petsitting- what would you do?

zak&rocky

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I am pet sitting my co-workers cats. Her big friendly gray & white boy Sport has something that looks like either a scab or maybe feline acne on his chin. I just noticed it, you wouldn't really notice unless you pick him up and scritch him or you are looking for it.. Remembering what happened to Suzie's Petals I decided he should go to the vet and booked an apt at her vet for tommorow. I've no doubt she will not have a problem with it.. She also was using plastic for the water bowls so I fished up some ceramic bowls around her house and put them down. Sport doesn't seem in pain or anything like that.
The thing is pink, about the size of a dime and had some dried blood on it.. I'm kinda worried about stressing him out but I know he is in good health.. He is normally indoor outdoor and I don't know how he is in the carrier.. But I also think his meowmy would want him to go, but I don't know if it this requires immediate attention.. If it were my cat I would make an apt within 48 hours.. His meowmy comes back Sunday BTW. What would you guys do?
 

rapunzel47

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If my pet sitter found that, I hope she wouldn't wait until Sunday. It may not be as serious as Petals got, but why take a chance?
 
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zak&rocky

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Rapunzel, just you posting made me feel better.. Sometimes I think maybe I'm over reacting.. I really like that little guy though so I want him to be okay. Her other cat has seizures.. she's gonna be surprised that good ol Sport had a little problem.
 

tru

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I could only hope that my guys would be in such responsible hands as yours. I think you are definitely doing the right thing.
Better to catch problems when they are small.
 

epona

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Take him to the vet...

My parents were once looking after my birds while I was away, and one of my budgies that I had at the time was a bit quieter than usual. They took him to an avian specialist straight away, knowing I would want any problems checked out - turned out he had a respiratory infection which, if it had gone untreated, may have killed him (birds are even worse than cats when it comes to hiding pain or illness)

I was so grateful that they took him for treatment - even if it had been nothing to worry about, that's what I would have wanted them to do, just to err on the side of caution. The worst thing about it was that he was still on antibiotics when I got back and I couldn't bring him home for a while cos he was not well enough for the car journey, but they saved his life.

Don't take a chance -if it was your cat and you were away, you'd want your sitter to take it to the vet if there was anything amiss, I'm sure!
 

gizmocat

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That's feline acne for sure. It's precisely what Gizmo had on her chin, blood and all.

The vet will give you a topical creme. And it's good that you got rid of the plastic bowls. The condition will clear up.

You are doing the right thing!
 

jessy

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Hi, what did petals have?
Villy keeps getting mysterious marks on her chin & on the side of her mouth and I don't know what to do!
I've chatted to the vets and they say as it's not worrying her I don't need to bring her in, but if I get worried I can take her in.
They are teeny tiny little marks, she could have been fighting or have scratched herself, they kind of look like a graze. They only last for a day or two, then go completely, then pop up again in a different place around her mouth a day or so later.
She does have plastic bowls, but she's never had a problem with them before, she's been treated for fleas, and she's still eating and acting normally. I feel like crying with frustration, I don't want to stress her out by taking her to the vets for nothing, but then I don't want her to be suffering, as I know cats cover it up really well!
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by Jessy

Hi, what did petals have?
She does have plastic bowls, but she's never had a problem with them before, she's been treated for fleas, and she's still eating and acting normally. I feel like crying with frustration, I don't want to stress her out by taking her to the vets for nothing, but then I don't want her to be suffering, as I know cats cover it up really well!
Even though she may have had no problem with them before, they could well be the problem now. I would suggest using stainless steel and washing after each use and see if this clears up the problem.
 
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zak&rocky

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Hi guys, thanks for your encouraging words.. My boss is letting me go without using time.. very nice of her. But she knows how the pets owner is about her cats.. I'm just nervous about getting this guy in the carrier... I have one cat who takes frequent trips, he's pretty good but this cat is unknown to me. He's a big boy so I brought my big carrier.

I'm pretty sure its the acne.. It reminded me so much of Petal's problem.. Hopefully his meowmy will switch their bowls over. I didn't really know how bad it could get till I saw that. I tossed the few I used that week.
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by Jessy

Hi, I will do, thank you. Are ceramic bowls ok too?
I'm not going to say yes or no to ceramic. Some folks have had no problem with ceramic and others have. To be on the safe side, I'd just go with stainless steel.
 

sar

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Originally Posted by Jessy

Hi, I will do, thank you. Are ceramic bowls ok too?
I use ceramic for their food bowls and stainless steel for their water bowls. I have never had an issue with either!
I know you can get some good shallow ceramic bowls from Wilkos!
 

angelkitty

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I would have it checked out.. Your a good pet sitter.

I didn't know that about ceramic bowls.. I have one for each of my cats!
 
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zak&rocky

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Okay guys here's the update. Sport went in the carrier with just mild prodding. Good boy. He was quiet ont he way to the vet and behaved himself except for not wanting to get out of the carrier. I was curious about his weight because he is a big muscley cat and he weighed just under 14 lbs.
Anyway, the diagnosis is that it is probably acne, but maybe is a tick bite that got infected or irritated. They said it is further down on the chin than they normally see, but it is not unusual for a cat his age (4 yrs) to develop it at this age. They said switching from plastic will probably help. They gave me (sold) some stridex type pads to clean it with every day, though hydrogen peroxide would also work. Knowing his meowmy I think she might prefer the pads plus I didn't feel like running out and buying some. They said if it doesn't get better in two weeks they want to see him and they will call her to see how he is. When we got home I wiped it down and he immediatly started scratching at it.. They also said that maybe he should be wearing frontline or something if he isn't if it is a tick bite.. Not sure if he is treated or not.
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by zak&rocky

Okay guys here's the update. Sport went in the carrier with just mild prodding. Good boy. He was quiet ont he way to the vet and behaved himself except for not wanting to get out of the carrier. I was curious about his weight because he is a big muscley cat and he weighed just under 14 lbs.
Anyway, the diagnosis is that it is probably acne, but maybe is a tick bite that got infected or irritated. They said it is further down on the chin than they normally see, but it is not unusual for a cat his age (4 yrs) to develop it at this age. They said switching from plastic will probably help. They gave me (sold) some stridex type pads to clean it with every day, though hydrogen peroxide would also work. Knowing his meowmy I think she might prefer the pads plus I didn't feel like running out and buying some. They said if it doesn't get better in two weeks they want to see him and they will call her to see how he is. When we got home I wiped it down and he immediatly started scratching at it.. They also said that maybe he should be wearing frontline or something if he isn't if it is a tick bite.. Not sure if he is treated or not.
Great. If you do by chance use hydrogen peroxide, make sure you dilute it. If used full strength it will actually burn the tissue.
 
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