Is there a good medicine chest to have on hand for our cats somethimes it takes 3 days to get a vet appointment now

[Fourcats4me]

My cat Jennie recently suffered from pancreatitis, but she is now recovering nicely. As I waited in the waiting area, I overheard the veterinary clinics turning people away with sick animals or scheduling appointments for 3–4 days later. I live in Northern Virginia, which is about 40 miles south of Washington, D.C., and most vets are only available by appointment, with one emergency care facility switching to this policy. Two emergency rooms are located about 15 to 20 miles from me. The problem with cats is in general, when we need the vet, we need them NOW, and not a week from now. If we are lucky, we can put if off if it is not a medical emergency or the cat is not acting "off," or "weird.," or just not acting like itself.

My question is are there recommendations for a good cat medicine cabinet or stuff people should have on their hand when they need to have on hand for their cats while waiting for the vet visit?:. I am scared to ask this question because, in general, people SHOULD NOT TRY to self-treat their own cats or use it as a substitute for the vet as they are such a quirky species, but some stuff we also keep handy while waiting for that hard-to-get vet visits, right? Or wrong. I ended up using catnip for GI pain one evening and Junnie pretty much slept in the pile. Once I got some pain meds from her vet, she wasn't interested in the catnip. Please CORRECT me if this is a BAD idea, I know some would use it reasonably and others would not! I have had cats for 20+ years and would be comfortable self-treating for ONE day only, in a pinch, if I had to. I keep a medicine cabinet for my cats of some topical OTC point for skin raches, appetite stimulants, some Pepcid, something for vomiting, and some REBOUND, Vitamin B, and high-strength catnip. What do others do?

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi
A stethoscope and learn what normal heart sounds are in your cat. Learn to listen to the heart and lungs.
Thermometer. Learn what your cat's normal temp is.
Glucometer, learn how to check the blood glucose using the ear prick method.

Lactated ringers with a drip set up. 18 gage and 20 gage needles. Learn to give sub q fluids, and when it would be needed.
Cerenia tablets
Syringes for feeding if needed.
Recovery or AD diet couple of cans
Miralax
Lactulose
Gabapentin
Flea comb

 

[artiemom]

I think this is a great idea. For prescription drugs, you will need a Vet's script, authorization to get them. Sometimes that may be tricky.

Since I have had back to back cats with issues, I have accumulated a lot of stuff, and still accumulating, as per indication.

I have on hand:
Gel Caps for pilling nasty pills
Pill cutter
Pill Gun
A 10 cc syringe, from the drug store---for babies, but I use as a water chaser when pilling a cat
Pepcid AC
Cerenia---now, for Geoffrey, as needed, Vet said I should always keep on hand.
Laxatone
S. Boulardi, just in case---for diarrhea
Meat Baby Food---for instances of not eating
Sardines--for same reason
Miralax--for me and Geoffrey
I recently ordered a non-touch thermometer for myself. I think I can use it on Geoffrey
Needle nose tweezers for filling gel caps with tiny morsels of pills, after splitting them
I also keep extra food on hand, for shortages, and litter.
Feliway, both plug in and spray--just in case.
An extra litter scoop, in case mine breaks.

and of course, nail scissors, and brush..

Since I live alone, and do not have any pet loving friends, I keep a lot on hand.

 

[LTS3]

First aid kits have been discussed on TCS in the past:

What's in your kitty first-aid kit? :-)

Let's say there's a possibility that you and your cats might become stranded on a deserted island for awhile, and the kitty first aid kit that you had the foresight to prepare washes ashore with you. What would you consider to be a 'must have' in that kit? Not to take the place of regular...

thecatsite.com

There are lists for general pet first aid items:

How to Make a Pet First Aid Kit

Share our DIY pet first-aid kit with your adopters, clients and community.

www.aspcapro.org

First aid tips for pet owners

First aid is not a substitute for veterinary care, but it may save your pet’s life until you can get to a veterinarian.

www.avma.org

Never use sticky Human band-aids or sticky tape on pets. They're impossible to get off fur. Use a roll of gauze or vet wrap instead.

And disaster prep kits / lists:

https://ebusiness.avma.org/files/productdownloads/STWF_English.pdf (Spanish version is here)

Disaster Prep Kits: What You Need to Keep Your Pets Safe

You may feel prepared for a possible disaster, but do you have a current disaster preparedness kit for your pets readily available? Learn what supplies you will need to keep your pets safe in case of an emergency.

www.aspca.org

Disaster Preparedness

Emergencies come in many forms, and they may require anything from a brief absence from your home to permanent evacuation. Each type of disaster requires different measures to keep your pets safe, so the best thing you can do for yourself and your pets is to be prepared.

www.aspca.org

Emergency Preparedness Guide for Pet Owners

This emergency pet preparedness guide helps to ensure pets are well cared for even during a crisis. Share it with your community now!

www.aspcapro.org

Pet Disaster Preparedness & Recovery

The best way to protect your household from the effects of a disaster is to have a disaster plan. If you are a pet owner, that plan must include your pets.

www.redcross.org

For pets with medical conditions that require daily medicine or treatment, it's important to keep those medicines or treatments and all necessary supplies (syringes, needles, batteries, etc) on hand. If your pet is on prescription medicine or use supplies that are prescription only (sub q fluids, etc) , see if you can have the vet give you a prescription for the items or be willing to call a prescription into the local pharmacy or wherever when you need to restock.

A well stocked kit is useless if all of the items are expired. Go through the kit at least once a year and discard items that are expired or don't look normal (discolored sub q fuids, strange smell to an ointment, etc) and make a list of things to restock including prescription items.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Keeping a pet first aid/disaster kit is a good idea, but not very easy to do with prescription meds.

I am sure it doesn't apply to ALL vets, but if you have your cat on a regular checkup schedule, most vets will work with you over the phone rather than making you wait for days/weeks for an actual appt., especially if the issue is one familiar to your vet/cat. A vet who 'knows' your cat is much more likely to offer advice in this manner. These are also the vets who are more likely to advise you to bring your cat in without an appt and have a vet tech take a look at the situation at hand.

 

[Fourcats4me]

.
My vets and I have always gotten along so well, but suddenly they both retired. The surviving vets at the clinic are true "pieces of work," although some doctors and vets will undoubtedly be at the top of their field. But, of course, there will also be those who barely make ends meet.

I had that experience over the past few weeks and NEVER saw such incompetence in my life! I had to beg the clinic veterinarians throughout the previous week to give a cat with pancreatitis fluids while she was dehydrated! She received 50 ml of fluids from the secondary or new veterinarian, but the "old vet" clinic had initially intended to give her 100 ml even though she had a heart murmur. However, she underwent a follow-up examination with a feline cardiologist, and her heart was OK, so giving her limited amounts of fluids within reason was OK.

The fact that she had a heart murmur freaked them out, and although they had given 100 ml previously, they would not give her 50 ml of fluids unless the vet did so. I had to make several "vet" appointments to have a vet on standby in case she needed them fluids ( thankfully, she did not" I had to beg Cerenia for her nausea, and they charged me $100 to hold my cat and tell me it was dehydrated. Well: I knew she was dehydrated. That is why I brought her in for fluids. Shall I mention that they misdiagnosed her and missed pancreatitis? It has been a crazy two weeks. Thankfully, Ginnie continues to improve. She met me at the front door this afternoon; I had been out for a while..

 

[LTS3]

Add the phone number for the free pet poison control hotline to your first aid kit:

Kansas State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital 1-785-532-5679

The more well known ASPCA poison control hotline charges a fee before they can even help you.

 

[Fourcats4me]

Small world, That is where I went to school!!! I majored and mastered in food chemistry in the Department of Agriculture 20 years ago. My former roommate and best friend went to their vet school 20 years ago! She is a big cat lover and a fantastic vet.

 

[CaseysMom]

I am loving this thread. It is unfortunate that people are having to wait for vet care, but great that you are thinking ahead.

I am also finding that I am wanting to keep the things I thought I would donate or throw away since my baby passed away earlier this week. That tells me that I have it in my heart to love another pet and be ready, and I think that's a good sign.

 

[Fourcats4me]

My condolences on your loss. However, believe there is a cat ready to enter your heart outside. Fear not; they will locate you.

I had to put my alpha cat, Lady Penelope, to sleep who was of 20, approximately 1.5 years ago. She was a last-minute pick at a cat shelter when I acquired her, and she was so tiny you could hold her in your hand. Originally, I was intending to adopt someone else, but the management requested me to adopt her instead since they were uneasy about the person who was going to adopt her. She was a tuxedo kitten in black and white that had the most endearing personality. At the time, my mother was still alive and shared a home with me, "Penny." Losing Penny was like losing my Mom all over again and it really hurt.

Fast forward, meet Miss Pickles, an eight-year-old stunning calico cat whom I adopted from the cat shelter at my neighborhood PetSmart. I often purchase toys for the adoption kitties, and you could see one of them slipping into depression/ despair as a result of being caged. Her family simply dropped her in the neighborhood shelter, a hill kill shelter in Florida after her former owner passed away. She was rescued by the group which works with Pet Smart. I told myself I was against having pets after putting Penny to sleep and that and I didn't need another cat, but for some reason, I was really drawn to her.

She is the SWEETEST, most PROBLEM_FREE cat I have ever met. My current boys(cats) were not happy when I brought home someone new; she just blew them off and took her spot on top of the window box so that she could sunbathe and look out the window. She is a little chubby but all she wants is love and a hug. I don’t know what her past was like, but she just spends hours sleeping near the window like a happy cat. She just starting to talk and will come to get me when the meals are late. Her personality slowly starting to show but being abandoned was traumatic to her.

So, give yourself, For now, just know that you have the love and support of all on this site When you are ready you will have a new friend. Please share.

 

[Antonio65]

I recently ordered a non-touch thermometer for myself. I think I can use it on Geoffrey

Non-touch thermometers do not work on cats. There is no naked skin to read, and the in-ear thermometers do not work either because cats ears are different from ours, and the tympanum is in a different position from ours.

 

[Alldara]

1. Human infant saline for cleaning wounds
2. A blender like a baby bullet to blend food.
3. A syringe to feed your cats
4. A pet crate large enough for your cat to move around a bit, a blanket that can cover it and a kitten litter box (or a wet food case box inside a plastic bag), or disposable small litter that fits in the crate while still leaving room for the cat
5. Edit to add hot water bottle and cooling pad depending on where you live.