Please help me. Two of my cats died - one is sick

[abbyboyd1979]

My name is Abby - I am an avid cat lover. I have had cats my whole life and NEVER seen or heard of anything like this. I moved to Arkansas for college about 2 years ago and that was when all the problems started. My one Maine Coon became VERY ill and barely survived... He was diagnosed with pleural effusion(fluid around the lungs) and hospitalized for a week. He made it, but continues to suffer from a lot of colds and such...
Next, my three year old persian had the same labored breathing and I rushed her to the vet's office late one Sunday night - she did not live. The vat had no suggestion as to what had happened. She was diagnosed with severe Dyspnea(labored breathing) and retracted lungs.
Then about a month ago, a year old kitty I had adopted who was PERFECTLY healthy suddenly began having breathing problems as well. Exactly the same thing happened to her and she passed away as well.
I am DISTRAUGHT. I can not take this anymore. I have to know what is going on?? Has anyone else ever had such similar catastrophes? Please help - Anything would be appreciated.

Abby

[Traci]

Abby, the only way to know for certain is through necropsy and through a pathologist for clear answers.

Based only on your post, I would guess environmental contaminants, or bacterial/viral disease or fungal disease that went undetected. Your vet should have been able to give you more answers, what testing methods did he incorporate?

I'm so sorry for your losses, my heart goes out to you. If you are not comfortable with your vet for whatever the reason, I would strongly suggest seeking a new vet entirely, preferrably a feline-only vet to get to the causes of your Maine Coon's health issues, and promptly at that.

[abbyboyd]

Some more information.... All of the cats were thoroughly tested, X-rays, the WHOLE thing... Every time the x-rays clearly showed fluid in the lungs. When last kitty passed away I had a sample of lung tissue sent to have an autopsy performed. The autopsy simply revealed lung edema - basically fluid in/around the lungs.
I am sure there is something in my home that is causing all of this - BUT I have no idea where to look. There are no harmful plants, no harmful foods, no other animals, nothing??? I am wondering if there could be a mold problem or something in my air vents or something under the carpet, etc...

[Traci]

Well, the first thing to do is investigate your home for any chemical spills, cleaning agents left in the open, be careful about the cleaners you use in the home, etc. In other words, cat-proof your home as if you would child-proofing. Keep dust, pollens, aerosols, etc to the barest minimum and don't smoke or allow others to smoke in your home.

If you rent your home, you can ask your landlord to have a home inspector come in to investigate possible concerns. If you inform your landlord that your cats mysteriously died from lung problems, it should be incumbent upon him/her to allow a home inspection for possible sources. If you own your home, get an inspection done immediately, you can also review your important documents when you bought the home for any home inspection notes, concerns, etc.

The two cases could be unrelated and entirely coincidental, but don't take the risk, get a home inspection, and do see about getting a new vet if you're not comfortable with your current one.

[abbyboyd]

What types of things could possibly be found when the home was inspected? What would they be looking for?
I have had cats for years - it is something in this house - 3 identical cases - 3 perfectly healthy cats... All happened since I moved into this house. Never any events prior to moving here.
I know the previous owners were heavy drug users - I am questioning if some of the chemicals form meth could have seeped in somewhere as is the case with 1 out of every 3 houses in my county. Secondly I am wondering if mold can harm cats? I am looking for any options.
It is definately not a cleaning agent or anything of that type...I am so used to having cats around I cat/child=proof everything without even realizing it...

Any thoughts?

Thanks

[Traci]

Molds, radon, other gases, carbon minoxide, asbestos, drinking water,etc would all be things inspected for during a home inspection. Yes, certain molds can be irritants and dangerous if not detected or left untreated. I would think if there were serious environmental contaminants in your home, that you would be ill, having an unusually high tendency for colds, sinus problems, nausea, flu-like symptoms, etc. But, since pets are more sensitive, it wouldn't be unusual for them to develop signs of illness before you.

I believe by law, it is incumbent upon the home seller to dislose information found by the home inspector, if any. Sometimes, the new owner may opt to hire their own home inspector before the closing of the real estate purchase. Either way, if you think you may have something to be concerned about, see about getting a home inspection immediately.

It's doubtful about the prior drugs in the home unless it was a "meth-lab", in which I would guess traces of substances might be found, but only a home inspector could determine that. I'm not sure those traces would cause pleural effusion in pets, but rather heart conditions and neurological disfunctions instead. You could ask your vet to refer to his toxicology on that one, but if you think your home might have residue from that, I'd be looking into it right away.

[abbyboyd]

Thanks Traci!

[Seren]

Gah how awful. I hope whatever is going wrong gets sorted out soon...