My cat is extremely anemic. Tests have shown no parasites, no infection, and no feline leukemia. I don't have much money. A blood transfusion has been suggested at $500 and a bone marrow test for $1000. These are out of my reach.
For several years my cat munched on a peace lily I had. She would quickly vomit. I now know that these plants are poisonous, but since she hasn't died, could her anemia problem be related to the eating of the plant? Any suggestions on what I can do for her? She's currently on steroids and a vitamin supplement, but I can see that she's beginning to get worse rather than better, as when she first started on the steroids. Help!
By Sharon
Well, I hope the plant is gone, so that can't be a worry again.
You can get frozen chicken livers at low cost at several stores in their frozen meat area. I'd give her one cooked [saute on low/med heat in little oil after thawing out] per day, sprinkled with a bit of brewer's yeast mashed in. Brewer's yeast or nutritional yeast can be found in stores that have food in bins usually. A pinch per day would be plenty.
Liver contains iron and B vitamins, and so does brewers yeast. You don't want to overdo it [liver also contains vitamin A which can build up to unhealthy limits]. Bit I think if you go through one package of chicken livers you may see an improvement if improvement is possible. Then maybe 2 livers a week.
You'll have to figure out how to keep them fresh
when you are only giving them once a week, because each container of chicken livers [looks like cottage cheese or deli container] has about 10 livers.
Or buy cat food which contains liver. But still give the brewer's yeast because at least in people anemia can be caused by low iron and or low B vitamins.
Poor kitty.
I know that this is an old post, but wanted to post something here in case anyone else reads it now or in the future. I'm a nutritionist and have been dealing with sick people as well as animals for a long time, so u thought that I could chime in with some helpful tips here. :)
1) Nutritional Yeast (get the one with B-12): This is full of a large amount of B vitamins & Zinc. It's also a plus that it's also cheesy flavored, the yeast is deactivated and it is easily mixed and absorbed into cat foods.
2) Zeolite (the liquid form): One of my most favorite detoxer's on the planet. It's made from volcanic ash, it's 100% safe and it's been used for decades to keep livestock healthy. The difference between it and other detoxing clays, is that it's a negatively charged mineral (very rare) so it pulls things towards it. Since it also has a unique honeycomb structure to it, it's amazingly good at pulling things towards it and trapping them inside of it. Which is why nuclear plants use Zeolite to store used plutonium in. In fact, it was used to clean up at Chernobyl and sand bags of it were dumped into the seawater around Fukushima to stop the escaping plutonium from leaching into the Pacific ocean.
Why is all this important to your cat (and for you as well)? Because it also absorbs all heavy metals (lead, cadium, mercury, aluminum, etc.), it breaks up and absorbs entire chains of viruses from your body, it oxygenates and balances your bodies pH level (zeolite is also used to make medical grade oxygen), and much, much more. On top of all that, it was used in 2 different types of cancer studies. The first in a petri dish (where it killed all different types of cancer cells within 72 hours) and the second study was done with 65 people, who all had different stage 4 cancers and had all been sent home to die. They were all put on Zeolite and 78% of them experienced complete remission of their cancer. My personal experience with is has been impressive (though I have not had cancer) and I've used it with my cat with very good results as well.
3) Flor-Essence: This herbal based detoxing powerhouse comes in the form of a liquid or a tea and a lot of people (if you do an internet search) have experienced fantastic results with this herbal liver cleanser. Personally I've seen it work tremendously well with people as well, cleaning up toxins (probably the main reason for illnesses in both people and animals in my opinion) and putting very ill people back on track again.
4) Coconut Oil (raw and cold pressed only): My cat adores. A lot of people worry about the high saturated fat content of coconut oil, but just like good sugars & bad sugars, good proteins & bad proteins, good carbs & bad.... there are good saturated fats & bad. The division g line comes in when things are processed (as well as heated or frozen) and therefore "denatured". When this happens it changes the molecular and cellular structure of the food and makes it more difficult for the body to break it down and absorb it. However good fats like coconut oil not only bind to bad fats and help pull them out of the body, but they also aid in brain, nervous system, joint function and more. Good fats are actually quite medicinal to the body in many ways.
Anyway, I'm sorry that this is SO long! But if I can help anyone in anyway by passing g this info along, then that's good enough for me. :)
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My cat has just tested positive for leukemia and severe anemia. The vet automatically suggested euthanasia. I believe something can save my baby, that euthanasia is not the answer. She just started showing signs and this is just a nightmare to think nothing can be done.
My friend said her cat lived four years after being diagnosed. If I can treat the anemia and get her feeling better then can't she have a chance as long as the anemia is cured?We have a friend who lets kitties with leukemia live out their lives in her home and some live many years after their diagnosis. Treating the anemia is the key, as you stated.
It can't hurt to get a second opinion and find a good solution for the anemia.
Will send up lots of prayers for you and your fur baby. Let us know how it goes.
More than 50 percent of cats with leukemia die within a couple of years. That means that more than 40% do not. Your cat could have a blood transfusion if the anemia is severe. Talk it over with this vet, and see someone else for a second opinion.
If you are not comfortable with the diagnosis from your vet then you should find another vet as this is crucial for you and your cat.
This can be a very expensive treatment and you can try the blood transfusion or you can do like other people have done and just let the cat live the best life possible until they are gone.
I have heard of cats living with leukemia in fact I worked at an animal shelter for a time that had a whole room of leukemia cats. The shelter eventually was shut down due to structural issues and they were sent to other sanctuaries so I can not ask anyone about what was done with those cats. But I can tell you that I read a lot about holistic health and Animal Care and I know that dr. Richard Pitcairn has written that feline leukemia and other viruses can be treated by changing to a holistic diet with supplements. It's a lot of work but I think it is worth it if you can do it. It's hard if you have multiple cats. He wrote a book called something like Natural Health for dogs and cats it's a paperback it's been in print for about 30 years there was a New Edition released in the last 5 years he pretty much gives you recipes to cook cat food and tells you what supplements to use and and gives you a list of herbal extracts and other possible remedies you have to pick which ones you're willing to do. That's just in general how he approaches each illness. He explains why regular medicine sometimes doesn't work or is causing problem. The second book I would recommend you look for is a book by Diane Stein. It's called something like natural remedies for dogs and cats. She's summarizes approaches to illnesses by various holistic vets. Most importantly I would get your cat to a holistic vet immediately. There is a website where you can look up one in your area I'll see if I can find it again and post a link but if you Google something like American holistic veterinary Society I think you'll find it. The holistic vet will give you a protocol of supplements and food and possibly acupuncture to boost her immune system or keep her comfortable. Some of them are very expensive in my area I have found though that some are more reasonably priced. Around here I found a reasonably priced one in Brooklyn just to give you an idea. The wealthier the area the more expensive the vet. Try to find out how much an exam would be and then have all your blood work Etc sent. Do this right away because the longer you wait the less accurate the lab work will be considered. One of the big problems with leukemia cats is that they don't have a big appetite so it's important that you follow up on this right away. A lot of vets want to give steroids to increase appetite but this will cause suppression of the immune system so you don't want to keep the cat on steroids long-term in my opinion so please get yourself to a holistic vet please believe me when I tell you that holistic vets also have training in traditional medicine first so you will not be talking to someone who doesn't know the other side of the coin. Good luck let me know what happens
Any cat with leukemia give them interferon a...Interferon alfa-2a is used to alleviate the clinical effects of certain viral diseases. It has been used to control the symptoms of non-neoplastic feline leukemia virus and ocular herpes infections in cats. It may also be used to treat certain cancers in dogs and cats. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Absolutely in N. Y. the holistic vets are much easier to find and its not that expensive. Years ago I treated my cat holistically who was dx. with diabetes. He lived for years diabetes free. I now live in Fl. another cat of mine, Kiki has stopped eating many tests show anemia no answers. So frustrating. Yet she eats treats, licks the tub and cement walls. Tomorrow I'm buying chicken livers, brewers yeast see if she'll eat. We just lost my eldest Sophia of 17 1/2 yrs. 2 months ago. This is breaking my heart my youngest Grace is so stressed she's licked the fur off of her belly and lower legs...I'll repost any changes.
