Pioneering pussy cat!

This is beautiful Buttons who is a West Midlands Cat Clinic pioneer! The two year old came to see us in January with blood and mucus in her poo, lethargy and a lack of interest in her food. She was also losing weight. Despite running various lab profiles to try and determinate the cause of Buttons’ condition, there were no significant indicators to identify a specific problem. Poor Buttons’ diarrhoea could be so explosive that she’d have little warning, and with her continued poor appetite and lack of vitality, her owner feared she might lose her.

Our vet Emma wondered whether Buttons’ condition could be related to poor general gut health and a lack of presence of the good flora and bacteria needed for a healthy gut. She had learned about a procedure called faecal transplantation at a veterinary congress last year, where healthy (lab-approved) cat faeces are transplanted into a patient under sedation to redress gut microbiome imbalance. Buttons’ owner agreed and Buttons came in for two treatments three weeks apart in February. Emma performed the procedures – the first time it’s been carried out here on a feline patient.

This is Buttons this morning – just 3 weeks on from her last treatment – looking a little alert here as she was wondering why three of us were cooing over her in her check-up appointment! Her owner noted that immediately after her last procedure, Buttons’ poo was back to normal colour and the mucus had gone. And that now she’s back to her normal self, grooming, playing and going outside and is happily eating again and has put 300g. All brilliant news! Given that Buttons is doing so well, she’s now starting to ween off her special diet, but will continue with supplements to keep promoting happy guts. What a superstar and what an amazing recovery in such a short time. We hope Buttons’ story will be an inspiration to others. Her case shows just how critical good gut bacteria is to good health.