I'm your typical, excessively worried cat mom. Jasmine is 2 and a half. She was born December 11, 2010. I brought her home February 5th, 2011, at 8 weeks old. She is a Siamese Manx cross. She's been through a lot with me.
She is harness trained and only goes outside on a leash or tether under my direct supervision. She has had no contact with other cats since I put Misha to sleep April 11, 2011. Jasmine was a Christmas present to make that loss easier, and I am adamant that she saved my life. Misha was the first cat I ever lost to death. I'd had to leave a couple behind, but that's a long story.
Either way, Jasmine has been acting a bit strangely lately. She's walking a bit slowly, and seems a little uncoordinated when she's playing. She doesn't want to be touched much, and since we moved from her first home in November of last year, she's been over grooming and sometimes even biting at her flank. Though she has yet to create bald patches, she has thinned the fur a bit in places. Since she was a kitten she has randomly had coughing fits that, when mentioned to the vet, were passed off as inconsequential. Now she's hiding some of the time, and seems to have some sensitivity to touch/weakness in her back right leg. Her breathing is clearly visible, and sometimes she is really warm on her ears, under her chin, and on the pads of her feet.
Oh yeah, she's also coughing up hairballs and yellow liquid pretty frequently as a result of the over grooming. Three times this week with two hairballs in each session. The first ones were big, but they've been smaller since.
She cost me 200$ in vet fees just recently, which cleaned out my savings for her emergency funds, when she got constipated. Now I feed her pumpkin every day, about a tablespoon, and give a few drops of fish oil if she is really bad, both things the vet praised. Her constipation is in check, and she's peeing fine.
She's almost always had a bald-ish spot above each of her eyes, that I was told is common is Siamese cats. She has the coloring (point) of the Siamese, the blue eyes, and the generally obnoxious, demanding, too-intelligent nature. She knows how to open nearly every door drawer and cupboard in the house, and has a tendency to do so whenever she likes. She also has the higher more powerful back legs of the Manx, and softer facial features than the Siamese as well.
I don't use any harsh chemicals around the house, and will soon be swapping my detergent and dryer sheets for a natural mineral ball, that can stay in the machine so she can't get at it. I clean everything in my house with lemons, white vinegar, baking soda, and salt, with the exception of laundry or dishes. Lemons get cut in half and used directly if the mess is greasy or sticky enough, but all surfaces get wiped down with a vinegar solution afterwards to eliminate the sticky mess, and the minor risk of toxicity to my cat. They are rarely used in that manner on anything she would come in contact with.
Salt is used as an abrasive, and she is locked out of the room until it has been rinsed thoroughly off any surface it was used on and disposed of properly.
She has also recently developed this habit of licking her nose a lot. And sometimes she breathes with her mouth open a little. I can't hear her breathe unless she mostly blocks her nose in my blanket, and then it sounds like a whistle, but so does mine when I do that...
She's sleeping a lot, but seems to be drinking OK. She's eating her dry food, but totally ignored the wet food I put down today, even though she loves that stuff more than anything.
I'm going to end up taking her to the vet, but I want to try to have some ideas by then... I've got to sell or pawn whatever I can to get the money to take her in. I'm also going to talk to a few different vets about payment options, including the bone my mother took her pom to one city over, and the vet that originally took care of her in yet another city, as well as trying to borrow money from friends. Have no doubts, I'll sacrifice anything to make her well again, if doing so is an option. I'm going to have to get her dewormed and treated for fleas and ticks, since they refused to do so when we went in for the constipation as they didn't want to over stress her, which was fine, of course, but they didn't send me home with any either, or do her regular yearly. The vet said she looked amazing then, and her weight was spot on. 11 pounds 5 ounces. She has a definite waist, and I'm pleased to say she determines how much she wants to eat herself. Within the guidelines of her food, of course.
Anyway, any insight anyone has would be greatly appreciated. If it is necessary to take her in immediately, i will just have to start calling and seeing if anyone will take us before i can come up with the cash.
I expect to be looking at at least $500 in vet bills, if they want to do bloodwork, and just two xrays.... Having some kind of idea where to start would help a lot.
Thanks >_
She is harness trained and only goes outside on a leash or tether under my direct supervision. She has had no contact with other cats since I put Misha to sleep April 11, 2011. Jasmine was a Christmas present to make that loss easier, and I am adamant that she saved my life. Misha was the first cat I ever lost to death. I'd had to leave a couple behind, but that's a long story.
Either way, Jasmine has been acting a bit strangely lately. She's walking a bit slowly, and seems a little uncoordinated when she's playing. She doesn't want to be touched much, and since we moved from her first home in November of last year, she's been over grooming and sometimes even biting at her flank. Though she has yet to create bald patches, she has thinned the fur a bit in places. Since she was a kitten she has randomly had coughing fits that, when mentioned to the vet, were passed off as inconsequential. Now she's hiding some of the time, and seems to have some sensitivity to touch/weakness in her back right leg. Her breathing is clearly visible, and sometimes she is really warm on her ears, under her chin, and on the pads of her feet.
Oh yeah, she's also coughing up hairballs and yellow liquid pretty frequently as a result of the over grooming. Three times this week with two hairballs in each session. The first ones were big, but they've been smaller since.
She cost me 200$ in vet fees just recently, which cleaned out my savings for her emergency funds, when she got constipated. Now I feed her pumpkin every day, about a tablespoon, and give a few drops of fish oil if she is really bad, both things the vet praised. Her constipation is in check, and she's peeing fine.
She's almost always had a bald-ish spot above each of her eyes, that I was told is common is Siamese cats. She has the coloring (point) of the Siamese, the blue eyes, and the generally obnoxious, demanding, too-intelligent nature. She knows how to open nearly every door drawer and cupboard in the house, and has a tendency to do so whenever she likes. She also has the higher more powerful back legs of the Manx, and softer facial features than the Siamese as well.
I don't use any harsh chemicals around the house, and will soon be swapping my detergent and dryer sheets for a natural mineral ball, that can stay in the machine so she can't get at it. I clean everything in my house with lemons, white vinegar, baking soda, and salt, with the exception of laundry or dishes. Lemons get cut in half and used directly if the mess is greasy or sticky enough, but all surfaces get wiped down with a vinegar solution afterwards to eliminate the sticky mess, and the minor risk of toxicity to my cat. They are rarely used in that manner on anything she would come in contact with.
Salt is used as an abrasive, and she is locked out of the room until it has been rinsed thoroughly off any surface it was used on and disposed of properly.
She has also recently developed this habit of licking her nose a lot. And sometimes she breathes with her mouth open a little. I can't hear her breathe unless she mostly blocks her nose in my blanket, and then it sounds like a whistle, but so does mine when I do that...
She's sleeping a lot, but seems to be drinking OK. She's eating her dry food, but totally ignored the wet food I put down today, even though she loves that stuff more than anything.
I'm going to end up taking her to the vet, but I want to try to have some ideas by then... I've got to sell or pawn whatever I can to get the money to take her in. I'm also going to talk to a few different vets about payment options, including the bone my mother took her pom to one city over, and the vet that originally took care of her in yet another city, as well as trying to borrow money from friends. Have no doubts, I'll sacrifice anything to make her well again, if doing so is an option. I'm going to have to get her dewormed and treated for fleas and ticks, since they refused to do so when we went in for the constipation as they didn't want to over stress her, which was fine, of course, but they didn't send me home with any either, or do her regular yearly. The vet said she looked amazing then, and her weight was spot on. 11 pounds 5 ounces. She has a definite waist, and I'm pleased to say she determines how much she wants to eat herself. Within the guidelines of her food, of course.
Anyway, any insight anyone has would be greatly appreciated. If it is necessary to take her in immediately, i will just have to start calling and seeing if anyone will take us before i can come up with the cash.
I expect to be looking at at least $500 in vet bills, if they want to do bloodwork, and just two xrays.... Having some kind of idea where to start would help a lot.
Thanks >_
