Hello, I have already taken my cat to the vet, who has done extensive testing, but we do not have any answers. I'm really hoping someone will be able to make a suggestion, because I am scared my cat is dying.
Basically, I started giving my 7yo cat Foxy transdermal Prozac (for behavioral issues - aggression toward her littermate) a couple of weeks ago. The next day she was lethargic and sleepy, but I figured that was a common side effect. She got somewhat more and more lethargic over the next few days and then I noticed her stomach seemed to be swelling on the sides. I brought her into the vet. (A month prior, she had just had a checkup with completely normal bloodwork and physical exam - no findings whatsoever.) The vet did an ultrasound and took X-rays. Found a large build-up of fluid in the abdomen. All organs looked normal but the intestinal walls appeared to be slightly thickened and inflamed, and the fatty tissue between her organs was inflamed. The lab analyzed the fluid and ruled out any sort of pathogen, pancreatitis, etc. The technician cannot say with certainty that it is cancer, but did find abnormal epithelial cells that could be consistent with a sarcoma or carcinoma. The vet says the only other option she hasn't ruled out is steatitis, but Foxy has been on a balanced commercial diet her entire life.
The vet says it's just a coincidence that this started exactly after I began administering the prozac, but I still believe (and hope, since maybe that's a better chance for recovery) it could be what has triggered this illness.
Since bringing her home, she has continued to be lethargic. She is not showing any of her behavioral issues. She was a very feisty, active cat two weeks ago. Now she sleeps all day and occasionally sits and stares into space, seeming confused and out of it, and sometimes licking her chops. She loved to play but won't do it now. She seems skinnier, and the vet found that, after removing the fluid, she had lost several ounces since her checkup about a month prior to this exam. She is still eating, but maybe not as much. She is drinking a lot of water - seems quite thirsty. She is peeing normally, I think (can be hard to tell with two cats), and pooping regularly but smaller amounts than before.
So my questions are:
If it is steatitis, could it be ideopathic and therefore possibly a strong reaction to the medication?
Is there anything else it could be?
And is there anything else I should be doing for her to address the ongoing symptoms? Vet just says wait and see and monitor her but if I should be giving her an anti-inflammatory/steroid or appetite stimulator or something, I want to insist on that.
Thank you in advance.
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