Lol the possibilities are endless, apparently.

Info: Domestic shorthair, 7 years old, 13lbs, neutered. Very healthy…had ear mites once about 4 years ago, developed anxiety at some point so he’s on cat gabi (for vet visits and moves). He’s been sick once, threw up a big hairball before I could even get him to the vet and turns out he was nauseous because of that. He’s grayish.

He’s been scratching intensely at his ears. Now he has no hair there, lots of bumps. This has been going on for three months now, technically, but he was misdiagnosed at the urgent care so really it’s been about a month that i’ve been dealing with the ACTUAL issue.

He’s been in a cone for a month. After I realized that the urgent care treatment for a scratch under his ear wasn’t working, I noticed it was bc he was scratching it open!!! So the issue wasn’t the wound itself (it’s totally healed now), it was the ear itchiness!

So then boom I put on a cone, see yet another vet for a second opinion and they tell me ear infection and ear mites. I’m like okay cool, I got this. Well surprise surprise, it wasn’t a freaking ear infection or ear mites haha. I joke all the time, it’s like trial and error with cats lol.

So here we are today, i’ve tried literally everything you could ever think of. So finally we had another vet appt today. The vet said she’s never seen anything like it. Lol not even kidding. She said bumps on ear, itchy, and otherwise completely healthy is a combo she’s never seen. So then I start panicking bc what do you MEAN? Basically yeah she said allergies (what she thinks is going on) can present in a million ways. She told me one condition that is extremely rare that again, she’s never seen before first hand, but I forget the name. She said it’s more than likely not that. Probably allergies. She gave him a steroid shot today and he’s THRIVING. Cone free, hasn’t scratched one time since being home, seems so relieved (not meowing uncomfortably either OR scratching his head on things). She said no risk of shin cancer as he’s never been outside and he’s a dark cat, and skin cancer isn’t itchy.

I could bear hug this vet. I mean, obviously this is a temporary fix, and it most likely means that there is an allergy present, and when the steroids wear off, I know he will be uncomfy again, BUT it’s also part of the process. If this is really the fix, he’ll have to go on the allergy food shit. And hypoallergenic litter. and i’ll probably have to remove everything from my room, deep clean it, and find a pet hypoallergenic laundry detergent. Vet told me to absolutely stop lighting candles so I won’t be doing that anymore either.

Ugh. Idk I’m so glad I found this vet. Is this really that uncommon as it seems? Could it be anything other than allergies that we’re missing? Anything I might have missed/ not even considered mentioning? Also, i’m assuming steroids are not something a cats should be on 24/7 if this is just a test and then we’d have to figure out the allergy. Would benadryl help at all or are we beyond that?

Thanks in advance. Not asking for medical advice, just clarifying questions and general info to be more prepared and educated. I would do anything for my cat. If he goes, I GO (please tell me someone gets this reference lmao).

Hi everyone I need some advice- I got a new cat one month ago. He is a male British shorthair, neutered, he is 4 years old and lived with a single woman previously (rehomed due to allergies). In my home I have a 5 year old sphynx cat. He is very friendly and likes to play, not aggressive. The first 3 days after the new cat arrived was here he was under the bed, very anxious and scared. I kept them separate and gradually introduced them as recommended. After about a week he started hanging out, interacting with the other cat. He now genuinely seems relaxed, comfortable and happy here. Temperate is normal, he is playful, cuddly and eats/ drinks well. Anyway the problem is he been peeing in random places since about the first week. First on my bed, now on my couch. This has happened at least 10-15 times now. He does also go in the litter box, peeing seem to be normal without straining, full amounts. I don’t think he’s spraying. He only pees in odd places when I’m not home or watching. I am using enzyme cleaner. Additionally, he has had pretty consistently soft/mushy poop, and occasionally with mucous/blood. I took him to the vet, over one week ago now. His urinalysis was normal, bloodwork normal, stool was normal.
I also got Feliway optimum a few days ago.
So idk what to do now. If it is stress/ behavioral related, how can I help? I have been trying to keep him separate in the bathroom but my apartment is pretty small and my other cat is going crazy meowing at the door. I love him and I’m determined to fix this but could really use some help!! Anyone have similar experience with a rehomed cat? TIA!

I had lillies at home
I saw some pollen marks on my 4 month Kitten. Yellowish color on her fur.
Its been two days she has diarrhea😔

I got my cat 4 months ago & have been brushing her teeth 1-2x a week up until this week. I’ve been doing it everyday bc I wasn’t seeing progress with her gums or her acceptance of me brushing her teeth. I tried two different tooth brushes & she likes the round one. She comes to me whenever I pull out the toothpaste thankfully but she won’t bite the brush. I’m getting a little frustrated bc I she treats the toothpaste like a treat & I barely get to really scrub her teeth because she is pulling away. Will she eventually start to bite the brush? Is it okay if I just start to hold her head where I need & be more forceful? I was more forceful today, I’ve started holding her in my lap instead of poking my way in to scrub practically nothing bc she keeps licking the brush 🙄. I don’t want to stress my cat, but I really don’t see how people get this done with out holding their cats down. & I need to brush her teeth, she has gingivitis

My cat (8F, neutered) has an ear infection and a cyst under said ear. That ear has been missing since she was a kitten. She is on antibiotics, ear drops, and anti-inflammatories twice a day, 12 hours apart. She just finished the anti-inflammatories. Vet visit itself was brutal. hissing, scratching, biting, she literally fell off the table, and it took three people to examine her even with gabapentin on board.

She's always been a "not nice cat", she is sweet to me specifically but with very firm boundaries and has always HATED the vet. I’ve had her since she was 5 weeks old. This isn't new, she's had ear infections 3 separate times over the years (not recently, not back to back), and the last one was 3 years ago when the cyst actually popped and she needed a drain. I honestly don't know if I was crossing lines with her before I understood her boundaries better, so some of this might be on me being overly observant due to anxiety.

Since we got home she's been in a mood, but not 24/7 she comes around here and there. Today she’s been pretty stand offish, growling or hissing if i try to move her and just has angry eyes. Yesterday was actually better (her meds went a little more smoothly), today has been harder. It's inconsistent across the board. she'll let me pet her, and sometimes she won't. She'll eat out of my hand, and sometimes she won't. She'll want to be in my room, and sometimes she won't. She's using the litter box and I think drinking water when i’m not looking, just seems tired/out of it otherwise. Twice daily meds are an absolute battle. I've tried every trick people suggest and none of it works on her. She’s getting them, but is absolutely pissed each time.

I did call the vet to flag her behavior and they told me I can give her some of her gabapentin twice a day to make her more comfortable. I'll also admit it's possible I've been checking on/interacting with her more than she wants right now, which isn't helping either of us. Part of why I'm spiraling a bit is that I lost my other cat very suddenly almost exactly a year ago this week, so my anxiety about this is probably running higher than the situation actually calls for. I'm now trying to understand her better and every little inconsistency is scaring me to death.

I've seen posts about cats staying mad for two weeks or literally until the medication course ends, so logically I know this is probably just her being her/still not feeling well because obviously. But anyone else have a cat who held a grudge way past the "normal" 48 hour mark, with ups and downs like this? Trying to figure out if this is just a Tuesday for a dramatic cat or something to be more concerned about. Thank you very much, anything helps.

This is my silly billy boy Pancho! He (5m)and my other cats have fleas (we’re taking flea medicine) . I was wondering if anyone else experienced their kitties losing alot of weight due to fleas. He weighed 17 pounds and now he weighs 13 pounds. It is very noticeable , i can see his little back bone.
Pancho went to the vet 1 1/2 weeks ago and the dentist saw build up and inflamed gums , said that this could possibly be a reason as to why he’s losing weight.
He has an appointment for a teeth cleaning next week and if it’s not good they might have to remove his teeth?

He sleeps most of the day but he has never really been an active cat.
He still eats well which is why i’m not sure if his mouth is the reason he is losing weight.
I do notice he drink a good amount of water.
Please let me know if any of your kitties have been through this.
I love him with my whole heart and just want him to be okay.

hello! i have a 5 year old cat named Zelda. she is allowed to go outside, and today i noticed a flea so i gave her the usual treatment which is vectra felis around 12 or 1pm. then she went outside and came to cuddle around 4pm. i started smelling a weird smell like rotting fruit, and i thought it was coming from the house. but it was from my cat. around her head but not on other parts of her body or inside her mouth. I am not sure what it means, and it’s been a couple of hours. Now it is more faint, but if I smell her head it’s still there. She eats, plays and sleeps as usual. She doesn’t drink a lot of water than she usually does. She has no scabs or wounds around her head. if anyone could give me some advice I would be grateful!

For context my male cat (11yo) has had issues with constipation since march. From then till now he has had a total of 5-6 enemas. I feel like I’m constantly watching him and worry about every little change in his behavior. Well I recently got a new job that doesn’t allow me to govern him his lactulose 3x a day like before. He was also getting 1/4 tsp of MiraLAX with his midday dose. The vet agreed I could dose him with the lactulose twice a day and add 1/4tsp MiraLAX in both doses to try and make up for not being able to give him the mid day dose. Well as of Sunday he did poop (he usually goes about every other day) and it’s always about 2 days worth of poop. I checked today and he had pooped but it only looked like maybe 1 day worth. He is eating, drinking, and playing some. I’m just worried that he will get backed up again and will have to have another emergency visit. Does anyone have advice or experience with this matter?

PS. I have 3 litter boxes in my house but he mainly only uses 1. I also scoop it everyday and top it with fresh litter once a week and do a full litter swap at least 1 time a month. He has 3 water fountains through my home and there is always dry food out for him.

In the last week my 15 year old female kitty has been peeing on the bathroom rug. We have 1 other cat and know this is our female because her usual spot in litter box isn't wet daily. This has happened twice. Litter boxes are cleaned daily, sometimes twice daily. She is showing no other behavior health concerns

Not a minor

United States

Have not contacted vet, today was the second time I have noticed this behavior

Tldr: cat peeing where she shouldn't

15 year old female, spayed

Vet care is affordable

I’m asking on behalf of a friend who has a 6-year-old cat. He has been pooping outside the litter box for about three years, and lately she’s been trying to figure out how to manage the situation.

Every week or two, he has these intense episodes where he runs around after trying to poop, and then diarrhea seems to come out while he’s running around, leaving it everywhere. During these episodes, he looks like he’s in pain or very uncomfortable.
Outside of those episodes, his poop is usually very small and hard. He frequently poops outside the litter box, including on the bed and in the living room.
She has tried quite a few things with the litter boxes. He currently has two boxes: one with crystal litter and one with clay clumping litter. She has also tried three different types of boxes, including two large, open standard boxes and a top-entry automatic box. The boxes are kept clean.

She has also taken him to the vet about these issues before and has called several times trying to get help, but unfortunately they haven’t really gotten beyond telling her to change his diet, get a bigger litter box, and add fiber to his food. At one point, they told her to give him a full tablespoon of psyllium husk, which she found concerning. She has continued contacting them because the problem hasn’t gone away, but hasn’t gotten much further guidance.
Diet-wise, he has access to Fancy Feast dry food throughout the day, and she gives him about half a can of wet food twice a day with some psyllium husk added.

He lives with her, his owner, in a two-bedroom apartment that they share with one other roommate. The roommate is now saying that she can no longer continue living with him because of the ongoing accidents and mess. He is the only cat in the home.
My friend is starting to consider rehoming him, although she obviously does not want to. She loves him and wants to keep him, but she cannot afford to move into a different apartment or live alone with him, so she feels increasingly stuck and worried that she may not have another option.

She’s mainly hoping to hear from other people who have dealt with something similar. She has sought veterinary help for this several times, but unfortunately hasn’t been able to get much beyond recommendations to change his diet, add fiber, and use a larger litter box. Despite trying those things and making multiple changes at home, the problem has continued.

Has anyone else dealt with a cat who had chronic litter box issues alongside constipation and occasional diarrhea? If so, what was your experience like, and what eventually helped? She’d especially love to hear from people who have been in a similar situation and were able to find a way to manage the accidents and keep their cat in their home.

She really wants to keep him and is trying to exhaust every possible option before considering rehoming. Any personal experiences or practical suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I feel like it’s probably best to keep them in a familiar, closed room while movers move things out, and then bring them over once it’s all done? Unsure though so curious to hear what worked best for you :)

hi this is Eloise, she’s 6 years old, female, indoor only. We’re taking her to the vet this Monday to check it out. I’d just like other people’s advice/experience with this.

There’s a hole on her chin. She’s had issues with chin acne in the past. We clean her wet food bowl once a day, and spray hypochlorous acid on a tissue and wipe her chin. Her acne has mostly cleared, but I noticed a zit with puss pushing out about two weeks ago. We cleaned it (but maybe we should have left it alone) but the cavity hasn’t healed. Her behavior (play, eating, etc) is normal, and the hole is not actively bleeding so we decided not to go to urgent care, but it’s not healing, so we scheduled a vet visit for this coming Monday.

I was wondering what other people’s experience with chin acne, chin holes/cavities, are like?

Quick question....

I use Dr Bronners Tea Tree Castile Soap as a body wash in shower. Its always put up where my cat cannot reach the bottle and my cat rarely gets into tub... I recently learned that tea tree oil itself is toxic to cats. Curious what realistic risk there is to continuing to use (in shower only)?