Cat-O-Rama

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One of my cats (outdoors) has never gained weight since we found her in February. She’s terribly thin, though she’s always supplied with food, liver, chicken and tuna and plenty of fresh water. She was wormed at the vet, so it wouldn’t be worms. When we bring her food, she does eat and she drinks a good amount of water.

She’s seemed to have problems with her eyes, they seem clear, but she doesn’t seem to see that well and one of her pupils is larger than the other.

She’s also never gone into heat, she’s not fixed either. She’s about a year and a half old.

She’s a very happy, loving cat despite these things. She’s very happy to see us, purrs very loud and rubs against anything she can.

However, today I noticed she started holding her head down and to the side when she walked and she also seemed to have some balance problems.

She won’t stand for very long now, she’ll get up, and promptly find a place to lay down again. We’ve let her rest for the day, and I intend to give her some cat antibiotics to clear up any infections she might have.

We love her very much, we knew that there was a possibility she could have a disease when we found her because she’s been in poor health, but we gave her a loving home despite the fact. She’s seen the vet, but we could not have blood work done due to the high price.

I’d prefer advice from a vet. What could be the problem with her? I believe if might be Feline Leukemia, and I know it’s incurable. I just want to know how I can make her comfortable if it is her time to pass or if it could be an inner ear infection?
She doesn’t seem to be in pain. She’s never cried out, twitched, cleaned herself erratically or responded badly to touch. I’ve lived with cats my whole life and sadly I’ve seen them in pain and I can read their body language very well. She’s really shown no other sign than contentment, however she has no energy. I’ll definitely see about getting her to a vet this evening but they’re going to want to do expensive blood tests that I can’t afford just yet.

Sounds like an ear infection. Please get her to the vet right away. It is very painful for a cat but easily treated.
She may also have worms or other parasite, again, easily treated.
Please bring her to the vet. While you are there, she can also be tested for FeLV and FIV. It is a simple test using only a couple drops of blood, results while you wait.

I have no veterinary expertise except experience with my own cats and many strays. She really needs professional help and you won’t find it here.

Good luck.

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Beta Plex is a nutritional aid for your pet which contains all the essential B vitamins in concentrations designed to aid and maintain good health. The B complex group of vitamins (sometimes referred to as the “nerve vitamins”) are vital to the nervous system. When deficiencies arise, problems can manifest themselves anywhere in the body; the mouth, eyes, skin, and reproductive organs are common trouble areas. Proper utilization and absorption of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates is dependent on a good supply of B vitamins. Felines, because they are heavy protein consumers, require twice the B vitamins of their canine counterparts for proper absorption of this protein. Stressful situations quickly deplete the body’s supply of B vitamins. The stress of cold winter temperatures or the arrival of a newborn into its environment can both be helped by Beta Plex. An easy-to-administer liquid with only natural ingredients, Beta Plex supplies the B complex vitamins in a nutritional base of black strap molasses, liver, and apple. No preservatives or fillers are used.

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So I adopted two kittens from my local humane shelter and was able to take them home the beginning of last month. My nightmare started when I took them in for a check up with the vet they suggested and we didn’t get a check up but was told they had ringworm. No tests were ran and nothing was looked at but the ringworm spots. I called the local health department which told me this shelter wasn’t suppose to be giving out animals at that time period. After the health department got into contact with them I received a phone call from the shelter telling me I could bring the kittens back since my husband and I with both of our dogs now had ringworm. While I know ringworm isn’t a big deal treating 4 animals plus ourselves was just a bit to much. I took the kittens back to the shelter and this time I was accused of being a liar that the health department didn’t tell me such thing that they would treat the animals but not take them back. I just let them treat instead of fighting with them. Not even a week after having them home the kittens were sneezing and sniffling a lot and now we are full blown into upper respiratory infection, feline herpes, and severely infested with worms. They’ve been going to the vet about twice a week with a new problem or treatment isn’t working. After capping out at $680 (with adoption fees) in one month I said enough. I’m not running to the vet for every little thing so please don’t think that’s why the bill is insane.Now I’m being told that there is nothing I can do that the vet gave the kittens a "clean bill of health". I was also told that the shots which were suppose to be included in my adoption fees were "on me" even though they were suppose to be done already. Should I be concerned that there is a bigger underlying issue since the kittens are staying sick even with treatments?
I’m just trying to figure out what steps to take about the actions of this shelter and if it is normal for kittens to be this sick.
I’m not looking for "holier than thou" pet owner. I’m well aware of what it takes to be a pet owner and if I wasn’t concerned about the health of my kittens I wouldn’t be asking if this is normal or for advice. If you’re going to be on a soap box don’t bother responding.

I’m really sorry this is happening, but I can’t figure out what it is you’re asking about!! I see 2 issues. On the little kittens, of course the vast majority survive upper respiratory infections, but they can be VERY tricky to treat because they can linger and often need new antibiotics. So my guess is that this is the problem with the kittens, and I totally disagree with the first person that they should be put down! That’s nonsense. And the herpes probably isn’t helping. But this is common with shelter kittens, so whatever vet has been treating them isn’t doing a good job, and I would demand that they give you stronger antibiotics (unless he says the infection is just working its way out).

On the rest of it, if you want to pursue the incompetence you found, this might be a bit off the wall, but local news entities are always looking for stories like this. I live in a fairly big city and about once every couple of weeks, stories like this surface. Now that everyone has website, it’s easy to get in touch with news depts. I would go to this shelter and demand….well, whatever you want. Reimbursement for the fees/shots, etc And I would tell them if they don’t agree, you’re taking it to local media and also writing city government. And then I’d do this, because it won’t take long - its all online!

But please don’t give up on the kittens. I had a kitten once that fought a URI for 6 weeks. They’re fragile and it just takes time. Good luck to you…and them!

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One random day my cat stopped being able to blink his right eye. Both eyeballs looked fine, and it seemed to me that he could see through both of them. His left one would react properly. It’s like the right one was frozen open, and he couldn’t shut it for the life of him. He even slept with that eye open. It was really sad….

I took him to the vet the day after I noticed this, and the vet did a number of expensive tests that turned up nothing. He said it was probably damaged nerves, but he kept my cat that day to do more testing when an ophthalmologist called. The ophthamologist apparently had no idea what’s wrong either.

Today (2 days later) I notice that in certain angles his bad eye is sparkly on the inside (dont know how to describe it) at some angles, while the normal one remains dark.

I don’t know what to do next, what the heck happens when the vets say they have no idea whats going on??? I’m very depressed and I don’t want my little pumpkin to suffer:(

Oh, and what should I tell the breeder? We also found out that he has feline herpes virus which may have come from it’s mother but is probably not connected to the eye problem…. I think I should ask her to foot some of the vet bills or… I don’t know, what the procedure is for health guarauntees in cats usually (he’s 5 months and I got him at 2 months)
My bad, it was three months. I got him at about 13 weeks.

All vets are not created equal. You should take you kitty to another vet. If you bought your kitty from a reputable breeder he should have come with a written health guarantee and a contract (see first link below).

I’m sorry to say that it sounds like you did not buy your poor kitty from a reputable breeder. No reputable breeder would let a kitten go before 12 weeks old, and a reputable breeder would not be breeding a cat with herpes.

But now that you have him he deserves all the help and good care you can give him.

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I had a cat that died of feline leukemia 2 months ago, and now I am ready to get a new kitten. I found a 7 week old kitten that I want The only problem is that the kitten has not been tested for feline leukemia. But they said the kitten is an inside kitten, but the my cat was also an inside cat and my vet told me that he must have had it since birth. The people that have the 7 week old kitten told me that she is very health and has had some shots, but has not been tested. So what do you think I should do go ahead and adopt or not? Also the cat I had was part siamese, and the kitten I want right now is also part siamese. Does sickness or feline leukemia have anything to do with the breed of the cat???
The people that have the 7 week old kitten are 2 old people that found out they cant take care of a 7 week old kitten. And they dont have the parents either.

No, sickness does not have anything to do with breed of cat.

But, you will still want to get the kitten tested for everything - Inside cats don’t have kittens usually, so I suspect that Kitty mom either took an unintended trip outside, or Daddy snuck in.

But, wait until the kitten is at least 10 weeks old, 12 if you can wait before bringing it home. Its during the 8-12 week period that a kitten learns how to be a cat.

And, why not adopt a cat from the humane society. Chances are, the kitten will come fixed, updated on shots, and has being tested for diseases such as FIV, and Feline Leukemia. Its more expensive than free, but less expensive than a trip to the vet

Check out http://www.petfinder.com for a list of shelters near you.

Edited to Add: I had assumed this was a litter of kittens - You will still need to take kitty to the vet. Chances are, the kitten has never been to the vet. You should also have the vet check as if this is a found kitty off the street- you don’t know the cats history.

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My cat was diagnosed with feline leukemia yesterday. Yes, we know the prognosis isn’t great, but we’ve decided to try and help him live as happy a life as we can for now, rather than just give up on him. The medications have helped to fight off the infection he had, but our biggest problems are a) trying to get him to use the litter box again, and b) helping him to understand that he can’t go outside and slink around in the grass like he used to. We have a dog who goes outside (only in the backyard), and I know that only serves to get our cat more upset when he sees him. Walkers, tunnels, and such are out of the question–I’m too concerned about him becoming infected again. We’ve improved his diet, his physical health is better, but I’m worried about his mental health. This has obviously affected his personality. Anyone have any ideas?

I’m sorry about your cat. You should definitely keep him inside.

Cats that live indoors live longer, healthier lives. Statistically, the life span of an indoor cat averages 12 to 14 years, whereas it is only about four years for the outdoor cat. More than 1 million outdoor cats are killed each year by dogs, traffic, and exposure to disease. In the long run, keeping your cat indoors will also save you money in vet bills.

There are many risks that come with letting your cats roam free outside:
- They have a much higher chance of catching diseases and other illnesses such as: Feline Leukemia (FeLV), Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), Feline Herpes Virus (Rhinotracheitis), Feline Distemper, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), rabies, tapeworm, ringworm, heart worm, hypothermia and urinary tract infection
- Ingesting chemicals or poisons such as pesticides, home garden products and car/motor products
- Getting fleas or ticks
- Injury/death due to dangerous traffic
- Eating poisonous spiders, insects or plants
- Injury/death due to cruel humans, hunters or neighbors
- Attacks from dogs, other cats or wild animals
- Other accidental injuries
- Getting lost or stolen

Here’s an article called "How to Make Your Outdoor Cat a Happy Indoor Cat" http://www.sdnhm.org/exhibits/cats/indoors.html

I hope that helps. Good luck.

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My cat, chipmunk, is a four year old male. He is going for his neuter surgery tomorrow morning. I have a problem here trying to understand the form that my vet gave to me. The surgery costs 100.00

It suggested me to add, Health Check (blood work) $44.00, Blood Pressure $18, and Fluid IV $58, or Fluid SC for $45.

My vet procedure is just feline Castrate for removing the testicles in my cat’s rear.

So do you all suggest me to add those things and what’s your opinion? Confused and dazed with informations been given to me.

My cat surgery is at 8:45 am tomorrow morning. Hope everyone help me on time.

thanks

Blood work is never a waste of money if you can afford it–it gives the vet a lot of information about the inside organ function of the cat. Fluids help support kidney function and blood pressure–very important when a pet or person is anesthetized. Low blood pressure can lead to kidney damage, which is why monitoring is recommended.

At our practice we don’t "offer" these things, they are mandatory for most surgeries. Exceptions are cat neuters–the cat is given an IV injection of a very short acting anesthetic, like propoflo. The surgery itself takes about 2 minutes. The cat is given a pain injection and sent home with a few days of pain medication. That’s it. I’d stay away from low cost clinics–they cut corners to save money. Most vets aren’t out to drum up business by adding on extra services, they just want to provide the best care possible–which is what most people want anyway.

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