Hello fellow cat enthusiasts! I am a first time cat owner and would like your advice cornering the health of a lovely cat that came into my life yesterday.
So I adopted a 7-8+ year old beautiful cat from the SPCA this past Saturday. She's believed to be a mix of sorts (profile picture) and she did have a past owner because she was fixed and declawed b4 becoming a stray.
What is troubling is after further observation at home I suspect she may be actively sick.
Bad Symptoms
1. Skinny. At the shelter I noticed right off the bat how skinny she was; her ribs are easily felt, her spinal bone jets out, her hip bones are visible, etc. One of the workers admitted she was underweight. It may have been due to diarrhea they said and stress of the shelter. They think the cat has an allergy to red dye. I have been feeding it the past two days a higher quality brand (wellness). Her stools have been formed and she's peeing it seems w/o difficulty.
2. Sneezing. She kept sneezing and sneezing. Today the sneezing has subsided a bit, but she still sneezes! I notice she sneezes a lot when she's eating. At the SPCA one worker told me something like she had a URI and it will fully pass in 60 days(?). While another worker told me she never had a URI. And then another worker told me it may be allergies????.... I would also like to note she sounds a bit congested.
3.Eyes where watering today. No colored discharge.
4. Her fur is sadly a mess. It is very rough and smells unfortunately like urine. I don't want to bother her if she's sick. I also want her to feel more comfortable. Therefore I intend on grooming her in a few days. I did get a good shredder and a waterless cat shampoo spray that I intend to spray either on a paper towel or her soft brush.. I know some cats don't groom themselves, but I think this is pretty bad.
Unsure symptoms and behaviors
1. Seems tired. She sleeps a lot. On the 45 minute ride home she just sat in my arms. She doesn't jump up at all at home. She lays on her bed and on the floor. Maybe her past owner forbid her to jump up? She may actually have bad eye sight...She's a very zen cat; doesn't really move around much. I sadly don't know if this normal for her.
2. Head feels warm. I was reading online that cats get fevers. She feels warm to me; it's hard however since I have nothing to compare it too. I have cranked the AC up (just in-case) because I know keeping the environment cool can help with a fever.
3. Weak meow. I know some cats, for whatever reason, have a weak meow. But sadly I don't know if it's normal for her. She very quiet for the most part.
Good
1. She's eating a decent amount of food. I'm feeding her wellness. Today I introduced a teaspoon of wet food. I also see her drink water.
2. She's smart. She knows where the cat littler is and uses it w/o difficulty.
3. She passes formed stools and pees seemingly w/o difficulty.
4. Her hearing seems to be very good and her eyes dilate normally it seems. She displays normal reactions to loud sounds (my juicer).
Her records
According to what the SPCA she was last seen by someone 6/16/2015. She was negative for FeLV test and FIV. They did two fecal checks and treated her for fleas. She also was given a booster. Unfortunately her weight was not recorded on the information they gave me. Also nothing about a URI.
My plan.
I intend to continue to observe her the next few days and locate a reasonable vet. I do want to have the vet do a physical anyway, but incase the bad symptoms increase what should I ask the vet to check for specifically? What do you expect (if anything) from my explanation.
Nonetheless I love her and I'm glad I made my decision. I hope I'm just being ultra paranoid. If she is sick I will try my best to heal her and if she is actively dying I will try to make her comfortable. I'm sad that money right now isn't exactly flowing, but I'm hopful I will be able to afford medincine for her if she needs it. Please help if you can offer some advice I would appreciate it....Please, if you are spiritual, pray for her. Please pray for Nana.
Thank you,
L.
So I adopted a 7-8+ year old beautiful cat from the SPCA this past Saturday. She's believed to be a mix of sorts (profile picture) and she did have a past owner because she was fixed and declawed b4 becoming a stray.
What is troubling is after further observation at home I suspect she may be actively sick.
Bad Symptoms
1. Skinny. At the shelter I noticed right off the bat how skinny she was; her ribs are easily felt, her spinal bone jets out, her hip bones are visible, etc. One of the workers admitted she was underweight. It may have been due to diarrhea they said and stress of the shelter. They think the cat has an allergy to red dye. I have been feeding it the past two days a higher quality brand (wellness). Her stools have been formed and she's peeing it seems w/o difficulty.
2. Sneezing. She kept sneezing and sneezing. Today the sneezing has subsided a bit, but she still sneezes! I notice she sneezes a lot when she's eating. At the SPCA one worker told me something like she had a URI and it will fully pass in 60 days(?). While another worker told me she never had a URI. And then another worker told me it may be allergies????.... I would also like to note she sounds a bit congested.
3.Eyes where watering today. No colored discharge.
4. Her fur is sadly a mess. It is very rough and smells unfortunately like urine. I don't want to bother her if she's sick. I also want her to feel more comfortable. Therefore I intend on grooming her in a few days. I did get a good shredder and a waterless cat shampoo spray that I intend to spray either on a paper towel or her soft brush.. I know some cats don't groom themselves, but I think this is pretty bad.
Unsure symptoms and behaviors
1. Seems tired. She sleeps a lot. On the 45 minute ride home she just sat in my arms. She doesn't jump up at all at home. She lays on her bed and on the floor. Maybe her past owner forbid her to jump up? She may actually have bad eye sight...She's a very zen cat; doesn't really move around much. I sadly don't know if this normal for her.
2. Head feels warm. I was reading online that cats get fevers. She feels warm to me; it's hard however since I have nothing to compare it too. I have cranked the AC up (just in-case) because I know keeping the environment cool can help with a fever.
3. Weak meow. I know some cats, for whatever reason, have a weak meow. But sadly I don't know if it's normal for her. She very quiet for the most part.
Good
1. She's eating a decent amount of food. I'm feeding her wellness. Today I introduced a teaspoon of wet food. I also see her drink water.
2. She's smart. She knows where the cat littler is and uses it w/o difficulty.
3. She passes formed stools and pees seemingly w/o difficulty.
4. Her hearing seems to be very good and her eyes dilate normally it seems. She displays normal reactions to loud sounds (my juicer).
Her records
According to what the SPCA she was last seen by someone 6/16/2015. She was negative for FeLV test and FIV. They did two fecal checks and treated her for fleas. She also was given a booster. Unfortunately her weight was not recorded on the information they gave me. Also nothing about a URI.
My plan.
I intend to continue to observe her the next few days and locate a reasonable vet. I do want to have the vet do a physical anyway, but incase the bad symptoms increase what should I ask the vet to check for specifically? What do you expect (if anything) from my explanation.
Nonetheless I love her and I'm glad I made my decision. I hope I'm just being ultra paranoid. If she is sick I will try my best to heal her and if she is actively dying I will try to make her comfortable. I'm sad that money right now isn't exactly flowing, but I'm hopful I will be able to afford medincine for her if she needs it. Please help if you can offer some advice I would appreciate it....Please, if you are spiritual, pray for her. Please pray for Nana.
Thank you,
L.
