Cat May Be SICK

[helpneeded]

Help please.

My cat is meowing a lot more than it usually does. As I am looking at him, he is moving really slowly and spends a long time sitting in one place when usually he moves around a lot unless he is sleeping. This behavior change occurred suddenly during the last day. Did anyone ever have that happen to their cat before? Did the change in behavior go away after awhile? Help needed. I am afraid.

Thank you.

P.S. There are no emergency vet places where I live.

 

[zanniesmom]

Is he eating and drinking? Using the litterbox normally? If he is doing those things then you probably just need to watch him until you can get him in to the vet tomorrow. If he isn't eating or drinking you need to get some fluids into him so he doesn't dehydrate before morning. You can try broth, clam juice, or tuna juice, but not milk unless you have cat milk like Catsip available. If he won't take those then you need to use a syringe to get some fluids into his mouth. Becky

 

[hissy]

To check for dehydration lightly scruff you cat's neck and pinch. Does the skin stay tented up? If so, your kitty needs a vet- most vets do keep after hour hours, you just have to call them to talk to the vet on call. You can also take the cat's temp rectally to see if it has a fever, but it does sound like it needs a vet and soon.

 

[helpneeded]

thanks for your advice.

i brought food and water close to the cat to see if he would eat or drink. He seemed interested but did not actually ingest anything.

very strange behavior is that the cat just defecated right in front of me instead of going outside as it usually does. after doing that, though, he had enough energy to slowly leave the room. at least he stopped meowing after doing that. what surprises me is that this abnormal behavior occurred so suddenly.

i am going to take the cat to the vet tommorrow morning at 7 AM (that's about 7.5 hours from now my time). I called the office but for emergencies they say to go to a vet office that is an hour and a half commute away. i don't know if its so urgent i need to travel so far in the middle of the night.

 

[zanniesmom]

He sounds like a pretty sick kitty. Was his stool normal? You can probably wait until morning but if he were mine I would take him to the emergency vet. But for me that is a 15 minute drive. Since you live so far from emergency treatment, maybe you need to lay in some medical supplies. Maybe ask your vet about how to give fluids subcutaneously and that kind of thing. Many times if you can prevent dehydration you can keep a cat going for a few hours until you can get them to the vet. Another thing you might invest in is a heated cat bed or microwave Snuggle safe disc to keep a sick kitty warm. As well as first aid supplies and a thermometer and a good kitty first aid book. Ask your vet tomorrow about what you need to keep on hand in your particular circumstances. Becky

 

[helpneeded]

his stool looked normal as far as I could tell...dark brown in color, not runny.

i wasn't sure whether it was a good idea to warm up the cat depending on what was making it sick, but I keep the inside of my house pretty warm anyway (outside it is freezing cold). I put blankets on the floor and also the bed but he isn't interested. I will be sure to ask the vet's advice tommorrow.

thanks for your help, especially zanniesmom, it means a lot when someone replies so quickly.

best wishes, i'm going to log off the Internet soon.

 

[zanniesmom]

I don't really mean that you need to keep him warmer in this case. Just that often a cat that gets dehydrated may get shocky and keeping it warm and hydrated may save it. Just an idea. Becky

 

[aniskyoftrent]

Dear Help

Please let us know what happens at the vet. I pray that all goes well with the baby. Just make sure the vet tests for everything. Excessive meowing can be a definite sign of something wrong.. I send you all my love

 

[jennyr]

I once ignored a cat meowing and failure to eat as silly picky behaviour, until I took him to the vet for a routine check and he had a large abscess on a tooth, which must have been terribly painful. So I have never again ignored any change in behaviour, especially when a cat seems to be trying to tell me something.

 

[zanniesmom]

Good point, Jenny. My vet always asks about any change in behavior, no matter how insignificant. Buddy once stopped sleeping on my bed and stayed in the cat tree. I took him to the vet and he had a fever of 105. Becky