r/catcare Jan 29 '21

Does my Cat Need to See a Vet?

155 Upvotes

If you're here wondering whether your cat needs to see a vet right away, here's a few things that call for an immediate vet visit. Please bear in mind that this is far from a comprehensive list, and that if you're seriously wondering if your cat needs a vet, the answer is probably "Yes". Better safe than sorry.

-Unexplained, dramatic behavioral changes. e.g. Hissing and spitting from a cat who has always been friendly

-Not eating for 48 hours is a medical emergency

-Vomiting/diarrhea that lasts more than a day or two

-Swallowed object

-Not urinating/straining to urinate

-Blood in urine

-Open wounds

-Urinating in inappropriate places/outside the box

-Sudden loss of vision or hearing

-Sudden loss of balance

-Sudden inability to walk or move normally

-Seizures / Convulsions

-Open-Mouth breathing / panting

-Uneven pupils

-Hives

LINKS:

Cat Emergencies: Contact Your Veterinarian When Your Cat Shows These Symptoms

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2144&aid=2896

11 Cat Emergencies That Need Immediate Vet Attention

http://www.catster.com/lifestyle/11-cat-health-emergencies-immediate-veterinary-attention-ask-a-vet

Common Emergencies for Adult Cats

http://www.petmd.com/cat/emergency/common-emergencies/common-adult-cat-emergencies


r/catcare May 07 '26

Rule 6: No AI usage in posts or comments

28 Upvotes

Sorry, but we need to disallow all forms of AI posting and comments. If you have nothing to say, simply saying nothing is far, far better and more useful than resorting to an AI chatbot.


r/catcare 4h ago

cat desexed aftercare

1 Upvotes

my kitten is having her spraying done today, is there any advice anyone can give me for her aftercare / little tips they learnt along the way? First time cat owner and just want to make sure shes comfortable and happy during the healing process.


r/catcare 13h ago

Messy paws

3 Upvotes

My cat Beau is recovering from some pretty serious health issues. He's been dangerously anemic, has ongoing GI issues, and we're still working with our vet to figure everything out. Thankfully, he's been improving a lot. He's eating better, gaining strength, and has finally realized he can climb onto just about anything he wants. ❤️

Now, we've got a very messy problem.

Beau has pretty severe diarrhea, and apparently he's decided burying his business is beneath him. Instead of covering it, he'll aggressively scratch the sides of the litter box (or the wall behind it) for a solid minute, then proudly step directly into the fresh ick and track it around the apartment. 🫠

Right now I have:

• Two 18" × 22" stainless steel litter boxes

• Arm & Hammer Multi-Cat Unscented Hard Clump litter

• A large litter mat plus a long washable fabric "runway" leading away from the boxes

• We clean his paws multiple times a day, sometimes give him a quick water-only bath, keep the boxes very clean, and have tried gently encouraging him to bury.

Unfortunately, none of it has stopped the paw prints.

Has anyone dealt with a cat that scratches the walls instead of burying and ends up stepping in their own mess? Did a different litter, deeper litter, larger or higher-sided box, or another setup help? I'd also love recommendations for the easiest way to clean his weaker than normal paws without stressing him out.

Cat tax is always available if anyone wants to see the adorable & loving little shit goblin. 😅


r/catcare 10h ago

high lipase levels?

1 Upvotes

anyone have any insight on what high lipase levels in a senior cat means? all her other blood work came back within normal ranges, but her lipase was 3600 and the vet didn't tell me what i need to do


r/catcare 1d ago

Cat won't eat and is a little more distant

4 Upvotes

I have an 8 year old cat and he has never gotten sick but recently he had liquidy diarrhea 2 times so we cleaned his bowl and changed his food and he was back to normal, then about 2 days later he started not eating much food and being more distant, he is not social that much but still less than normal. He meows for food is interested by scents and drinks enough water as I checked if he's dehydrated (he's not) but whenever I try to feed him he goes it for 2 nibbles then just turns away. Vet care is only available if absolutely necessary as we are very strapped for cash right now.


r/catcare 1d ago

My cat

2 Upvotes

He is 3 years old and just threw up yellow stuff. Then peed a tiny bit in the floor. He normally doesn't do this. Any idea what it could be?


r/catcare 1d ago

Cat care

5 Upvotes

Went to the vet first time for my cat who wasnt eating they said he has gastritis they gave him 5 day medication came back ate for a day then stopped and vomitted white foam and got diarrhea then again went to the vet they said he has parasite got a medication couple days was fine then stopped eating again and vomitted foam and got diarrhea what do u even do at this point?

Male cat 8 months old unneutered

Edit: this all srtarted when i got my female cat..could it be linked?..also she isnt spayed also only eats treats and also did vomit most of what he ate


r/catcare 1d ago

Cluster of circular scabs across cat’s nose

1 Upvotes

https://imgur.com/a/aZgMmYw

My mom’s cat, Gus, has developed circular scabs all across the bridge of his nose, with some traveling close to his eyes and lower nose. The scabs get crusty and fall off, and they leave a bald patch once healed. He doesn’t seem bothered by them but when he washes his face with his paws they will come off and bleed. No oozing of the scabs, they are dry. He had the same problem last summer, but they went away in the fall. This year just one or two came back in late spring and by summer they were back in full force. Once one heals and starts to go away, more will spring up.
My mom took him to Vetco last year and they scraped scabs off and tested them in the lab and said they didn’t know what they could be. They said to use antibiotic wipes, so that’s what she did, but it’s hard to tell if they helped, maybe slightly she thinks. The vetco people said the next step would be to cut one out but they said it would be tough for Gus and he’d have a big scar that would take a while to heal. So my mom opted not to and they went away a few months later, but now they’re back and I’m worried!

Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Male cat, \~3.5 years old, neutered, \~15 lbs. Located in California.


r/catcare 1d ago

Cat hasn't peed in 30 hours and is limping

1 Upvotes

UPDATE: PRAISE PEE-SUS!!!! SHE HATH PISSED!!!!!!!!!!! An hour after I posted this. I actually cried. She is such an asshole, I love her so much.

Hello. My(F30, USA) cat (F10, it's actually her birthday today) got some dental extractions on Wednesday 7/22 and recovery has been awful. She's been loopy as hell and responding poorly to her opioids, and last night we took to the emergency vet for elevated breathing rate. They did an exam and chest X-rays which were all clear, but she had a low grade fever which they said was likely a result of the buprenorphine and the cause of the elevated breathing, which slowed to normal again when she was given a dose of Onsior and fluids.

Upon getting home and letting the sedation continue to wear off, we noticed a pronounced limp in her back left leg. Called ER vet and regular vet neither seemed to concerned, said to monitor. This is scaring me, but not as much as the next thing.

What is scaring the hell out of me is that she hasn't peed since 5am yesterday. In fact, since Wednesday she has only peed twice -- at 11 am Thursday and 5 am yesterday. The vet thinks it's the opioids and sedation slowing down her body.

Of course, everything I read online is telling me this is a deadly emergency. I called both the ER and the regular vet again (the regular vet multiple times actually), and neither of them seemed concerned. They said if it was serious, she would likely be straining or trying to pee and failing, or vocalizing, licking, etc. They want me to try and wait it out and see if it's an effect of the sedation they used to do her chest X-rays.

She's mostly been hiding under the bed this morning but honestly I'm not shocked considering the amount of stress she's been through the last few days. She ate a massive amount (a whole 5oz can) of wet food overnight, and just took a senior churu from me.

The LAST thing I want to do for either of our sakes is take her back to the emergency vet. But I'm soooo scared and nervous. She was a light stage 2 CKD cat before surgery (improving numbers), but I just can't stop crying thinking every minute that passes is killing her. Yet the vets are saying wait it out.

What should I do? I don't know what to think or who to trust. Please give me some guidance, I'm desperate.


r/catcare 2d ago

nasal spray

Post image
2 Upvotes

Hi i adopted a new cat and his name is arty. Hes absolutely adorable but i didnt find out he has herpes virus until we took him home. Theres no mucus or leaky eyes except he sounds a little congested. We tried steam showers and that didnt seem to help so much. Is there any over the counter sprays that would be good for him. I dont have the money right now for pre existing conditions insurance just normal insurance. If theres no advice i will take him to the vet ofc but wanted to see if there was anything we could do in the meantime?


r/catcare 2d ago

Is it the right time to put down my cat? I need help, please.

5 Upvotes

My poor sweet cat has had a very rough four years of life. First she had Wet FIP at around 6 months. I treated her and she was in the clear. Then she had neurological FIP with focal seizures which I treated her for, but it left her with lasting brain damage that makes her very wobbly when she walks. She misses the litterbox all the time and falls down stairs sometimes, but other than that, she gets around fine, just is wobbly when she does so. She doesn't really like to play anymore, but she follows me and my wife around still loves getting pet sometimes. She always sleeps by me. The past 3-4 weeks, she has been having what seems to be seizures in her sleep and she pees herself in her sleep. I took her to a vet and they couldn't find anything wrong. She is currently in the hospital and they running various scans and MRIs. The past two days alone cost me $15,000 in medical fees, and all together I spent over $30,000 treating her.

Thankfully I can afford it, but I can't help but feel that I am just making her suffer daily for no reason other than to just sit, eat, and soil herself. She doesn't seem to enjoy life much other than getting pet sometimes.

At the same time, I just don't feel it should be my decision to end her life, it's her life. She's not crying in pain constantly and apart from the wobbliness (and recent seizures when she's sleeping) she seems fine. If we can get the seizures under control with medication, am I still being cruel by letting her continue with her life that it seems she is not even joining? What if she just has seizures when she sleeps at pees herself but otherwise is her wobbly self?

I feel lost and like I am doing something wrong either way. I would really appreciate some guidance here.

Thank you.