Why is my sick cat losing weight with high monocytes & low platelets?

It sounds as though you and Schumacher have been through a lot over the past 2 years! Given his weight loss, chronic diarrhea, normal blood work and initial response to depomedrol, chronic pancreatitis or primary intestinal issues, such as inflammatory bowel disease or lymphoma would be my main concerns. In this situation, further diagnostic testing is often needed to try to get to the bottom of this issue. Some tests include vitamin absorption and pancreatic blood tests (B12, folate, TLI, fPL) and an abdominal ultrasound to look at his internal organs, intestinal thickness, lymph nodes, etc. In some cases, biopsies are needed to differentiate between different conditions so that the most appropriate treatment can be started. Cats with inflammatory bowel disease or lymphoma often benefit from long-term steroids, antibiotics and prescription diets to control their clinical signs. I hope that all goes well for Schumacher!

Panther has a condition known as cachexia - where they are not able to put on weight and their muscles whither away. This indicates a severe illness like cancer, so I would believe that diagnosis. Alternatively, she could also have kidney failure, FIV, FeLV, or some other debilitating condition causing the cachexia. The cat flu would be a secondary problem. It is best to get this diagnosed by a veterinarian. They can usually get some good information from blood tests. Some of the aforementioned conditions can be treated, so it's best to try and find out as soon as possible. I hope that helps.

I am so sorry for your loss. I don’t see your kitty’s age, but if he/she was older, I would be most suspicious that he/she had cancer somewhere. Even though FeLV negative, it’s still possible that cancer developed in her bone marrow due to an unknown cause. (Which unfortunately is usually the case with cancer). When all of the blood cells are low, primary bone marrow disease (cancer, immune mediated disease) may be to blame. It’s also possible that there was cancer elsewhere and the bone marrow stopped working due to either spread of the disease or because of what we call a “paraneoplastic syndrome”, which is just a fancy way to say that unfortunately cancer sometimes does whatever it wants. I am so sorry again for your heartache. It sounds like you did everything you could have for your cat. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Please let us know if we can help you further.

Oh dear, poor Atticus! It is difficult to determine if his significant weight loss is due to his respiratory condition or FIV. If these bacteria are present and causing problems, then yes, he should be treated for them. Anemia can be caused by chronic disease processes that decrease red blood cell production, blood loss, or destruction of the red blood cells. I'm glad to hear that his lymphocyte count is normal. Without examining Atticus and evaluating all of his test results, I can't help to determine his prognosis and if his condition can improve. I hope that all goes well for Atticus.

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Newton! Wow, you have done a lot and I am surprised you haven't found an answer. I would be sure fecal testing has been done and feline leukemia/FIV testing, chest X-rays, B12/folate/TLI/PLI testing then I would take him to surgery to explore his abdominal cavity and I would biopsy everything. Looking for lymphoma. He should have a feeding tube (esophageal) placed a surgery so he can be fed while you wait for biopsy results. Also if it has been more than 1 month since the CBC/Chemistry has been ran I would repeat it. I wish you the best

According to the CBC, Winnie's red blood cell numbers and her platelets are low. He needs to have another CBC run to check these values. Sometimes this is related to a mechanical error and sometimes it's a true problem which needs treatment asap. Anemia (low red blood cells) and thrombocytopenia (low platelets) can be indicative of an autoimmune condition (which could be cause by several things) and this requires treatment right away. I recommend to call your vet asap and discuss the CBC results and next steps. It's hard to say if the meowing is related to the CBC results. cats will meow for many reasons: https://www.petcoach.co/article/top-6-reasons-why-cats-meow/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-cat-sounds-and-what-they-mean/ There is not a way to stop meowing but if the meowing is due to stress or boredom you can try enriching the environment. Here is a great article about cat's instinctual needs: https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-every-cat-needs-a-place-to-climb/ Use a Feliway diffuser, set aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play (really get him moving) and/or switch the food to Royal Canin Calm. Try feeding him out of a food puzzle. Hide food for him to find. Provide a stand or resting place by a window so he can look outside. You may also try clicker training him for positive behavior. Here is a link about training cats: https://www.petcoach.co/article/can-i-train-my-cat/ Most cats response best to combination therapy. The veterinarian can also prescribe medications which can help with bad behaviors. Do not start any environmental enrichment or play without first having the CBC results addressed. Cats with truly low platelets can bleed easily and they could die from this so ALL trauma MUST be avoided. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

This is only a CBC test result. The white count is low and it is mostly low from not enough lymphocytes. My suspicion would be a virus or cancer. Viral infections are the most common cause of a low white blood cell count in cats. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) are two such viruses. These viruses invade the white blood cells and use them to make copies of themselves, increasing the virus’ strength and reducing the number of white blood cells. Other possibilities include: * Bacterial infections. These infections can range from abscesses to respiratory infections to sepsis. Essentially, any infection or inflammation causes a drop in white blood cells, particularly neutrophils. HER DROP IS LYMPHOCYTES, not neutrophils so I think this is less likely. * Bone marrow diseases, or the panleukopenia virus, which destroys the marrow where white blood cells are produced. * Pancreatitis. The inflammation of the pancreas will draw white blood cells from the bloodstream, lowering their count. * Certain medications. Corticosteroids can actually suppress the production of white blood cells. THIS IS WHY I DON'T AGREE WITH THE STEROID ADMINISTRATION AT THIS TIME. Antibiotics, yes. Steroids, no. Just my opinion though. I can't really say your vet is wrong. This is just not what I would do especially since she is not responding. More testing needs to be done: * repeat the CBC to see where the white count is now * chemistry panel to check liver, kidneys, etc * FeLV/FIV testing * FIP (corona virus) testing * pancreatitis test Hope this helps. Best wishes.