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3541 results for “when to take cat to vet”
My cat eats treat meat packs and freeze-dried food but not kibble; what is going on?
Eating treats but not kibble is often pickiness (poor kibble, heat, teething); let it skip a meal or improve kibble appeal. If low energy or other symptoms appear, it may be illness needing a vet.
My cat hasn’t eaten for two days, vomits yellow fluid, and is low in energy; what is wrong?
Yellow vomit and not eating may be distemper/coronavirus, obstruction, hairballs, parasites, acute gastroenteritis, or internal disease (hepatitis, kidney failure, pancreatitis). Get a vet infectious-disease and blood check. Withhold food 0.5-1 day; if frequent vomiting, fluids and anti-emetics; do not force feed.
Is my cat’s ear condition ear mites or Malassezia? After cleaning, large black discharge returns the next day.
Black waxy discharge returning next day strongly suggests ear mites causing itch, scratching, and head shaking; untreated it becomes otitis externa with hair loss and sores. Confirm with otoscopy; clean and treat 3-4 weeks, twice daily, monthly prevention, Elizabethan collar.
My cat has poor appetite, labored breathing, stays in a corner not moving, low spirits, and keeps making noises.
Poor appetite, breathing difficulty, and low energy may be stress, FIP, distemper, gut disease, heart disease, or bronchial pneumonia; severe cases are life-threatening. Take the cat to a vet promptly for diagnosis and treatment.
My cat vomits undigested kibble; it started yesterday.
Undigested kibble vomiting may be gut blockage, indigestion, or eating too fast. Withhold food, give a little warm water, observe 6-8 hours; if it continues, vet X-ray for blockage, pancreatitis, or gastritis.
My cat has repeated urinary blockage for over two months; used ampicillin, ribavirin, furosemide with little effect; blocks about every 5 days; white discharge blocks the urethra.
Repeated blockage is likely idiopathic cystitis or urinary stones; with weak antibiotic effect, get X-ray, ultrasound, and urinalysis. Stones may need surgery; urethritis needs catheterization and fluids. After recovery ensure ample water to prevent recurrence.
Is this ringworm, and can I use human ringworm medicine on my cat?
The ear lesion may be fungus, allergic dermatitis, or sarcoptic mange, not necessarily ringworm; confirm with a Wood's lamp (apple-green glow) or skin scrape. Do not use human medicine; cat skin differs and human drugs cause irritation, scars, and hair loss.
My hamster had a tumor that was very large; after medication there was no improvement, then it broke open on its own, keeps scratching, and bleeds. What should I do, what medicine and dressing to use?
For an abdominal tumor, first determine type at an exotic-pet vet; benign ones can be cleaned and surgically removed, malignant need biopsy and surgery plus radiotherapy. If no vet access, keep the wound clean and dry with iodine and antibiotic ointment like erythromycin.
My cat has a few patches like in the photo and one or two small itchy bumps; is it ringworm, and is it serious?
From the distant photo, ringworm is hard to confirm. Suspected cases: shave fur 2cm around, check with a Wood's lamp (green glow confirms), then clean with peroxide and apply antifungal cream (terbinafine, ketoconazole, itraconazole). Use an Elizabethan collar and disinfect the environment; if no glow, get a skin scrape at the vet.
The day before yesterday I came home to find my cat suddenly clingy, tail drooping and not moving, crying when I touch the tail base; it used to go out but hasn’t lately. I wonder if the tail is injured.
A drooping, immobile, painful tail likely means fracture, crack, or soft-tissue injury. Get an X-ray; cracks or soft-tissue need rest and medication, fractures need fixation and limited activity. Confirm with the vet.