slightly sick kitty

My cat has a bit of a stomach bug, nothing serious. She is a little bit better since yesterday. More tired now but not throwing up as much.

What do you do for your kitty when all you can really do is wait? I was wondering if there is anything maybe you feed them that is easier on their tummy. She has eaten today.

My other cat is bouncing off the walls at the moment because her buddy hasn't entertained her as much as usual.

If you kitty has been throwing up (a lot?) You are best to get her to the vet if you can if she doesn't stop soon. Don't give her anything to eat, just make sure she has water for the time being and let her tummy rest up a bit. When cats vomit, it is usually for a reason, be it a reaction to the food, or they found something on the floor and decided to do a taste test, or they just flat don't feel good. You say all you can do is wait, but while you are waiting you can call your vet and see what he says.

My vet does not work weekends, and the emergency place doesn't talk to you unless you think your animal could die. they are rather rude, I've talked to them before. She has been mostly just drinking water. She has been purring some and watching the toy bounce around while my other cat is playing. That is more than she was doing earlier today. She looks a little more alert too just she is resting more. She has only thrown up once since I came home about 3 hours ago.

I know how some of those emergency places are. But there are some good ones that will at least tell you if there is something you can do besides just bring the cat in. Sounds like you are doing the right thing. You mentioned she was sick yesterday and today did not throw up as much, so I was just questioning how much is much? I hope she feels better in the morning.

She is looking a lot better now than she was when I posted the first post. Not quite her own self yet, but she was pawing her bed the way she likes to rather than just flopping into it and when she saw me come to see her she sat right up. I think she will be pretty much normal tomorrow, I will wait till then to give her a good meal.

Last night she was throwing up a lot, maybe once a half an hour until she was completely empty, then barfing water less often after that. I think she only threw up maybe 4 times today.

But I really see a big difference in just this past hour and a half. I feel much better about it.

Isabel looks much better this morning. When I went to her cage she complained to be let out. She is walking around. Right now she is sitting staring at me because she wants a treat. )

Immortal Flower,

Why do you put your cat in a cage?

Your cat was throwing up a lot to be of concern. I would definately take her to the vet. Sometimes cats get a hairball stuck in their stomachs or intestines which makes them throw up their food, and of course, would be life threatening if the blockage is not resolved. She could also have some other health condition that needs looking into.


I never like to assume things are fine with my cats until the vet says so.

I put them in a cage to sleep at night so they don't wonder around. They don't mind. Its not a small cage, its big enough for a full sized covered litter box, a bed big enough to sleep two, and keep their food. They aren't cramped, they just can't run around. They don't really mind, especially when they are together.

Unless your cats are young kittens, they should not be kept in cages at all, unless they are recovering from something like a broken leg. A cage *is* a cramped place. They can't walk around. They can't look out the windows. They can't get in a good stretch on scratching posts. They can't play. Sometimes one cat just doesn't want to be so near another cat- even if they do like each other, but if they are both in the same cage, there is no escape. Cats do not like their food and water near their litter box, but in a cage, there is no choice. Also, many cats do not like to urinate and defecate in the same box. In a cage, there is only room for the one box. (Hopefully you do have more than one litter box.) If one or more cats does defecate during the night, they are forced to be right near the smell. They surely don't like that. If they had a choice, they would not sleep next to doody. Or urine smell. What if the area where the cage is feeling too cold or too hot? The cats cannot move to another section of the home where they feel more comfortable.

Cats are mostly nocturnal creatures who are biologically attuned to be active at night. Being kept in a cage for all those hours at night is going against their nature. They don't naturally sleep for 7 hours at a stretch during the night, as is typical for humans. So yes, if they could talk they would tell you they do mind being kept in a cage for hours. Of course they mind. I hope you reconsider and let them out all the time. Why can't they "wander around" the house? Isn't it their home too? If your house if full of dangers, you can "cat proof" it. I really think it is cruel to keep healthy cats over 5 months old in cages. If there is some important reason to limit their movement through your home while you are sleeping, at least keep them shut in one FULL room. That would be so much kinder and condsiderate to the cats.

My place is cat proof. I have previously kept them in a room with a shut door and they did nothing but cry for hours. In the cage they do not cry. The top (only the top) is covered so they aren't in direct sunlight, they are in a place with good circulation, their food is not directly next to their litter box. I made an effort to get a big enough cage so they would have room.

In my opinion this was a better option for all, should I have left them in a room and let them cry all night instead?

I think the best option is to just let the cats live freely in the home. Go to whatever room they want to. Snuggle sweetly next to you to sleep, if they want to. I still don't understand why you feel they need to be kept confined. I would think that they meowed a lot when you first started confining them to the cage. They would quit meowing a lot eventually if shut in a room. Definately being in an entire room is better than being confined in a cage.

Immortal

I use a cage for my newcomers. After they are vet checked, they go in the big community cage in our living room until the rest of the crew gets used to them. Usually for about a week to two depending on my alpha kitty and her mood. Once they are accepted, the cage door is open and stays open, but most of them go inside the cage at night to sleep- it is the biggest cage you can buy- big enough for two german shepherd dogs to sleep or turn around in. The door stays open, but they find their comfort level there and stay put.Even my outdoor ferals will go inside a smaller cage I keep on the deck- it also has an open door. If you were caging your cats 24/7 then there would be cause for concern, but if your cats are comfortable with their sleeping arrangements then what is the harm IMO.

They don't complain to go in, one of them (even though she is still too skinny to stay in) runs with delight. They meow when I wake up only.

Both of my cats were also shelter cats so it wasn't an adjustment to spend the nights in a cage. The cage in many times bigger than the one they were already used to being in.

Hissy, I think it is problem to cage cats for hours, without them being able to get out. You said you keep the cage doors open. That is a world of difference from keeping cats secured in a cage. Being caged can cause stress disorders. I think it is cruel. If anyone went to adopt a cat from the shelter, and said they were going to keep the cat in a cage for 6-8 hours each day, I don't think they would be approved for adoption. No reputable breeder would sell a kitten to someone admitting to that intention. Most people giving away kittens would not give them to someone who was going to do that. It is a step up from cats spend all the time, day in and day out in a cage in a shelter or at the pound, but not a whole lot better, IMO.

There is no reason that pet cats should not be free to wander around their home. Keeping cats caged makes me feel the cager has a general intolerance of normal cat behavior, ignorance of the needs of cats, and does not really consider that the home is totally also the home of the cats. They are "sort of" allowed to live in the home. Sure, the one who is skinny enough to pass through the bars doesn't mind going in, since she can leave at will. I feel very sorry for any cat forced to stay in a cage for hours. It's not right.