antibiotics and a high calorie vitamin mix

Here is the problem in detail.

Five healthy cats ranging in age from 10 months to 11 years
simultaneously stopped eating and drinking. They are indoor
cats up to
date with their shots. They were not poisoned, did not
ingest a toxin
of any kind. This has to be a bacteria, protazoa or virus.

Anyone have an idea?
If you have a dishwasher all of their food and water bowls
should be washed in it immediately and done regularly until
this goes away. If you do not have a dishwaster you should
use paper food and water bowls in the mean time. Also the
contents of their litter boxes should be dumped and replaced
now - one cat might have infected the others. Did you just
change or just start using a new brand or bag of food? I
presume that they all eat different food since they are
different ages? Or do they all eat the same food? Is it
canned food, dry or both? It sounds like some widespread
contaminated has occurred. Have you cleaned a floor, mopped,
or used a different cleaning product lately? Something has
caused this since all fives cats have stopped eating at the
same time. It really sounds like poisoning.
The blood test is in and the only problem is "Moderately toxic
neutrophyls with no neutrophilia suggests acute tissue demand for
neutrophils". which indicates some kind of infection. I could
have
unknowingly tracked in a bacteria, but how do all the cats get
sick at
once?
The big question right now is how are they doing?
I do not have any idea how that could happen and it is very
strange that they all got sick at the same time. I would think
it would have to be airborne or fed the same thing. Purrs for
you and the cats that the mystery can be solved. Best
wishes. MLB
Airborne is possible. We have tomcats in the neighborhood
outside. But
at no time were they ever fed the same thing.
I know you dismissed the possibility of carbon monoxide, but it
might be a good idea to have your heating/ventilation system
checked. Do you remember hearing the old stories of "canaries in
the coal mine"? Removing the cats to another environment would
have cleared it from their bodies. And yes -- how are they
doing? MLB
They seem to mbe getting a bit better. The youngest first. The three
youngest all had bowel movements, one normal.

The two oldest ones are not doing well. Off to vet #2 in 25 minutes.

Matthew's point about looking outside8de made me wonder if it were
possible one of those trucks that are used by carpet cleaners could
have been working near where the fumes could seep into the house?
I remember one time where I worked, trucks would sometimes park in
the back alley and leave their engines running. The exhaust fumes
would then get into the ventilation system and come into our
building . We were on the 4th floor and fumes do rise. Trucks in
the alley were eventually not permitted in the alley.

Sending purrs that all kitties will recover and that you can figure
this out == it must be hard on you. Best wishes. MLB
About the time this started there were pavers repang 2 nearby
driveways but that would not account for the bacteria.
The vet gave me antibiotics in pill form that Percy won't vomit out.
He hates the liquid.


Do you know if they had a cement mixer running or a truck idling nearby?
(just trying to cover all possibilities). Perhaps you could mix a
little syrup with the liquid meds to improve the taste. Just in case
the pill doesn't work either.)

Remembering that years ago a man in our condo was working on his car
in the carport. He had left the car running and the resulting fumes
made him sick? (I have a "thing" about fumes, as you can tell --
long, dull story). MLB

They were idling for hours, but this doesn't account for the blood
readings.
One cat refused the oral meds and had to be given shots of tribissen.
She is recovering faster than the two on metronidazole.




Well, if the body gets weakened for any reason, other things can take
hold. Still hoping this mystery can be solved, but not all mysteries
are . Best wishes. MLB



I was just scooping TuTu's litter box. This made me wonder what kind of
litter do you use? Any change there?


I have always used wood pellets. It's compressed sawdust with no
addities. The trees are pine from the Interior of this Province. No
change in the litter. To compress the sawdust they use heat and
pressure so no bacteria or mold can survive.

This is certainly a mystery, unless it is an airborne disease from
outside that is unique to me. I DO have tomcats wandering out there.

From now on I will only give the cats boiled water. The water has no
chemical or mineral contaminants, and boiling will rule out even the
toughest stuff that survives treatment. There is nothing on my street
that could contaminate my house water.