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Cat help... Not pretty.

CodeRed

CodeRed

Critter Creeper
Shaddow's not looking so fly... Just noticed it today, so I'm not sure if this is new or not, but I'm thinking so. It's a weekend, so we're on our own for a bit, so I'm looking for some help from you guys.

Take a look at my kitty....

102_0375-1-1.jpg



Does anyone have ANY idea what this is?
We're totally at a loss, mainly because this hasn't ever happened before ): I just registered to a cat site, but I have to post so many times in the user-intro before I can ask for help.... stupid rule, imo, but whatever.

If you know what it is, what's causing it and how can I help stop the symptoms?

His symptoms: Runny, leaky nose and mouth, along with some "gunk" on the corners of his eyes. Lethargic, not very active. Hasn't been eating well.

Any help is appreciated.
 
We're calling the vet tomorrow, if it's open. It's too late now, but we will be acting on this asap. He's never been a particularity healthy cat, since he's assumed to be inbred.
 
He has RI. He needs his temps bumped up & some antibiotics. I'm only kinda kidding. That is an RI all right. He needs not to be chilled or overheated. Very smelly tuna wet food may encourage him to eat; cats won't eat if they can't smell their food (kinda like snakes, huh?). And he will need a vet visit to get antibiotics. I hope this info helps.
 
Is the kitty sneezing or coughing? Can possibly be a URI, upper respiratory infection...but def the kitty needs a vet ASAP!
 
This info DOES help, thank you! He'll probably be going on 3 days without eating, so hopefully the tuna will help a bit. We'll try our hardest to get him into the vet, but since it's a weekend it might not go over so well... Once again, THANK YOU.
 
This place has Saturday hours and is in Cassopolis, which (based on Google Maps) doesn't look horribly far from you:
http://www.bergmanvetmed.com/

And this one IS in Elkhart & has Saturday hours:
http://noahslandingpetcare.com/

And a number of vets in the area have this phone # on their websites as the number to call for emergency vet services 24/7:
574-259-8387

Edit: He looks miserable; my local vets would be fine with squeezing him into their Saturday schedules, give it a try, especially if you have a vet that has seen him before, as that vet is more likely to do a squeeze-in on a Saturday since s/he knows you and Shaddow.
 
DO NOT GIVE THE CAT HUMAN TUNA!!!!!!!

Tuna flavored cat food is o.k.. Real tuna is VERY BAD for cats, and will cause a whole different set of problems.
 
It's not THAT bad, but it really isn't good for cats. Gives them diarrhea. I suggest using the juice it's in on top of normal food instead of feeding tuna itself, if that's what you're doing.

Also, HEY YOU'RE ON UB TOO! I did not know that. :D I am Nelson on UB
 
WATER is essential, if he's not drinking, MAKE HIM. Syringe or eye dropper and make sure he gets a good aount of fluids in him. Three days without food isn't life threatening but water is an absolute must.

I agree, sounds like a URI, and a particularly nasty one. I've dealt with them LOTS breeding cats and doing rescues. I've lost kittens to herpes caused URI's...

Fluids is essential, keep him warm, and to a vet asap... Unfortunately most URI's are caused by a virus, therefore antibiotics have limited efficiency, but they can help knock out any secondary infections.

Clovamox is most commonly perscribed, if that doesn't work ask for Zithromyacin, it's expensive but it's the best thing for stubborn URI's.

Adequate hydration is essential. Also can try syringing in some wet foud blended with water to a slurry. Hills A/D is made for this purpose and goes through a syringe easily.

So for tonight, water, definitely, as much as you can get into him. Try enticing him to eat, if that fails, syringe some wet food into him, or beef or chicken baby food, just make sure that you get the kind without onion powder or anything in it (onions are bad)



Hope your kitty gets better soon :(
 
abell82 said:
DO NOT GIVE THE CAT HUMAN TUNA!!!!!!!

Tuna flavored cat food is o.k.. Real tuna is VERY BAD for cats, and will cause a whole different set of problems.
Click to expand...

Human tuna is no worse for cats than it is for humans, unless you're feeding it exclusively, or a fair portion of the diet. Fish fed exclusively to cats causes steatitis, basically a vitamin e deficiency.

With a sick cat, ANYTHING you can get into them is better than NOTHING, even if that something is tuna out of a can.

Personally I prefer meat baby food, with no onion, warmed up a little. Also remember that things warmed up smells nastier, and they have to be able to smell it to eat it
 
Guys, I was recommending smelly tuna cat food. It may not be as healthy as the premium stuff but I have had several sick cats be able to eat it because it was so smelly that it got their attention despite their stuffed up runny noses. And vets told me this was OK as a temporary measure, that's why I passed on the recommendation
 
Human grade tuna in *water* is not bad to give cats as a treat. As Trina said, you do NOT want to feed cats a fish-only diet because of the vitamin deficiency it causes.

The stinkier the cat food, the better when they have a runny nose, and getting your kitty to eat is imperative because the last you want to have to do is deal with hepatic lipidosis.
 
They are, but the light is on his right, and cats do that in my experience when the light is shining much more brightly in one eye than the other.
 
POOR KITTY!

I have read that, unlike dogs, it can be life threatening for a cat to be without food for just a few days. Their digestive systems seem to be much more delicate than dogs.

I have had a few sick cats over the years. I did find that tuna (or even tuna juice) would often entice them when nothing else would. I often hid meds in tuna or tuna juice. When my 17 year old cat was going downhill and refused to eat for a while, I mixed tuna juice, water, and either baby food, or Hill's AD diet, in a syringe. I held her and slowly syringed it into the side of her mouth. Messy, but it did work. If you don't have those, put some of whatever cat food you have on hand into the blender and syringe some of that into kitty. If you don't have a syringe, use an eyedropper.

I agree with the other posters - do whatever you can to get water and some kind of liquefied food into kitty tonight, and get to a vet tomorrow for sure.

Good luck with the poor little thing!
 
I would get hiim to a vet ASAP....like the ER.....Now.
Been there done that......lost one that had that look to it....
 
We've tried everything to get him to eat. Wet food, dry food, moist food, warm food, and so on. Nothing. So far, he doesn't look like he's in critical danger. While he doesn't eat, everything else about him is normal. He purrs, he plays, he rubs, he loves. He's not just lying down, so I think for now he's good. He acts like he's hungry, but he just doesn't eat when given the opportunity. So he's hungry, and he still has his appetite, which I think is a +1. He IS going to the vet at 8 AM tomorrow, when it opens. So we're getting him in as soon as possible. He is in a bathroom with heat, water at all times, and food in case he decides to get hungry. I've been keeping his airways open by wiping him clean and keeping the room a bit more humid (with steam from hot water). We're trying our best.
Thanks for all of the quick info, I'll update with the info we get from the vet tomorrow.
 
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