A bit of an update, though it now has nothing to do with parasites... or cat poop with cat hair in it... Rather than start a new thread about changing eye color I will just post this here...
The past week has been a bit of a nightmare of miscommunication with my vet. Phone calls trying to come up with a plan of action that needed someone knowledgeable on the other end when no one was available, being told to wait for a call back that only came today, and an answer to an important email that apparently disappeared in cyber space.
As I mentioned before, my cat was tested for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus in Sept, and both tests were negative but his symptoms do seem similar to what I read about dry FIP. Today I mentioned I was concerned about this to my vet, and he said my cat's blood panel done by my previous vet doesn’t have a high globulin levels, so he doubts FIP. Except my previous vet never did any blood panel. My kitten was tested for FeLV and FIV, which were negative. Nothing more. And my current vet did not think this would have been part of the FeLv and FIV tests. And when I said this test was never done, the current vet could not figure out where he got this information. So part of the information my vet thought they had, that they were using to decide what tests were appropriate, was incorrect.
Thanks to you folks I knew what a globulin test is...!
My cat has also been sneezing. This is getting worse and he now sometimes has a drippy runny nose. Both this and maybe some other problems seem to make it difficult for him to eat and he seems to chew in an strange exaggerated way with his head tilted up and to the side. Sometimes he makes a peculiar grinding noise too. And recently all he will eat is boiled chicken with mushy white rice, from my hand with a lot of encouragement. A short video of him eating a couple days ago. It seems like such a struggle for him..
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByDQ9QuQRArsblFzM3I2c1A5RGs
My last vet appointment I asked the vet about the sneezing, and he said my kitten probably has feline herpes and this is an outbreak brought on by the stress of the other unidentified illness. But reading about this, it sounds like maybe feline herpes in itself can cause many of these symptoms and without support can kill a cat?
And the past few days I have been noticing my cats eyes have been changing color. They used to be a light green, but now they are a darker olive green with copper tones and some peculiar little spots. So now my vet has seen the pictures of my cats eyes changing color he is thinking maybe the problem is a hepatic liver shunt... So now the focus has shifted from thinking maybe the problem is a partial intestinal obstruction, to starting with blood work looking for signs of a portosystemic shunt and other organ function. And also to see if there is any markers for FIP. If his GI tract and other organs are inflamed that in itself could lead to partial blockages.
I also notice my cat has golden markings on his fur that used to be just silver. Which seems sort of surprising. He used to be almost entirely black and silver with just a hint of beige. Now there is distinctive copper gold markings around his eyes.
Are coat color changes like this sometimes normal in a kitten, and if not any idea what would cause this?
A hepatic shunt may fit with why my kitten now refuses to eat anything other than rice boiled with chicken with emphasis on the rice, and why he was going a bit nuts wanting to eat unleavened yeast free whole wheat flour flat bread dough a few months ago. Supposedly a hepatic shunt can sometimes be managed by a low protein diet.
At this point I am feeling my kitten is probably not going to make it, but there is still hope it is something treatable and that he will recover. But he has been sick so long and is so wasted, in spite of several vet visits, I am beginning to prepare for the worst.
The pictures of lighter green eyes with the surrounding green line at the top of one of the group of pictures were taken before Sept. The pictures of more olive green copper colored eyes at the bottom surround by a yellow line and one big picture were taken the past 2 days. The brown tone is more apparent when the eyes are viewed at an angle. My vet asked if it s even the same cat.
And a couple happier pictures of my kitten enjoying the last bit of summer on the kitten proofed porch which is now once again enough to contain him.
Has anyone here had any experience with a cats eyes and fur changing color?
A lot of the discussions I have read here had information that helped me understand what my vet was saying, and helped me to respond intelligently. And I am glad we have decided to do a blood analysis first. Depending on what it shows other expensive and invasive uncomfortable tests may be unnecessary.
Any information anyone might be able to offer is appreciated!
