seriously swollen lips!!!!

                    hello everybody,my name is Debbie and my cats name is jack.he's 8yrs old.I have a very serious question.first of all i just became a member of this site today (4/14/14).i'm not really sure how to go about asking this question,id like to ask a professional but im not sure where on this site do i go about doing that...maybe someone can help by pointing me in the right direction.  o.k.,well here's my question; my cats upper lip is swollen...and i mean super swollen.its bad to the point where he cant even use it to eat.it don't seem to bother him,he don't meow like he's pain either.we think it might be a allergic reaction to something...possibly the dog we have or plastic bags,he likes to play with them!! him and the dog which is a female are both inside pets.we keep the cat inside and we walk the dog.the whole lip is swollen too,not just one section...the whole upper lip!! o.k. well if anybody has heard of this could you please respond. we cant afford to take him to the vet's right now,but next month we will.thank you...JACK and Debbie!!                                          

There are no vets on this site. We are all a bunch of cat lovers sharing our experiences. Cats are very good at hiding pain. If he is having trouble eating, I would recommend a vet visit sooner rather than later. The swelling could be many things. He could have an issue in mouth, possibly with teeth or gums. He could have been stung or bitten by something. He may have an allergic reaction. It's just impossible to say. How long has the swelling been going on for?

Many vibes for Jack to be better soon.

I am not sure from your post- is he eating? If not this is a serious emergency and has to be dealt with immediately. 

Unfortunately there is no one on this site that is able to give you a professional opinion, and no online advice can replace direct veterinary intervention. You are welcome to look for advice in the health forum while waiting for that appointment, but never delay proper veterinary care waiting for Internet advice. Remember that cats are very adept in keeping pain to themselves and delaying treatment may cause irreversible damage.

If you cannot afford a vet, there are resources available to you to ensure your cat gets the veterinary care. There is an excellent article titled “When You Can’t Afford a Veterinarian” on this website, available at http://www.thecatsite.com/Health/76/...erinarian.html. Please read through it to find out more about the options available to you.

hello,thanks for responding.his lip has been swollen for close to a year now,no bigger no smaller,same size.yep,we are taking him in asap!!

 my first instinct is to tell you to call your vet, if it is truly an allergic reaction, who knows how bad that could get....

As for experts, there are expert forums, but mostly we're all just cat owners and lovers, you will find some member who are much more knowledgeable and who have worked with cats immediately. regardless it's safer to call a vet before they close for the evening than wait for an answer here.

detroitkittycat said:

 
hello,thanks for responding.his lip has been swollen for close to a year now,no bigger no smaller,same size.yep,we are taking him in asap!!

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I am really VERY sorry to hear this has been going on for so long without his being taken to a vet or an opinion being sought. I really can only reiterate, even more strongly, that he should be seen by a vet as soon as possible. Please look into Care Credit if you cannot afford to take him in.  

detroitkittycat said:

 
hello,thanks for responding.his lip has been swollen for close to a year now,no bigger no smaller,same size.yep,we are taking him in asap!!

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If its been this way for a year then it may be some sort of growth.  Getting him seen by a vet now may save you money later.  Medical problems tend to get more expensive not less expensive if allowed to go on.

Hi, I have one cat who had swollen lips from the anesthesia when she was spayed.  There are over the counter allergy meds that are safe for cats.  Zyrtec is good, 2.5mg to 5mg one to two times daily. Just make sure it is plain Zyrtec, nothing extra.  Do you have a vet?  If you are established then you should be able to call and ask for advice with out having to take the cat in. 

I HIGHLY advise against medicating your cat with any medicines designed for human consumption unless you are either under the supervision of a vet or have truly EXTENSIVE rescue experience. Doing this, you run the risk of doing even more harm to the cat.

yes he's eating every day and he even eats his little kitty treats i give him.if he's in pain he sure does hide it well.i read what you guys said about hiding pain an i hope that's not what he's doing.once again there's no sign of pain.oh yeah i forgot...every once in awhile we put some" Carmex chapstick" on him,i hope that don't harm him

o.k. so i should stop with the "Carmex Chapstick"??

Why are you putting Carmex on him? I don't know the ingredients of Carmex. There may be ingredients that are irritating. If you are putting it on his upper lip, he's probably ingesting some of it.

Yes. Please stop using it. I do not think that is a good idea.

o.k. i'll stop the chapstick immediatly thank you.if i call my vet do you think they will give me advice????

I don't know. If you are a long term client, they may, but they will most likely want to see him. It's hard to give a diagnosis without an exam at least. Generally, an exam alone should not cost that much. You can ask for an estimate of any tests (if any) they want to run. They should get your approval prior to tests.

Please stop the Carmex immediately! The active ingredients in Carmex are camphor, menthol and phenol, which could all be irritating and potentially toxic to a cat.

Please, please, take him to a vet!  Perhaps you could work out a payment program with the vet--just explain your situation.