Life-Threating Infection for Cats – Pyometra
My little Jolie kitty had emergency surgery.. i thought I was going to loose her, she was not spayed, I figured she was an indoor cat, never tried to get out, so why be mean and get her guts yanked/cut out right?
Well wrong.. actually, there is an infection female cats can get if they are not spayed… I almost lost kitty…The following is the infection my cat had and the symptoms.. if you have a female cat, please even though its rare.. consider the cheaper prevention to emergency surgery and spend 50 bucks and spade your kitty, instead of $400 for surgery and the chance you might loose your cat!
***kinda gross.. but good information
Pyometra is the medical term used to describe an infected uterus. This infection can be open (draining pus from the vagina) or closed (pus is contained in the uterus by a closed cervix).
Pyometra can be a life threatening infection and may even require emergency surgery. A closed pyometra is more of an emergency than an open pyometra, since there is no drainage of pus in a closed pyometra. If left untreated, cats become very ill and some may not survive.
With early treatment, about 90 percent of affected cats recover. Since pyometra is an infection of the uterus, all unspayed cats are susceptible.
Pyometra is uncommon in cats from September to December, when their heat cycles are at rest.
Lack of appetite, Depression, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Drinking excessive amounts of water and urinating often.
Diagnosis
In order to diagnose pyometra, your veterinarian will begin by asking you many questions to develop a complete history of the course of the disease. These questions may include:
When did the problem start?
When was your pet’s last heat cycle?
Have your pet’s drinking and urination habits changed recently?
Has there been any vaginal discharge and what did it look like?
What have your pet’s appetite and demeanor been like?
After obtaining a medical history, your veterinarian will examine your cat completely, including checking for a fever, palpating her abdomen, and performing a vaginal exam to check for tumors or other abnormalities.
Blood tests are often submitted to look for abnormal white cell counts, which could indicate the presence of an infection and abnormalities in kidney function, which can develop secondary to a pyometra. Urine tests are also submitted to check the patient’s kidney function and look for a urinary tract infection.
X-rays (radiographs) of the abdomen are taken to look for a fluid filled uterus, which is suggestive of a pyometra and an abdominal ultrasound to look for a fluid filled uterus and also to rule out an early pregnancy.
The ideal treatment for pyometra is an ovariohysterectomy (spay). Before surgery is performed, some patients may require emergency stabilization in the form of intravenous fluids and antibiotics, especially if septic shock or kidney failure have developed.
Medical therapy alone is not recommended. There is a high recurrence rate with hormonal treatment, and there is a two-day delay in its effectiveness, which could risk the patient’s life.
Home Care and Prevention
There isn’t any home care for pyometra. Once treated, monitor your cat’s appetite, demeanor, drinking and urination habits so that you will notice any changes. If surgery was performed, monitor the incision for normal healing.
The only way to prevent pyometra is to have your cat spayed.
5 comments to “Life-Threating Infection for Cats – Pyometra”
On October 19th, 2008 at 10:40 pm, Sonia said...
So true! I just went through this with my cat, Baby. I almost lost her to Pyometra. I also thought that an indoor cat didn’t really need to be spayed as she never gets out. You only hear that you should spay and or neuter your pets to prevent over population of homeless animals or those in animal shelters. If someone had told me that not spaying my cat would have resulted in her being in so much pain and almost dying, I would have spayed her a long time ago. Instead, I just spent $1,200.00 on emergency surgery and hospital stay to save Baby’s life. Where a normal spay would have been under $200.00
Please, Please, Please remember to spay or neuter your pets. Not because it’ll save you money in the long run but because the pain you pet will go through is just not fair to her! They can’t tell you when they are feeling yucky so you need to take all the precautions to keep them healthy. That’s a promise you make when you adopt a pet!
On April 28th, 2009 at 3:48 am, Lori said...
My cat also just had the surgery for pyometra. Everyone that I have told about this infection, finds it so hard to believe and they have never heard of it. Well my cats uterus was as big as a cat that just had kittens. It was a life or death decision to make for her. As soon as we found out what she had, we got her into surgery. I wish I would have done it sooner so she would not be going through this now. I love my kitty so much!! She is recovering now and on anitiotics. Also it is so expensive getting the emergency surgery but hey it was worth every penny to have my sweet baby well again and know that I have many more years with her. TO EVERYONE OUT THERE GET YOUR CAT SPAYED PLEASE!!! YOU MAY REGRET IT LATER IF YOU DON’T.
On September 17th, 2009 at 11:09 am, Brenda said...
I just went through this with my 1 1/2 year old cat Lil Lady. I had noticed about 2 1/2 weeks ago that her stomach was getting larger and her appitite had increased. And i figured that since she was in heat about a month or so ago that she might be pregnant. Not knowing that what was happening was she had pyometra and there was a huge puss pocket getting larger by the day in her abdomen. i came home to find her laying under my bed in a pile of blood tinged puss. it looked like thick bloody chocolate milk to explain it better. i called the local vet past normal hours. when the vet called me back he said bring her in right away. I arrived at the vets and with one look her said she needs emergency surgery and she might not make it or i could put her down. Surgery was about 1 hour long and she made it through. I was told it would cost 130.00 to have her spayed but I pray the bill is no more then that since it was after hours and an emergency surgery as well as them keeping her there over night. The cost I really don’t care as long as I have my Lil Lady back home.
On September 28th, 2009 at 9:13 pm, Emma said...
My cat , Claire, had septicaemia, a blood poisioning. She became very sick in one day. She was crying, vomiting and kept going outside to hide and wait to die.
We took her to the vet and the vet said she was very dehydrated. They gave her a IV and took fluid and blood tests. Then we had to take to her to AEC (Animal Emergany Centre)
and they had to examain her. When the vet came out she told us to go into another room.
When the vet closed the door shr said that Claire had blood poisioning and kidney failer.
Claire had to have surgery or we had to let her go. She was in a lot of pain and it would of put her in a lot more pain. We had to let her go.
On September 29th, 2009 at 4:59 pm, Jesy said...
I am so sorry to hear that
its so sad to loose a pet… they really are part of the family. My thoughts are with you and hope that one day you get another sweet kitty to remind you of the memories with Claire.