I’m saving a small 8-10 week kitten. We found her while we were walking our neighborhood, she was crying for help on the side road/gutter. She has a hurt right leg. We have caught her and made sure that she was alone…we visited her for about 1 week (feeding and winning her trust) and new we had to help her ASAP. We got a trap and trapper her and took her home. We don’t have much money since I have already saved two other feral kittens in the neighborhood and kept them both. I won’t get into that since that is not my purpose on here. But we have taken Lola (the new found kitten) to get x-rayed and started her shots. I’m at my wits end because we took her to AM/PM Vet to get the x-ray and they simply said that she has no broken leg and that more than likely she would need the leg amputated but to give her two weeks. They did not offer any advice what to do. So, we took her back and this time they (another vet at AM/PM) said that it was a mis diagnosis. I have been spending lots of time with Lola and massaging her leg and I think she has been able to move it more than when we first brought her home. She is totally comfortable with us at home now and I think she is healing but I’m not sure if what I am doing is causing more harm. I’m doing my best to keep her confined in a cage, but I do take her out to bond with her and play and massage her leg. So today, I saw your video putting a splint on Penelope and I think that is what I should do also. I believe the symptom you mention is possibly what Lola is experiencing. Should I take her to another vet specialist who can give hopeful advise? Can you please give me advise on: What to do and What Not to do? I’m doing the best I can but finding it difficult because I have saved two other cats (Mango is 3 years now and MaeLa is 8 months – they were both feral kittens when I saved them. It has been two weeks now and I know time is of the essence to help Lola with her leg. Please help me with advice from your experiences.

8 week old female kitten not defecting properly….several days. My 21 year old daughter (away at college) just got a kitten last Tuesday. She noticed the kitten wasn’t pooping but the kitten was trying but either nothing was coming out or a piece was stuck in and hanging of her rectum. Sometimes my daughter returns to the room where the kitten is and finds smears of poop. he took her to the ER and they gave the kitten an enema… which sort of worked a bit and the kitten did go on Friday (the day after). They wanted to do more such as an X-ray and give fluids but the cost was so high my daughter didn’t want to do that. Since then, the kitten is trying to go anywhere and everywhere but nothing coming out. Occasionally some poop smears are found. Thus far the kitten has been in decent spirits…. playful a bit and eating wet food (with a little aded water). Of course, I’m sure this will change fast. Last night the kitten tried to poop while sitting on my daughters lap. 🙁
We have an appt. on Tuesday afternoon at a local vet whom I use for my cats and I trust….. I’m worried we can’t wait til then to get her checked. Any suggestions on what could be going on? I’m worried its something more serious. Thank you so much for your consideration!!!

What is the cost to remove polyps in a cats nose ?

Hello all,

I wanted to follow up on my question about Mercury from two months ago. He had been suffering from recurring urinary blockages, and after several ER visits, I scheduled him for a PU surgery at The Bridge Clinic, a non-profit vet hospital in Bensalem and Philadelphia. The surgery was done on Aug 14th, and the surgeon recommended doing the PU first to see if the stones would pass naturally, which they did. The surgery cost me $1,181.

Unfortunately, the issues didn’t end there. Mercury seemed to recover for about three weeks, but then he started frequenting the litter box and peeing only small amounts, sometimes not at all. He also began peeing outside the litter box and seemed very uncomfortable, especially at night, so I took him for a follow-up on Sep 12th. An X-ray and urinalysis were negative for stones or infections, but crystals were found, leading to a diagnosis of FIC/FLUTD. They suggested Gabapentin for pain and more water fountains and litter boxes (this visit cost $191).

Despite following their advice, Mercury’s issues persisted, so I scheduled another appointment on Sep 19th. The vet confirmed FLUTD and suspected a possible infection at the surgical site, so he received a Convenia and Buprenorphine injection (visit cost: $134). Still, no improvement.

I then took him to his primary vet at Telford on Oct 3rd, where they suspected a different bacterial infection and prescribed Clavamoxin, though I declined a urine culture due to cost (this vist was $170). I also put him on a strict urinary diet (he was on dryMetabolic Urinary food and regular wet food which I diluted with water). He showed some improvement, but then, last Monday, he seemed blocked again. After giving him Amitriptyline, he was able to urinate, and Telford said their only recomendation is a urine culture, and they don’t have any time to see him that week, so I reluctantly agreed to. (Urine culture + 7 Amitriptyline + 14 Clavamoxine was $323), today the results from the culture came back clean, meaning I spent $273 for nothing.

What’s frustrating is that I haven’t spoken to the vet directly since the first visit, only through techs and nurses, and I’m running out of time and money. Mercury is still in pain and struggling to urinate, and I don’t know what else to do.

So if you have any insight or recommendations to what I should do next please let me know because I am at my wits end and have no idea what to do. (I’ve attached the visit’s summaries and the receipt from my last time at Telford to this post)

Hello all,

I posted on here earlier this year asking for some advice about my cat who had a very advanced cryptococcosis infection.
Her right lymph node (submandibular) was swollen the entire time, and the left one but to a lesser degree.

She developed anisocoria and horners syndrome, droopy right eye, and she had a mass that felt like bone on top of her eye.
The anisocoria disappeared after 3 days and her pupils were entirely normal again.

Things escalated last week. Her nose has always been blocked, to various degrees, since she developed the symptoms, 1.5 years ago, but it seemed like she was able to get enough air in with some gasping and mouth breathing. I didn’t know how comfortable she was, but I had to try the last recommendation the vet suggested: 150mg of fluconazole a day. She was on this massive dose for 3 months. (4 kg cat)
Previously, she was on 37.5mg for 6 months, her nose and lesions cleared up and she was able to breathe again (most importantly!)
But, in March, a big lump (cryptococcosis mass) exploded into an abscess. It wouldn’t heal. The vet performed surgery to remove it and other lesions nearby. It was an eyesore, I felt so bad for her. She had a cone on for nearly 3 weeks because the suture area got a bit infected. Raised her fluconazole dose to 75mg a day.

Last week, her nose got much more inflamed and distorted very rapidly. It began bleeding and ulcerating, drying up and then bleeding repeatedly.
She looked so uncomfortable and basically slept all day in various positions to keep her head elevated. When near me or when sleeping with me at night, she’d clamp onto my arm or neck with her teeth to keep her mouth open so she could breathe and fall asleep. I can’t fathom how difficult it was to sleep having to make a conscious effort to get air in through her mouth. I understand cats are not “mouth breathers” and can’t fully relax that way.

I took her in to see her vet, 11 days ago, after noticing blood on her paw, and no wound. The vet looked inside her mouth and looked said the fungus was pushing through her soft palate (roof of mouth) into her front teeth. She recommended euthanasia and said she was not going to “get better” in her professional opinion. And that my cat was suffering and it wasn’t ok, I asked outright if her quality of life was ok. She said no. My cat had lost 1 kg since her last visit. This also factored into the vet’s recommendation.

The vet was ready to put my cat to sleep at the time of our consult, but I requested some time to digest and take her home to say goodbye.
Then, 4 days later, I took her in for euthanasia. I wish I had canceled. Am I wrong to feel that she should have died on her own terms?
What she had was like a breathing disability, in other ways she was a strong and vital cat. She was still eating, though appetite decrease by 30 or 40%.
Why did her nose not clear up (while the cutaneous lesions cleared) and in fact get worse after 3 months on a higher dose?
I’m so devastated and confused and wish I could have done more to save her life.
I felt selfish for letting her live this way, knowing there was no hope and I’d just be prolonging the inevitable (probably suffocation).
I am in so much pain recollecting what’s happened.

I wish I had kept her at home and only taken for euthanasia if she had collapsed and refused to eat. Taking her in to have her put down when she still asked to be fed, showed playfulness in some moments, trotting around when it was food time, it felt hasty but also inevitable. I felt I was saving her from experiencing more suffering as the fungus grew.
But, I will never know how it would have gone if I left her. Maybe nature would have performed a miracle, and she would heal, or she would die without my intervention and without pain (like a quick heart attack). I feel so terrible for having made the choice to snuff out her little life when she was still very strong.
She fought the sedative the vet gave, they took her back to insert a catheter and didn’t bring her to me until 40 mins later, saying she was fighting the sedative.
It pains my heart thinking she was in terror during her last hour on earth. When they carried her in, sedated, she looked absolutely petrified and braced. I could see her spirit fighting with all its might.

The vet told me that she had a more thorough examination of her nose and that the masses had hardened/were like concrete all through her nasal airway and that she was breathing through a “pin prick” hole. She said she was never more certain that euthanasia was the right choice.

I am so heartbroken. I still feel like I took her life away too early. Why should it be up to me? I can barely trust myself now.

I have two cats so I didn’t notice my cat is not eating. He’s very skinny. He refuses his favorite foods. He’s drinking water. He’s greenish looking poo around his anus. Old and dry. I tried to clean it.

We are on one income and cannot make it to the vet. What should I do?

Post neutering my vet diagnosed a hernia and did a second surgery. They found that it was just a seroma. Now they are saying she has another seroma. She is a ragdoll and has a very saggy stomach and I can’t see a lump this time. I don’t believe it’s a seroma. They have told me to bring her in to have a drained. Is it negligent not to go to this appointment?

Hello

My name is Parham Parsa, I found your page on youtube and have read your blog, and for once I saw someone that is actually talking about blocked cats and is raising awareness to this issue and I wanted to thank you for it.

My cat Mercury (4.5 years old, 18lbs) is currently in the hospital for another urinary blockage and I genuinely don’t know what to do, this is his third visit, first time he got blocked was about a year and half ago and he was on the death’s door, his blood work was extremely elevated, he was lethargic and in visible pain. His regular vet unblocked him and transferred him to a vet hospital for further care, this visit cost me about $5K, and after that he was put on a strict urinary diet. Second time was 3 months ago where we noticed him being in pain and struggling once again and we took him to an ER vet and he was unblocked again, despite my persistence of leaving the his urinary catheter in, they took everything out, and send him home that very night, thankfully he remained unblocked until last night. His vet told me that since he is keep getting blocked he should just get the PU surgery and all but refuse to see him, so I took him to the Metropolitan vet hospital and their estimate for getting him unblocked and doing the PU surgery was 7-8 thousand dollars which is wildly out of reach for me at the moment. After reading your blog I have decided that if I find a second job I can afford to have him unblocked and kept in the hospital for observation for a night or two but I don’t know what I can do after that. If you have any suggestion regarding an affordable PU surgery or any other suggestion I am all ears. I’m really sorry for the long email, and looking forward to hearing back from you.

I just got off the phone with his vet at Metropolitan and after they took some X-Rays they saw some large stones in his bladder which they suspect could be the reason for his repeated blockages, and recommended a cystotomy and they said that the balance would stay at 7-8 thousand dollars. As of now my plan still remains to have him unblocked and watched for couple of days but I don’t know what I should do next.

PS.. I have attached a couple of pictures of him to this post. He is genuinely the sweetest and the friendliest cat I have ever met and the idea of me having to say goodbye to him just because I can’t pay for his treatment is is something I cannot imagine.

Anna is turning her nose up at both wet and dry food. When she does eat (with aid from appetite stimulant prescribed by vet) her stools are normal. She drinks/pees normally and is playful. She’s taken to sleeping under my bed rather than up with me but maybe it’s cooler there? It has been very hot here this summer. Less eager to go exploring on harness/leash in fenced in yard/garden but may have issue that I tell her not to eat the grass (have organic grass inside for her but she wants the outside stuff that has Creeping Jenny in it -toxic to cats. Grass eating only started a few months ago and she eats it & throws up a small amount of clear fluid with the grass in it). Got 2 vet opinions regarding Anna’s refusal to eat (I have tried everything from raw to cooked and every prepared wet & dry food off shelf to no avail). Anna will eat some Temptations Mixups BBQ flavor. Weight fluctuates between 6.7 and 7.7lbs. A “normal” Siberian female her age is 10-15lbs. (Anna does have very mild gingavitis & plaque but vet said this wouldn’t be reason for not eating.)

Both vets recommended an ultrasound of her abdomen but as a retiree the $500-$700 is a big chunk of change. Mostly, as a Cat Mom of many years my gut tells me something else may be the culprit for Anna not eating. She has been “flicking” her tongue over her nose more often (she has no upper respiratory issues says both vets). And, to me, the right side of her mouth seems to be looking different than the right side lately. It reminds me of my Nana who had Bells Palsy and one side side of her mouth “drooped”. I will see if I can post an upclose picture below of her right side (photo left) mouth.

Was intrigued with your video of polyps in cats and would love to know if maybe a change in Anna olfactory senses might be tied to her disinterest in eating? She doesn’t snore, btw.

Thank you!

My cat has been excessively licking herself on her back side, around the tail area and on her paws. So much so that now she has a bald spot on her rear end. This has been going on for a week now, from what I have noticed. I have tried brushing her to look for flea evidence but I have had no luck. She also doesn’t let me see her paws. She has been eating fine and nothing has been different in the home like food wise or litter wise. She occasionally goes out side just onto the deck but not lately due to the heat. What could this be? None of my other cats are showing the same behavior. Do I need to get her seen?