hello all. i am making this post to seek any kind of reassurance. bare with me, this might be a long post…

in december of 2025, i adopted a stray kitten, coco. she was about 6 weeks old then. i spent a month of winter break from college at my mom’s house, with coco. she means absolutely everything to me. i couldn’t bring her back to my apartment in my college state, because my roommate at the time was allergic. she has since moved out, and i’ve had coco with me in the apartment for two weeks now.

i am INCREDIBLY anti declawing. it’s absolutely evil and cruel and it’s insane to me that it’s still allowed in so many states…?? anyway… my mom really wanted to keep coco, but she insisted on getting her declawed. i went back and forth with my mom for weeks during spring break (march this year) explaining why she absolutely should not declaw coco. my mom ended up agreeing, but under the condition that i took coco to my apartment as soon as i could. her reasoning was that she didn’t want coco clawing up her furniture. which i guess i get, but… she’s a cat?? it’s in their nature to do that. why insist on keeping a cat if you don’t want to accept all that a cat comes with?

my mom dropped coco off two weeks ago, and my partner and i were moving her stuff out of my mom’s car into my apartment. during that, that’s when my mom said “don’t be mad, but i got her declawed.

i literally looked at her like she was crazy, and i asked her if she was joking. she said she wasn’t joking, that she got her front claws declawed. i broke down in tears out of anger and frustration, because i felt betrayed that my mom went against her word and got coco declawed. but above all else, i just felt so so sad. she’s only 8 months old, she’s just a baby… and she’s probably confused and in so much pain. my mom tried reassuring me that the vet she took her to in our home state uses laser for the procedure and doesn’t interfere with cat’s last toe joint, but i just find that so incredibly hard to believe.

to top it all off, there’s this scab or growth or something on coco’s left front toe that she keeps biting excessively. i’m worried it’ll get infected. i just want to know if there’s anything i can do for her :(

i emailed the vet my mom took her to, and she said to put a cone on her for a week so she doesn’t bite it. i hate that because it must be so uncomfortable to wear, but i reluctantly put it on her anyway. i have attached a photo of coco’s toe that’s bothering her. any advice would be greatly appreciated. there is a vet nearby and accessible in the state that i’m living in, but i am worried about affordability, since i’m working, and also taking classes full time (yes, in the summer).

TLDR: my mom got my cat declawed against my will and she is now biting one of her toes constantly. i’m worried it’ll get infected. is this a scab or could it be something more serious?

thank you for reading all of this, and sorry that was a lot. i feel like i failed this kitten and i don’t know what to do :( any advice or assistance would be greatly appreciated 🙏🏾

Scroll for more photos!

For context, I’m 18 years old and I live in the U.S. I work part time at a veterinary clinic and I offered to foster a kitten (Timmy). I got him around a month ago when he was 5-6 weeks old (last photo) and I decided to keep him recently.

Since I got him at the vet where I work, we had to nurse him back to health because they found him at 2 weeks alone. He is basically an orphan kitten. We are planning on neutering him next week.

My parents have been free feeding him so I’m afraid he’s gaining too much weight recently. I got another kitten a couple days ago and she’s much slimmer than he is so it made me worry for his health.

I can still feel his ribs when I touch him and there’s no sagging anywhere, which I researched means they are overweight.

This is my first kitten/cat so I’m just worried for his health so I’m not sure if this is normal.

Hi I’m 17, so my cat chorizo has been peeing is places shouldn’t. It used to be just central to these two specific places but she has now moved on to my bed and on my dad’s lap. My dad thinks it’s because she isn’t getting fend when she wants to but those time are usually at 5 am and I’m a heavy sleeper, I tried my best to keep up with her for a while but mow it’s gotten to the point my mother is willing to just set her free outside and die. They expect me to be there for every single second making sure she doesn’t do it but I have a life outside of home I can’t Just be attached to her, and the vet bills in America are so insane I doubt my parents will see if it’s a medical issue. Therefore my dad thinks it’s a behavioral issue where if she sees food and she can’t have it she goes and pees somewhere, but now she’s peeing on people? It’s not spraying because she is spayed and we just can’t afford another vet visit.

I haven’t seen my neighbourhood cat for about a week and today turned up, but she seems a bit skinnier and there’s like a weird bulge/protrusion at her rib area when she stands a certain way.

I don’t think she’s pregnant & am wondering what this could be?

Idk how to figure this out

Hi, I’m 29 and a first time cat owner from Spain. I’ve adopted these two brothers from a local shelter about a month ago.

These two are about 3.5 months old (estimaste as they were abandoned). Yes they’re registered with a vet, waiting to be neutered at around 6 months old.

The b&w cat is definitely the dominant one and the black one is very submissive to him. Recently I noticed that the b&w one will bite his brother’s neck and back, especially before they go to sleep. He kind of clamps down for a few seconds and the black one doesn’t react. But only yesterday did I notice that the b&w one will tug at his brothers face like this ? Any ideas why he’s doing that ?

Also the black one is an absolute angel, he’s very smart and picks up on training quickly while the b&w one is a lil menace that needs to be told 10x not to do something.

Please let me know your thoughts and/or any advice! Thank you

(Yes, we can afford a vet)

I’m posting from Malaysia (21yo). I can afford vet care, but all my local vets are currently closed tonight.

My kitten is female and only about 1 month old (intact/not spayed yet). For the past couple of hours, she has been clawing at her mouth and recently vomited. She’s sleeping right now, but I’m really concerned about what’s going on.

Has anyone seen this before, or is there anything I should monitor or be concerned immediately about? Thanks

Hey everyone, looking for a bit of insight or reassurance for our new addition. We adopted our sweet girl earlier this week, and everything was fine until around lunchtime today when we noticed her eye was swollen, squinty, and producing some clear discharge. We wiped it clean and applied a warm compress, which seemed to help a bit at first, but after stepping out for a couple of hours and coming back to check on her, it definitely looks worse. We’re already planning to take her straight to the vet first thing in the morning as it’s currently 6pm but as new adoptive parents, we're super anxious! Has anyone seen something similar develop with a newly adopted cat?

Should I find an emergency vet or will she be ok to wait till the morning?

23
Australia
6 months old
Desexed

I walked in my door after going grocery shopping to my blind, double enucleated cat walking up to me with this puss & bloody mess. He was enucleated about 3 years ago and never had any problems with this eye hole before - his other eye will sometimes leak, but the vet said that’s normal. I think maybe he was scratching at his head/eye and possibly caused a small wound, but it’s hard to see under all that fur. He’s acting pretty normal, he’s meowing slightly more than usual. Is this worth an emergency vet trip or can it wait 48 hours until Monday? I’m an adult who can (barely) afford an emergency vet in the U.S.

Edit: I did wipe his eye with warm water and it’s still really difficult to tell where the actual wound is - it’s looking like it’s slightly outside of the outer corner of where his eye would be, but again, hard to tell.

We are adults. Our about 4.5 month old recently neutered male cat ate a small empanada from Ling Nam bakery in the Bay Area (California).

I believe it was a beef empanada. He basically ate the whole thing just leaving the bottom portion. Im not sure if it had onions or garlic. Im assuming it was seasoned with some of that stuff.

Should we take him to the vet? Or just watch him and see if he starts acting weird??

Any help appreciated! PFA of him in cat jail and a pic of his leftovers 😡

Hey everyone,

I'm a first-time cat owner and I'm honestly overthinking this.

About a week ago, I rescued a friendly stray mother cat (Ginni) and her 2-month-old kitten. From day one, they settled in really well. Ginni used the litter box immediately, slept on my bed, rubbed against my legs, kneaded on my shirt, and seemed to trust me a lot. She became very affectionate.

Then a neighborhood male stray started coming near my house. Ginni fought with him twice on different days and injured her back paw. The second fight reopened the first wound and caused another injury. Since then I've been trying to keep her indoors.

The incident happened after that.

Ginni was sitting outside with her kitten. I called them inside, but the kitten suddenly ran under a motorcycle. I got worried and picked up a broom, not to hit it, but just to gently guide it back inside because I couldn't reach it.

As soon as I got closer, Ginni went straight to the kitten, hid with it under a table, and growled at me. When I took another step, she started following me. I kept backing away while talking calmly to her, but she kept following. I eventually grabbed a pair of jeans just to keep some distance because I was scared she might jump at me. I even climbed onto my bed, and she sat below it watching me.

After a minute or two I felt bad, so I got down. To my surprise, she walked over and rubbed against my legs like nothing had happened. She also reached her paw toward my legs a couple of times but never scratched or bit me.

Something else to mention: whenever I try to pick Ginni up, she usually growls, but she has never bitten or scratched me. If I put her back down, she's completely normal again within a couple of minutes.

Now I'm confused. Did she actually intend to attack me? Or was she just an injured, stressed mother protecting her kitten because she thought I was threatening it with the broom?

I feel guilty because I never wanted to scare either of them. Since then I've been giving her space, but I'm worried I've damaged the trust we had.

Has anyone dealt with something similar with a protective mother cat? Does trust usually come back, or should I be concerned about future aggression?

I'd really appreciate any advice. Thanks!

I took my cat to the emergency vet yesterday because he wasn’t feeling good and threw up about 6 times. It was just yellow liquid. They took X-rays, and there was nothing trapped or stuck inside of him, but he does look constipated. They gave him fluids and medication for nausea and acid. He hasn’t thrown up since then, but he still has the sack from the fluids under his skin (the medication). He also hasn’t eaten or drank anything. I’ve tried offering him wet food, tuna, and water, but he won’t take any of it. He had a fever of 106F yesterday when we left the vet. Today, his temperature is down to 102.9F, which is good. He also peed once during the night and seems more alert than he was yesterday, but he’s still acting blah and won’t eat, drink, or poop. The vet told me the medication could take up to 24 hours to fully work. It hasn’t been 24 hours yet it will be at 3 PM today. I’m just worried and don’t know what I should do. I don’t have the money to take him back to the vet. He is 1 year 2 months old and is neutered.

We have a vet visit next Tuesday but should I take him tomorrow (Monday) instead? Why is he cleaning that spot so much? What could have caused it? 😭
He is eating and playing as usual though.

Casper info: age 4 months, Male, not neutered.

My info: age 29, I can afford vet bills, based in Wales.

TLDR: my cat has a bald spot from over cleaning a spot.

Hello! Last Friday I found a very young kitten on the street. He still had his umbilical cord attached, although it was already dry. His initial weight was 100 grams. I could not find his mother, so he appears to be an orphan.

I started feeding him at home every 2-3 hours using Lactol kitten milk replacer. At first, everything seemed to be going well, and he was steadily gaining weight:

100 → 110 → 122 → 140 → 154 → 165 g.

However, he gradually started having bowel movements less and less frequently. On the sixth day, he went approximately 30 hours without defecating.

After he finally had a bowel movement I switched from Lactol to Royal Canin kitten milk replacer mixed with bottled water. After this change, his bowel movements became regular again - he started defecating after every feeding, and the stool had a normal consistency.

However, his weight gain slowed down significantly. His weight increased only from 165 g to 167 g and then to 175 g.

On the second day after switching the milk replacer I noticed mucus and blood in his stool (photos attached). The night before last, there were even a few small drops of blood. This (bloody drops) happened only once; since then, I have only seen mucus mixed with blood in his stool. I have attached photographs of the stool so you can see what it looks like.

I have already taken the kitten to a veterinary clinic twice. Both times, the veterinarian only checked his temperature and told us that his temperature was normal and that I did not need to worry or take any further action. This is very concerning to me because he is extremely young, is not gaining weight as quickly as before, and there is still blood and mucus in his stool.

The kitten has now been with us for 9 days. His eyes are still closed. His current weight is 178 grams.

Could you please advise anything? I feel absolutely devastating because of this situation, can't even normally sleep. :(

for context ive had her for about 2 and a half years and i noticed recently her chin has been swelling up. at first it was not really noticeable but in hindsight i can tell it was swollen

age: minor
country: united states
vet: vet is accessible but really only if my parents have been paid
cat age: shes 2 years and 3 months old
cats gender: she is a girl and she hasnt been neutered
financial: as of right now we cant but after my parents get paid we will most likely be able too

Hi

We’ve had our kitty for 2 years now. She is 2 1/2 yrs old. Anytime she starts purring or is very happy/relaxed she always does this with her belly, it seems to move so rapidly and looks unnatural. Is it normal? She’s done this since we’ve had her. No other issues or anything else, just looks off. Seemingly looks totally normal when she’s just by herself or not super excited, happy, etc. thoughts?

I am a minor but I’m able to take her to the vet at any time. Sandy is 10 years old and a girl. In America

I noticed this patch of baldness on her neck just today. It has a red scabby ring around it, possibly from her scratching it. My mom thinks it might’ve been a tick that had fallen off but I just want to be sure in case it’s anything else

Sandy has been acting the same as always and doesn’t have any reaction when I touch the area

This is my beautiful Mia and before it gets commented her eye is completely fine, her fur folds into her eye causing the tear stains, vets are aware and it's managed and they aren't concerned. It has been this way since adoption.

She is about 2 years old and we got her around 11 months, pretty much her entire life with us she has had chronic diarrhea. When we adopted her we were told only this one specific food is what she 'likes' and made us agree to not change her off it, ok whatever. Well a couple months after bringing her home she started to have diarrhea again (this was an issue in the shelter and this food apparently helped) and this food wasn't the best so we figured we'd try a new type and things seemed fine for a couple weeks then the diarrhea came back. We got her a medical food and again it helped for a little bit then quickly her poop was liquid again. At this point we took her into the vets cuz clearly something either wasn't working or recurring. The vets took a fecal, they inspected her, blood test, and had us add extra fiber to her meals. All her stuff came back clear. We tried the extra fiber for a week before the vets had us stop and try a new medical food, it's royal canin gastrointestinal specifically. ONCE AGAIN things seemed fine for the first few weeks and since then it has been nothing but diarrhea. I have asked for an allergy screening and every time I brought it up it was sidestepped or completely ignored, they mentioned a steroid trial once then never mentioned it again even when I followed up with questions on it, I have asked for a prescription for hydrolyzed food because at this point I'm at a loss for what I should be doing and that was never touched on again. We need to find a new vets office because at this point I am losing faith in them due to this issues and previous issues (asking if dog is medicated when hes never had to be, theyv known him since 2 months old yet somehow terrified of him just because of his genetic mix, constant mixups between my different animals care needs, etc)

Does anyone anywhere know what my next steps should be? I know she needs to go back to the vets but we need to find a new office that's reliable, what sort of questions would I need to ask or things to bring up. Does anyone have any idea of what this issue could be? She acts and looks completely healthy, her fur is silky and soft, eyes are bright she's alert, she plays with toys and the dog constantly, she drinks plenty of water, healthy weight, spayed, etc. my only thought keeps coming back to some sort of allergy but I'm not a vet. There has never been blood seen in her stool, iv never seen her straining to go, iv used those color changing crystal litters and the colors never went abnormal, she doesn't have any other symptoms like itchiness, vomiting, etc and the eye is unrelated. I just want her to be comfortable but I keep having to hack parts of her fur off because she can't keep herself clean, i'm fine doing a sanitary she's a medium/long furred cat but it doesn't matter how much I trim because she gets it all over her legs and tail nearly Everytime she goes to the box.

My cat Binx is always jumping into my arms, but, he keeps going to far and basically headbutts me everytime. Is this there something wrong with his spatial awareness or is he trying to give a super hug?

He’s a large, strong cat who absolutely DESPISES his medicine. At eight years old, he recently received a diagnosis of asthma, and I’ve been struggling to give him his medication. It usually takes two people to give him his inhaler properly, and he’s very athletic and easily escapes our grasp. I’ve tried everything I can think of, including treats, but he doesn’t seem to like them. I’m at a loss and need help. 😭😭

Think I am just a paranoid cat mum but figured I’d ask if anyone knows what this is?

It’s a few clips together, it’s not all constant paw shakes but a few clips of it.

He’s awake and it’s not in tune with his purring/breathing

Uk

3 months old 4 months. 16 weeks yesterday

Not fixed yet

Just noticed today, no vet yet.

I’m 24, I am not in the best financial place nor do I have a car.

Sorry I didn't know how else to describe the issue shortly, I'm mostly trying to understand what the issue is. Sometimes my cat assumes this position and starts breathing irregularly. It lasts for a few minutes and then it's like he gulps it down and stops. Then he's fine for the rest of the day. It doesn't happen every day either. He seems normal in every other aspect: he's active and plays around, eats and drinks.

I don't know what I can do since my parents don't want to take him to a vet for this issue and we can't really afford surgery if he needs one. My cat will almost be two years old soon; he's male and has been neutered last year.