Socks Is Sick...

Even though my vet knows all of this and said its ok to wait? Sorry it just feels like some of you think i'm neglecting him.

No no... that's not what i meant at all... I did say, in all my posts, as soon as you are able... and what i meant by: anaemia doesn't happen over night is that... well it could happen to any one as even the most concerned cat owners don't check their cats gums every day... it's not neglect or irresponsibility or anything negative that no one picked up the light gums because like i said, it's a bit extreme to check the colour of your cats gums everyday or even every week and certainly no one would think to do it when your cat is healthy... i hope i'm making sense... what i meant was maybe he has something that is causing the light gums that may not even be connected to the throwing up... and it's not your fault that you didn't know...

At the end of the day your vet knows best. And i totally didn't mean to make you feel like you're neglecting your cat... i certainly don't think you are...

No Fluffy's mom, I do not think you are neglecting him. I understand the importance of not having money and needing it for vet care. All I am trying to do is let you know that suddenly without warning this could go bad. It may not- but again, it could. And it has been my experience with vets (and if any are lurking) that if they know you don't have money, they are not so willing to treat a cat, plus if they are not a primary cat vet, they don't place that much importance on the symptoms. Heck, one year I wrote a hot check and then went to the bank and pleaded my case. I got the check forgiven and covered, and I never did it again, but it was an emergency and I had no other choice.

I hope Socks is fine, but if his gums don't pink up, he needs blood work drawn. Push fluids like crazy buy some Pedialyte and mix it with good canned food and give him this soupy stuff 5 times a day. If he has fleas, then get some advantage and flea treat him. Good luck- and no I don't think you neglect your cat.

Thanks for understanding guys I have Whiskas Pouches..could i mix that with Pedialyte? Also what if Fluffy gets some by accident?

It won't hurt Fluffy at all, it's just electrolytes and it tastes sort of salty which is why you mix it with something yummy

Gald to hear Socks is feeling a little better. I agree with Hissy that you should get fluids done him and it's okay if Fluffy eats it too. Do get him in if anything changes and do make an appoinment to see the vet when you get paid for blood tests and keep an eye on his gums for any changes.

Take care and good luck and keep us posted on how Socks is doing.

These kinds of threads pain me. Fluffys mom I know you love your kitties so much but honestly.. if you dont have the money to care for them when they are sick should you have even taken socks in at all? I know he was a stray you took in and you're a great mom for that but I mean personally if I didnt at least have a credit card or some kind of cat savings account there is no way I would take on a cat because I know vets can come up suddenly and be very expensive. I hope you dont get mad at me I just have to say this. And I know you are not neglecting him.. it just pains me to see cats that cant be taken to the vet because of 'money' problems. I would probably start selling things if I had to in order to get the care I need for my cat. On another board a girl's cat spit up 5 times one day. Well it ended up having some kind of liver damage and died 4 days later And she even took him to the vet. I really really hope he gets better. I will send some good vibes your way.

I knew this was coming....i have a child to look after also. We usually have money for emergenices but this time it was different. I'd rather take him in from his outdoor life then find him dead on the side of the road. I have said that if anything changes i will be taking him in to the vet as instructed by the vet. I guess i have to think twice before posting in this forum from now on...

Danielle, please don't take things the wrong way. People are just trying to help, and are naturally concerned about Socks. There's no reason to stop posting. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Socks will be okay, and that your financial situation improves.

Questioning whether i should of taken Socks in is hurtful to me. I'm taking it as it was posted.

One of my cats does this when she is working on bringing up a hairball. She will first barf out all of her food, then she will barf liquid a couple of times, and then with a pitiful yowl she will hock up a huge hairball. Sometimes the hairball comes the day after the clear barfing episode. Make sure your little one has plenty of fiber in her diet and perhaps give her some pumpkin or hairball treatment and see whether that helps.

Where do you live that it costs so much for just a check up? I can't believe a vet can get away with charging more than $100 just to look at an animal! Wow! I pay only around $25 - $30 for a check-up!

Please don't take offense at the posts that bothered you!

I think that saying that a cat shouldn't be taken in if you don't have the money is pretty dumb. My whole thought is that no matter what the home situation is, I think that it is better for the cat to have an owner that gives it love and food all of the time than for it to be trying to survive outdoors....especially if it is sick!!

Fluffy's mom- please don't stop posting because of other people's opinions. I know that everyone in this thread is pulling for you and Socks to have this be nothing more than a hairball problem. I spoke as I did, because I know in the past when I was quiet and said nothing about what *might* happen, that later the cat did not fare well and the owner was left going "why didn't someone tell me this could happen?" So now, I say something.

I can imagine that you are doing everything humanely possible to help this cat that you rescued off the streets. I also think your vet is gouging you for an office visit, even giving sub cu fluids only runs about $45.00 in this neighborhood at least. But some vets are like that, though heaven knows why they are vets then?

At any rate, keep your eye on Socks, try and get some gruel into him and elevate his food bowl a little bit to help him relax his throat. Once he has completely stopped vomiting, start adding canned pumpkin to his food in case he is clogged with hair. Even shorthair cats eat their hair when they groom, because of the barbs of their tongues that pull up hair when they lick themselves.

No one knows anyone else's financial situation, and again, please if you need advice, post here, but also try and find another vet, one with more reasonable rates?

Originally posted by lotsocats
One of my cats does this when she is working on bringing up a hairball. She will first barf out all of her food, then she will barf liquid a couple of times, and then with a pitiful yowl she will hock up a huge hairball. Sometimes the hairball comes the day after the clear barfing episode. Make sure your little one has plenty of fiber in her diet and perhaps give her some pumpkin or hairball treatment and see whether that helps.

Where do you live that it costs so much for just a check up? I can't believe a vet can get away with charging more than $100 just to look at an animal! Wow! I pay only around $25 - $30 for a check-up!

Please don't take offense at the posts that bothered you!

Click to expand...

It was $115 for a emegency/off hours checkup. A reg visit during office hours is $45.I live in Canada. Dh and i are able to get a payday loan if Socks needs to go in. Right now he is sleeping (like most cats!lol)
Hissy-Do i put the pumpkin in his dry food? I'm going shopping shortly when dh gets home. Oh one morew qustion can short hairs get hairballs too?

I have had similar problems with Sam. At first I would take him to the vet each time, and they would find nothing wrong, and he would recover. Now I know he just has a sensitive tummy, and he also likes eating stuff he shouldn't. So, I know the look of "good" vomit, and "bad" vomit. Also the sequence before he gets rid of a hairball.

For example, two days ago I caught him nibbling on a house plant that was left in the hallway of my building. Later that day, he threw up about 5 times, solid food, then clear liquid. I checked to see what was in the vomit (eeewww), and saw bits of plant, so knew that he had a stomach irritation. And I waited, and the next day he was fine. If that had gone on for more than one day, I would have called the vet, but I knew what was causing it.

The white gums, I would call about. But not as an emergency, just as a routine visit.

And now that Sam is getting close to 8 years old (we think), I plan on having the vet run blood panels just as a bench mark, and to be sure that there is not some other underlying problem - again, not as an emergency, but as a routine check up. I am also planning to get some pumpkin to see if Sam can get some help with the darn hairballs. He is a very hairy cat.

On the board, everyone is obliged to tell you to check with a vet. It would be negligent to tell anyone otherwise. But it is also useful to hear stories from others with similar problems to see how they resolved. And you did call your vet, right? And the vet said, wait and see, and bring the cat in if things don't improve? And you will do that?

I think you are doing fine. And I hope Socks feels better.

Yes of course if he's not better i will bring him in..

I would just feed him wet food because he needs the moisture right now. The canned pumpkin mixes well with the wet if you nuke it a few seconds before serving, just don't get it to hot.

I'd thought I'd bump this and ask how Socks is doing?

How is Socks?

I'm rooting for socks! My five month old kitten threw up some clear yellowish liquid 3 times in two days and he had never ever had a thing wrong with him. Sure enough it turned out to be a hairball, but he was eating fine and everything, so I didn't take him in. Plus, I know how you feel, the emergency vet here is (american) $105. I took my kitten in (on Hissy's good advice) to an emergency clinic for a string comming out her butt, and I've heard horror stories about how bad that can be. Never leave anything like that laying around just to tell everyone!!!! (She passed it OK!) It can get wrapped around the base of their tounge or in there intestines and kill them quick!! ANYWAY, I hope Socks keeps feeling better and let us know if anything changes!