Fluid In The Chest in Cats

Something very similar just happened to me. I had to put my sweetest one year old cat to sleep yesterday. The vet was so unprofessional, saw fluid around his heart from the xrays, but could not diagnose why? He told me to take him home, never followed up. I kept calling calling and asking questions as he was not eating, drinking (i fed him with a syringe). Finally I was so upset i demanded to speak to another vet for some answers! Even rushed him in for an ultrasound and he died an hour later. It is so distressing to know you did everything you could, don't know the cause and had to deal with this horrible vet experience. I am one saddened owner 😫

Sorry to hear about Rocket . It happened only 2 weeks ago . I noticed my Baby girl she was only 9 years old and I had rescued her right off the street at 1 years old so I noticed her breathing was fast about 2 weeks ago . Rushed her to the Vet immediately with in half hour . He had to do an X-ray and blood work but had suspected fluid around her lungs and there was a lot after the tests results . He sent her home with lasek . I was to give her 2 doses a day and immediately in a day or so she seemed to be breathing better and lost some weight . I realized at that point the weight she had gained in a couple months was the fluid and not the winter weight that I thought or just getting older and putting on weight . After couples of days breathing better she seemed tired and withdrawn wasn’t her energetic self and barely eating . My cat would not be the same . I wondered if the lasek was too much . Some days she seemed fine and others I wasn’t sure if she would recover. The Dr called everyday concerned , worried and other times was optimistic of a recovery. He could not Telk me what or why with out testing the fluid he took out around her heart . So to save my Baby I went ahead and he said no cancer was detected although there was lots of inflammation in her lung and heart he still detected cancer . I have a copy of those results to understand what was going on . He never mentioned FIP a friend pointed out that in the results FIP was detected . I had to insist on antibiotics 3 different times throughout this ordeal . I suspected pneumonia I don’t think it’s uncommon in cats . She passed away peacefully at home after 12 days 😢she didn’t want anymore of the meds or doctors I was actually bringing her with in an hour for a second opinion. I’m still confused and upset and cannot bring myself to call and ask more questions he didn’t seem to have any his self. I was told by friends That they do not know a lot about FIP . I have 2 10 month old baby boys that I’m concerned about now . And Baby previously had 2 other older cats living in the house with us for years until last spring wheh the oldest passed at 16. It’s upsetting to know that a Veterinarian could not help her I don’t care about the money . I would have paid any mount to save her . My cats are my children and they are indoors only and always been healthy until this .!

I can’t believe what happened to me with my 10 year old (prior to this completely healthy) cat, happened almost exactly the same way to so many others! (Rockets parent): when I first brought Zoey in on April 9th, at first it was for merely a well visit, although, full disclosure-I Did start to notice labored breathing in her abdomen/Rib cage area and a slightly runny nose, about a wk prior. I was thinking upper respiratory, cold, pneumonia at the absolute worst. I also spent $510! Left with ZERO answers, a disk of her x-rays, and a vile filled with bloody, yellow lymph fluid and told keep it in your fridge and u can go have it tested since u don’t want to put her down! Never felt so helpless my Entire life! Since then, I have gotten much more clarity, as I’ve sought second opinions as well the pet oncologist.

DO any of u guys want to possibly set up a video conference call or an online chat group or something? To help each other out and share info we may have learned, pics, or maybe a miracle procedure ur cat had.? Or even support/grieving through this hellacious experience?
This is so rare (at least every vet I’ve seen other than the oncologist. Says
“they've never seen this, she’s on limited time and keep her comfortable while she dies” 🙄 oh, and “you have maybe 3 months.” 🤦‍♀️

I’ve been doing a lot of research on my own (at the library, online, taking notes of what different vets say each time, and charting how many days she lasts in between each thoracocentesis (drainage with needles). AND more importantly, how much fluid they are getting off her each time. (Each time she last longer, and since April 9th her lymph fluid they aspirate has decreased from 12 ounces down to 5. And this past time ONLY on her right side. Coincidentally though-the Vet said he still thought it was lymphoma cancer and we shld put her down soon. 🙄.
ALSO, I’ve noticed a common theme with ALL of these stories-the Vets all “suspect” our fur babies have “cancer”, however none of them can find it with ultrasounds, and xrays?? They say that they “think its hiding??
**I was at the library yesterday reading a feline book, and i think I’m on to something. “Pleurisy” is a feline respiratory disorder. It’s a “bacterial infection that may lead to an inflammation of the layer covering the lungs (Pleura). This causes a build up of fluid in the chest cavity that makes breathing difficult.” Action needed? “Immediate Vet Treatment and the fluid in the chest cavity may need to be drained.”
IF I came across a miracle here, then this cld possibly 🤞 explain WHY it’s happening mainly so rapidly out of the blue and WHY none of the vets can locate the cancer-but rather have a “hunch”. And (In my opinion).. why they want to put them down so early on in diagnosing them. Because they simply don’t know what’s wrong with these poor little guys.
THOUGHTS??
(Ps-one thing I’m sure of-we are on limited time with this fluid leaking/build up. We have to fix the problem relatively quickly, or prognosis not good).

Let's set up a site to share similar experiences we need to figure out is it vet neglect. I went thru this also. Vets only want your money please let's set up a website for helping each other. Please let me know if anything is set up [email protected]

So sad for Rocket my blessing. Of all the stories that I have read there was no mention of Congestive Heart Failure in any of the cases. My precious kitty Noelle was having breathing issues a month and a half ago. Because she has seasonal allergies and her ears get bad I thought it had to do with that, pain and infection can cause breathing issues as well. I took her to her vet as I normally would do only to learn after a xray of her lungs she had fluid in them which caused a enlarged heart, her vet told me she has Congestive Heart Failur. He immediately put her Lasix 3x a day plus 2 heart medications. A return visit showed her breathing was much better but kidney levels were high. He cut her back to 1/2 Lasix in the morning and 1/2 at night which brought her levels down. Now my love begins this out of control sneezing, watery eye's. Again back to the vet, this time with a diagnoses of a Upper Respiratory Infection. Because of her heart issue he could only give her a mild antibodic that lasts for 10 day's. It is very disheartening because she was suppose to have a echo gram today but the vet said it wouldn't' matter plus he told me he is going to treat her heart issue but did not give me a appt for a return visit. Basically he closed the book on my baby Noelle. He told me he didn't' think she would make it through the night, guess what...it has been 4 day's now and she still sneezes but is eating, drinking and using the litter box. The sneezing causes her heart to race but is back under control once it is over. Because her energy level is very low compared to her norm I made her a comfy bed on the floor where she doesn't have to jump, she looks up at her window bed as though she is asking for help to sit there so I pick her up place her in her favorite spot where she is nothing but content. We will never give up on her, in fact if the Upper Respiratory Infection gets better I am seriously am thinking of getting a second opinion, every article I have read on Congestive Heart Failure has positive feed back on how our furr babies can live up to 3 years after being diagnosed. Ask your vet about this heart disease it could be the right diagnosis. Good luck to all and your previous loves.

Hi my cats 11yrs old very health perfect cat I noticed his breathing wasn’t rite, I taken him the vets and they drained fluid from his lungs and vets said it’s lyk a milky colour, I was abserlutly heart broken, but thirty things was lookin up for him tigers breathing was fine, few days later his breathing was changing again so yum him bk the vets for them to put him in an oxygen tent n drained his lungs again his breathing wasn’t a 100 percent but he was a bit Betta breathing, the vets checked him ova said he’s a very healthy cat and got a healthy heart but it’s juat this fluid that keeps cumin bk. he’s eating n drinking ok. The vets put him on steroids and water tablets but his breathing still not how a cat shud be, he’s had his lungs drained 2 times now and vets said it’s not fair on him he shud b put t sleep that left me totally broken and gutted, I still c my cat fit n healthy wen he as bn drained so how cud I put him to sleep he is my abserlute world and I crnt loose him, if his lungs fill again which wud b the third time do we get the fluid drained again or is it not fair on him to put him threw this as anybody ad the same problem with there cat cause I crnt cope with the heart ache to loose him am heart broken we av even bn thinkin about t go private and get sum type of loan to pay t c if we cud get him well n betta n fix the problem with special vets to Luk further into his problem, I need help to save my cat if anyone as ad the same with there cat and paid with a refferel to get there cat betta.. am heartbroken cause my cats my whole world Xx 💔💔💔💔💔

I also have similar experience with my indoor/outdoor cat.His name was Tato and loved being outside in the summer. he would have been 4 years old in November 2019.
Around March or April 2019 he was take to the vet for an infected scratch. the vet gave him antibiotics and we thought the antibiotics worked, as the antibiotics were given as directed. later around July 2019 we switched foods and we (myself and my family) assumed he didn't like the food because he would not come by as much to eat. plus we thought it was summer and he enjoyed being outdoors. Anyway we switched the food back after about almost a week later. but still the same, he wouldn't come home to eat until later in the evenings and wouldn't eat much nor drink much. We thought the weight loss was because he was shedding during the summer. Not until these last couple weeks we notice a lot more weight loss. and change of behavior. Tato would not go out as much adn would not eat or drink, he was starting to drool a little and most concerning his breathing was not normal.
My sister got him a vet appointment for Thursday 08/22/19. The vet got labs done including fiv. all labs came back negative.then he got an xray, which resulted in fluid in the upper cavity. the vet informed my sister that they could drain the fluid, but it would be very risky because they would go in blind as they did not have an ultrasound to use. and they could puncture a lung etc. the vet stated the ansthesia would probably kill him as he was too week. that would cost us around $250 or the other option would be putting to sleep $45. it was some devastating news.
So we found another vet about 45 miles away. who had an ultrasound and could do the procedure in a safer way. I called him and he mentioned it would range from $500 to $800. so we took Tato there. I called the other vet who had done the xray so they could forward his medical history to this new vet office. The vet looked at the xray and stated that there looked like there was some kind of "gunk" by his throught that possibly causing Tato to not being ablt to eat. ( which the other vet did not tell us) anyways the procedure was done without anesthesia and our cat did great.
the vet was unable to take all the fluid out with the needle.. the vet took out about 1 cup of puss!! vet states that it could have been from an infection that was not treated or cleared up and had spread. the vet gave him a couple shots of antibiotics. Tatos breathing was better, Vet states he should be feeling better towards the late evening with the antibiotics and we brought him home. the procedure was $1040.25... The vet stated the he could refer Tato to bigger Pet hospital to compeletely drain his upper cavity adn flush and he would have to stay there for a few days and still there was no guarantee of Tato Pulling through this procedure, but he had 20%-49% chance of getting better whith further treatment. while we were home Tato still looked sad, no energy, didn't eat,nor wanted to drink water and just didnt want to get pet nor touched. Tato was hiding away from everyone. The following morning he still had not ate nor drank water. its not that he wasn't hungry but most likely he could not swallow, he was drooling more ( because he could not swallow his own saliva). He just looked miserable. and almost like he had given up. we felt so bad for him he was just too sick and we really believe he was going to starve to death and end up not being able to breath beacuse of the puss due to the infection. so we made the heart-aching decicion to put him to rest. it was so hard but we all thought it was best for him. he was suffering too much and putting an end to his misery could be a gift from us for the great years and comfort he gave us in our hard times. Tato was a sweet big kitty who could be with you if you were sad. he would lay by you almost like saying things were going to be ok. 08/24/2019 R.I.P Tato you will be missed.

* Its so hard to say goodbye to a loved one. specially out pets. they are always there for us in good and bad times. we want them to always be here with us. But we cant be selfish. we cant have them suffering from an illness if they don't have to. lets also think about whats best for my pet, whats most comfortable for pet, what would my pet want?

So sorry to hear about your Chloe . I am just learning that this happens to other cats . I’m trying to learn what or why my 9 year old Baby girl had . She was always healthy and never showed any signs of illness after 12 days of meds and getting the fluid off her chest to breath . Dr gave me lasek to give her twice a day . They don’t know much about this I’m learning that FIP could be behind this and it’s usually fatal . Fluid around the heart isn’t good for people let alone a cat. I almost lost my mind trying to save my girl she was strong she showed signs of improvement on most days. And I want to know what or why now . I have 2 10 month old baby boys that miss their big sister and nighttime isn’t the same . I’m worried that she or they could have passed this to each other . I had the fluid tested in hopes that they could help her and still I’m not getting answers . After being on the lasek 1-2 days her breathing was normal than it seemed to be little bit slower . I was told not to stop the lasek but I feel like it hurt her in the end .

Sherry, could we possibly talk? My 10 year old baby girl due baby seems almost an exact replica of your baby. (I’m so sorry for your loss!). I’m trying desperately to save mine! It’s been 6.5 wks, 5 vet visits, 2,000$ and 4 aspirations (drainage with needles). I’m also instructed to give 2 lasix pills per day. Honestly, I don’t think they do anything other than make them pee a lot and piss them off when making them take them. I think I know what’s wrong with both of our girls. I’m not sure how this works, but let me know if u can spare a few minutes and I will give you my contact info. (I’m in Jax, Fl). Thank you!

Hi. I’m Leslie from St Augustine and my fur baby girl is Zoey. We’ve Been going through this nightmare with my 10 yo girl Siamese rescue (who I’ve had since I found her on the street around 6 weeks of age).we've been going through this hell since April 9th. Heartbreaking, frustrating and completely 100% came on out of nowhere!! She hadn’t so much had a cold in 10 years. She won a cutest pet contest in our local paper, prize was a $50 gift card to a vet, so I figured I wld take her for a check up. I didn’t know the vet, but being that she’s so healthy and it’s merely for a well visit, what could go wrong, right?? WRONG. I’ll never forget when that SOB walked back in the room (no bedside manner and all)-and in the next 15 seconds of my life I blacked out. All I cld hear was “we pulled so much fluid off of her. Late stage cancer. Grave discomfort, nothing we can do. I highly recommend putting her down. I’m Sorry.”
(Next thing I remember was the vet handing me a paper Dixie cup of water as I sat on the hard wooden chair, telling me I passed out.). FIRST piece of advice to EVERYONE who can read this: these are OUR babies.we KNOW them. If something about their advice feels wrong, it probably is. Go with ur instinct. I told him he was out of his “[email protected]*** Mind. That He had the wrong cat. My cat hadn’t had a cold in 10 years. I told him to give me my baby back now, along with his xrays, and her lymph fluid sample that he had not even tested. Paid my $510 for a 45 min visit. Went home and cried so hard the next 13 hours that I broke a blood vessel in my right eye. Then I got my shit together and started making calls. Formulating a plan. Researching. Went to Barnes and Nobles and read a book. Reached out to a Vet friend i had. That although had not spoken in 5 years, you might be surprised with how wonderful ppl can be during this time. (Except most vets).
***SO, I can tell you so much about this subject (unfortunately)- as luck would have it, it has tainted my life twice now in 10 years. If I can help every one on here, or even just half of the people dealing with this, then it would serve a purpose! then maybe, even if none of us can save our babies- We could all be more educated, comfortable and know what we are talking about to the Vets. I want to educate as many ppl as possible, with at least all of the knowledge and experience, and mounds of literature ans paperwork I now have from both Winnie Palmer Neonatologists, vets and vet oncologists. because as many of you are quickly learning, the General veterinarian’s give u as little info as possible, and only if you ask. They tend to give you a whole lot of “I don’t know. We don’t know what causes it.”, are very dismissive, expensive, and guide you to immediately euthanize.
**YOU need to take your little guy ASAP to have the fluid aspirated (drained) out of his chest cavity. (It’s compressing his lungs and slowing (or rapidly) making it harder and harder for him to breathe. My Zoey has been to the vet 5 times the last 6.5 weeks. I’ve had her to 3 different ones (the first one was directly related to Hitler in my opinion! Very dismissive, accused her of having feline leukemia and felv repeatedly, only to then test her and within 10 mins tell me I was right and that it was negative, did everything in his power to convince me to put her down, and then charged me $510)!
The most informative and worthwhile (and expensive but worth every single penny of u can find a way. I applied and got approved for care credit. Took 10 mins online). Was the feline Oncologist/Specialist Vet. He NEEDS a full ultrasound of his lymphatic system. ALL of these babies have something called “PLEURAL EFFUSION of the THORACIC DUCT’. The reason I know so much about it, is that my 9 yo little girl was born with the same damn thing in 2010 and spent her first 120 in the NICU. 15 chest tubes, 3 surgeries and a blood transfusion later, I got to bring her home. So-U cld imagine my wave of anger, shock, extreme sadness and heartbroken when here I sit a decade later almost to the month and my second love of my life (my Siamese loving, affectionate, youthful, beautiful cat) has the same damn thing!
I hear several people here talk about ‘FIP’: feline infectious Peritonitis . They did also mention that to me, and pretty much ruled it out. They can use their educated opinion pretty confidently by looking at the “lymph fluid” they aspirate off your babies and the color will give them a very solid indication (along with lifestyle and history of the cat).
There are only 4 main things that cause this.FIP, Feline leukemia/Felv, Mid to late stage cancer-please note: Lymphoma and IBD (irritable Bowl Disease) seem to be the most common ones. This is because Lymphoma hides itself incredibly well and pushes against the organs causing a tear in the lung lobe (aka-their thoracic duct to leak). Last but but not least (or shld I say Last in the Vets’ eyes until they give up and it’s up to US to research, call around, be a pain in the ass and keep taking them to get heir treatments (x-ray to see the fluid, aspirate with needles to draw the fluid off them, give them a shot of prednisone or some kind of steroid, and the very last and NOT proven effective but prob helps 10% is an rx to give 2 lasix pills a day, and count their BPM (beat per minute) and chart it each night.
(Oh, SO I digressed-as I was saying-we we’re fortunate enough (Insert huge sarcasm) to get diagnosed with “idiopathic chylothorax causing Pleural Effusions”-Idiopathic, meaning “no underlying cause. My little girl had a surgery at 8 weeks called a “thoracotomy”, where they preformed an open chest surgery, found where the duct was leaking, they abraised

Do u have a vet specialist/Oncologist where u live? I’m finding (from taking Zoey to 4 different vets, general practice vets admittingly know little to nothing about the feline lymphatic system. Ask him if it’s “chylothorax”/hemorrhagic pleural effusion. Other common causes according to the feline oncologist that I took mine to, is Lymphoma, IBD (irritable bowel disease) Or any trauma such as getting hit by a car, that wld cause a torn lobe. (Hope that helped)

for oxygen home therapy I rented an oxygen concentrator from my local pharmacy with my vet's prescription. I then purchased one online. Use it 24 hours a day if needed it's ok. Over 24 hours in oxygen you will have to wean them off but only do it slowly turning the dial down a tiny bit every hour or so. If in distress put the oxygen back to original level.

The vet didn’t aspirate and drain the fluid off his chest with sterile needles?

I go to the vet to find out WHAT is wrong, but I always try a natural remedy first. For things like this either Lung Gold or AmazaPet or a natural anti viral/ anti infection. Especially on older pets. I would not turn to surgery right away. I had a cat who was dragging his back legs on the floor, the reg.vet wanted to do exploratory surgery to see if she finds a tumor. I took him to a holistic vet. He got one injection shot of B12 and Cal Carb drops for three weeks. Then he was RUNING and JUMPING around for another five years. Died last month at age 16. For a born diabetic that is great. Always feed them wet food to avoid disease and always try holistic docs first after you find out what is wrong. To be a holistic vet, they study the same as regular vets PLUS the holistic side of things

Hi, My cat Tiger had hypothyroidism diagnosed two years ago, and lived a year. He had cardiomyopathy, like a " stiff" heart, which is brought on by the system working so hard. For a while, after he got on meds for the thyroid, his "galloping" heart beat did get better, according to the vet. He had the pleural effusion too, that eventually came back and he was also put on furosemide.(lasix.) I think the furosemide sent his already bad kidneys over the edge. We had him put to sleep when he just couldn't eat anymore, barely moved and meowed so sadly. Such a friendly orange boy! From what I've read (a lot!)if you catch over active thyroid early, maybe have it treated with that iodine treatment, heart problems can reverse and they will be well for quite a while. I think my boy's kidneys were too far gone already, and he was only 12.They confirm hypothyroid with a blood test, maybe they ruled it out on your kitty? Some vets don't think about that but its getting so common, they should!

Excuse me! I meant hypERthyroid, overactive thyroid. Sorry, long day...

That is a very large amount of rutin you have Jax on.. How do you get that much into him? Normally 50 mg. per kilo is the usual dose in a day split dosages. Is he eating normally?.. I have rutin here, as my cat is sick with what is another episode of some type of infection (lymphocytes up) (But neutrophils bottomed out-low). Fluid in chest and abdomen. Could be FIP, but pancreatitis test was positive. Yet, pancreatitis (could be secondary) can be caused by another system or organ (s) that are inflammed in the bowel for instance. There could be a lymphoma.. Tests for feline leukemia were negative. She is young-2.8 yrs. and normally very very active as she is an oriental shorthair. She has had this happen before with a low grade fever coming on, once with a uti, and I gave her clavaseptin which did help. I believe some of her problems were induced by a shot of convenia which did nothing for infection, but she shut down, and almost died with extreme weakness and lethargy and breathing becoming worse and worse.. I read about rutin and started her on it along with probiotics. -but started in little amts. as she could not eat(sometimes just a lick or 3)..sometimes nada- She was extremely sick last Dec. 8th-15th 2018. Now in 2019 April 6 a syndrome of issues and abnormal blood work evidenced itself again. She had completely recovered from the initial episode last dec. I stay with her constantly..watching for litter box habits.. making sure she is hydrated, but realize she is retaining fluid in chest and abdomen-plus generally; so decided against Lasix because dehydration and electrolyte disturbances can be deadly consequences. Last year when a tap of chest was suggested for symptomatic purposes, I passed and started the rutin etc. She totally improved and started to pee alot with the excessive fluid being released. She totally recovered (at least symptomatically then).. Actually I thought our problems were over as she was flying about the house and regained all her strength.. I also kept her on a probiotic blend called Gut soothe by Adored Beast, now using 'Healty Gut' with special ingredients including pro and prebiotics and address the need for digestive enzymes for the pancreatic issues. She seemed to be fading fast last week, and the Vet did not feel we had long. Where metacam can help the pain (she has been in alot); Metacam can also induce kidney failure which can become a part of the picture. I am encouraging her to eat and drink. Have at times syringed her but usually mix rutin in the water. Step by step. she has made tiny improvements and is taking more food. Purchased diff kinds of pate including baby food (chicken and broth) with sprinkling digestive enzymes on top. Also using fancy feast (gravy lovers, and creamy delights with extra milk etc.)-also Wellness pate (warmed)-put a little water in the mix. She is eating in tiny portions, and licking the gravy off the top of the diff foods helped her from becoming dehydrated too. She now wants to eat more often, or try; and the last 2 days has consumed more of the body of the foods. It is important to offer food often even if they are just taking small portions. She is in pain (on buprenorphine)-She is better, but her XRays from April 6th were bad. I have a stethescope, and her chest sounds better (less fluid, if any). This could be FIP, and of course this is a fatal diagnosis. But, I am hanging onto her and working with her hoping it is a situation like a chylothorax that will go into remission, and treating her like she could have pancreatitis with antibiotics along with probiotics and digestive enzymes.. Praying for permanent recovery. She is a determined little girl, and she is pooping (small bits now) and peeing. Drs. can only do so much. They have many diff situations to deal with, and they want to do their best with what they know (which is limited with things like FIP, lymphomas, and pancreatitis including congestive heart failure).. Many times one diagnosis is complicated by other factors. They know the owner must weigh the best they can do for their pet within a boundary of financial constraints. Best of luck to you and all on here with their special companions...

ATTENTION TO OWNER OF JAX: If your boy seemed better when you went in to the vet (caretakers); then take him home. My cat was not expected to live long this last Dec. 2018, but she fully recovered. No one should tell you to put him down. They may suggest it may be an answer d/t the long term outcome they suspect, but it is up to you and what your gut says.. For my girl, Joline, we had many many weeks (2+ months) of normalcy, and she was fine. Whatever the cause of the pleural effusion, and abdominal changes, she was asymptomatic for some time. Now again, I am treating her using the best knowledge I have acquired from my past work in the medical profession along with the studying I have done in how we may apply this to animals. You know your pet better than anyone. I almost gave up last friday thinking my girl was in pain and I may be prolonging the inevitable. But, I have seen her so sick, and today it is evident she is getting stronger. Am taking day by day. I take time to stroke her very gently about her face and along her back with a wet cloth esp. at night and she loves it. There is always hope. I have seen pets totally turn around.. Best wishes to you and yours in these difficult times.

This is Rebecca M. again, and I originally commented on the rutin you had Jax on. I am still watching over my Joline, and she is on a small amount of rutin once a day for maintenaince. There is a case for holding off on the thoracentisis (chest taps); and just using rutin. Too many taps can also cause problems including scar tissue build up. I held off on this and have not allowed my Oriental short hair (a young cat) to be tapped. The vet was pretty sure she had FIP the last time I saw her on April 9th. As I stated in the above story, I had almost given up and put her down. So glad I held off! She had pleural effusion, and fluid on the abdomen.[The vet also mentioned a shadow she showed me on her X-rays that she was worried about]. Although she was retaining fluid, she was also dehydrated, and had been unable to eat as I explained above for over 2 weeks. The dycotomy is when the cats are not eating or drinking and are dehydrated (you want to treat this); but giving them subcutaneous fluids can cause probs as one person explained here already further congesting the chest. I syringed her with water and diluted rutin into it. I did not decide to go with any lasix. Lasix itself can cause an electrolyte crisis and can further dehydrate the cat. It may ease their breathing at first, but in the long run it can be devastating. I decided little by little to introduce the rutin into her pate; along with digestive enzymes. She started to come around as I syringed H2O into her with the rutin. After starting with water first by mouth-I also put rutin in her what started as tiny and frequent meals. She slowly started to eat tiny bits and gain strength.. But, in the beginning she was not doing anything.. I helped her to the litter box, and even helped her clean up- she was eXtremely weak. I did not have any more money for tests. I did have the vet send me [by email] her second set of blood work to check it out and she did have a positive snap test. Even though this did not necessarily tell us she had pancreatitis for sure, and the vet felt her returning symptoms painted a picture of FIP (she was then put down as palliative and prescribed buprenorphine -my joline did have pain as her abdomen was sensitive-)..I decided to take her home and treat her the best I could as above along with making digestive enzymes a part of her meals (I treated her as if she had pancreatitis after I spent alot of time reading about the blood anomolies one usually sees in FIP etc. and did not really believe this was the cause); but I did not have the money to hospitalize her...We are almost into July (tomorrow is July 1st)..and my Joline is doing great! She has been on a low fat diet and is eating big time. Her strength has totally returned, and she is on a small amt. of rutin for maintenance. I have also kept her on digestive enzymes. She is as strong as ever, and no longer has trouble with her breathing. At one point I almost felt like I should put her down as breathing was a struggle for her, and I knew she was in pain and no one was giving me any hope. But! Her will to live is strong, and I see NO symptoms of any abnormalties now. Her blood work was abnormal and it looked as if her bone marrow was definitely affected by what ever was going on, with her depressed platelets, severe neutropenia and an infection with significant lymphocytosis. I also had her on the clavaseptin a second time. Her respirations are normal now, and actually if I can see the way clear financially I may go for another X-Ray and blood work..Her chest sounds clear.. Don't give up too easily. I think my cat is very happy and grateful.. She is my constant shadow now, and has become excessively affectionate.. I sent a recent video to my Vet, and they are mystified. And, when I think about the conversations I did have with the Vet, and actually felt pressure to put her down at one point...Cannot explain how she recovered! If this is some type of remission, it is amazing. No more fluid in lungs.. Keep the faith!!

I agree - don't give up. My kitty was critical. Vet diagnosed fluid in chest. x-ray confirmed. Lungs only partially working, organs look displaced. No appetite, weaker every day, loosing weight. Vet recommended euthanasia. I declined, treated her with "tuning forks". OMG! it worked. After treating her 3x/da for 4 days she is improving. I'm working with her on food now as she only licks it. Drinking water is coming naturally as I had to beg and plead until she could. Even used a syringe to get fluid in her as her throat seem sore. Found two lumps on her ribs and I'm treating them with CBD oil on a cotton ball. There are things you can do. And don't forget prayer and love. So much about this method to share but website is only letting me into the dog pages when I sign in. ???

Omg I’m reading your comment and I just went through this last couple weeks I lost my precious 9 year old indoor cat who was always healthy I rescued 2 male brothers at 3-4 weeks all there other siblings are healthy and currently they are . The boys are 10 months old . Baby one day out of the blue was breathing rapidly so rushed to the Vet she was put on lasek antibiotics and after a day her breathing was normal . She seemed to lose all energy and wasn’t her energetic self not eating much . I lost her after 12 days . The results of the fluid that were tested during this whole thing didn’t have much of a solution I was hoping that it would save her . The dr had never mentioned FIP I asked for a copy and the results say that FIP was detected I was told by other people they do not know much I don’t think I ever heard of it either . But it doesn’t sound like there is a vaccine or a cure I’m afraid now for my 10 month old and did they give her to her? She could have had it her whole life ? I rescued her literally off the street @ year old she did had conjunctivitis after a vet visit she was healthy for the next 8 years until this. I can’t bring myself to call this Dr who treated her I’m still grieving and feeling little resentful towards him. I know he did tried and I know in time that will pass.

I know I am probably a bit late, but hope I can help having known someone who's cat was diagnosed with it. However FIP can only be proven after death by autopsy. FIP develops from a cat carrying Coronovirus and is transferred via their faesces, so it is important that litter trays aren't shared if a cat is a carrier of coronovirus/FIP. Some cats can carry it and live on with minimal ill health, but if a cat's immune system is low it is likely to pick up FIP again through faeces from a carrier.

I have a kitten who more recently had breathing difficulty and I realised the rasping on its chest was fluid and took him immediately to my vets. They did an x-ray, however couldnt see anything. I asked if they could give me something to help reduce the fluid or if they could drain it and because they couldnt locate it from the x-ray they gave me tablets Furosemide 20mg to be taken twice daily. Good news my kitten's health has improved and he is on the mend. I believe it was caused when he jumped on a his climber and lost his balance, he lunged into the ledge on it and was quite still afterwards, but being a kitten he soon started running around and I thought all was well. He started to deteriorate and I have heard they can twist their lung. To be honest, I knew from his breathing and the noise on his chest that something was seriously wrong. I feel very lucky and I hope that this may help someone with a diagnosis and that the medication may be able to help your cat/kitten. Best of luck.

So sorry I just went through this almost exact situation I’m learning now all I can and I thought at first it was my fault that maybe my Baby had a cold and I should have taken her regularly to the Vet she was always healthy and energetic and the sweetest cat . My baby’s fluid was tested and it didn’t show any cancer I was so relieved the dr thought and still suspected cancer . He didn’t have an answer his self . After a day of being on lasek her breathing returned to normal . I insisted on antibiotics thinking pneumonia and like yours Baby became tired wasn’t herself no energy wasn’t eating much we had almost 2 weeks of cuddling and for most of those days she seemed like she would survive . She was strong and the fluid seemed to be gone . The weight she had gained over the early winter months was gone which now I realized the weight was the fluid . Like yours Baby never suffered she wanted to be at home with me she was my rock . She knew I was struggling to let her go I told her to hold on I was getting her a second opinion. I left the house before the appt that day and she passed. I was devastated and confused and I have no answers. The fluid detected FIP although the DR never mentioned it . I’m so glad I got a copy of that . I have 2 10 month old brothers that I rescued at 4 weeks old and I’m worried that it’s going to get passed on or could they have given it to her ? I fear those questions there isn’t a cure and it’s usually fatal . There is no vaccine or magic pill like I thought that would have saved her . My boys are missing there big sister especially at bedtime 😢

Ahhhh, it's working (the comments). I know Cleo's experience might not be for every cat, but thank God it's working for her. I say, it's worth a try. I also know, that she's still very ill. But if she keeps improving, no matter how little, this could be a great thing. I've not seen this method used on cats, but I'm a massage therapist (25 yrs) and I use it on people all the time. If I only buy just a little time, I'm grateful. Vibrational therapy is controversial, but I've seen in my human practice, great results, so why not cats. She loves it and the good chemicals that she is getting from her own brain/body during the treatment must be helping. I have my own tuning forks, but anyone can buy them online. Simple technique to learn. As to the cause, who knows (not the vet) so why not try. Look up on the web and see all the benefits. My Cleo loves her treatment. When we started she just laid there but as we continued she loves it and she loves the forks and will jump up on the bed when I get them out for her session. Love and feeling good is the best medicine.
I'll check back here often to see if anyone has a question. I'd love to help if I can. This is Sunday, 6 days after she was recommended to be "put down", and she's made so much progress it's like a miracle to me.

I called to get the results since I never heard back from the vet, apparently they have been too busy to call me and let me know that my cat probably has cancer and we should put her down. Very disappointed with the lack of empathy and service, like we weren’t important enough to follow up on and sad at the outcome. I was never told there was a mass in her abdomen, if I had been told that, I would have assumed cancer along with the other symptoms and not made her suffer any longer but since they didn’t tell me til 10mins before they closed I have no option but to wait and make her continue to suffer till I can find somewhere else to euthanize her and end her suffering. Very sad about the whole thing.

Thank you, we are just waiting for the results to come back to see what kind of fluid it is, then figure out a plan from there. I can’t believe it takes a few days, I really hope she can last that long.

Our 12 year old cat got fluid around her heart, we discovered after taking her to the ER in Annapolis, Md, we decided to have her put down, the prognosis was very bad, we did not want her to suffer more, have no idea how this happened, we miss her

Thank you, very much.

I also had a siamese that i had for 10 years. She was probably 12. On monday she was diagnosed with crf and put on 300ml iv drip 3 days in a row. Once her levels went down i gave 100ml subq fluid at home for 2 days. The last day she didnt eat or drink and o didnt see her use the litter box. Very lethargic. She then started breathing really fast 70-120x a min. The vet recomended euthanasia and she was put to rest on 9/22/18. Do you think that i could have over hydrated her causing her heart issue the vet suspected? Do you think euthensia was a good option. She really didnt look good and the vet didnt think she would make it through any testing to confim diagnosis or treatment. I feel so horrible and guilty. I cant stand to think i did something to contribute to it.

My sweet cat died yesterday of something similar to what you describe. I wish I had known it was unlikely to be fixed because I would have put her to sleep with us by her side to say goodbye There us no describing the pain in our hearts over losing her. In short, there was indication that she inhaled a small AMT. of food and this was the precurser to everything as what you described. I can recall almost to the moment when our other cat startled her while she was eating and after that she began showing symptoms starting with hesitation eating. Vets and cat owners need to look into this as a factor. Hope this info. helps someone else.

I had the same experience very similar to Shadows mom that was submitted by Andrea. I hear about so many cats lately that get fluid in their chest and veterinarians are stumped and they can't figure out why this happens and they can't figure out how to help them correctly then we have to put them down so they're no longer in misery but it really frustrates me with technology today in veterinary medicine that they can't figure out how to treat these cats so they can survive. I know sometimes it's a mystery and we do our best but I wish there was a cure to treat this

Shadows mom
My outside intact barn kitty that does not stray from home and loves his mommy more than anything.... seemed to loose almost half his
Body weight over night. I brought him inside for the night and noticed he was in what appeared to be significant respiratory distress. Sucking in at the gut and very fast open mouth breathing and I couldn't get him to lay down. I had an email to the vet I needed an emergency apt before they even opened. I received a call as soon as they did only to get there and find out the vet and covering vet were on emergency farm calls. Long and short they put him on 02 and called around and got me into a vet one town over. I was very happy with her. She quickly identified through xray his chest cavity was defiantly filled with fluid so much so he had less than 1/4th normal lung capacity and you couldn't even see the heart. She said it coukd be chyle, blood, or infection. She drew off 3 or 4 cc's to analyze. Upon visual inspection she said it didnt appear to be chyle, or blood and she was going to look at it under microscope for white blood cells but he had no fever. The fluid looked like very watered down blood. So pinkish liquid. She came back and said she saw no leukocytes or lymphocytes and no white blood cells. So none of the 3 thing one would expect. She said she could drain of probably another 20 or 30 cc's to buy me enough time for the hour long trip to the closest big city (houston) to a specialized emergency clinic. But his outlook was poor so no promise he'd survive but it would cost me between $3000 And $4000. She did tell me the only thing she saw on the smear was non uniform misshapen red blood cells. Which could be a sign of cancer but xrays didnt reveal any of the signs shed expect to see with cancer. He was suffocating, not eating or drinking. I knew multiple organ failure was on the horizon so elected to put him down yesterday. But i can't get this nagging desire to know what caused this. Have you ever encountered anything like this?

They took out a half cup of lemonade coloured fluid from her chest cavity this morning ... and still has a fever. I sent out blood sample for fip and her chest fluid and will not have an answer back till Wednesday.... she’s still drinking eating going to the washroom normally no vomiting.... any suggestions on what else it might be based on chest fluid colour? I was thinking a tumour or anything else that’s treatable. Any thoughts??