Cryptococcosis in cat

[kristinrobertson6]

HI there,

I am reaching out to see if anyone has had experience with a fungal infection called cryptococcosis in a cat. My approx 14 y/o has been diagnosed with it from samples of several masses on him. He has not been doing well and I am thinking he may have to be euthanized. I am from Ontario, Canada and my vet and other vets have never come across this fungal infection before and supposedly it is found out west in Canada but not where I am from. I am getting options but it is based on my vet learning as he goes. I was really hoping that someone on this forum would have some sort of experience with this fungal infection or knows of a vet that has come across this and could give me some advice so I can do what is best for my cat.

Thanks, Kristin Robertson

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Kristin!

Thanks so much for sharing he adorable kitty in a basket pic.

Iss this pic from before he started showing symptoms of Crypto? I ask because he Looks like he's saying that he's fine.

He has not been doing well and I am thinking he may have to be euthanized

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear this.

In what way is he not doing well?

Is there anything, at this time, that still seems to bring him joy?

 

[kristinrobertson6]

This picture is a few years ago. He has been unwell off and on and I had always felt that he had something systemic going on. He suddenly had light sensitivity and he would become really ill at least once a year with upper respiratory. He would recover but there was always the eye sensitivity, vomiting off and on as well as a slight head twitch sometimes. I took him to an opthamologist and they said that his eyes were okay. The past 6 months or so he seemed to be sensitive to touch, constipated, decrease vision, decrease hearing and less active. The last month or so he was finicky with his food which I thought was bc I had taken him to a TCM vet recently and he was put on a herbal mix powder being added to his food. Last couple of weeks he was more lethargic and I was concerned it was his teeth so he was put on cinacin but then a couple of days later he developed small masses all over. My vet wasn't available so I took him to an old clinic and I saw a new vet. He was very receptive to hearing my theories on him having something systemic going on for years. From the mass samples they found cryptococcosis but nobody he reached out to has ever come across that here. He did some research and we are talking about putting him on itraconazole bc he is not a good candidate for iv meds and hospitalization. He sleeps 23 hrs a day and I bring food to him and still eats and I am struggling to figure out if and when would be a good time to let him go bc this seems pretty advanced. I have been searching for someone who has had experience with this so at least I could understand it better and figure out if he is in pain and how much pain this causes. I think a big part of it is that I feel guilty bc I knew something was wrong and I may not have advocated enough for him bc I felt as though I was looking like the paranoid cat mom.

Anyways, I am glad to have this forum to put questions and feelings out there.

Thanks, Kristin

 

[Dr. Jeff]

I am glad to have this forum to put questions and feelings out there

Thank you for being here Kristin. I am very grateful to have you as part of our community.

I think a big part of it is that I feel guilty bc I knew something was wrong and I may not have advocated enough for him bc I felt as though I was looking like the paranoid cat mom.

Yes, it’s really, really hard to stop second guessing ourselves. Yet it’s super helpful for our happiness to try and do so.

Hana is a wonderful animal communicator and grief counselor who might be helpful:

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