Cat help please!

tankgirl1

A question to both Minimee & Patchworkcat - are your boys neutered?

If they are, good on you - tho it probably means there is another un-neutered tom in the neighberhood picking fights! If not, then please consider getting them done asap - you dont want to be the one all the other cat owners mutter about because your cat is starting fights and costing them money at the vets - again apologies if they are done, just saying....

minimee - sounds like a cat bite abcess which has burst, tho I am not a vet and have not seen your kitty. If however that is the case, keep him in, be RELIGIOUS with the antibiotics, and use nothing but saltwater to bathe the wound - and only then if needed. 1 litre of boiled, cooled water, with 2 teaspoons of salt.

patchwork_cat

tankgirl1 wrote: »

A question to both Minimee & Patchworkcat - are your boys neutered?

If they are, good on you - tho it probably means there is another un-neutered tom in the neighberhood picking fights! If not, then please consider getting them done asap - you dont want to be the one all the other cat owners mutter about because your cat is starting fights and costing them money at the vets - again apologies if they are done, just saying....

minimee - sounds like a cat bite abcess which has burst, tho I am not a vet and have not seen your kitty. If however that is the case, keep him in, be RELIGIOUS with the antibiotics, and use nothing but saltwater to bathe the wound - and only then if needed. 1 litre of boiled, cooled water, with 2 teaspoons of salt.

Yes, since he was about 6 months old. I think most of the battles have been him defending his territory against the local tom.

Fire_Fox

mini-me66 wrote: »

Thanks..
Can it be a problem for their stomachs having had anti-b's, what would i look out for symptoms wise?
Is there anything i can buy that would help e.g. a type of food. He has iams dry in the morning and classic wet or a whiskers pouch in the evening?

I think i worry about him more than i worry about looking after myself sometimes!

Some animals (and humans) get diarrhoea, mostly mild. Many have no symptoms but the gut flora will still have been killed by the antibiotic - a necessary evil! As the gut flora form part of the immune system and helps with absorption of nutrients, ideally a probiotic supplement would be used. I don't know why many vets and GPs don't recommend it, this is not cranky alternative therapy it's solid science. Freeze-dried probiotics such as LactoB (from online companies such as VetUK) are best value for money, unless your vet advises otherwise.

I wouldn't change the food now as that can aggravate the digestive system in itself and you don't want the worry of him turning his nose up at a new food! Cats are obligate carnivores so they must eat meat (including the fat, bone and offal _pale_ ).There are foods that are better value for money than the IAMS and Whiskas; IAMS is particularly high in cereals which cats don't need in their diet at all. Butchers Classic is an excellent budget food - no grains or additives just animal protein, fat and minerals - perhaps give that regularly instead of the Whiskas? :money:

tankgirl1

patchwork_cat wrote: »

Yes, since he was about 6 months old. I think most of the battles have been him defending his territory against the local tom.

I'm guessing the local entire tom? So frustrating! I have this problem with my boy too - and yes we all mutter and grumble about the entire tom giving all our kitties grief, but we don't know where he lives! And I rarely see him tbh - I've heard this from the next street up - about the bully of a black cat - obv well looked after tho by all accounts.... grrrr

I've had to take my boy into work twice for cat bite abcesses, and have also found numerous scabs recently!

KiKi

My cats both HATE the vets, and it's so traumatic to take them there (when we arrive they have sweating paws, open panting mouths and wet themselves, it's awful), that I now have a vet come to me.

If you're worried but don't want to stress him out any more, I would get a home visiting vet to come to you. They will administer vaccinations etc, and they will usually have a nurse with them and can manage to wrap the cat up to take a better look. If he's still holding his paw out, he may well be in pain; cats hide it well.

Only other thing to add is that if the wound gets infected and he gets a fever, he may go downhill very quickly. Cats do that! So better to get a proper examination than not if you're concerned. Put your mind at rest.

Like you, I worry about mine more than anything else - they are my absolute babies!
KiKi

tankgirl1

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Some animals (and humans) get diarrhoea, mostly mild. Many have no symptoms but the gut flora will still have been killed by the antibiotic - a necessary evil! As the gut flora form part of the immune system and helps with absorption of nutrients, ideally a probiotic supplement would be used.

Yes, I always advise a probiotic alongside antibiotics - protexin is a good one

mini-me66

Thanks for all the replies..hopefully i'll answer most the questions.

Yes he is neutered. I got him from a girl at my sisters work who moved abroad so he is 7years old but i've only had him since sept 10. He was staying at a friends parents when he got bitten but their house backs onto fields so i guess it could have been anything. Around where i live he doesnt get into too much trouble, there is a nusiance female cat that tries to get into my house and he shouts at her.
I cant see any sign of blood on his paw and not much swelling. The anti biotics were an injection that last 2 weeks and i just had pain relief to give him for 3-4 days. I will try to get the probiotics (i always eat activia yoghurts after a stomach bug so can see the theory).
He loves any food and the classic fills him up more than the sachets but are less convenient to store etc but i will try to keep with classic if its good. What dried food would you recommend as i want to keep on with a mix of wet and dry? I tend to do half a tin classic in eve and the advised amount of dry in the morning.

I find it difficult to buy in bulk as no storage, and dont want to be paying much more than iams cost realistically. I dont feed myself tesco finest!

Sorry long reply! Really great to hear advice from cat owners.

Fridaycat

I have three cats currently (am getting two Bengal kittens in August, so will be up to 5 then!). I find the best food by far is Royal Canin. You can get it from either Pets at Home (online has better choice) or Zooplus, and they often have special offers on. There are many choices, i tend to buy Fit 32 in big bags and then smaller bags of the other choices for variety. My cats find it tasty, so no waste, and their fur, teeth and general health have never been better. They also get wet food such as Felix, Whiskas or Applaws for a change - three or four meals per week.

Fire_Fox

mini-me66 wrote: »

The anti biotics were an injection that last 2 weeks and i just had pain relief to give him for 3-4 days. I will try to get the probiotics (i always eat activia yoghurts after a stomach bug so can see the theory).
He loves any food and the classic fills him up more than the sachets but are less convenient to store etc but i will try to keep with classic if its good. What dried food would you recommend as i want to keep on with a mix of wet and dry? I tend to do half a tin classic in eve and the advised amount of dry in the morning.

I find it difficult to buy in bulk as no storage, and dont want to be paying much more than iams cost realistically. I dont feed myself tesco finest! Sorry long reply! Really great to hear advice from cat owners.

For the future don't spend out on Activia, it contains relatively few bacteria (millions) IF they are stored perfectly from manufacture to stomach. More cost effective is freeze dried Acidophilus from Holland & Barrett - billions of bacteria - which is half price very regularly. :T Store in the fridge once opened, take with or after food.

This is MSE, it's more than acceptable to be on a budget, I think it is in the rules somewhere!! I don't feed cat treats at all since I looked at the price per kilo, more than the best steak. :eek: Not sure which IAMS you are using but Tesco currently have them on offer for £4-6 per kilo, tho £5-6 a kilo seems to be the regular price. IAMS rich in chicken is >26% meat with the next two ingredients being cereals. Feed rate for a 3-5kg cat is 40-65g a day.

Currently on offer in Pets at Home is Applaws chicken dry which contains 80% meat - the 2kg bag is usually £15 but presently £10 (£5 a kilo). Applaws is on offer at various online retailers on a regular basis - most offer free postage at £19 or £29, sell Classic plus various litters - so you don't need to pay full price. :money: Feed rate for a 3-5kg cat is 40-60g.

An alternative is Hills Science dry, around £7 a kilo full price but again this is on offer at Pets at Home or the the online retailers VERY regularly. Meat content varies throughout the range but many are 50%+ meat; the Optimal Care chicken which appears to be their standard adult food is 60% meat. For a 3-5kg cat the feed rate is 40-55g a day.

If you cannot get Hills or Applaws on offer one month you can always go back to the IAMS, otherwise Pets at Home silver is often on offer, this has 25% chicken but the second ingredient is meat meal so total meat content is probably higher than IAMS. Other high meat foods include Orijen and Acana both of which are expensive, or Porta 21 Sensible (£4.30 a kilo but not available from many places).

mini-me66

Thanks so much Fire Fox for all your food advice. He was always fed up Iams so i just stuck with it as thought it was meant to be good. It was a friend who said to give his some wet food as he never seemed satisfied. Its certainly made a difference and he seems to have stopped begging for food all the time.
My friends mums cat died aged 22 just before xmas...apparently they never took him to vets for jabs, he had a flea collar only, and lived off whatever tinned/dry food was the cheapest and on offer. He had arthritis and was deaf when he died but had all his teeth and rarely visited the vets. Guess its the same as some 100 year olds that smoke 100 cigs a day!
I usually alternate the iams flavours, but will have a look at royal canin if i can get to a pets at home. In terms of stuff i can buy from a supermarket (purina, whiskers, tesco/asda/sainsbury own, or iams) would iams be the best option or are there any others. Sometimes it is just convenient to get them from the supermarket. I did notice today in sainsbury they have 2 boxes of classis for £5 so may get some.

His paw definately seems better and no blood seen now, so i let him out this eve and he looks a much happier boy!

Oh..i actually really like activia yoghurts flavour more than other yoghurts which i mainly why i eat them but try to wait for them to be on offer. They do seem to improve some symptoms of my 'IBS', even if it is a placebo i am happy!