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Hi . I have a 9yr old DSM/Tabby female cat. I’ve recently taken to JVet but for years she was seen at Banfield Pet Hospital since I adopted in March of 2015..for years she has chronic ear infections most of the time tested positive for Yeast bur one year was positive for bacterial, however usually it is her left ear that bugs her the most then her right ear…however I thought maybe this could be an issue with possible food allergies because I do see her scratch around her face, neck and ears.. I first had her on Purina kitten. Pro plan then transfered her to adult pro plan..bur noticed she had stressed locked some fur off her back right leg due to maybe a grain allergy so I changed her to grain free diet of Purina Beyond; which she was fine for awhile but by the time she was 7 yrs of age Banfield recommended she be put on Royal Canin Satiety support diet …..which ik not sure if maybe the carbs in the dry food may be causing her to have an allergic reaction…. recently ive decided to take her off dry food completely and go to an wet food diety. I have her trying backwoods , weruvia and backwoods.. she seems to like the weruvia gluten free. Grain free and Carrigan free series and the backwoods duck & rabbit giblet/shreds … how would you recommend to portion her wet food so she go from 11 lbs to 9 lbs over time gradually and for allergies what symptoms I should look for if it may collate to her chronic yeast infections in her ears?
I have her schedule to be seen at JVet soon again since I don’t feel at all satisfied with the care at Banfield
My mom got a 3 month old kitten from the shelter this week and they did the spay surgery. They noticed that she had an umbilical hernia and they did a second surgery. That was on Tuesday 12/19 and today is 12/23. This is the picture of her stomach as of today. Is this okay after this surgery? Or is this a sign that she has a hernia again? She has been really active and is a crazy 3 month old with loads of energy and we can’t keep her calm. Hoping to get an opinion but in the next few days if it’s still like this we will likely go back to the vet in case. Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Hello,
Usually these are just scar tissue between the body wall and skin. If you have a regular vet ask them to check for you. Just in case. If you don’t have one it’s a good idea to establish yourself as a client so that you have someone who knows you when you need routine care or even the occasional mishap/illness needs.
Hello! I just got back from the vet with Maizy, by baby ginger kitten who is three months old. I got her as a stray from a feral colony of cats. The vet is concerned about her left ear. He can’t see down her left ear canal. He said it’s jammed packed with black sludge. He gave her medicine for an ear infection, but he isn’t convinced it’s that. He thinks it may be a polyp that grows off her eardrum and will eventually grow all they way up her canal. He said if she was a year or older he would be sure it was that but he has never seen one in a three month old kitten. If that were the case, the options would be euthanasia or complex surgery that goes into her jaw to get to the ear canal to remove it. It would require a specialist vet who would not be around my home town. He said it would cost roughly $4,000-$5,000 (he had a patient go that route a few years ago). I need more information about this. He didn’t give me a name and I was too shocked to ask. Can you help clarify this for me? I was super shocked and didn’t ask many questions.
Hello!
Thank you for rescuing!
Kittens bring both the joy of watching a life come to life and the conundrum of not really knowing for sure what is simply a problem due to neglect and what might be a longer term issue that needs medical resolution.
In my experience almost all of these guys resolve their issues on their own with just simple basic tlc and time. So I wouldn’t worry about this until time and patience decides otherwise.
I would diligently treat the ear for dirt, mites abs possible infection and follow up with the vet as indicated.
Cross each bridge as you get to them and not before. Kittens will amaze you every time.
Good luck.
Keep us posted.
Hey I have a pet cat named haru who is acting strange lately. She have given birth two days ago to just one litter but she isn’t taking care of it rather than feeding and nursing her 4months kitten keeping them wram. If I moved the litter else where she immediately run and return it to it’s formal place she also try to grab her 4 months kittens to the place where she have given birth and if they don’t go there she run after them. Thank you. Has my cat gone insane
Hello,
I would guess that your cat is trying to tell you something. I would also guess it has something to do with being stressed out about having to take care of so many kittens. Why is she still with her fist litter and having a second? That’s too many mouths to have to worry about.
Do you have any resources available for spaying and neutering? I feel that these domestic pets are often trying to take care of so many babies they cannot relax and just be happy as a pet to keep you company.
We have been given a tiny newborn kitten (and it’s littermate) to let nurse off of our existing mama cat that has other kittens about 3 weeks old. Problem is they are pretty sick. One nursing and seems to be doing better. The other has bloody discharge and maggots (worms) coming out of its bottom. My niece has them but I’m going to take the sickest one and see if there’s anything I can do for it. Not looking good. Has anyone experienced something like this? I feel like at this point it will be me just comforting the kitten until he passes. 🙁
What did the vet say? I would consider this critical, and I would have gotten both babies to the vet immediately.
We didn’t get the kittens until late yesterday. No vets open here and the ones that take emergencies only take those from established patients. Otherwise I would have told the original people to take them to a vet. They both passed away since I wrote this. It appeared they were riddle with worms past the point of saving them. Gut wrenching to watch. 🙁
For cases like this I tube feed. You have to get nutrition into these kittens. I also make sure there are no fleas. Keep warm and some kittens just don’t have the ability to survive no matter how hard we try. Thank you for helping them.
When there were already blood and maggots at the bottom of one of them it’s possible they already damaged a lot inside… depending on temperature thay can hatch in a few hours and start crawling in every body opening they can find…
Thanks for doing your best!
I have a 12 month old male rescue kitten that in the past three weeks has blocked twice. We’ve spent thousands to unblock him. The emergency vet hospitals in my area have all quoted me a price of over 8,000 dollars for PU surgery. He is currently not blocked but is having trouble and discomfort while urinating and his volume isn’t great. He’s on a prescription diet and we’ve done everything we can to keep him healthy. But we feel that PU surgery is inevitable and is our only option to save his life. The emergency vet told us that if we couldn’t afford surgery they would euthanize him for us. He’s the sweetest boy and deserves a chance at a long life. We are desperate for help. We would be willing to travel in order to get him what he needs if that’s what it would take. Please help us! We love our little Loki
Hello,
Im sorry to hear about your kitty, I get this question/request A LOT!
It sounds like he is doing well now.
There are a lot of things you can do to prevent and prepare for any future episodes. You could find an online group to help educate and support you. Or ask to volunteer or work at a cat clinic to help understand how to monitor and care for your cat. Also reach out to your vet for advice.
Call and ask everyone you know about finding local affordable resources.. If you do please let me know.
Things to ask about now, to try to prevent future issues are;
learn how to palpate the bladder at home.
learn how to giv sq fluids at home
ask about starting prednisilone
ask about adding cosequin
ask about a prescription urinary diet
have an emergency plan ready
ask about adding gabapentin (for stress and pain)
if you need a pu surgery call the clinic and i will do all i can to help
here are some of my blogs that might help;
https://kmdvm.blogspot.com/search?q=blocked+cat
I hope this helps
keep me posted
i am trying very hard to help these cases but it will only happen if the public helps me too!
krista
Dear Dr. Magnifico,
First, please let me say a big thank you for getting back to me. We are so grateful for your time and knowledge.
Yes at this moment Loki is doing ok. Friday evening we became very concerned. He was spending a considerable amount of time in the litterbox and making an awful face as he was trying to urinate. I found a considerable amount of urine mixed with light pink blood Saturday morning on my kitchen floor. So we know at the moment he isn’t blocked.
I have exhausted a lot of the suggestions you made without much progress or success. None of my local vets will entertain PU surgery as they feel it is too complicated and dangerous.
Some things we have done at home:
Feliway diffusers all through my house
added extra litterboxes
We started him on prescription science diet food but it has come to our attention that every time he needs more food the emergency vet will need to see him to do a “re-check”. So we put him on non prescription Royal Canin urinary food and have gotten him off almost all dry food and on mostly all wet.
We got a supplement called Tinkle Tonic.
We have gabapentin from his hospital stay but they will not give me more.
I also have a cosequin supplement but want to supplement slowly.
I’m just bringing you up to speed on the measures we have taken so far.
I would love to be able to volunteer it would fulfill my heart. But right now I’m a stay at home mom raising daughters! It’s not my season just yet.
Thanks again for responding!
Vanessa
I just read your blog from April 2023 and I’m devastated because this was my exact experience with Loki except I’m nearly 4,000 in the hole. I’m doing everything I can at home and I’m absolutely terrified that he is going to re block and then we will be out of options all because of how much we’ve already spent. I’m crying even as I type this. Because it is absolutely unethical. He’s just a baby…
I have a 4 year old male cat(Lucifer, after the show) that I’ve had since he was maybe 6-7 weeks old. For the first 2 years, he was living with my Fiancé, whom lived in 3 different households throughout those 2 years. And then Lucifer lived with my aunt while I searched for an apartment. Each household had dogs and other cats (both male and female) he got along well with the male cats, but not so much the females. and he loves the dogs. he’s lived with us in our apartment for 2 years now and hasn’t stayed anywhere else. On July 23rd, we decided to take in a 9 week old male kitten. Had I known then what I know now, I certainly wouldn’t have rushed the introduction as, Lucifer was my very first cat and I never got the chance to slowly introduce him to other animals. but unfortunately I was a bit hesitant to leave the kitten in my daughter’s room as she likes to play in there every morning and I was worried she would get into the litter box or the food and water. (she’s 3 and, she still sleeps with me here and there) it’s now July 31st and Lucifer hadn’t eaten in two days, so in an attempt to get him to eat, I set up a litter box in my daughter’s room, placed food and water in there as well as Salem’s (the kitten) toys and little nap basket. and I go up there often to play with him and make sure he’s eating and using the litter box. Lucifer began to eat after about an hour of not seeing Salem. Now that he seems to be doing better, my question is how long should I keep them apart before reintroducing them? Lucifer was my first pet, at 19. Growing up, we never lived in a home that allowed pets of any sort. So having 2 cats was really exciting for me. But now I’m starting to wonder if because I screwed up and rushed the introduction, they’ll ever actually get along or if I’ll have to permanently keep them apart..? Any advice helps!
Hello,
Is everyone spayed and neutered? That might help settle down of the stress?
After that make sure everyone is healthy. At my clinic this would include an exam on all of the cats and perhaps even blood work.
Then we talk about a more gradual acclimation period. I’ve seen this be between two weeks to years. Cats are their own bosses. So they decide on their own terms
Good luck.
Hi! Lucifer is neutered but Salem is not, they won’t perform the procedure on him until he’s 6 months old! Salem also has a vet appointment today for his first vaccine, deworming, and a stool test as well as anything else he may need. And I will definitely bring up the behavior of my adult cat as well to see if they want me to bring him in too! I have noticed when Lucifer sniffs his food, he begins to drool and makes a chattering type movement with his mouth but no sound comes out and I’m not sure if this is something I should be worrying about as he’s adjusted perfectly fine to other cats!
Hello, I have a few questions regarding a paralyzed kitten.
Background: i work in a shelter in Germany and the kitten was brought to us 2 weeks ago with paralyzed hindlegs & tail. No obvious injuries and no bones are broken. What caused this is unknown. He already had atrophied muscles and slight missing fur where the joints craped on the ground, so we guessed whatever caused it was a while ago.
He doesn’t react if you pinch the hindlegs or tail, and he can’t urinate (he will loose urine whent he bladder is full) on its own and looses it’s faeces unvoluntarely. When at rest the legs will be bent backwards at the knees and a bit rotated, sometimes they spontaneously shiver and he extends/pulls in. I have started to move and massage his legs and place them “correct” position while he sits/eats. There is movement in there – but not conscious. If I touch between the toes they will spread, if I touch the inside ot the thighs he will stretch the legs and if I touch the underside of the foot he will pull them in and curl the toes. But it’s not controlled, more like reflex.
Is it a good sign that the nerves react to soemthing, even if not conscious? I wonder it braces could help him to keep his hindlegs from overbending/bending inwards when he runs/plays, so his joints/tendons don’t take damage from the constant “wrong” placement.
Our vet has not much experience with paralyzed cats, so i thought asking around doesn’t hurt. She is very sceptical that we can help him and is mostly concerned if he can’t urinate on his own. He currently gets medication to help his bladder to better contract – which seems to help somewhat. There is more tension in there and he reacts more when we express his bladder. He has a muscle tonus in his sphincter, too. But also no concious control.
I can add photos tomorrow, currently I only have a video that’s too big.
I’m open for any ideas. Thanks so much!
hello,
I am so sorry to hear about this kitten. I think that there are some answers that I jut cannot give without an in person exam, but, I also think that the recovery is very very unlikely if you have muscle atrophy. I also think that there is no other species on the planet that can adapt and overcome anything better than a kitten.
As long as you can manage the ability to urinate and defecate and keep him safe and happy (he needs toys and attention and to still feel like a fierce predator and playful kitten) then it is perfectly fine to have a pet with a disability.
I would not use a splint or any kind of bandage, they cause more problems than they are worth.
See if you can find this kitten a home and make sure that the the new parents are able to palpate the bladder and colon and make sure they are passing feces easily and emptying the bladder completely (urine retention can lead to urinary tract infections) and make sure they are spayed/neutered before 6 months old.
Also make sure the home is handicapped safe.
I hope this helps.
thank you for caring about the ones other people overlook. You are an amazing human!
krista
Hi! Paralyzed cat mom here????
Your story sounds a lot like mine when Hamilton arrived. He came to us around 5-6 weeks old with no obvious wounds or breaks. We weren’t sure what to do but give him a chance..
He is unable to urinate and defecate on his own so therefore this is something I do every day multiple times.
This friends are hard to care for but easy if you have the patience and willingness to do so.
As my kitty got a little bigger, we looked into a wheel chair for him(he hates it). I learned he was better on his own scooting around. Some days he wears a diaper, but you have to be careful with this as they need cleaned every time they pee.
As far as expressing the bladder, you have to find what you’re most comfortable with and what the cat is comfortable with. My kitty doesn’t really like anyone expressing his bladder but myself because because we have our “routine”.
Hoping this kitty excels in life and gets all the love he deserves! We are here to help and I’m happy to share tips/tricks that I have learned myself along the way!!!
-Autumn
I have a 5 week old kitten I’m fostering that broke it’s leg last night at the elbow. We saw a neighborhood vet that said we could take it to a surgeon, which would be very costly. Or just let it heal on its own. He said if we let it heal then we shouldn’t put it in a splint or anything because of where it’s broken. I feel it should have a splint. Thoughts?
I mean, I’d listen to the vet. I’d also see if the organization you’re fostering through would be willing to pay for the surgery.
Kitties are rebellious to injuries, but most HATE being wrapped in anything…
Surgery may or may not be needed, but with kittens constantly growing, it would not jump straight to it!
Confining them to a smaller space and keeping them “confined” is a good place to start.
If the kitty does not seem to be improving with the break, some vets may talk about amputation as well. Radiographs may be helpful to see where exactly the break is to further choose the best decision for the kitty.
My 3 day old kitten’s hind paws are all black, and the part above it looks red with small bleeding wounds. To me it looks like gangrene. I have no idea how it happened, the kitten was with me since birth. I will take him to the vet as soon as possible, but in the meantime…
What can I expect? Does gangrene mean euthanasia for this poor baby? I’m not sure they can operate on kittens this small…
He has this on both hind legs, sadly.
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your kitten.
There isn’t enough information here for me to offer much advice. But if you think something this severe is going on you absolutely need a vets help.
If this was truly gangrene your kitten would not be able to walk and I suspect they would be liking the legs like crazy.
Your vet needs to examine this kitten to see if this is a skin infection, skin discoloration or deeper problem. Kittens are also incredibly resilient but there is a much better prognosis for your kitten if it is treated as quickly as possible. Too often people wait until a small problem becomes a huge problem. So please go see the vet as soon as possible.
Very best of luck.
Dr magnifico
Hello,
I think this question is best answered after an examination. I have to say that I don’t see a lot of cats with food allergies. If they do it’s usually the face and not the ears.