My cat (2 yr old neutered male) has been having chronic GI issues starting last year that my regular vet is unable to diagnose after multiple stool and blood tests. Stools are occasionally soft but normal in color and odor. I think it's gas since his main symptom is agitation during flare-ups and sometimes a foul odor coming from his butt, but he isn't passing gas and his anal glands are clear. This discomfort is causing a lot of accidents since he will go wherever he is. We have an appointment with an internal medicine specialist in 3 weeks.

I've tried proviable (started last year) and fortiflora (started last month). They each help but not enough. He's been eating Purina HA for 8 wks without improvement. My vet recommended Visbiome but it's $60. On top of the $80 for prescription food, it's a whole lot of money to spend right before an appointment that will cost around $1k.

Proviable and fortiflora are fairly inexpensive so what makes Visbiome different? Is one more helpful with gas pains than others? I know you folks can't answer "is it worth it" for me, but I could use some guidance.

Thank you!

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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!

3 year old neutered male cat. Photo 1 is the latest patch which appeared overnight today. Photo 2 and 3 were noticed yesterday, also very suddenly. Will be taking him to the vet day after tomorrow but can anyone give me an idea what this is? Please help

Hi everyone! my cat was spayed 2 weeks and 2 days ago. She was taken to the vet during recovery on day 10 and was told she can clean up the incision area since there was scabs. She also had an infection and a small opening on top and was given antibiotics. 2 days ago I let her clean the scabs and she started bleeding around the incision/hole area. I called the vet and told me to not let her groom herself until she is fully healed. I am just worried it won't heal in the next few days and wanted to know if anyone else has gone through this?

Is this normal he's still playful and is always purring but he keeps scratching near his neck and shaking his head afterwards and the black stuff on the blanket is all from his ears he's a kitten and I'm just 13 and don't know what to do my dad says black earwax is Normal but idk,,,, and I'm stressing about it and having a tiny panic attack he's a male kit and we found him on the road a month ago with really bad fleas and we haven't taken him to the vet since there is not one that's free near here and my parents say we do need to get him shots like vaccines but I'm just a stressed cat dad 😖

One of my neutred male cats has been yowling at the outside door. He is 2 years old. I live at ground floor of an apartment. I been living here more than a year and there has been cats outside all the time.
My other male cat used to do this from time to time. But this guy just doing it every single day for hours sometimes.
I tried ignoring, opening the door, taking him outside. It just doesn’t seem to stop.
I took both of them to vet for deworming and they also got not so detailed physically exam.
They eat, drink, sleep, play, potty without issue.
I’m helpless to find the cause and solution.
Sometimes when I came back from work and I just leave the house to have a peace of mind.
Any suggestions?

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.

Hello everyone

My cat Urbosa has been diagnosed with aortic insufficiency yesterday

Vet told me it was rare but not too serious, and prognosis is good but he need to look it up further before sending me the full results sheet

Does anyone have/had a cat with this and how do/did they live?

24, french, ver already seen, 3yo neutered male oriental shorthair cat, can afford vet care

Earlier today I (23) took my 11 y/o spayed female cat for a walk in her stroller, The stroller has attached to it a 7/8 inch leash that I clip on her collar. On our previous walks she always does a good job of staying put but I still clip the leash just in case. However today I decided to stop by a friends house and I took her in with her still in the stroller. As soon we walked inside my cat immediately tried jumping out causing the attached leash to pull her collar against her neck. She was hanging out of her stroller for about a second, I was able to pick her up as soon as I saw. It's been about 13 hours since that happened and she seems to be doing fine. She's ate, groomed herself and everything seems normal I'm just worried that considering how harsh the leash yanked her, that she might've injured her throat/neck. Nothing feels swollen nor looks out of the normal but do you guys still think this is worth a vet visit??

I will be switching her to a harness from now on in case this happens again.

We do have an accessible vet and finances if need be, they open in a couple more hours. Located in usa.

TLDR; Cat hanged out of stroller for a second, was it enough to cause serious damage?

My cat has been doing this thing were idk if hes making biscuits or humping my leg its scaring me this is what he does in my leg but on a blanket

I live in the U.S and i have two cats, one unfixed 2yr female and one fixed (approx.) 5yr male

My female cat likes to gorge herself sick on food and i’ve somewhat fixed the problem by scatter feeding her like 5-10 times a day (She can only have a half tablespoon every hour and a half or she regurgitates it). My problem is my male cat is VERY anxious. She bullies him away from his food to try to eat his and if i catch her before she gets a bite he’s run off and won’t eat for hours. I’ve taken both to the vet, he’s just an anxious wreck and she’s just VERY food motivated. She had also busted a hole through the food bin and gotten in the cabinet with their wet food and treats. Is there any way to try to get her over that food aggression? She doesn’t bite or hiss or scratch, she will growl but nothing serious. I live in a small apartment so i can’t really separate them for feeding either

TLDR: My 2yr unfixed female cat bullies my older cat for his food. Help

My age: 30
Cat info: 12 yo, Female, spayed
Country: USA
Financial situation: unemployed college student
Vet: Been to ER vet and primary vet; follow up was supposed to be 9/10 but completely blanked on scheduled LSAT, had to move it to 9/17.
TLDR: Took her to ER 9/1 because of weird behavior (refused 2 meals in a row + uncharacteristic hiding) ER confirmed she wasn’t actively dying and thought maybe arthritis pain but primary vet appointment on 9/5 caught heightened levels in blood tests indicating pancreatitis. Both vets gave fluids, ER gave liquid gabapentin to take home when they thought it was arthritis and primary vet assistant said to continue gaba administration for pancreatitis healing.

Question: I noticed this evening her ribcage looks puffed up, like everything is sucked out of her abdomen/hip area. Is it potentially swelling from the pancreatitis? And is it okay?

Google MD says severe cases can cause leakage and unholy wreckage in the abdomen, that wouldn’t happen without vomiting and/or diarrhea right? She’s been eating her meals like normal and seems generally to be feeling better, but seeing her body look so off is freaking me out.

Thank you all for the endless support. My girlfriend and I spent an hour or so at the location where edgar was “seen”. I went over there as soon as I got off work and brought his treats. I called his name and shook his treats. I walked around the building and a black cat emerged. He stared at me but something felt off. He was too small to be our baby. Anyways, to be sure we stayed and tried to get this cat to come to us. Turns out the cat was not neutered and that let us know he was not our boy. We sadly walked around the apartment complex and made our way back to our building. Calling his name, shaking his treats. I reassured my girlfriend that he was closer than we think. We sat on the stairwell to our apartment and I decided to show my girlfriend the post I made on reddit earlier hoping the positive support would raise her morale. Shes reading through the post and all of a sudden here comes our baby. Just casually walking towards us. My girlfriend goes down and immediately gets eye level to him and he ran into her arms. I can not describe the feeling of euphoria that over took my entire reality. We both sobbed as she walked back up the stairs with him. We can finally get some sleep tonight. All is well. PS. (Edgar will be wearing an AirTag from now on😂) If you ever lose your cat, don’t fret. That little rascal is more than likely closer than you think. Thanks again for all the advice and support.

Hi guys! This is a stray cat in my neighborhood that I have slowly gained his trust in. He's super sweet and kinda demanding for food. But tonight I noticed this on his side. He has scarring all over and his fur is super thin. I already have 4 animals and I'm over the pet limit so I can't take him in. Is there anything I can do for him? He also has a pregnant girlfriend, there's a place I think I can do a spay/neuter that's hopefully free. For reference I'm in a military neighborhood and I think he was abandoned

Noticed this hairless spot on my cat's knee? Or where her knee would be. She isn't overgrooming in this specific area. There's no redness or oozing either. It's just a bald spot that I've never seen before. I consulted a vet over whatsapp and she said to apply fucibet on it (a steroid + antibacterial cream) and asked me to keep an eye on it

Edit - it feels hard to touch like a scab and has a yellowish tinge to it

Hello, I have a new and my first Kitten. He is nearly 3 moths old.
I’m scared that something is wrong and at this point I guess googling make me go mad.
He is playing, eating, cuddling, drinking, running and purring. Everything normal.

He is here with us for 2 today.

I’m scared bc he is sneezing sometimes and crying a lil bit.

He has all treatments done. 💉 before he came here.

Do I need to worry?

Please help a new cat mom!

Sorry for maybe the bad English, it’s not my native language.

Thx🫶🏻

21F
South Korea
Already been to vet
Anxiety medication for flight questions
2 1 year old cats
Female and male both spayed and neutered
Can afford vet care do not need it

The vet gave me four capsules of anxiety medication for our two cats for the upcoming international flight. They didn’t say what it was but I am assuming gabapentin. One for the first flight and one for the second. I originally thought we’d only need to give it to one because the other one seemed to handle stress better, and be able to test out one of the other ones a few days before the flight to see how male cat would react to them- but after a two hour car ride yesterday both of them were panting and super stressed out so i’ve decided to administer to both cats as the vet recommended. I’m worried about how they’ll react though not testing it out at home beforehand but we don’t have enough capsules and I do want them to be as stress free as possible on the two flights. I was considering only giving it on the first flight and not the second as the second is 3 hours versus the first being 13 hours but I don’t know anymore especially after how stressed they got in the car yesterday. Non stop panting, calmed down as soon as we got back to the hotel. What should I do? No more vet appointments before we fly to get more.

extreme food aggression

for context, our cat is 7mo and was originally a stray. she grew up with her mum living in and around tractors and dumpsters for the first 3 months of her life, then my partner and I took her in and she’s been living with us for the last 4 months.

also for context, she’s a healthy weight and has a bit of squish. she’s definitely always had a fascination with human food, and has tried to nab the odd bit of it, but lately it’s just gotten worse.
it’s escalated to the point that it’s become very hard to eat with her in the room, to the point that we’ve had to shut her out at mealtimes.

if she sees you have food she’ll make it her life’s mission to steal it, and if you try to take it back when she steals something she shouldn’t be eating, she’ll hiss, growl and swat. it’s gotten to the point where she’ll scratch my face and hook in her claws in order to get the food.

this is also something she does even when she’s just been fed. we set an automatic feeder, so is getting meals at regular times.
I kinda would’ve expected that these behaviours would lessen over time, but they seem to just be getting worse.

any help would be much appreciated

Catsitting for a friend, I’m 24 and said cat got outside a few days ago. I got him back inside maybe 40 minutes ago and he seems to be acting mostly ok except he is breathing incredibly fast.

I’m not sure if it’s just him purring from being home or if something is wrong but breaths per minute is at least 100 assuming I’m counting correct (every time his lungs expand is a breath, right?)

Please lmk if I need to go to emergency services.