Why is my indoor cat always sick? Could it be Feline Leukemia?

If Norbert has always drank the same amount of water and urinated the same amount of times since you got him I would not be concerned. Some cats will drink and urinate more than others. However if this is a new behavior I would recommend taking Norbert to a vet to have his urine checked. Feline leukemia can suppress the immune system and make a patient more likely to get disease. I hope that helps

Many cats with either of these diseases can live long lives, as long as special care is taken to limit the chance of infections, which are difficult for them to fight. Keeping cats indoors is probably the #1 thing you can do to not only prevent these diseases but also keep your cats in the best health possible. You should know that there is a simple and inexpensive test that checks for both of these diseases, and it might ease your mind greatly to know whether or not your cats actually have one of them.

This may be from stress, diet, or an infection she had a hard time clearing due to the leukemia. Since she is otherwise normal, you can try a sensitive stomach formula food or prescription GI formula and add a feline probiotic to the food to help her. If you notice blood or any change in her appetite, or it does not seem to clear in the next 24-48 hours, then she needs to be seen for an exam and medication to help

Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that Stassi has been diagnosed with lymphoma. If Stassi and all of your other cats have been indoors only, and were all negative for FeLV to start with, there is next to no chance that your other cats have contracted or will contract FeLV. It is statistically improbable that Stassi has tested negative for FeLV four times and would still have FeLV, unless she may have been exposed to another cat in the past 4-5 years that has FeLV. Lymphoma is a fairly common type of cancer that can occur in cats with or without FeLV. I hope that helps to clarify your concerns. I'm really sorry that you and Stassi are going through this situation.

I'm so sorry that your foster is not doing well. It sounds like she has been through a lot in her short life. Certainly, kittens that have a severe upper respiratory infection young in life can take a while to bounce back. You can perform a FeLV and FIV test at any time, but the results will have to be taken with a grain of salt at her age. The FIV test is an antibody test, so she could test positive if her mom was positive, but she may not have the virus. The FeLV test is usually a little more accurate in young kittens, but not always. The FeLV test looks for virus in white blood cells, so if her white blood cell count is low from her infection if may appear negative even if she has the virus. So while you can test at any age, you may need to repeat the tests again because of the reasons discussed above. So, I would recommend discussing it with your veterinarian to decide on the right route to go for your foster. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your questions. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor guy. I too would be concerned about possible cancer. The next step would be to get an abdominal ultrasound to look for other possible causes such as cancer. Cats can also just get cystitis, which caused inflammation of the bladder due to stress. This is typically treated with a prescription urinary food and often-times anti-anxiety medication. We suspect this when we see microscopic blood on the urinalysis, along with straining and frequent trips to the litterbox. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951488 I hope that your fur baby feels better soon! Best wishes and take care!

What a handsome kitty Chai is! I'm sorry to hear that he is not acting like his usual self. If he is acting unusually tired, but still eating and drinking his normal amount, urinating and defecating normally, then I think it is OK for you to watch him for a couple of days to see if he gets over it. If the lethargy continues or you see other signs of illness develop such as poor appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, drinking excessive amounts of water, then I would recommend taking him to see your veterinarian. I hope that Chai feels better very soon!