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our vet just said he cant get a cath in. possible scar tissue. this cat has always had a strong stream and just started having issues 3 weeks ago. vet gave me antibiotics and prazosin. no help there. since he is in hospital they were able to get a stream but it diminished overnight. what can I do? they cant cath him.
My neighbor’s outdoor cat that she claims as hers because it hangs out at her home and she feeds is wildly neglected. the poor cats left side canine teeth have fused together with plaque and she can’t open her mouth to eat properly or drink water as her tongue sticks out on the right side of her mouth. She seems dehydrated and flea infested-I gave her half dose of Bravecto since she feels like she’s 4-5 pounds and is about 6-8 years old. The neighbor doesn’t seem to see this and believes that cat is fine since she’s trying to eat…… She has an indoor cat that she takes care of really well. Any recommendations? if I take the cat to the vet for dental treatment, what would the cost be for something like this and would a cat in this condition even make it through anesthesia?
Hello,
If you are able to talk to your neighbor see if they are willing to let you help care for him. If you feel they are not willing to let you help call your local animal welfare officers, local rescues and shelters and ask for assistance for this cat. Cruelty and neglect of domestic animals is something that might motivate them to let you help for the best interest of this cat. Thank you for caring and reaching our.
Scooter, my cat for over 21 years slept by my chest every night. He became sick earlier this year and had to be euthanized. Within days of losing him one of my other cats has decided to do everything in her power to keep me up at night. She will knock things over, turn off my cpap machine, etc. until I finally give in and get up and go downstairs with her. I usually will do stuff on the computer or straighten up. She usually just sits by me and after about 2 hours I can go back up to bed followed by her for about 5 or 6 hours. She is healthy, playful, friendly. Lately she has gotten worse and wants to be up more often. Tried locking her out of our room but she has clawed the carpet and the door. I cannot lock her in another room because she will do the same thing. I have been so exhausted that on a few occasions I have put her in the carrier for a few hours so I can get some sleep. She goes in willingly and makes bo noise while she is in there. I have tried to keep her up several hours before going to bed but nothing works.
Any suggestions. Oh she is about 10 years old. One odd thing is that if one of my other cats is sleeping with me which is rare, she will not bother me.
Thank you
Hello,
I’m sorry for the loss of your kitty. The veterinarian in me wants to say that you should start at the vets office. Assuming your cat is healthy isn’t enough of an assurance that they are. A thorough exam, full bloodwork and a urine with thyroid are all indicated in my opinion. Start there. If all of that is normal ask about trying a medication or pheromone like feliway. If all else fails consider (and consider anyway) getting a companion for your kitty to play with at whatever time of day or night they want to. If you cannot it will not get another cat you can either create train overnight or put her in a place she can’t bother you. But make sure you make up for the time apart by spending lots of time together during the day. No one wants to feel like they lost their two best friends.
Thanks so much for the quick response. I will be calling to set up an appointment with you. For some reason last night continuing into this morning was the worse.
Dr. Magnifico
I made an appointment for Princess to see you on September 8th. Thursday night into Friday morning she was the most “awake” that she has ever been. Last night though and into this morning she has been sleeping a lot. I was petting her to give her extra attention and I felt a lump on her belly. It is located more to one side and depending on her position close to her back leg. I spoke to someone at the clinic to see if anyone would have time just to feel it since there are no openings today. I don’t know if it is a fatty tumor, hernia, etc. but I am more concerned because she went from super awake to complete opposite in 24 hours. She is eating and using the litter box. If i cannot get someone to see her today I will bring her in tomorrow unless you think I should go to ER if no one can check her out today.
As always I appreciate and value your advice.
Thanks
Sandy
Hello Dr. Magnifico!
I found you on YouTube! I wanted to tell you how wonderful I think it is that you are going above and beyond to help pet owners worldwide!
I have a 4 year old female cat named boots. For over a year now, she has been having pretty severe coughing attacks daily. I have taken her to multiple vets that can’t tell me what’s going on. I have heard both upper and lower respiratory conditions could be involved. We got a chest X ray 2 weeks ago and it came back negative. Tried asthma medicine with no help. Tried an antibacterial in case it was an infection, and only very mild relief. Using 5mg Zyrtec daily has some relief. My vet suggests it may be nasopharyngeal polyps. I visited your page and saw your video removing these polyps in a cat, and the symptoms I have found for polyps don’t seem to quite match Boots. She doesn’t have a snorting sound while breathing, but her breathing is sometimes audible at rest. I am very fearful to proceed with further testing or procedures because I don’t want to spend so much money without knowing the problem will be fixed. Any suggestions?! THANK YOU!!
Hello,
I’m sorry for the delay. Covid has had me working like crazy.
I think that a polyp should always be considered and your vet, or some credible accessible vet, should be willing to sedate to look behind the soft palate. It is a quick and easy thing to do, but, they also have to be willing to try to remove it. There are a fair number of vets around who love this procedure. Call everyone you can and ask for help. We are out there. You just have to dig. The other helpful tips are to call the local shelters and rescues and ask them if they have someone they can recommend. You can also try to find a feline exclusive practice. If you do find someone locally please (please!!) add it to our storylines section so we can pass along the info to the next person who asks.
Good afternoon, I have a 3 years old cat, neutered male. Last Monday he had an obstruction, I went to ER, could not afford to hospitalize him, therefore, they just unblocked him and we went home with meds. 6 days later my cat became more alive, however, he is using litter box frequently and producing small amounts of urine. My question is- is this because of the medications that he cannot hold it and empties it little by little or is this because he is getting blocked again? Current medications are Buprenorphine, prazosin, gabapentin. Also, because he has not been hospitalized for 2 days, does that mean I have to try to find someone who will keep him on fluids for 2 days or there is a chance he can recover?
Hello- I definitely would take him to your regular vet…. they know him best. They run some tests to determine if it is blockage or not. I can say that years ago, we had a male cat who had to have expensive surgery to be unblocked and he then had to be on Rx food for the rest of his life. Please get him in to see your vet ASAP. I hope he recovers and is ok????????
Hello,
Cats who block always (I know I am not supposed to say that but I have found it to be true!) always reblock, or at least struggle for weeks to months with urinary complications. In my experience it is not uncommon to unblock them numerous times over the first few months. They need lots of fluids and TLC along with medications. We have a cat now who had a stone (found on Xray). We spent weeks trying to get him better only to discover the stone was the underlying problem and we did surgery two days ago. It is a long road getting to being blocked and an equally long road to getting cured.
Thank you so much for the response and for clarifying everything. For some reason, I thought that they were supposed to get back to normal right away. I saw your video that you uploaded a few years ago on Youtube that you have a cage that can keep him there even at night. I live about 4 hours drive from you and I was wondering- if I don’t find anyone who can help me around my area, is this possible that I can bring him to your clinic? Thank you!
Hello!! I found Dr Krista’s YT vid (Stripes the cat re nasal polyps) while researching my kitty’s condition. I have had Percy out to Pet ER w. initial thick mucus that became tinged w. a bit of blood. He was prescribed Doxy to treat the infection… it wasn’t until during the course of treatment that he began the “snoring” at which point I rushed him back to Pet ER. Having limited funds and no experience w. these issues ever before, I opted for Labs (figuring that would be a start). Unfortunately, the results did not “tell me anything unusual” and I am not a vet. It was then that I learned about these polyps … and I feel confident that this could be what Percy is suffering from (unless there may be a foreign object obstructing his airway). At this point I have no dx!! I’ve been on the veterinary roller-coaster ride trying to determine the best course of action between my local vet (Dundalk Animal Hosp), Pet ER or another vet altogether… at this point not knowing the cause of his breathing issue or how much the costs may be… I guess I can understand why “estimates” can’t be given … I am just trying to determine the LESS COSTLY route and there seems to be no clear answer. My head is spinning and I want the best for Percy and to NOT have to lose him, that’s the bottom line… my heart is hurting as this was so unexpected!! Would it be possible to fit Percy into the clinic’s busy schedule ASAP?? I called this morning and was told that Monday is already full. Emily advised to reach out on Pawbly … I also sent a pm on FB.
I really need help, I cared for 2 cats last year both former strays, one Main Coon mix w. Hypercardiomyopathy and the other cancer of his paw which was eating away. Both these babies tore my heart in 2 but I did what I had to until it was time to journey on RIP… we had a family of 6 at that time along w. my deceased uncle’s dog. My Care Credit card was easily almost maxed out… my boys and I are pitching in together as many ways as possible for Percy. He is the last of our most recent feline family and I do NOT EVER want to stop caring for animals!! Thank you for my restored faith in humanity!! ~Love~ Shelley & Percy
Hello,
I am happy to meet you and your cat at my clinic. If that would help. We work very hard to provide affordable options to help people with their pet care needs. I am at the clinic Sunday thorough Thursday.
Thank You so much, you are a blessing to ALL pets and their humans!!
My cat died outside the house with blood in her mouth. And I touched and look for any marks or injuries. There’s no mark she was hit by a car, or someone hit her. And she is not going to any other house. Please, someone, say it’s a natural cause. I was thinking about this whole day. I’m stressed because of this. I worried that someone did something to her. She lived with us for 13 years.
A few days ago she couldn’t eat and vomited time by time. So we took her to the vet, and they gave saline and a few injections. She was fine after that.
The only thing that happened is before she died, she sneezed continuously at night and morning when she is sleeping with me.
I can try to make up my mind if this is due to natural causes.
First, and most importantly, I’m very sorry for your loss. It’s hard when we don’t know the cause of our pets’ death.
Unless you’re watching her at all times – literally 24 hours a day – or you keep her inside, where she should be, there’s no way to say she isn’t going away from your home.
That said…due to the blood from the mouth, I would wonder if this is the result of rat poisoning. Is there ANY chance of rat poison around your home?
My cat is home from a 3 day stay at the ER with FLUTD. He was partially blocked. His kidneys suffered slightly. He was sent home with pain medication, antibiotics, and something to relieve him of urethral spasms. It has already cost me $2700 and I cant possibly offered another stay as he isn’t peeing too well already after 24hours being home. He is still only trickling pee rather than fully expressing his bladder. What do I do? I can’t afford another hospital visit.
You need to call the vet who did the surgery and speak with them. Is it possible your cat was not ready to come home? Are there signs you should be looking for… signs of milestones or setbacks? Explain that your cat is still struggling with no improvement and you’re concerned if it should have been sent home at all. Are you already scheduled for a follow up appointment? Also explain your budget concerns and ask about options of payment as well. Hope he is ok !!! ????????
My tabby cat male had PU surgery 2 weeks ago He’s currently squatting every 3 minutes like he has to go but nothing he pees a lot at first but just keeps squatting over and over again he’s eating drinking and cleaning but seems to be obsessed with the squatting his stitches are due to come out tomorrow help us ?????
Good morning- if the stitches are scheduled to come out, I would definitely bring these symptoms up at the visit. Make sure that the vet is aware of what is going on… unless have you already spoken to them about this? If you have, then explain your concern as there is no improvement. Best of luck- hope your cat recovers and is ok????????
My foster cat, who I am now considering adopting, has been struggling to breathe properly for about 3 months now. He came into the shelter with a suspected URI. However, after months of treatment with antibiotics and a whole swath of other anti viral medications, the vet determined that he wasn’t getting any better and euthanasia is on the table. I want to get a second opinion before we make any drastic decisions. I am doing online research and suspect that perhaps he has a polyp, a tumor, or foreign object in his throat/nose.
While I am dying to explore these other solutions, the shelter told me if I adopt him and take him to a specialist costs could go up to $5,000. I don’t have that kind of money. I am in Olympia, Washington State. Does anyone recommend any veterinary hospital that is more affordable and can explore other resolutions at a more reasonable price? I don’t want to give up on him, but can’t afford to spend that kind of money.
Thank you so much.
Hello,
I always advise that you ask your vet for affordable options. If they can’t provide that ask the local rescues, shelters and pet centered foundations. Post online on all social media sites. There are affordable and accessible vets around but often it takes a lot of asking. If you do find someone please post your story on our storlylines section. It will help someone like you down the road. Good luck.
Hi there- ages ago we had a male cat who was blocked. They had a very hard time catheterizing him, but eventually were able to. I recall there being a specific medication (I think it was some sort of muscle relaxer) that helped them, but I cannot remember the details. And I believe they also used a needle to relieve some of the bladder pressure which they thought would help. But I know that was tricky because they didn’t want to cause any damage (obviously). Have you spoken to them about options for getting this resolved? I’m sure you have – perhaps another vet at the clinic has suggestions? I hope things work out????????
Prazosin is the relaxer you are referring to. Im sure they are following protocol but Im still weighing the option of a specialty clinic for the PU surgery.
Hello,
I’m not quite sure what you are asking but I think your vet needs to be prepared for other treatment options like a PU surgery, emptying the bladder via a cytsocentesis or referring you elsewhere. In some cases I empty the bladder and place the cat under sedation or anesthesia and try again. It can be hard and frustrating but you need to get the bladder able to empty and they urine able to keep moving. This is a question for your vet to figure out.