TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Cat Health › There's something wrong with Sally
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

There's something wrong with Sally

post #1 of 75
4/12/04 at 10:50am
Thread Starter 
I got home this morning and Sally was crouched in the corner of the bathroom, pupils dialated and having a hard time breathing. I called every vet in town begging them to see her, but none of them had time or weren't willing to see her without full payment upon her release. My boyfriend came in as I was getting rather upset and ran her over to his dog's vet--no carrier or anything, just jumped in his truck and took off. I am waiting to hear from him when they call. Since he was on his lunch he just dropped her off there. I don't know what to do. Im so upset right now. What could be wrong with her?? She's not been totally herself since she was fixed. She has just been lying around alot. I thought it was because she was sore or just got lazy afterwards. I'm scared to death they are going to call and say they will have to put her to sleep.
Reply
post #2 of 75
4/12/04 at 11:10am
Abby, I am not too familiar with the medical stuff but I just wanted to say that I hope your Sally is ok and gets better soon. I know that waiting is the worst, but hang in there and in the meantime Sally is in my prayers.
Reply
post #3 of 75
4/12/04 at 11:12am
There is no telling what is wrong with her. Your boyfriend did the right thing in getting her to the vet. Please let us know what they find- and hang in there-
Reply
post #4 of 75
4/12/04 at 1:07pm
Thread Starter 
I just got a phone call from my boyfriend a bit ago and they tested her for leukemia and fiv and a few other things that he couldn't remember and she's tested negative for all of them thank God. Shes not any better, but he didnt say she was any worse either. I feel there is something he's not telling me. I found throw up all over the floor downstairs after he took her to the vet. They are going to do xrays and some blood work next and would let him know. So far the vet bill is $180, but I'm not too concerned with that right now. And I have class tonite. I hate to leave here not knowing whats wrong with her.
Reply
post #5 of 75
4/12/04 at 1:58pm
Hope Sally is Ok Abby. How worrying for you.
Reply
post #6 of 75
4/12/04 at 6:46pm
Hope everything turns out okay, sending get better soon vibes...
Reply
post #7 of 75
4/12/04 at 7:04pm
Thread Starter 
I have Sally at home. My boyfriend brought her home when he got off work. They said her xrays showed a cotton like substance/fungus on her lungs and windpipe and they are waiting for blood tests to come back in hopes that will tell them something more. I will find out all details when I go to pay the bill tomorrow. In the meantime she had two shots of antibiotics and a bottle of antibiotics (Baytril?) to take. She was limp this morning when I came home and when he went to pick her up today she bit the vet assistant when they reached in to get her out of the holding area. The biting is a "normal" Sally thing when she doesn't want to be bothered. She has been laying on her blanket on the couch sleeping this evening and she is breathing more normally so I am praying that she will come out of this.
Reply
post #8 of 75
4/12/04 at 7:06pm
I am so sorry your baby is so sick .

I will say a prayer for her to get well again
Reply
post #9 of 75
4/12/04 at 11:14pm
I'm sorry to hear your Sally is not feeling well. Please keep us updated. I will send some good vibes your way
Reply
post #10 of 75
4/12/04 at 11:25pm
If by a cotton-like substance they mean like clouds fluffy in the sky, that can oftentimes just be an infection. I know it is worrisome, but try not to worry and give Sally a nice quiet dark place to rest up. Please let us know what the tests reveal-
Reply
post #11 of 75
4/13/04 at 8:28am
Sounds like the antibiotics are working if her breathing is more regular. Hope she is feeling better soon
Keep us posted
Reply
post #12 of 75
4/13/04 at 8:31am
Thread Starter 
Sally is throwing up everytime she eats. I remember reading on other posts that the cat had a blockage. Wouldnt that have shown up on her xrays? I found a huge hairball this morning that she threw up. I mixed some hairball medicine in with her food and she ate it, but threw it all back up. I called the vet and her blood work wont be back until after noon sometime.

Is there anything else I can feed her that would be easier on her tummy? Scrambled eggs or something like that? or would that make her feel worse?
Reply
post #13 of 75
4/13/04 at 11:39am
Please don't feed her any egg white , that is not good for cats . I am hoping by now you have herd from the vet .
I will continue to pray for your baby
Reply
post #14 of 75
4/13/04 at 11:47am
Thread Starter 
I went in and paid the bill but they still dont have any results back. I asked about her throwing up so much and they said just be patient and when it comes in they will call. The assistant that was at the desk said the antibiotics are for Aspiration Pnuemonia (sp)..How would she get that and what is it and most importantly, can she recover from it?

When I got home she was laying on my bed and I thought she was gone..She looks awful and was laying in a strange position. I thought "omg, not now" but I watched her for a few minutes and she is breathing, just not as well as she normally would. She weighs only 6.5 pounds and is the length of a normal full grown cat if that gives you an idea of how frail she is.

I didnt know egg whites are bad for cats..thank you for telling me that.
Reply
post #15 of 75
4/13/04 at 1:23pm
Goodness. I would take her immediately to another vet. There is something very wrong with her! You can try to give her baby food (meat, chicken, beef) a bit of chedder cheese, chicken broth.. stuff like that. Make sure she is drinking water because if she becomes dehydrated she will have even more problems. Blockages dont always show up on xrays I dont think. Also try to give her some canned pumpkin, that could help her too.
Reply
post #16 of 75
4/13/04 at 1:33pm
Any more news? Perhaps the antibiotics are upsetting her stomach. Raw egg whites are bad for cats - cooked are okay. Here's a link explaining why:
http://www.ralstonpurina.com/cats/nu...asp?article=94

"Repeatedly adding raw eggs to a cat's diet can cause a deficiency of the vitamin biotin. Raw egg whites contain avidin, an enzyme which ties up biotin (makes it unavailable for absorption into the body). Symptoms of biotin deficiency include dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), loss of hair, and poor growth."
Reply
post #17 of 75
4/13/04 at 2:18pm
Thread Starter 
No news as of yet. I called the vet again, but they treated me as if I were trying to get access to a bank account or something. Since my boyfriend took her in, they are treating her as his cat. I called him at work and he said he would call and talk to them when he got a chance and PROMISED it would be soon. That was an hour ago and I've not heard back from him yet. Sally is drinking water. I checked her gums and they are still pink. She's napping on her blanket in the bathroom on the towel rack. She likes to lay there so I moved it so it is over the heat vent in the bathroom. That way when the furnace kicks on, she stays warm. I keep checking on her but I don't touch her so she will stay sleeping.

I have some baby food here, but none that is meat only. I do have some chicken broth too, so I will try warming some of that up for her and hopefully she will keep that down.
Reply
post #18 of 75
4/13/04 at 2:24pm
Abbey how old is Sally? Did you syringe or bottle feed her as a kitten?
Reply
post #19 of 75
4/13/04 at 2:46pm
I have been following this thread but not posting. I agree with Sicy, it sounds like something is seriously wrong. Is there an ER vet you can take Sally to ASAP?
Reply
post #20 of 75
4/13/04 at 2:56pm
Aspiration pneumonia can come from when the kitten has been force fed or syringed liquid to quickly, or simply fed to much formula. The fluid goes down into the trachea and settles into the lungs. As it then affects the breathing, it can be potentially serious, because it opens the lungs up to a bacterial infection. I am not aware of how old this cat is, or what the history behind her feeding program was as a kitten. This is just all i know about aspiration pneumonia.
Reply
post #21 of 75
4/13/04 at 2:58pm
I am praying for Sally, but I would take her to another vet urgently.
Reply
post #22 of 75
4/13/04 at 3:33pm
Hi,
I have to agree with everyone...something is not going well, and this vet should be willing to respond to you (especially if your boyfriend tells them it's okay to discuss Sally with you) since you are seeing a problem and a problem that needs to be addressed. Her vomitting could be from several things, one of which is simply not tolerating the antibiotic's being given. Aspiration pnemonia can be from any number of things (including inhaling vomit)... please get her a second opinion, so her breathing, her temp etc. can be evaluated.

I'm so sorry, this must be incredibly stressful, and I hope Sally be okay.
Know that a lot of folks here care, post when you can as we'll all be waiting to hear how things are going,
Reply
post #23 of 75
4/13/04 at 5:05pm
Aspiration pneumonia can come from a wide variety of causes. It simply means that somehow your cat got fluid or semifluids into her lungs instead of in her esophagus where it belongs.
This could be from mistakenly inhaling fluids you tried to give her or liquid medications, from vomiting & mistakenly inhaling some of that or from having problems with swallowing such as megaesophagus (the tube going from the mouth to the stomach is too big or the muscles too weak & fluid can build up there, then it is easy to cough some down into the lungs).
The important things now are antibiotics to take care of any bacterial infections & then nursing care - keeping her warm, comfortable, well hydrated & some nutrition into her. If need be, ask the vet about giving her fluids under the skin at home (truly much easier to do than it sounds .
Good luck with her!
Deb E
Reply
post #24 of 75
4/13/04 at 5:45pm
Thread Starter 
Hissy,

I would say Sally is appx 8-9 months old now. I just got her in January from my landlord whose tenant left her alone in an apt for a week then threw her out in sub-zero temps. I haven't fed her anything myself because she eats on her own. I don't know anything about her life before she came here but I assume it was pretty bad judging by how scared she gets if I walk up to her too fast or when I raise my hand to pet her she shys away.



I fed Sally some warmed chicken broth and she has eaten some food and kept that down as well. She is still breathing strange, but nowhere near how she was yesterday morning. The medicine the vet gave her is about the size of an asprin. This morning I just stuck it in the corner of her mouth then waited for her to swallow it. After 3 tries, she did. Is there a less invasive way to get a cat to take a pill because I was afraid she would choke on it.


My boyfriend also got ahold of the vet and they said that the first 48 hours will be the worst and I should start to see some improvement by tomorrow. Her bloodwork is still not back but they are to call me or him the minute it comes in. If this doesn't tell anything I plan to make an appointment with another vet altogether.
Reply
post #25 of 75
4/13/04 at 8:03pm
Glad she's eating a little bit.
Reply
post #26 of 75
4/13/04 at 8:34pm
Abby -

I'm so very sorry about Sally, said a little prayer for her. Glad to hear that she was able to keep alittle food down. I don't have any advice for you, just hope she gets better really soon, I know how worried and sick you must be.

Sounds like the vet should have been more patient with you and explained things better. They also should have told you earlier that the first 48 hrs. were the worst, at least then you would have expected it.

Jill and Candy
Reply
post #27 of 75
4/13/04 at 8:45pm
Thread Starter 
I will say that while I am thankful for their help, I am not pleased with them at all at the vet office. I partly feel the only reason they are even accepting her into their office is because my boyfriend runs the service dept at a car dealership they all go to. (And they know he will get even with them)

I'm relieved that Sally is eating and am really, really grateful for all of everyone's concern, but right now, I don't honestly think she is going to come out of this. I'm sure its partly stress from this and other things that have me feeling so hopeless. I feel like I could be doing more for her or that I should have been able to prevent this from happening in the first place. Sorry, I'm not dealing well with this at all.
Reply
post #28 of 75
4/13/04 at 8:55pm
Reply
post #29 of 75
4/13/04 at 9:36pm
do try to hang in there. if you are strong for your kitty, she will be strong for you. i know that i worry ALL THE TIME and it is my boyfriend who has to calm me.

you are truly a good heart for taking her in. my kitties were abandoned as well, and i hand fed them... so i do know what it is like to have an overbearing bond with your babies.

hang in there... the beginning is always the hardest.
Reply
post #30 of 75
4/14/04 at 5:01am
(((((((HUGS))))))) Please hang in there and don't give up yet . All you can do is giving her all your love and that is also part she needs from you right now . Cats can be very strong and when they have some one to love they try even harder to pull through . Let the medication do its part , love her and tell her you love her .

I will continue to pray for your baby
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Cat Health
TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Cat Health › There's something wrong with Sally