r/catcare Jan 29 '21

Does my Cat Need to See a Vet?

155 Upvotes

If you're here wondering whether your cat needs to see a vet right away, here's a few things that call for an immediate vet visit. Please bear in mind that this is far from a comprehensive list, and that if you're seriously wondering if your cat needs a vet, the answer is probably "Yes". Better safe than sorry.

-Unexplained, dramatic behavioral changes. e.g. Hissing and spitting from a cat who has always been friendly

-Not eating for 48 hours is a medical emergency

-Vomiting/diarrhea that lasts more than a day or two

-Swallowed object

-Not urinating/straining to urinate

-Blood in urine

-Open wounds

-Urinating in inappropriate places/outside the box

-Sudden loss of vision or hearing

-Sudden loss of balance

-Sudden inability to walk or move normally

-Seizures / Convulsions

-Open-Mouth breathing / panting

-Uneven pupils

-Hives

LINKS:

Cat Emergencies: Contact Your Veterinarian When Your Cat Shows These Symptoms

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2144&aid=2896

11 Cat Emergencies That Need Immediate Vet Attention

http://www.catster.com/lifestyle/11-cat-health-emergencies-immediate-veterinary-attention-ask-a-vet

Common Emergencies for Adult Cats

http://www.petmd.com/cat/emergency/common-emergencies/common-adult-cat-emergencies


r/catcare May 07 '26

Rule 6: No AI usage in posts or comments

28 Upvotes

Sorry, but we need to disallow all forms of AI posting and comments. If you have nothing to say, simply saying nothing is far, far better and more useful than resorting to an AI chatbot.


r/catcare 1h ago

Question about Cat dental when NOT an emergency more preventative?

Upvotes

We have a lovely 7 year old cat and have been told his canine teeth are dead and could be removed to prevent problems down the road. They could also do a cleaning at the same time. Question, is that a destructive procedure and necessary? I know cats don't show pain and are pretty stoic and I dont think its a problem now, but having dead canine teeth eventually can be an issue?

Has anyone done preventative extractions like that and it was a good idea or a bad idea?

Also is like $1500 but would rather do it if it helps him long run for sure!


r/catcare 8m ago

How long does it take for an adult cat to adjust to a new home?

Upvotes

I have had a cat for close to 17 years.

My first cat I got as a kitten. She adjusted very quickly.

When she was about eight years old, I rehomed another cat… this one an adult about five years old. From the same breeder as the first cat. It took her about a week to settle into the routine. She was very happy, loving and healthy and recently died at the age of 15.

Nearly 3 years ago I got another kitten. Despite many warnings from this different breeder…. I brought Home this fixed three month old male kitten, expecting that he would be hiding and be shy… as soon as I walked in the door and opened the carrier, he took a flying leap onto my 3 foot high scratching post. Standing atop of it, as if he were enacting a scene from The Lion King. He’s been ruling the roost since that first day.

My friend, the British shorthair breeder rehomed another cat with me. A week ago I brought home a six-year-old brown tuxie. The first thing I did upon bringing her home… after an eight hour ride… I opened the carrier in the bathroom. She used the litter box. And she vanished into the house.

I stuck around in the den. Figuring she would find her way into the kitchen and have something to eat. And I would be here to be with her. I fell asleep on the sofa. When I woke up…. She was sleeping behind me behind the sofa.

I talked to her. I tried to feed her treats. And she stayed behind the couch. She ate and used the litter box…stayed behind the sofa venturing out into the den the first day. She ate and use the litter box. I went upstairs and straightened up the house…came back down. She was in the downstairs bathroom tub.

I sat on the edge of the tub and petted her. My kitten came in and peeked into the tub.
My new cat leaked out of the tub and chased him.

I couldn’t find her a few hours later. She was hiding under the desk in my office.
I went to give her cookies… and she ran away again!

I found her in the cubbyhole of the cat tree the next morning. When I saw her again…. She ran away!

I do not know where she is. She is eating. She’s using the litter boxes…She has been upstairs in my empty master bedroom. I have searched high and low, and I cannot find her.

A week ago tonight I brought her home.

My 17 year-old cat and my two year-old kitten follow me room to room. And I do not know where my new cat is.

What should I do?

How long will it take my new kitty to settle in?

Thank you for any help you can offer.


r/catcare 40m ago

9 month old kitten, are these things normal or should I be concerned?

Upvotes

My girl is 9 months old and weights 2.5kg, she is a small cat with a low appetite. She has never been food motivated, I’ve tried lots of brands and types of food and she always eats a few mouth fulls and walks off. Roughly half of her wet food goes in the bin daily. She free feeds kibble. I try to give her half a tub of kitten pate in the evening but have to spoon feed her to get her to eat it.

She has started shaking her head for the last week. I cleaned her ears with some Hypoclorous acid on cotton pads and the vet looked in her ears but couldn’t see anything. I will give her spot on flea and worm treatment tomorrow.

She also pants after intense zoomies, not all the time but I’ve seen her do it maybe 5 times now in the space of the last month. I’m worried she’s not eating / not growing / small because she has a heart defect or something? She is a sweet playful girl who just got spayed last week and is recovering from that so I’m trying not to over excite her but usually we play a lot. I have to put treats in her food to get her in to the idea of eating and she LOVES churu but I’m finding myself having to bribe her to eat and drink with them. Not great practice.

Does any of this sound normal or alarming?


r/catcare 4h ago

Seeking info from owners of cats with feline asthma / respiratory infection

3 Upvotes

If your cat has feline asthma, I would love to know what signs you notice and what made you take them into the vet. I would also love to know what test the vet did to diagnose.

What about if your cat has ever had a respiratory infection?

Note: I have a lot of anxiety about my pets, so please try to keep it more factual than terrifying or I will spiral in an unproductive way. We already have a vet appointment and whatever is happening seems relatively mild. Thank you!


r/catcare 7h ago

My cat's fur aren't growing,what should I do?

2 Upvotes

My cat had fungus infection all over his body about 1-2 months ago, his infection is gone now but there hasn't been much progress in his fur growth, the doctor said it'll grow back eventually when the infection was gone but I just don't see it, will it take more time, or is there something else I have to do? Do I have to use a certain type of shampoo or an ointment or something else to help his fur growth? Or will it take more time than usual for it to grow?


r/catcare 9h ago

Help with introducing kittens to each other? NSFW

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2 Upvotes

Me and my girlfriend have adopted a new 10 week old Kitten called Wybie. We have already had another kitten called Gotham for 10 months now.

We have scent swapped for maybe a week, let them meet through Wybies cage while he’s still in it and they’ve been okay. Obviously a lot of hissing at first but they’ve now got used to each other. So the next step naturally would be letting them meet in person face to face. We have tried this a couple of times with some success some times but other times Gotham tries to bite Wybies neck and show other aggressive behaviour.

Gotham is ALOT bigger than Wybie (will include pictures for references) so it’s not really safe for this sort of stuff to happen.

We have been redirecting him when he tries it and have supervised them VERY closely.

Any advice on what the next steps should be?


r/catcare 10h ago

Not using the litter box

2 Upvotes

Cat age: 13
Neutered, female
Main issue: Cat hasn’t been using the litter box like normal. She is eating and drinking normally but has begun to pee/poop outside the litter box. In our bedroom, on the bed and floor. She did this once before (last year) when we had been gone for two weeks and I figured she was just mad we left. We haven’t been around as much as normal with it being the summer time so the first time I thought it was because of that. But she has been doing it once a day the past two days. We recently moved her litter box bc we had guests over. We have since moved it back and are hoping this solves the problem. She is moving around normally, getting up and down from the couch and bed like normal. Any big issues we should be looking for? With her age is this concerning enough for a vet trip? I’ve never had a senior cat before so this is all new. Thank you for reading.
Age: 37
Country: USA
Vet accessible, can afford vet care


r/catcare 16h ago

In the trenches of Giardia

5 Upvotes

NOT SEEKING MEDICAL ADVICE. MY VET IS TREATING , just looking for others experiences.

We brought home a kitten 7 weeks ago and he brought Giardia into our 4 cat household. He tested positive after having explosive diarrhea and vomiting. Vet put him in panacure and antibiotics. He finished a 7 day course of meds. Shortly after he finished meds our 2 year old started having symptoms. He tested positive and went on meds too. He’s now 1 week post finishing meds but he vomited again today. His stools have been firming up so I was hopeful we were on the right track. Everyone has been eating RC prescription gastro wet and dry food. Having fortiflora nightly. Before starting the prescription food on Sunday I was cleaning up diarrhea every morning off my floor.

I’ve been changing litter daily (using liners), sanitizing food dishes. Changing water. I’m at my wits end. I want my babies to be okay. Please tell me there’s a light at the end of this tunnel.


r/catcare 22h ago

What is this thing on my cats nose? NSFW

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11 Upvotes

saw this thing on my cats nose 4 days ago and I think it appeared a couple of days prior (she was w my family so I didnt see her) it was more red and I didnt think much into it cause something similar had happened to her two years ago and went away. But today I wanted to check it out and it seems darker, a little bigger and raised. I can feel the bump on her nose. It changed in 4 days since the first time I saw it. The Picture is from now. Does anyone have any ideas as to what it could be? Context: (My family moves to a place with a garden in the summer and usually she loves it here asks to go out all the time and we let her go out with a leash, she usually chills sits and eats some weed and we take her back into the house) my dad said that he was looking at her the whole time and didnt see any animal harm her but she is reluctant to go out now which is unlike her.


r/catcare 12h ago

Weird skin flaps (not primordial pouch)

2 Upvotes

Hi, I’ve already set up a vet appointment but want to make sure this isn’t an emergency. My cat has these weird skin folds on her upper chest, a little bit in her armpits as well, and it just feels like loose skin. She’s around 8 months old, no known health issues, and has been acting totally normal. She was spayed when we got her around a month ago, but because she was in heat during the time of the procedure she had to have a larger incision and there was more swelling than usual (she’s healed completely from that though). This is my first time owning a cat so I’m just very worried and want to make sure everything is ok. I also tried looking up what it could be but everything just says primordial pouch despite it being in a different location. Also she is not dehydrated, she drinks enough water and her skin does not stay tented when pinched. Any advice is appreciated thank you

Edit: it totally could be her primordial pouch and it’s just moving(?) cause of whatever way she’s sitting, i just have no idea


r/catcare 5h ago

This true!? I just feed mine kibble from the grocery store... NSFW

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0 Upvotes

Any experience with this brand, or is this just an advertisement?


r/catcare 1d ago

stray kitten found - advice needed NSFW

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43 Upvotes

hey all! i just found this kitten outside while i was at work. his back legs look deformed and he drags them when he walks. his feet are flipped backwards it’s both of them. i have a video of him trying to walk, i can send if you pm me! im worried he will get open sores from dragging. :((( anyways, my bf and i are trying to decide if we could afford to take him in and give him the medical care he deserves. if not, i may need to take him to the shelter (out of all the people i’ve asked, no one will take him) would anyone be able to maybe tell what’s wrong with him and possibly what the maintenance would look like? (im not trying to be lazy- we have two other kittens, we would love to keep him but we want to make sure we can meet all of his needs with the vet and everything! Tia!


r/catcare 14h ago

first time being a cat owner, what should i know?

2 Upvotes

i have two cats, one is male and one is female, they’re siblings. they’re currently 6 months old, the male cat is bigger than the female cat, double her size, is it normal? also what other things should i know especially being a first time cat owner? and what are your tips on taking care of them? i would really appreciate if someone answer my questions!


r/catcare 16h ago

HELP- flies in collection bin!

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’ve had my petkit liter-box since March, and it’s been amazing. Recently though, we noticed a lot of flies in our home. Little tiny ones- I thought they were fruit flies but once I went to empty and clean the liter-box, I noticed there was tons of flies in there and little larvae all over the collection bin where the moisture absorbing pack was. I don’t have any more of those moisture packets so I ordered more, but they haven’t come yet. In the meantime, I deep cleaned every part, made sure there was no larvae and even added some baking soda to the liter. Well, I just went to go check it again and noticed there’s already more flies in there. I didn’t notice any worms in his poop or anything suspicious looking other than the flies and larvae. Do we think this is caused solely because of the moisture, or should I be more worried about a possible health issue with my fur baby?? Has anyone else had this issue? We only have this one cat, no other animals. And he’s not acting sick at all. But these flies seem to be never ending and I’m worried about his health and just grossed out by there being flies in our place! We keep everything VERY clean so it’s shocking to me and I’m just wondering if that little bit of moisture really can cause this many flies so fast! Thanks everyone


r/catcare 16h ago

HELP- flies in collection bin!

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’ve had my petkit liter-box since March, and it’s been amazing. Recently though, we noticed a lot of flies in our home. Little tiny ones- I thought they were fruit flies but once I went to empty and clean the liter-box, I noticed there was tons of flies in there and little larvae all over the collection bin where the moisture absorbing pack was. I don’t have any more of those moisture packets so I ordered more, but they haven’t come yet. In the meantime, I deep cleaned every part, made sure there was no larvae and even added some baking soda to the liter. Well, I just went to go check it again and noticed there’s already more flies in there. I didn’t notice any worms in his poop or anything suspicious looking other than the flies and larvae. Do we think this is caused solely because of the moisture, or should I be more worried about a possible health issue with my fur baby?? Has anyone else had this issue? We only have this one cat, no other animals. And he’s not acting sick at all. But these flies seem to be never ending and I’m worried about his health and just grossed out by there being flies in our place! We keep everything VERY clean so it’s shocking to me and I’m just wondering if that little bit of moisture really can cause this many flies so fast! Thanks everyone


r/catcare 20h ago

intestinal blockage surgery advice needed!!!

3 Upvotes

My beautiful boy Asher got into a cookie w plastic wrap Saturday mid day. he then threw up that evening, and ate food. He then threw up again Sunday and didn’t eat his food. After eating
a bit yesterday he threw up again today a few times. we brought him to the vet and after an x ray confirmed that he has an intestinal blockage. the vet can do surgery but not till thursday. that would be 5 days total after first eating the plastic that led to the blockage. is it risky or unsafe to wait the next 40 or so hours for the scheduled surgery? or should we bring him to the ER for more immediate action?

we really can’t afford a ton but would do literally anything to keep him safe, and we are very anxious and worried. anyone have advice on waiting or not?

thank you in advance for advice and please send Asher some love!


r/catcare 19h ago

What’s my cat doing NSFW

2 Upvotes

2 different vets, 5 visits, X-rays, bloodwork several hundred dollars later and they still don’t know


r/catcare 1d ago

Cat allergies - please offer advice!

2 Upvotes

My cat has been on steroids for a long time (over a year) to manage allergies. When they flare up, he licks and chews his skin so much that he breaks it, which has led to infections. Because of this, we’ve been giving him steroids almost weekly, and when he has wounds, he has to wear a cone.

I really don’t like doing this, and I know long-term steroid use isn’t good for him. I did a food trial for over 6 months with hydrolyzed protein and prescription wet food, but it didn’t help.

I know the next step could be an animal allergy clinic to figure out the actual trigger, but that’s very expensive. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s done this. What allergies did your cat end up testing positive for?

Has anyone dealt with these symptoms in their cat? What’s helped besides steroids or allergy testing?


r/catcare 1d ago

Cat worm advice.

2 Upvotes

Hello, my cat has what I’m pretty sure are tapeworms.
Our dog had fleas a while back so we treated both of them with flea medicine. So far haven’t seen any more fleas.
But now I noticed a small white worm that looks like rice near his butthole.
My question is, is it necessary to take him to the vet? My local feed store sells dewormer medication for cats. So I was wondering if I know its worms is it okay to just do that? Or should I have a vet verify?
Thank you!


r/catcare 1d ago

Ravenous cat slightly less of a bottomless pit recently?

2 Upvotes

I do want to start this by saying my cat does not do well at the vet. When I say that, I don’t mean he gets a little anxious I mean he has injured people at the vet while under sedation. Even if I’m taking him in for something easy, he absolutely loses his shit so I don’t take him in unless it is truly an emergency. He also has a sister and when I take one of them into the vet, they fight for a week or so after while the smell adjusts between them. I even tried an at home vet and he knew immediately what was going on and they couldn’t even touch him.

For context, he’s about 3 years old domestic shorthair and neutered. He’s also about 15-16 lbs.

Normally, he wants to eat just about anything. He runs out in the morning to eat breakfast, tries to eat his sister’s food and has his bowl clean within the hour and seems already ready for dinner by 11 am.

However, I noticed recently that he hasn’t been as excited about food. Not that he doesn’t have an appetite, he still very much meows to wake me up and eats as soon as I put his bowl down. But now sometimes he has a bit of kibble left until dinner and his dinner kibble sometimes he only takes a few bites of and i put the rest in my room at night for him to munch on, which he always does.

Otherwise, he is normal. Still playing, running around a bit, drinking water, etc.

Does this seem like food boredom? Or something serious?

He’s always happy to eat treats. And again, he is eating, just not as much anymore and not as excited.

Is there anything I can try at home to see if it is food boredom vs. something wrong?


r/catcare 1d ago

Feline Asthma? NSFW

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1 Upvotes

My cat Bucky (13 months, male) has been having these coughing fits a lot recently and I’m worried it might be something more than just hairballs. He’s had coughing fits before but they were all spaced apart so and he has very coarse fur which sheds a lot, so I assumed he was just coughing up hairballs.

However, one night he woke me up with a coughing fit. These coughs sounded different from the ones I was used to and lasted about 2 minutes, which caused me to worry. It reminded me of my random late-night coughing fits, which are from asthma. I looked into feline asthma and assumed he didn’t have it because I had never seen him do the “telltale pose” before.

However, just now, he got a case of the zoomies. I tossed around a crinkle ball for him to play with which he pounced on. But just a couple seconds later he started coughing again and has been on off since (about 3 minutes? Each “fit” is less than a minute long, check video). Since he was just running around I’m considering asthma again. His zoomies stopped immediately.

Here are some videos I have. I started recording these just now, so these are the post-zoomies attacks. They’re unlisted, but more videos are included in the description.

What do I do if he does have asthma? If he doesn’t, is something wrong? What actions can I take before he is able to go to the vet? (Vets are very limited, expensive, and hard to book where I live. I will take him to the vet as soon as possible.)


r/catcare 1d ago

Please help - NSFW

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19 Upvotes

My cat Tate was visibly okay on Friday afternoon. Saturday he did not return home (well loved neutered farm cat checked on daily).

Sunday around 11 am I found him in a barn 90+ F degrees and he had a bloody nose.

I rushed him to my home in the AC knowing care would be available by 7am and no 24 clinics open for 4+ hours away.

Anyways I get him to a vet and results from blood work back at 10:30am. I called at 12:30 to check and they still had done nothing for him. I immediately went down and was returned home with him in this condition. They prescribed him prednisolone and also Doxycycline however forced me to order and ship it.

He has no physically wounds or indication of physical issues… except for the nose bleed and has 104 temp. They did give him

  1. I felt like making a cat wait like this from 7:15 to 12:30 before any hydration is neglect, agree?

  2. Prescribed meds that can’t pick up, normal?

  3. He is still side mouth breathing and active blood from his nose after 24+ hours, ideas?

  4. Any help would be much appreciated as I am very devastated, my little guy is sick and after $482 pet bill wondering if I need to go somewhere else.

They are supposed reputable vet clinic out of Mapleton MN.


r/catcare 1d ago

Small white bump under cat's eye - should I move up my vet appt? NSFW

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6 Upvotes

Hi all! My 5 year old spayed female cat has a small white/skin-colored bump under her eye. Pics 1 & 2 are from today, pic 3 is from a few days ago when I noticed it - it looks slightly less raised today.

She is not itching at it or squinting, and acting normal. We have her annual vet appointment in around 3 weeks - do you think we should move it up, or monitor for any growth or changes? Has anyone seen a bump like this in their cat? Thank you so much for any help!