I live with somebody abusive, who until now has never bothered my cat. I'm in the process of removing him from my home though, and he responded to that yesterday by leaving something to burn on the stove for about three hours. When I came home the living room was clouded with smoke, and my cat was in the bedroom next door with the windows and door shut. There was very little ventilation, and my bedroom door is a barn-type door that lets more smoke/air in around the sides than a traditional door.
When I came in she was sitting in a chair in the farthest corner of the room, a couple feet above ground. The living room looked like a fog machine had gone off and smelled horrible, the bedroom was less smoky and smelled less. Still, I'm estimating she had to breathe this in for about an hour judging by how much smoke there was overall. I opened all the doors and windows to the house and started running fans immediately, but the burnt smell is still lingering. Both the cat and I had to sit in the bedroom while the house aired out, since this room has the most airflow. It's been about twelve hours since this happened and I've had a headache and tightness in my chest all day. I can't imagine how my cat feels.
She's eight years old and in good health, but was kept in dusty/enclosed spaces constantly by her previous owners. She has what sounds like asthma attacks sometimes so her lungs probably aren't in the best shape. She seemed fine last night in that she was running around and eating, and drank a lot of water a few hours after I found her. This morning though, she seems lethargic and her breathing is rapid. She also doesn't purr when I pet her, which is unusual for her. I don't know if I'm getting needlessly worried or if she needs immediate attention. She did eat some treats (wet and dry) last night and today so she does still have an appetite.
I'm getting ready to take her to emergency vet, but am concerned about how they'll be treating her. She gets incredibly stressed going to the vet and has to get sedated, which is going to affect her breathing. She's going to have to deal with rapid/labored breathing for a couple hours as she waits to be seen, then depressed breathing once she's sedated - she gets very upset at the vet to the point where she needs 5 techs to handle her, and they always have to medicate her to calm her down. She's only ever been in before to get vaccinated, dewormed and have a UTI looked at, never anything like this.
My question is...is it better to take a wait and see stance here? I want to get her seen immediately because I'm freaking out the smoke exposure. She has eaten and drank today though, and used the litterbox. I'm concerned about the rapid breathing, lack of energy and the fact that she's not really purring when I pet her. She kneads when I pet her and will purr a little, but has mostly been sleeping all day. I just don't know what the best thing for her is right now and was hoping the board would have some advice. I 100% will take her to the ER if she needs it, but it will be intensely stressful for her and require sedation. What should I do?
When I came in she was sitting in a chair in the farthest corner of the room, a couple feet above ground. The living room looked like a fog machine had gone off and smelled horrible, the bedroom was less smoky and smelled less. Still, I'm estimating she had to breathe this in for about an hour judging by how much smoke there was overall. I opened all the doors and windows to the house and started running fans immediately, but the burnt smell is still lingering. Both the cat and I had to sit in the bedroom while the house aired out, since this room has the most airflow. It's been about twelve hours since this happened and I've had a headache and tightness in my chest all day. I can't imagine how my cat feels.
She's eight years old and in good health, but was kept in dusty/enclosed spaces constantly by her previous owners. She has what sounds like asthma attacks sometimes so her lungs probably aren't in the best shape. She seemed fine last night in that she was running around and eating, and drank a lot of water a few hours after I found her. This morning though, she seems lethargic and her breathing is rapid. She also doesn't purr when I pet her, which is unusual for her. I don't know if I'm getting needlessly worried or if she needs immediate attention. She did eat some treats (wet and dry) last night and today so she does still have an appetite.
I'm getting ready to take her to emergency vet, but am concerned about how they'll be treating her. She gets incredibly stressed going to the vet and has to get sedated, which is going to affect her breathing. She's going to have to deal with rapid/labored breathing for a couple hours as she waits to be seen, then depressed breathing once she's sedated - she gets very upset at the vet to the point where she needs 5 techs to handle her, and they always have to medicate her to calm her down. She's only ever been in before to get vaccinated, dewormed and have a UTI looked at, never anything like this.
My question is...is it better to take a wait and see stance here? I want to get her seen immediately because I'm freaking out the smoke exposure. She has eaten and drank today though, and used the litterbox. I'm concerned about the rapid breathing, lack of energy and the fact that she's not really purring when I pet her. She kneads when I pet her and will purr a little, but has mostly been sleeping all day. I just don't know what the best thing for her is right now and was hoping the board would have some advice. I 100% will take her to the ER if she needs it, but it will be intensely stressful for her and require sedation. What should I do?
