Very sick feral cat making a comeback?

[Critter]

Posting this to see if people might have any thoughts about what nearly killed off my feral barn cat.

We have a feral bengal (yes, you read that right!)…who showed up 2 years ago. I got him trapped and neutered and vaccinated. He has become the barn resident…sleeps in the hay loft and waits at feeding time for his food and treats. You still, after 2 years, cannot touch him. I can on occasion get him to sniff my hand.

2 weeks ago he was looking normal. Then shows up the next evening looking like he was on death’s door. Very, very weak/ataxic behind. No signs of trauma. Increased respiratory effort. Just laying and pretty much looks like he was going to pass away any moment. Bloody urine from what I could see. Not eating. He looked really bad. I didn’t think he would make the night. Planned to trap him but he had disappeared. Then I see him from a distance, looking equally bad. Contacted the local TNR group for a vet that would be able to take a look at him if I could get him trapped. Again disappears a few days. I then had to travel so no chance on trapping him. Felt super bad thinking he would be suffering. Family member reported some sightings from a distance…seemed to be moving a bit better.

It’s now almost 3 weeks from the initial near death look he had and he has surprisingly bounced back! He is very thin…his hind end looks atrophied. He actually was able to climb the stairs to the hay loft today (not possible 2 weeks ago). Back to waiting for food/treats. Not stressed looking…looks like his normal self other than being thin and his back end atrophied.

Any thoughts on what might have happened to him? Again, no signs of trauma, but his back looked strange (like a kink in his spine)…I almost wondered if he fell out of a tree and gave himself a minor spinal cord injury? Again, no blood/trauma on his fur…but urine had blood. I sent a video to my vet and she wondered about kidney failure…but I wouldn’t think he would bounce back. He’s lucky as I was going to probably have the vet euthanize him given how sick he looked…but he now seems like he’s almost back to normal other than being thin/atrophied.

Photo of before the medical drama!

[OzarksRider]

A blow to his back could have injured his kidneys and caused the bloody urine as well as dragging his back end. He could have been hit by a car or had a close encounter with a dog or coyote or maybe even hit by some asshole human. My dog was hit by a car and had bloody urine for a few days. (I have since convinced her with an e-collar to quit chasing cars.) Anyway thank you for caring about this guy. Feed him well and provide a safe place for him to recuperate.

[chestnutmarebeware]

I recently lost my older cat, Teddy. He went from no symptoms an hour before to becoming paralyzed in his hind legs and struggling to breathe.

We were immediately treated at the after-hours emergency vet, where they determined that he was in heart failure and threw a blood clot that lodged in his spine. The vet said that heart failure in cats usually shows no signs, unlike dogs, until the very end.

Maybe your handsome guy is also dealing with CHF and had a clot that resolved?

[beowulf]

Kidney failure and HCM / heart problems are not uncommon in Bengals.

Beautiful cat - I am glad he is on the mend. I might suggest trapping him anyway and keeping him in a large crate or room to himself for a few weeks, give him time to really get ahead of whatever knocked him around. Cats are so stoic, by the time they show they are suffering they are usually very badly off.

[Eclectic_Horseman]

@chestnutmarebeware

We were immediately treated at the after-hours emergency vet, where they determined that he was in heart failure and threw a blood clot that lodged in his spine.

I had a Burmese that suddenly became paralyzed in his hind end. The episode only lasted for about 10 minutes - he freaked out and dragged himself around the house by his front legs. I took him to the vet who did imaging and could see nothing. The vet kept him for about a week (loose in his office where he could watch him) and there was no reoccurrence. The vet surmised that it was a clot that resolved. The cat lived to be 21 years old and it never happened again.

[shiloh]

Having had two cats that had HCM and got the blood clots, I’m going to concur with everyone on this. It may never happen again, it may occur again very quickly. My one kitty, Arabella, had several episodes of this that resolved but the last one took her out completely - she had only one functioning leg and that was it for her. Pearl, my current victim, is on Plavix and seems to be doing well, despite the epic struggle to pill her every night. Crossing my fingers for your boy that he does well. Thank you for caring for him.

[Critter]

Thanks everyone for the input. I am relieved that he is now going up and down to the hay loft (he couldn’t even make it up one step when he first looked sick) and he is now waiting for his evening treats! I got some pics of him tonight…so here is a before and after pic (the one was last month). You can really see the weight loss/atrophy in his hind end. He is still not jumping…usually he would sit on the wash stall ledge for his treats and now he is sitting next to the wash stall instead of on it. When he first showed up he looked even worse than this…we initially assumed he was someone’s lost pet who couldn’t figure out how to survive in the wild (esp given his bengal color). Then we realized he was 100% feral. Trapping him was quite the experience…but if he wanted the cushy barn life he needed to not add to the feral cat population! LOL But I wonder if he had a similar episode prior to showing up at the barn? I’m glad he’s looking better…even if I can’t pet him, he is a pretty cool barn cat!