Should I take my cat to the vet?

mazza111 · 3 July 2012 at 9:44AM

I too was going to mention the stress of you being away. Stress can often cause cats to over groom, then get furballs and bald patches. Hence the puking. Whenever we go away, we always come back to a pile or 2 of puke, even though she's got plenty of company when we're away (housesitters) but she over grooms and gets bothered by furballs anyway. Even giving her furball treatment every day, she still manages to puke at least once a week. And never in the same place twice!!!

Hope your moggy is feeling better soon

spike7451 · 3 July 2012 at 10:05AM

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

So, has the vet actually eliminated a simple flea allergy, or are they going straight to the long term, potentially serious illness necessitating gazillions of pounds of tests?

Cheapest consult isn't always the best - especially if they make up for it with costs from other things instead - chat to the other vets and see who you feel most comfortable with.

Reason I'm saying this is that several years ago, one vet insisted my girl needed loads of expensive tests for something that on the surface, sounds very similar. Refused to try anything before all these tests were done.

The next vet I went to 24 hours later, took one look at her, said 'flea allergy', gave her one injection and she was absolutely fine, as whilst the fleas had been eliminated, the reaction had started up and she had been overgrooming due to the itching. Cue copious amounts of furballs.

The other possibility that occurs to me is how trustworthy do you think the neighbour is? Could she have opened two tins on, say last Sunday, chucked them in bowls and then not bothered going back until Wednesday? So the food wasn't fresh?

I agree with JoJo here,the original vet I used told me Orbit was fat & needed to loose weight,so put him on a ridiculously expensive diet cat food that I had to buy off them (this was before the explosion of the online shopping & I had internet access before anyone screams 'online!":p) Hills Science Plan IIRC & it was around 2004.
So he was on this food for ages but his weight stayed the same
Anyway,I found a vet closer to home a few years later (2007 ish) that was also used by the cattery that I use, & took Orbit there.She diagnosed heart failure & kidney problems & he was put on Fortekor.I asked her about his weight & she said that the weight was more than likely an effect of the kidney/heart failure.
Orbit passed away at home in his own time Sept 2009 aged about 16

msrisotto · 3 July 2012 at 2:56PM

So do you think I should see another vet? I hope when I get home from work that the cat will be loads better but the vet did say that if her ears hadn't got less red to take her back in for blood and urine tests at a cost of £130.

rising_from_the_ashes · 3 July 2012 at 5:28PM

Have you used the vet before?

If not, were they recommended?

If you have, it's really a case of whether you're comfortable with them & feel confident with them treating your cat.

If you haven't, it may be worth looking for a 2nd opinion but ask a few friends / colleagues for recommendations as this is usually the best way to find a good vet.

Hope kitty is on the mend soon

msrisotto · 3 July 2012 at 6:07PM

I took her to this vet for her booster injections and that is all. I'm new to the area so haven't had any recommendations.

When I got in from work, her ears were normal colour but they've gone darker pink now. Confusing. She's back to her usual self now though so I think I will wait a bit.

Thanks so much for your comments everyone, it's just nice to have some advice/hand holding.

juliebunny · 3 July 2012 at 6:48PM

I think you should definitly post a photo of your cat (-:

Bear in mind that blood tests are very stressful for the cat too. Lord only knows about the urine samples, I followed my cat around for a week to get one as she refused to pee in the surgery.

msrisotto · 3 July 2012 at 7:30PM

Hehe, any excuse

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy6/msrisotto/2011-09-15183526.jpg

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy6/msrisotto/29072010367.jpg

Jojo_the_Tightfisted · 3 July 2012 at 7:50PM

I see she has white/pale ears.

and a fascination for cardboard boxes

Has it been sunny at all?

Does she fall asleep on the windowsills or flop out in the garden much?

Reason I'm saying that is because cats with white ears/noses can also get sunburn. And as it's one of the main ways they lose heat, their ears get redder when they are hot.

Mind you, one of mine would eat his crunchies so fast, as soon as he had a slurp of water, the crunchies would expand and come straight back up. Almost every other day of his life.

There are lots of different causes, of course I am not a vet but I wouldn't be happy about banging out over a hundred quid over pink ears in summer and a couple of piles of puke on the floor. Well, not until other alternatives had been considered first.

spike7451 · 3 July 2012 at 7:50PM

msrisotto wrote: »

Hehe, any excuse
http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy6/msrisotto/2011-09-15183526.jpg

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy6/msrisotto/29072010367.jpg

Oh that's a naughty kitty...lol:D

msrisotto · 3 July 2012 at 8:12PM

lol, her nickname is monstercat.

She does hang out on window sils a lot but her nose isn't red and in conjunction with the thinning of fur on her face, I don't think it's sunburn. The vet said to keep her on chicken and rice but she won't touch it. She tries to break into the kitchen to get to her normal biscuits and i'm worried about her not eating anything. I'm tempted to give her some biscuits.

Should I take my cat to the vet?

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