Is my kitty sick??

Hi everyone! I'm new to the list, and a new mommy of 2 adult kitties (Bailey, spayed female; and Nucchi, neutered male). I've had both cats for 2 weeks now, and I have a few questions. I noticed about a week ago that both cats have minor crusties in the inner corners of their eyes. They're not oozing or anything, but every couple of days, I have to remove little black crusties. Is this normal? Also, Bailey started sneezing about a week ago, and started vomiting 2 days ago (she's vomited twice in 3 days). I'm wondering if the vomiting has to do with me changing her food (I started weening her onto a different food a week ago). Both cats also have been scratching at their ears (no sign of mites though), and Nucchi has a VERY wet nose. Nucchi also has CRAZY dandruff. I know that his previous owner didn't have a good grooming routine, so is that probably why? Does anyone have any advice?

Also, I brought her to the vet and they said she might have a cavity. Does anyone know what they do if a cat has a cavity? Do they just remove the tooth?

Last thing is that Bailey licks her lower stomach frequently (it's practically bald!). I heard that cats do this when they're stressed, but I'm not certain.

Of course I HAVE to think of these concerns on Labor Day weekend, when I can't ask a vet

If anyone has any words of wisdom, I'd very much appreciate it. You all sound quite experienced

Thanks a bunch!!!

I will try to answer all the questions the best I can.
The black/brown crusty stuff can be normal. If it's green, yellow, or it's swollen, there's probably an infection.
Sneezing can either be the beginning of an upper respiratory infection, or an adjustment to the new surroundings and smells. If there's no discharge, or a runny nose, it's okay.
The vomiting sounds like the food change. It's possible she might have a hairball or stress, but keep a close eye on her. You can go back to the food she was eating, and see if the vomiting stops.
The licking or overgrooming can be stress related or an allergy to something in the enviroment or in the food. The only way to find out for sure is to give it some time to see if it may be stress, or do a food trial to see if there's something causing an allergy.
Dry skin can be caused by many things. More times than none, it's improper nutrition. A better diet will help, or you can start adding fish oil to the diet to help out.
Cavities in cats are treated by removal of the tooth if it gets bad enough.
You havn't had them for very long, so I am sure it's going to take some time to adjust for all of you. It sounds like you are off the right start (being a concerned cat mom)

Welcome to this cat site and nice meeting you and your cats .

You said you were by the vet with them ? How long agao ? Was it befor all the symtom come about or after ? Did the vet took some stuff out of their ears to ck unter a microscope for earmites ? Vormiting can happen by food change , but it could be a hairball or anything els . I don't know what kind of food you feed your cats . Is the cat still sneezing and how often ? All the time ? It may has a cold but I don't know . I really think you should go to the vet with them again if all that happen after the vet visit , or maybe look for a different vet to see what he/she has to say .

Argh! I just posted a huge reply and then it told me I wasn't logged in

I brought her to the vet to have her weight evaluated. I hadn't noticed the ear scratching until after the appointment, so I didn't mention it. She only sneezes once a day (if that) when I'm around, and it's a mini-sneeze (she doesn't spray mucous all over the place or anything like that). I had a stray cat with leukemia a while back that got really sick once after she got spayed, and if she sneezed a foot away from you, she'd get you!

Do you know if it's normal for a cat to act lethargic and depressed after they vomit? Bailey's been lying on the bed looking pretty sad ever since she threw up. It's difficult because I feel so bad, but she obviously can't tell me what's wrong.

I do plan on changing their diets to higher-quality food (I read some articles from the forums about what they put in commercial food, and it's pretty freaky!). I'm going to wait until Bailey gets weighed again though, because she may need to go on diet food (she's a little overweight).

Thanks for the advice! I'll call the vet Tuesday, but I was just hoping I could get a little peace of mind until then If anyone knows about the question I had above, please let me know! Thanks so much!

em... well, i'm glad you are going to take them to a vet...
some cats have more sensitive tummies than other cats and so a change in food will get them a bit down for a couple of days, but not more than a couple...

If the vomit is clear it's probably just indigestion... BUT that's not always so... IF it is indigestion you can settle their tummies with some natural unsweetened yoghurt... some cats like it, other cats may not, and you may need to just syringe them a bit, three or four mouthfulls should do...

I'd keep a close eye on them till they get to a vet... And ear mites are not necessarily visible to the human eye, and a severe enough infection may give them a fever which may in turn cause other symptoms... If you're just got them it's best that the gives them a thourough check up for all the nasty viruses and diseases. It may cost a bit extra now, but it'll save you in the long run.

do you know if they've had their shots?

and as for the licking, if it's not medical you might have some luck with flower essences... there's one which is particularly good for animals that over groom... it could however be a fungus.

Hi Yzma,

She did spit up some clear saliva before she threw up, and there was a bit of hair in it (she has hairball issues), but it wasn't a hairball.

As far as the ear scratching goes, I found a little scab on her head last night near her ear, which is probably from a bug bite or a scratch from the other cat (she doesn't have fleas though, and has been given Frontline and Heartgard).

She just had her rabies and distemper shot and tested negative for leukemia and FIV. She is going to get her teeth cleaned soon, and they're going to do some pre-operative blood work, so would that enable them to find out if she has any diseases or viruses that I'm not aware of?

Thanks!