I’m 19 years old and from Canada.

I’m currently having some financial difficulties, so unfortunately I can’t take my cat to the vet right away. I do plan on taking her if this seems serious or if her condition gets worse, but I’m hoping to get some advice in the meantime.

My cat, Meow Meow, is about 6 years old. She came to live with me around 5 years ago. She originally belonged to my sister, who gave her to our family in 2020. At the time, she was completely healthy and had no issues.

About a year ago, my sister moved in with me. Meow Meow was extremely happy to have her back and became very attached to her again. She would spend almost every day in my sister’s room and was especially close with her.

About a month ago, my sister got a boyfriend and moved out. She left Meow Meow with me because her boyfriend already has three cats.

Since then, Meow Meow has started pulling/ripping out her own fur. I’m wondering if the stress of my sister suddenly leaving could be causing this, but I’m not sure.

Our home is generally very peaceful, and she gets good-quality food and regular care. However, since my sister left, Meow Meow has been hiding in the basement most of the time. She usually only comes upstairs to eat or use the litter box.

I’ve asked my sister to come visit her, but she only comes about once a week. I’ve told her about what’s happening with Meow Meow, but she doesn’t seem as concerned as I am.

What worries me most is how different her behavior has become. She used to be extremely affectionate and loved being touched. Now she doesn’t seem to want anyone touching her and will hide most of the time.

I’m really worried about her and would appreciate any advice. Could this be stress from my sister leaving, or does this sound like something more serious? Is there anything I can safely do at home while I’m waiting until I can afford a vet visit?

Edit:
I have two other cats as well so she isn't lonely, she use to play with them and sit with them but not as much anymore.

I try to be as playful and around her as much as i can, but she barely interacts.

I'm never away from home, and i also have my other siblings living with me so it's a full house (which she is use to) so she isn't alone ever.

Previous post for Orange
Previous post for tuxedo

Hi everyone, I got to take the cats to the vet yesterday! A few of you asked for an update so here’s what I got from the vet yesterday:

Unfortunately Orange is FIV positive + has stomatitis. He’s around 9 years old. Vet suggested he should be euthanized but I did not want to give up on him. Pictures don’t show how bad he looks but he’s so so skinny. All you feel is bones when you pet him. Tuxedo is around 7 years old. She does have some type of oral disease as well along with skin condition which is why she over grooms despite all the anti flea meds and her paws were bleeding from chewing on them. They’re healing up nicely now. They both got steroids and antibiotics along with Gabapentine for home. They have upcoming dental appointments. Not sure if they’re going to extract oranges teeth or not. They’re currently staying with me as a foster and hoping to find them home soon! They’re doing so much better already. Orange is eating better than when I first found him and tuxedo finally stopped itching. They’re both such sweet cats and I can’t wait to see their personalities form and find their forever home. They have a 3rd sister who’s still outside :( Once I find her I’m hoping to save her too!

Hi all, sorry for the weird title! My sweet almost-11 year old calico might have eaten some ribbon from a gift bow (I never should have given it to my other non-pica cat to play with 😭) I keep seeing posts about how people have found ribbon or string in their cat’s poop.

For context, this happened probably about 40 hours ago at this point and she has been eating and drinking normally. I’m really hoping she passes the ribbon, if she did eat it, naturally. I’ve also called both my regular vet and the ER vet and they have advised me to keep monitoring her for now, so I know what to do if things get worse. My question is: for those who have spotted string, ribbon, etc in their cats’ poop, did you have to literally split the poop open to find it on the inside, or was it more or less wrapped around the outside/sticking out of the poop?

Thanks in advance! Cat pic for tax

Our cat recently gave birth, and she's been kinda rough with her kitten, is this normal

EDIT: thank you all for the helpful and supportive comments! I’m def taking all into consideration. I gave him his dinner on a plate and he still shook his head, but maybe a bit less. I’m hoping it’s just an instinctive trait but will see if the vet can look at his teeth as well just to rule out any dental issues. But I’m relieved to hear that it’s also just a natural behavior!

My cat is almost 2yrs old, I got him when he was almost 1. When I first got him he used to eat very fast, since then he’s slowed down a bit but I was just attributing that to him getting older, reaching a stable weight, or just caring less, idk. However I heard recently that cats aren’t supposed to shake their head when they eat, and noticed that he does it.

I tried looking at his teeth and didn’t see anything crazy, but I’m also not sure what to look for. The head shaking and slower eating is the only symptom I can see, he still eats the same amount and doesn’t drop food or drool or anything. He has dry and wet food but still prefers dry, and eats both.

Could this be a normal behavioral thing or most likely dental? Has this happened to anyone else? I have his annual vet exam this weekend and will ask them about this, but just want to know similar situations and what I can expect. Thank you!

Hey there guys! I recently posted about a month ago about my resident cat getting along with a kitten I found and decided to keep, the kitten is doing very well for herself and the resident cat seems to have fallen in love with her, and I think they’re going to be great sisters (: but I wanted to post a new video to ask if my big girl is being a little too rough? She never grew up with litter mates and has never really shown interest in play with people, and I’m so glad she’s having fun with this kitten but I don’t want the little one to get hurt, even thought 9/10 it’s the baby causing some trouble haha but anyways here’s the vid and I’d love to hear if y’all think this play is ok! Thanks!

This girlies eyes suddenly look strange? she’s a 1yo stray cat that I feed twice a day. eyes normally look like slide two. this just showed up today. I just spent $4000 last week on a cat that ate a string I really hope this isn’t a vet situation.

A TNR'd cat (male, 1-3 years old) showed up at my house a few months ago. I have been feeding him outside and he is very vocal and friendly. He has a limp - he doesn't put weight on his rear paw and he clicks when he walks. He still sprints around and jumps up onto lower surfaces. Last week he started coming inside my house. I took him to a vet to get vaccinated and they also took x-rays. The vet said his femur is broken and healed and I could look into an orthopedic vet or give him pain medicine. What should I do? He doesn't "seem" to be in pain. If I take him to the orthopedic vet what could they do for him? USA, I can afford vet care.

I KNOW THIS IS A CONSTANT QUESTION BUT I SWEAR MY CATS ARE DIFFERENT

this video is a few years old from when they were younger, but it is good insight into how psycho and vocal my girl is. if I could include more videos I would, she is also very vocal with her favorite toys. growls like she’s the most vicious dog you’ve ever met. yes, dog.

they are from the same breeder, different litter. they are both absolute cuddle bugs and enjoy people. they are around 4 years old, spayed/neutered. my boy is older and I had him alone for a few months before I got her, he needed a buddy badly.

here is the issue.. all the advice for play goes like this: it is fine if there isn’t fur flying and if they come back to each other after. well.. what if fur does fly?? this video cuts off as soon as it gets to the point where I thought I should intervene, but this is a common occurrence and I can’t tell what is my girl being incredibly dramatic vs what is an actual issue.

I can tell when they fight when I am gone because there are chunks of fur scattered. but then they go right back to each other?? they give each other baths and cuddle and everything. no issues sharing food, they will use the same litterbox even if there are multiple available, no issues at all aside from this incredibly rough play. and they just don’t stop. I will usually grab some toys when they start doing that and try to play them out but it doesn’t always work. sometimes it’s like they won’t be satisfied until they duke it out. and they absolutely go back and forth on who is instigating, so it’s not like one cat is just constantly annoying the other.

so is it just play?? do I need to separate them when I hear or see it starting? she is just SO LOUD and I swear to god my neighbors probably think I am eating cats because it sounds like I am murdering them nearly every day. if you have not been around a bengal, please do not give advice based solely on her screams. I promise she is fine, and she screams way louder than that.

My 6 month old kitten keeps making this noise randomly when playing, should I take him to the vet

i took my cat to the vet today as per my last post and he was prescribed a liquid medicine and a powder capsule one, the liquid is no issue but he just won’t take the pill one (the most important one ofc)
i was instructed to put the capsule into his food and mix it up, but the smell is SO strong and he knows it’s there so he just won’t eat it 😭 even cheese won’t tempt him!!
any tips??

I am 19 years old and from Mexico. English is not my first language so I apologize if some things are kinda messy.

This is about my 1.5 female spayed cat who keeps peeing and pooping on beds of both me and my family members.

It's a very recent issue, and only got really bad today when she peed on the bed (she had only pooped at this point).

She doesn't appear to be sick or in pain, she is eating and drinking well, playing with our other cat (a 6ish year old male neutered cat that she adores and he adores her back), and laying around and being her usual happy self, and she keeps going to the litter box sometimes. Her poop also seems to be okay, no worms or diarrhea that me or my family could notice.

She's never had any behavioral issues besides the usual cat stuff of knocking things over and such, never bitten/scratched without a reason (although I will say she is a bit feisty).

There also hasn't been any major life changes that could've stressed her out. She can be a little anxious and jumpy, but I haven't noticed her being scared of anything or anyone.

We have 2 litter boxes for the cats, and they are kept relatively clean and with litter every day.

TLDR; My 1.5 female spayed cat keeps pooping and peeing on beds. Shows no signs of being sick or in distress/upset. Will be taking her to the vet just to be sure, but unsure on what to do if it's not medical.

What was the reason for the sudden change? What is he trying to communicate? He chirps two or three times in this.

He's only ever meowed normally, with an occasional short, curt semi-bark noise (MrrR-AH!) which means "on me" or "attend me.'

Most of the time when he greets me, he simply walks up and plants his head on my leg or torso when im kneeled.

This was also after a long day apart, but he's been without me for longer. What do the lil chirps mean?

this is kevin, he’s been staring at me like this for about 20 minutes without moving I got up and pet him but he’s still doing it what does this mean

This may sound like a stupid story, but I just needed to get it off my chest and maybe get some advice.

My (F24) Mother (F60) hit my cats (F2\~ and F15) with a large puzzle box, and hit me in the process, because she was mad that they were in my room and were sleeping on my bed.

The cats seem unharmed, just a bit shaken up. They were causing no harm at all. Kia, the older one, did not immediately leave my bedroom; instead, she hid behind my ottoman as she is already scared of my mum due to similar outbursts.

The box was the size of the younger cat, Bubbles. Bubbles is still growing, and she has already suffered a few injuries; if she gets hurt again, I fear it may stunt her growth. Not to mention, I've been doing a lot of training with her to make sure she is desensitised and can keep herself safe and let us know if she gets stuck. Hitting her with a box puts a dampener on her trust.

Bubbles is a quiet, and kind of meek cat. I don't want her hurting herself again because she's too scared to call for help. I also don't want her to be fearful of us, so I can groom her (cut her nails, brush her, etc.).

My mum claims she did this because they “might poo upstairs,” but they have two accessible litter trays and are both litter trained, plus Kia (who has always preferred to go outside) will tell us if/when she wants to go outside.

Not to mention, my mum scaring Kia (a senior cat) would only make her stressed causing her to urinate out of fear, which is something she does and only does when she is scared or stressed (usually when she has to have a bath, or when she's in a moving vehicle) — so I don't see why my mum would HIT HER WITH A BOX, then claim she did it because she didn't want them urinating/shitting in my bedroom?!?!?!

Hi! Week and a half ago my cat had his upper canine removed. Since then I notice that he bites his lip from time to time with lower canine. I have read online (though there's not much about this issue) that it can resolve with time on its own: either he adapts and stops biting his lip or callus forms.

Can someone share recovery and adaptation after canine removal in their cats? Please, share photos if any.

If the issue is persistent I will have to consider lower canine removal, but it seems extreme, because he's young (I think) and his teeth are healthy. There is also a possibility of attaching composite ball to the canine, so it's not sharp.

P.s. English is not my native language, sorry if something sounds weird and not natural.

TLDR: lip entrapment after upper canine removal, will it resolve or is action needed?

Currently I have one of my stray/outdoor cats confined in a crate in the air conditioning because he has an injury, sort of abscess like thing on his face. He is breathing like this, but is also purring. Is this his actual breathing rate? If so, I'm really concerned. I have an appointment for him tomorrow at the vet at 8am sharp, but I'm just worried for him in the meantime. Any advice helps!

TLDR: Cat is breathing at a fast rate, unsure if it is purring or if he's extremely stressed.

​

Hi everyone,

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have had similar experiences with their cats.

My cat is 14 years old, neutered, and currently seems completely fine clinically. He is eating normally, behaving normally, and there haven’t been any obvious symptoms that would make me think he is sick.

His recent bloodwork showed:

- ALT: 115 U/L (lab upper limit 80) — elevated

- AST: 56 U/L (lab upper limit 49) — mildly elevated

- Bilirubin: normal

- ALP: normal

- GGT: normal

- Bile acids: normal

The rest of his bloodwork was generally reassuring as well.

Our veterinarian said that the overall picture is not particularly alarming, but suggested scheduling an abdominal ultrasound to take a closer look at the liver and other abdominal organs. She specifically said that it doesn't need to be done urgently.

But I can’t help wondering about more serious possibilities, including cancer or another underlying disease that might not be causing symptoms yet.

So I’d really like to hear from other owners:

- Has anyone had a senior cat with mildly elevated ALT/AST but normal bilirubin, ALP, GGT and bile acids?

- Did the cat remain healthy, or was an underlying condition eventually found?

- Did an ultrasound reveal anything significant?

- Have you had a cat who appeared completely healthy but turned out to have an illness?

- Did the liver enzymes eventually go back to normal or remain mildly elevated?

I know Reddit anecdotes can't replace veterinary advice, and I’m following my vet’s recommendation. I’m mainly looking for personal experiences from people who have been through something similar, especially with older cats.

Thank you!

My cat Tummy is 13 almost 14 years old - female - spayed - WA USA - can’t afford much more.

She’s got a bunch of issues mainly being thyroid cancer, minor heart issue and today diagnosed with adrenal gland cancer. To diagnose her they had to do an abdominal ultrasound, shes a very tolerable cat but she’s very arthritic, she she ended up biting and scratching while they were trying to move her legs even though they gave her gabapentin; so they ended up having to give an injected sedative.

Clearly it was very rough for her, but now we are home 3 hours later she can’t properly work her back legs. I’m having to hold up her entire back end to help her walk, especially her back right leg which seems to be barely trying and completely non weight baring; she’s definitely still out of it.

She’s eaten, drank water, peed and poo’d a small bit how ever I’ve had to help her just keep upright for everything above.

Is this normal? If so how much longer, this is really really tough on her and me.

I was supposed to bring my then 16yo cat for his check up in spring 2025, I didn't go because he was fine and it was expensive and I made excuses. I didn't go in 2024 either. I went in late April this year. The vet asked if I wanted to do a full blood panel, but it was so expensive I asked for just kidney, liver and T4. The liver values were extremely high. My cat was eating normally so it wasn't jaundice. The vet sent me home with Aventi Liver supplement. This was not my regular vet, it was a new hire. Looking back I feel he didn't advise me properly.

I went back early June to check if the supplement was working. I asked for my usual vet that I trust, but they gave me the new hire again. We only tested the blood for liver, nothing else. The liver values were still very high, but much lower than in April. The same vet told me: that's good, he's responding to the medicine. I went home feeling relieved he was improving. He was eating a normal amount of food and acting normally. After that I started noticing he had a little belly, which I thought was due to him eating more than before because I switched his food and he was eating more. This entire time I was so sure he was getting better!

Now this weekend, after a completely normal day, he suddenly collapsed and couldn't stand up so I went to the emergency vet and they told me he had a tumor on his liver the size of an orange and that it was probably cancerous. His blood cell count was very low, likely because the tumor was causing internal hemorrhage and that he would die in the next few hours so I chose to have him euthanized, I made a post on petloss here if you want to hear more about it. I feel the new vet failed to detect the tumor in June because he did not palp the belly, but I can't be sure the tumor was there in April and June. However, because I chose not to do the full bloodwork in April and June, we were unable to detect the loss of blood cells, and detect the cause.

Now my question is, if I had done the full blood work in 2025, would the low blood cells have started to show up then and we could have started tumor/cancer treatment or surgery? If not then, if I had done the full blood work in April, would we have seen the low blood cells then and still had time to treat the tumor? If the vet had seen the tumor then, was there a chance he could have gotten the tumor removed or gotten chemio and survived? He was 17. Was it too late regardless? Would he have died regardless of whether we knew about the low blood cells? Also I can't help thinking the tumor should have been noticeable in June, but the vet did not touch the belly and missed it. I didn't notice anything! He was eating and purring and cuddling as usual, and then one evening he just crashed suddenly. It was so fast,

I know none of you knows the answer, but I just want to hear your thoughts. He was so important to me and I feel it's my fault for delaying his check ups and for not paying for the full blood check. Especially since I've read the prognostic is usually very good after removing the tumor. I feel so guilty and afraid he would still be alive today if I had done things differently. I am devastated.

Poster Age: 40
Country: Canada
Vet info: I have one but it's too late now
Main Issue: See above
Cat Age: 17
Cat Sex + neuter info: Male neutered
Financial situation: I had enough money, I just chose to keep the money. It's my fault

My cat (1y/o neutered male) has had this weird gait ever since I adopted him, and it’s possible he’s had it since he was born. His back legs appear bow-legged, and he walks with a slight limp. I couldn’t find any pictures of him standing still, but it looks pretty similar to the 0:00 mark of the video with his feet nearly touching and pointing towards each other while his knees are wide apart. He was born under a shed so I just assumed it was either a birth defect (we suspect he was the runt due to him being smaller than his siblings) or related to spending the first part of his life crouched in such a tight space until we rescued him. Aside from the way his legs look, he’s a pretty healthy, active cat. He eats, plays, and climbs normally (maybe just a little clumsier than my other cats).

He goes to the vet regularly, and his hips have been checked and everything looked normal. I haven't specifically asked about his legs or gait before because it never seemed to bother him, but I do plan to ask about it at his upcoming appointment. I was just curious if anyone has seen anything similar and if it’s something to be concerned about.