# Any Cat Experts Here?



## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

I need a bit of help and this is the most active forum I know!
My cat Oliver has not been feeling well for a couple days. Monday or Tuesday I gave him old food and he had diarrhea and vomited once. I realise it was my fault and I put him on wet food to clear up his diarrhea. 
He never once acted like he was sick, which is why I said it was the food. He's been playful, waking us up, silly, and naughty (at the bunny) like usual. 
About 20 minutes ago he vomited again. It looked like light colored gravy with nothing in it except a couple hairs. I was thinking he might have one of two things, he might have a blockage?? And he might be showing intolerance to the wet food we feed. 
I feed grain free dry food and the wet food is whatever. I was still trying different ones but his favorite seems to be Friskies turkey slices. I do not live close enough to a pet supply store to get non-store brands for wet. His dry is PC Nutrition First grain free. Which is not the best, I know, but it's what we have available. 
Today we're going to get hairball remedy just in case. 

Oh, one important thing, he's due for his second dewormer pill on Saturday. We know he's been affected by worms pretty bad. When we got him (Nov 4 '11) he was tested negative for feline leuk and flv and was given dewormers for his always-in third eyelids. 
Could he be getting sick because of a second wave of worms?

**Anyway, sorry if this doesn't belong on a betta forum but I wanted to see if anyone here could help us out. We're leaving Tuesday for Halifax and I want him to be okay before then for his babysitter! Thanks! (I am posting this on the cast forum as well, but like I said, this is a way more active and friendly forum) Thanks!!


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## mjoy79 (Jul 13, 2011)

I wish I could help. I have a cat myself but if I was in your situation, i would just take her to the vet because I would have no idea whats really going on. 
My cat was vomiting a couple weeks ago but I determined it to be some treats i gave her, or possibly her filtered water dish so I took them both away and she's been fine since. I'm sorry your kitty is still having issues!


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

I second the motion of taking him to the vet, it's alot safer. Hopefully it's something relatively simple to fix, like changing his diet.


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Thanks guys  I think I'll give him his second pill early to combat any worm issues he might be still having. And he gets another one in 3 weeks. 
I bought a lick stick tonight, so I'm hoping the malt and petrolatum or whatever will clear up any blockages, if he does have any. He's been pretty good with the litter box however. 
Oliver is not acting weird or sleeping more or hurt in his belly (I touched him) so hopefully it was just a bit of food intolerance. I'll call the vet tomorrow. And keep you guys posted!


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

Leaving for Halifax, driving? Come visit me! haha I'm at the NFLD ferry, err close anyways!

Sorry, I have no idea whats wrong with him  I hope he gets better  

We're hopefully adopting a kitten with possible FLV, just waiting to get him from Halifax to here. Scary stuff. 

Would Epsom salts work? hahaha jk jk


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

lol!!! Here Ollie, take the epsom salts!!! I would literally be slaughtered. 
Were flying actually  So I won't see you. Is the ferry in Sydney? I was only ever in HRM. Matt lives in Dartmouth and his friends live in Hali. I love it there btw. <3 Not as windy or hill-y as St John's!! 
Aw, good luck on the kitty! We were afraid Oliver had FLV bc of his third eyelids but he tested negative. I was totally ready to accept having him anyway and just not getting another cat for his buddy. I love him though  My hands are scratched up so bad! I look abused! Where's the cat groups fighting for less abuse on humans?!? Sheesh!


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## LittleBettas (Jul 23, 2011)

Contacting a vet would be the BEST option, Im no cat expert, but I do a lot of work with animal rescue (though my focus is on dogs)

A second wave of worms COULD be the cause
most wormers treat only adults, so once the eggs hatch you have to dose those
Also, the wet food may have a take in it, I know some animals are more sensitive to wet food (my pomeranian gets runs if she eats it)
Is he drinking enough water? 
Take him to the vet for a check up, provide the vet with ALL information, date you got him, from where, what shots hes had, what he eats (brand), what wormer, what worms he has, etc
you can try calling, some vets will help you out that way but taking him would be the best option


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Well the thing with the whole situation is ... money. I only have Oliver now bc my mom's neighbor went to jail and therefore abandoned his cat outside with no one to care for him. I was not really ready for a cat since I knew financially I was not ready (from my dog being euthanized and cremated. Cost me an arm and leg). We have Oliver from his fate, couldn't leave him out there!
He seen the vet once and she did blood work and testing (flv and fel. leuk) and gave him a clean bill of health (aside from the ridiculous worms infestation) so I can't shell out the money right now. 
I'm watching his food and body language for any weird ness. I'll call the vet who seen him tomorrow. ^>^


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

Just be careful which one you take him to, my mother was taking her cat to one vet, but found out she could get him treated by people who were just as good, closer to us, and about half the price.


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

Laki said:


> lol!!! Here Ollie, take the epsom salts!!! I would literally be slaughtered.
> Were flying actually  So I won't see you. Is the ferry in Sydney? I was only ever in HRM. Matt lives in Dartmouth and his friends live in Hali. I love it there btw. <3 Not as windy or hill-y as St John's!!
> Aw, good luck on the kitty! We were afraid Oliver had FLV bc of his third eyelids but he tested negative. I was totally ready to accept having him anyway and just not getting another cat for his buddy. I love him though  My hands are scratched up so bad! I look abused! Where's the cat groups fighting for less abuse on humans?!? Sheesh!


Actually, a FLV cat can live with non FLV cats easily, as it's transmitted through blood. As long as there's no open wounds or fighting. It's Fel Luke that's the scary one, as it's transmitted through saliva. We have a 9 yr old non FLV cat, we're confident it will be safe  

Actually, Sydney and the whole Island is quite hilly and windy, the mainland of the province isn't. The Ferry is in North Sydney though, a little drive from where I'm at  I took the boat over last April, got stuck out at sea for 15h in a blinding windy snowstorm. NOT impressed! HRM scares the crud out of me. Safe travels!


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

hahahaha! you think being stuck on the ferry is bad? Should try driving through wreckhouse


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

I think both would be terrifying! I'm naturally nervous around large bodies of water bc I can't swim and I tremble at the thought of bottomless ocenas!!  
The wreckhouse would just be bloody in case of accidents. Which would be bad. The winds tearing trucks down is a scary thought!


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

if you want a bad trip, the Sir Robert Bond, that ship was around like 25ish years ago? Nothing was better than the Caribou. Retiring it was just a mistake.


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

I used to breed Ocicats, so I'm sort of an expert. Diarrhea can be caused when being switched to a new food that they aren't used to. Worms can be another reason, and it usually takes at least two usually three treatments to be rid of them. Seeing a vet is always the best course to take. Good luck with your kitty.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Sorry Laki that I can't help. I wish I could but it sounds like a vet IS the best call. I can advise that you make sure he stays hydrated since he's been vomiting a lot. Pinch the scruff of his neck and if it stays pinched or takes a long time to go back down, he's dehydrated. I know money is an issue but you may want to take him now before it gets worse (and more expensive). If a kitty gets dehydrated, the whole system goes out of whack. Also, it costs a lot to give a dehydrated cat intravenous fluids. I know this from experience. We rescued my neighbor's sick kitty and he ended up costing us $1400. He was vomitting, diarrhea, the whole works. In and out of the hospital. So, yeah. It may be best to act now and take him in before it costs too much.


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

@tpocicat- Thanks  I think it might be me buying a different kind of wet food every time I'm out. I was trying to find a good wet food that he would eat the peices to rather than just lick the gravy. So he's been getting shifted wet food every few days. I have to stop doing that I suppose. His dry food has been the same since the second week or so that we got him (bought friskies and weaned him onto grain free). I also read somewhere that mixing up wet food for both 
variation and stimulation would keep cats interested in wet food..Maybe I was going too hard?
I hope this second pill eradicates the second wave of worms!! He had them pretty bad. Like I said, when we got him his third eyelids were always in. After testing neg for flv and leuk (I always get the abbreviations mixed up!! But he was tested for both) the vet told us his eyelids were out bc of a weakened immune system probably caused by worms. And since shortly after the first pill (and he erm, disposed of the dead ones) his eyelids cleared right up! 

@Sakura- Thanks for the neck tip! I totally forgot about it.. But I did just check (Oliver didn't mind bc he thought I was playing) and it went right back down after the twist  He's been eating more wet food since I noticed his diarrhea (intentionally to prevent dehydration) He has not been vomiting a lot. he only did twice. First time was chucked up wet food (which is my theory on the old food) and the second time was this clear light brown stuff. Nothing since. I'm no longer worried about vomiting bc he is acting fine and I even listened to his belly (for as long as he let me) and it sounded gurgly- like everything was moving around in there normal. 
I know the vet is a necessity, I'm just holding off for as long as I can. Until I notice signs of actual illness. I've been supplementing him with hairball lick stick (in his greenies bc he wont touch it otherwise) just to make sure he's going smoothly and I'm keeping my eye on him for other signs of discomfort and illness (hunched back, prolonged diarrhea, inactivity, lack of apetite etc)

Thanks guys! I know you're all concerned about the seriousness of it (me too). The vet will be called if things persevere. For now, would you like to see a video of him playing? (from a couple weeks ago, I haven't had time to upload new ones):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFCJKVK4_4M


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## GwenInNM (Feb 2, 2011)

I've only skimmed the posts, so not sure what the status of your kitten is. Stop switching food until you can get the stool issue under control. Feed bland food, boiled chicken and that is it. You need to be concerned about dehydration. A kitten can get blockages by digesting things they find to play with. If the symptoms you decribed days ago are still present, you need to take to vet. 

A young kitten likely does not have a hairball, but that is possible. 

Best of luck.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Laki, glad to hear he's no longer vomitting. And I understand about the vet, totally. Sounds like you've got things under control and I know you'll get him right into the clinic if he gets worse.  Most likely the wet food issue. It's just like a cat to lick off the gravy and that's it. :roll: If all he likes is gravy, I think there are "cat gravies" on the market that you can drizzle on his dry food. 

And by the way, he is ADORABLE! What striking markings! Looks like you've made a catnip "druggie" out of him.


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

I'm glad your kitten is doing better. Sometimes they clear up on their own...but it's never a good idea to wait too long. I totally understand about the expense of the vet. Hope your kitty continues to feel good.


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Thanks guys!! @GwenInNM- he's not a young kitten, though he acts like one usually! 
We talked about the vet and it's definitely something I want to clear up before we go to Halifax for the holidays!


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

he is so adorable! You have a real addict on your hands according to that video.
Make sure you keep us posted on how he's doing


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Thanks  I put that mouse toy on the counter while I was cleaning last night, as a matter of fact, and he sniffed it out and brought it to his play blanket (that purple one I put on the floor for him) and he was literally trying to kill it! Stepping on one end and tearing it apart with his teeth as if it was a real mouse!! He's some bad. My sister and her daughter might come up while we're in Hali and I don't know if I stressed it enough but of my niece wants to play with Oliver she better expect to bleed a bit! He's SO not a child friendly cat.. And that makes me glad we got him rather than the SPCA or someone off the street bc I'm afraid he would have been euthanized. 
He's certainly not feral! Not in any way, he just likes to play rough. He was an outside hunter for a good part of his life so in time he should calm down. We love him anyway


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I've got at least two who are not child-friendly. When they're in a mood, they're not people-friendly, period. It happens and I do feel sorry for those SPCA cats, especially the older ones who can't help their aggressive tendencies and who won't be adopted because they're not kittens. For those kitties, I suspect someone played with them too rough when they were kittens and then got rid of them when they grew into aggressive cats. Sadly, my cousin did that to one of his cats. I like to think it was before he knew better because he's had his current cats for a while and his 8 year old daughter loves them.


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Absolutely. People think it's hilarious to maul kittens. But it can be tough to know when the kitten has had enough rough play. My sister's cat was handled roughly and intentionally scared and stomped at repeatedly when he was young but strangly enough he grew to like it.. o>o My dog at the time responded to Illusion's bad behaviour by tackling him to the ground. Illusion eventually began to be bad so the dog would chase him and tackle him! It was hilarious. I have a YT vid of when he used to lie on the floor so Coco would get him.. : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfnfXkRm1iA&feature=g-upl&context=G2cc6708AUAAAAMgAjAA He grew up like that from the rough handling.. Anyway, I'm in tears now. Coco was such a chunk  And I miss him.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Was that Illusion making growls in the background? Ohmigosh, what a handsome big cat he was! 

Our friend's cat Stretch is like that with her poodle. He baits her until she pulls him around by his tail. And when he's had enough, SWAT!


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

oh god. that was Coco moaning!! Illusion is even bigger now!! This is when he lived with me, when my sister took him to live with her he ballooned up on free feeding! He's a sturdy cat. I would have liked to keep him around ^.^ He didn't attack my bunnies like a certain Mr. Oliver :/


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Coco is an interesting sounding dog. Literally. XD Illusion really is a handsome guy. I love the tufts of fur on his hind feet. 

I know the perils of free feeding well. That's why I have 6 indoor cats who resemble blimps. But if I try scheduled feeding and pick up the dishes, one of them claws the furniture and I get yelled at.


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

You should have heard the sounds coming from Coco when we tried to kennel train him! He had claustrophobia and severe separation anxiety. The sounds were alien! Poor thing. Honestly. Medication didn't work long on him either. I miss him even though he was suffering so bad.  
I hear ya! We got Ollie used to free feeding since when we took him in he was so skinny.. Now we cannot sleep with him in the room so when he's lonely and wants food in the peak of dawn he runs down the hall and I'm pretty sure throws himself into the door trying to open it  

Loosh's furry feet, always a favorite among his fans ^.^ He used to run down the hall and slide, he had it to a T, the exact moment to stop and slide so he wouldn't hit the wall and could casually walk into the living room. Cats are the best aren't they!! 

Oh, also, since it went way off topic. Oliver's diarrhea has subsided. He is back to solids xD


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Hurray for Oliver! I'm glad the little furball is feeling much better.  

Lucky for Illusion. None of my cats have yet mastered that art and unfortunately for them, the whole house is hard surfaces. Not a stitch of carpeting anywhere (my parents' idea). I must admit I take perverse enjoyment watching their little feet scrabble for traction as they try to round a corner at full speed. And it gets worse if my mom has decided to dust. She seriously shouldn't be allowed to use Pledge because she's going to kill a cat (or me) one of these days. *scurry scurry sliiiiiiiip whooooooaaaaa crash* I honestly think our cats need little helmets some days.


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Aw!!! It is fun to watch them go!! I totally agree with the no-carpet (miniscule spiders that you cannot see o.o ) so let the cats fly! And you have 5?! Keep them all in one room and then open canned food, open the door and watch them scramble down the house to get to it first! And videotape! muwaahahaahaahaa


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

8. 2 live outdoors. One refuses to stay indoors and the other technically belongs to the neighbor but lives at our place. Then we have 1 who goes outdoors during the day so he's skinny, and the rest are chubbers.


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

Haha! cats on a hardwood or laminate floor.... I can't tell you how often my cat has galloped (full on you'd swear it was a horse gallop) down the hall into the kitchen and come to a screeching stop, doing a full 180.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I love the cat gallop. Whoever said cats were silent never listened to one run. My favorite is when my cats go tearing down the hall and try to make the right turn into my room but end up facefirst into the cupboard at the end of the hall. *scrabbble screech BANG!* And usually one is chasing the other so it's like a train pileup into the side of a mountain. *scrabbble screech BANG! scrabble screech BANG!*

Come to think of it, if my cats had some minor brain damage, I wouldn't be surprised. It would account for a lot of their goofy behavior.

Of course, watching a cat in need of a claw trim try to get his paw unstuck from carpeting is kinda amusing too.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

My favorite is when my cat goes full speed down the tiled hallway, landing and bouncing halfway up the frame of the bedroom door ("Parkour" style) to make the turn into my bedroom. Come to think of it, I bet cats were the original inspiration for the sport of Parkour.


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

I have a pollydactiel (?) kitten. Now THAT is a loud gallop! Really cute too.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Awww, my mom's old cat was a polydactyl. 6 toes on one hind foot. 

One of mine managed to break off part of her fang by repeatedly bouncing off the screen door. She was hysterical because she saw another cat outside so she charged the screen, bounced off and did a backward somersault, came to her feet and did it all over again . . . several times. Some time later she went into the vet for her checkup and the vet noticed she was missing the tip of her right fang. She's an emotional cat, this one.


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

My polydactyl has 7 toes on each front paws and 5 on each of her back paws. Really crazy kitten, she loves to pounce from behind to attack your hair!


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

What causes a polydactyl?


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## betta lover1507 (Aug 6, 2011)

am not an"expert" i know lot's of things, and of course i have a solid black cat named "midnight or sheba", i used to have an albino but somebody stole him along with his tabby sister =[


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## Gen2387 (Oct 13, 2011)

I'm an animal health technician so I can maybe help. If you think he has a blockage (urinary blockage) go to the vet RIGHT NOW. That condition is extremely urgent and he needs veterinary help right away.
Signs of blockage can be: -difficulty to urinate, urinating outside of litterbox, less active, painful abdomen because the bladder is distended.

If it's just diarrhea and vomitting, it might be because of the worms. To get rid of a big worm infestation, he need deworming medication for a couple of months and monthly analysis of his feces which can be done at your vet clinic. For the diarrhea you might want to try a gastrointestinal diet that can be bought at any vet clinic. It really works.

If you have any doubts, you can always call your vet clinic and they'll be happy to answer your questions or give you an appointment.


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Thanks to the last 2 replies! Fortunately Oliver doesn't have any of those symptoms and is perfectly fine now. He has been #1 with the litterbox since the first day we brought him home, regardless of the type of litter in there!! 
I will look around for gastro food. I was told to pick up urinary food as well. Since I probably cannot afford vet food is there any brands I can find easily (for a good price) that are good for gastrointestinal and urinary tracts that is also not full of garbage ingredients?


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## Gen2387 (Oct 13, 2011)

Sadly for the urinary food, the only kind you can really trust are the ones you can buy at the vet. I'm not saying that because I work at one but because it's a medical diet and there won't be any that's truly effective that you can buy somewhere else than the vet. Medi-cal Urinary SO, Purina UR or Hill's prescrption diet C/D are very good.

For Gastrointestinal diets, i'm not too familiar with the ones sold outside of vet clinics but Royal Canin makes ok diets sold outside of vet clinics. Purina vet diets EN sold in clinics is not too expensive. look it up.


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## BettaHeart (Jan 2, 2011)

royal canin and science diet are two brands i would trust, umm .. i didnt really read the entire thread except your first post. Science diet has a cat food thats great for sensitive stomachs. I hope everything is going well for your kitty, i used to own several but that was when i was younger and lived in the country, i will always love cats.


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Hm, I think it's something I will look into. I want what's best. The house I stayed last night had a beautiful dark chocolate siamese who ate (all dry -_- ) hoilistic food. He was such a gorgeous weight and shiny and healthy. I want Oliver on holistic too, currently he gets the closest to holistic without being labeled holisitc.


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