My Stumbling Journey Diagnosing Mittens
Okay, so this whole thing started because my ginger boy, Mittens, just wasn’t himself. He used to be this little terror, knocking things over, begging for treats non-stop. Suddenly, he barely moved from his spot under the bed. Didn’t even lift his head when I shook the treat bag. His belly looked kinda big too, like he swallowed a small balloon, but he definitely wasn’t eating extra.
Panic mode kicked in big time. First stop was Dr. Patel down the road. I told her everything: the hiding, the belly bloat, how he felt warm to touch. She went straight into “vet detective” mode. Poked, prodded, listened to his little chest. “Fever for sure,” she muttered. My heart sank. I’d been doom-scrolling about FIP.
She laid it out plain: “Look, the signs scream ‘look at FIP’, BUT…” That “but” was crucial. “We gotta knock other stuff off the list first. Jumping to FIP is panic fuel, and honestly, it might not be.” So, the testing marathon began.
- Blood Drawn: Right then. Needles and tubes. Mittens yelled. I felt awful. Looking for clues about infections, organ troubles, the big scary ‘L’ word – leukemia.
- X-Ray Time: Seeing his insides on that screen was wild. Mostly looking for… well, anything strange that shouldn’t be there. Stuff blocking things up causing the belly.
- Virus Check: They swabbed his nose, his eyes. Feline coronavirus? Yeah, that got tested. But Dr. Patel was firm: “Just because we find this virus doesn’t mean it’s mutated into the monster FIP version. Lots of cats carry it fine.”
A couple days later, results trickled back. First relief: No leukemia virus! Thank goodness. X-rays were “unremarkable” (vet-speak for no obvious tumors or blockages). The blood work? Bit messy, showed some inflammation, but nothing screaming one specific disease.
But poor Mittens? Getting weaker. Belly seemed… wobblier. That belly fluid. Dr. Patel gently pushed a needle into Mittens’ swollen belly. Clear, yellow-ish sticky stuff came out. It felt so weird, watching fluid pull out of my cat. They analyzed it right there. “Sticky” she called it, looking for specific proteins.
Here’s where the “other diseases” part really hit home. Dr. Patel sat me down with her coffee mug (always full). “Okay,” she said, “Let’s talk look-alikes.”
- Cancer? Lymphoma? Could cause belly fluid and lethargy. Needed biopsies to really rule out, way more invasive.
- Toxoplasmosis? That nasty parasite? Could mimic some symptoms, especially neuro stuff if Mittens developed wobbles later. Different test needed.
- Heavy Gut Infections? Like… really bad bacterial ones. Needed different treatments entirely.
- Heart Failure? Sometimes fluid builds up then too. They checked his heart carefully.
Putting the puzzle together felt slow. We had:
- Unexplained fever
- Weird sticky belly fluid
- Super high blood inflammation
- No leukemia
- Feeling awful
Adding the negatives – not responding to basic antibiotics, no sign of blockages – slowly pushed us towards FIP being the most likely nasty player.
Dr. Patel couldn’t give a 100% “yes it’s FIP” without invasive biopsies or after he… passed. But, looking at the big picture? “Highly probable,” she sighed. It was awful to hear, but honestly, the journey ruled out so many other scary things. Understanding the “why not other diseases” step? Crucial. Saved us from barking up the wrong tree and wasting precious time if it wasn’t something else treatable. Still hurts though.
