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I did not want cats but....

vneerland April 28, 2009 February 22, 2011

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...but now that I have them (their choice, tolerated by me, and naturally) they have grown on me :oops: So anyway. One of last years surprise kittens (them mom dumped them on my porch) had been gone for the past two days. He normally stays close, since he knows what happened in the woods when half his siblings and his mom did not come back. I just spotted him and to say the least, he seems worn out. Limbs seem to work, but he is very slow moving, and I am imagining one eye squinting ever so slightly. He has either been to hell and back (and what's that swelling on one side of his abdomen) or he is the most tired cat that ever lived. He was only slightly interested in food, laid contently on my lap just a moment ago, and is back in a spot in the yard where I can see him, close to the house, asleep. I asked him what he'd been up to, but he won't tell me. ;) His white feet are red (clay) so he has certainly traveled. All kidding aside. I am not one to rush to a vet for every little thing. Nor do I let things go that can be helped when they need to be helped. Any suggestions about the nature of the problem are very welcome. :oops: (and as I type this, my old dog who has been acting restless and who I have let out four times at least, deposited some diarrheah on the carpet) :x Sigh.........

Jenks Tue, 04/28/2009 - 15:53

You just never know. I'm a straight to the vet type, but my cats are my cats by my choice! If you can inspect for bites, wounds, sore spots? He may have been hit by a car, kicked, chewed on...... I had one stay gone for 2 days a few years ago and came home with a dry femur exposed several inches long. We had to reopen, tube and stitch it back together. At least that one was obvious. Another was snake bit and you'd never have known until many tries of searching. She still lives though - one that was supposedly feral originally.

Andrea Tue, 04/28/2009 - 15:59

I use my gut when I call the vet. Normally turns into nothing, but if I have the feeling something is dangerously not right, I call and get an opinion.
Not sure what I'd do in a case like yours. Probably take him down for a look see. But you know that'd turn into ultrasound or X-rays. If he's not painful when you touch him and not feverish you'd probably be OK with waiting him out, but if he's outside the chance to get eaten by a predtor is much greater.

lipigirl Tue, 04/28/2009 - 16:51

I'm a vet person too ! In this case I would give him a prod about to see it any areas are tender, check tempreture and look for any injuries - if nothing crops up wait for 24 hrs and then go see your vet if not better is my opinion. Hope he is ok.

CMhorses Tue, 04/28/2009 - 17:18

We are not vet people and have had many many successful home treatments. Aside from that, I would look him over really good and make sure he has no cuts or punctures or anything and then put him in a cage until he heals. We always doctor the cuts and then cage them (if they are not house friendly) so they can't run away and get hurt even worse.
But if he does not eat or anything in the next few days definately take him to the vet.

Side story; We rescently had a cat that we think was bitten by a coyote and lost a rather large chunk of skin and is now almost completely healed with no vet treatment, only antibiotic ointment and close monitoring for the first few days. Heres a few pic thumbnail links.
[url=http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c143/…]
The pictures go in order from the day it happened, few days later, 2ish weeks later, and 3ish weeks later.

vneerland Tue, 04/28/2009 - 23:12

What do they check balance with again? Was it pups they pick up under de 'armpits' and dangle with the hind legs, to see if they try to set them on the table? :? The cat is not righting himself (good) enough. Not enough power on one side, it seems. But he walks, though ever so slowly, so nothing would be broken? He stayed at his spot close to the house for 5 hours :shock: occasionally shifting, but not much more. I just got him in, and put him in a cage for the night. He'd be somebodies dinner if I did not do that, I fear. He ate a bit earlier, but unenthusiastically. I cannot find any gaping holes, but like I said earlier, one side of his abdomen feels swollen and hard. :(
If it had been a venemous snake that he tangled with, would I still be trying to diagnose the severity of what's wrong with him? Or would I be digging a hole? :cry: So if is was my aggressive swallow swallower (the rat snake) who is not venemous, how dangerous would it be for the cat? (dirty bite?) Or would he have argued with one of the nightly visitors (the raccoon who I just caught in the catfood on the porch) Hmmmmm. What disease do coons carry again? Or armadillo's, my other nightly regular? I will see how "curious" [size=75](he named himself. And we all know what curiosity did to the cat!) [/size] seems in the morning. If he is still this dramatically lethargic, he gets to meet the vet.

critterkeeper Wed, 04/29/2009 - 17:30

I say go to the vet - is he current on his rabies vaccines? A venimous snake may or maynot invenimate when it bites, but even if it doesn't invenimate it can cause the symptoms you discribe (the hard knot is common). Good luck to both of you.

vneerland Wed, 04/29/2009 - 21:10

He was still hanging in there this morning. Ate some of the food I offered (alligator :laugh1 ) and drank when I held the water in front of him, but he would not get up for either. Could stand up, but staggered, meowed, but weakly. So I called for an appointment. By the time I could get in (an emergency came in between) it was 7 PM. The little unhappy boy was running 105.5 by then! :o
No visible holes were found (we shaved the abdomen) and it looked like massive mastitis. On a (neutered) boy? :? He is on antibiotics now. I forgot to ask how you get a cat to open his mouth. (I do dogs all day long, no problem)
No clue how he got this, but hopefully, that fever will start coming down by tomorrow. He must have been burning up! (and hid in the back of a closet in the bathroom when I put him there so he could move around a little) :roll:
He thanks everyone for the well wishes. 8-)

Andrea Wed, 04/29/2009 - 22:11

So his prognosis is good? Poor guy!
Open a cat's mouth the same as a dog. You just have to be quicker! Thumb and forfinger at the corners of his mouth with the heel of your hand on his forehead. Lift with the fingers and push down with with the heel. Drop the pill at the back of his throat and hold his mouth closed. Oh.. And hang on for dear life! :rofl
I'm glad he'll be OK!

NZ Appaloosas Wed, 04/29/2009 - 22:38

Take a towel, wrap it around his body so only head is hanging out--make TRIPLE sure that the legs are inside the towel, but hanging long!--tell OH to hold body like a football, then open mouth as Andrea posted.

Oh, and to hang on for dear life...

Diane