I have a sick outdoor cat

Our question this week was:

My cat who lives outdoors is sick all the time. He has been to the local vet to get antibiotics several times, even getting two shots a day for five days in a row. He perks up when he gets the shots, but after a few days he is sick again. The vet says that he has an immune problem, and unless his body kicks in, the drugs won’t do any good. Is there anything else we can do, because I don’t want to put him down unless I have to.

Raymond S.

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. Sorry to hear about your cat. My first question is – have they done any blood tests to determine if there are underlying problems such as feline leukemia virus (FeLV), feline aids virus (FIV), anemia, and kidney disease. If not – that is where I would start. You need to know what you are treating at this point. There is a lot of reasons that a cat can act sick.

Best of luck!

Dr. Debra

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