My anemic cat's belly is bloated. Is it FIP or something else?

Sorry to hear that Stella Rose has a low blood count. A red blood cell count of 21 means that she is anemic. This could be because she isn't making RBC's or it could mean that she's losing them (from bleeding somewhere or her body destroying them). If she also has a bloated stomach one of my first concerns would be intestinal parasites. Other things to consider would be diseases such as FIP or other blood borne diseases. Hopefully she gets better soon!

Hi there. The spleen is a lymphatic organ, somewhat similar to lymphnodes. It can enlarge with many different types of problems such as feline leukemia virus, FIV, FIP, and even cancers like lymphoma. If blood work has not been done yet then I would recommend blood work and an ultrasound of the abdomen. I would encourage you to discuss doing an ultrasound guided needle aspirate of the spleen with your veterinarian. This may help determine what the underlying problem is. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

If the vet who drained the fluid analyzed the cellular content of the fluid (or sent it to a pathologist), you might be able to obtain some valuable information that could lead to a diagnosis. If still possible, I would have seen if the veterinarian could re-xrayed after the fluid was removed for better visualization. The blood work findings you have stated are consistent with dehydration and anorexia. Fluid in the abdomen in my experience is usually originating from the liver. Another possibility is that there could be a mass in the abdomen that is leaking some type of fluid. I would recommend diagnostic ultrasound in addition to the other diagnostics already performed to better assess the situation. This imaging modality will provide different, and in general, more detailed information on the abdominal contents.

Thank you for using Boop by Petco! From the X-rays, I can see that Mara's abdomen appears to be filled with fluid. It is obscuring his liver and intestines from being seen and there may even be a small amount in his lungs. Unfortunately it is impossible to tell what the fluid is from the x-ray alone. His blood work shows some abnormalities with his electrolytes, which may be if he is not eating or from fluid in the abdomen. Mara also has a high white blood cell count, these are the cells that are responsible for fighting off infections and increase if there is one present. Your vet can run some additional diagnostics, and perform a tap and remove the fluid as well as a blood test to determine if Mara is infected with FIP, a mutated form of a common virus that cats are exposed to. I hope this helps!

FIP is an infectious disease, so if one of the cats has it there is a reasonable chance that all of your cats could have, or be in the process of developing, the condition. While some symptoms you are describing can occur with FIP, so can a long list of others. If he is painful in his belly to the point that he is resistant to you even touching it, he needs a physical exam, x-rays, and some diagnostic blood work. Its possible that his upper respiratory infection never truly got resolved, and has spread systemically affecting multiple organ systems. There is no definitive diagnostic tool for FIP either. There are only certain factors that will lead your veterinarian in that direction, particularly determine whether or not it is the form that has an extremely high mortality rate. Let me know if I can help you further.

If his stomach seems significantly bloated it could be a sign of ascites or fluid in the abdomen. I think it would be best to see a vetas soon as you can and an emergency visit might be the best option. They may recommend blood work and x-rays after a physical exam.

I would be worried that Myloe is sick. A bloated abdomen can indicated ileus, pancreatitis, general gastritis, blockage or neoplasia. Since it is a long list with varying degrees of severity, I would recommend to take him in for an exam to see if a cause can be determined. The veterinarian will likely recommend blood work and possibly radiographs. Since he is not drinking, dehydration can set in with a day so I would take him to the veterinarians today. Good luck with Myloe!

I’m very sorry to hear that Olive isn’t doing well. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough information here for a diagnosis. Some follow up questions I have based on this information would be: -did the vet look at a blood smear to confirm lack of platelets? Nearly absent platelets would make me worry about immune mediated destruction. -what was the composition of the abdominal fluid? -has the heart been evaluated? -was there normal blood protein/albumin/globulins? I’m sorry I can’t provide a specific answer for you but this bloodwork points me to more questions. It sounds like Olive needs additional testing, and you may want to consider referring to a specialty hospital. But I’d start by checking the abdominal fluid and blood protein composition. Based on the age and breed, I’d be a bit worried about FIP. Hope this helps. All the best to you and Olive.

These are very concerning symptoms, and could fit several serious issues, such as GI obstruction, internal bleeding, infection, cancer, etc. I would recommend having Lily examined by a vet. After physical examination, the vet may recommend diagnostics such as blood work or x-rays to determine the best possible treatment.

More clinical signs and details are needed to determine the underlying cause, including details of the tests your vet have performed. When there is a suspcion of FIP, the underlying cause of the bloat (fluid, organ enlargement and so on) should be determine first, then if there is fluid inside her abdomen this should be ideally sampled and tested. Gastrointestinal worms should be rule out as they are commonly a possible cause of bloat in young kittens. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!