I have a 2 year old cat and she was very sluggish yesterday and wanted to be held all day long. Usually she greets me in the morning and today I couldn't find her and finally found her behind the sofa rolled up in a ball. She would not hardly move and I took her to the vet at 3:00 today. The vet said he thought she might have been bit by another cat. Her gave her a shot and antibiotic and sent her home. He said he did not know if she will live. He only spent 5 minutes with her. She has a fever of 105 and has been so sick all day. It sounds like she might have something stuck in her throat. She wont eat or drink. I am so afraid she will be dead by morning. Please help me.
2006-07-18 10:44:32 · 7 answers · asked by Julia 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
The vet did not ask for any lab work to be done. He gave her a shot of Baytril and an antibiotic called Clavamox Drops 15 mg twice daily. I tried to check for bite marks but she is so sore she will not let me touch her. She wont eat or drink anything. It sounds like she chokes from time to time.
2006-07-18 11:04:58 · update #1
She is an indoor cat but from time to time she sneaks out. She was out about 4 days ago..The vet said that he thought the bite may have been healed over and hard to find.
2006-07-18 11:06:23 · update #2
She is an indoor cat but from time to time she sneaks out. She was out about 4 days ago..The vet said that he thought the bite may have been healed over and hard to find.
2006-07-18 11:06:26 · update #3
Maybe you should try another vet..... at the very least I would call your vet's office and ask a lot of questions (one being, maybe he didn't check everything). Good luck....fingers crossed. (she certainly sounds sick though, they always hide when they are sick)
2006-07-18 10:48:30 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The vet you went to sounds like the one I used to go to. Charged me a lot of money, but often didn't even bother to look at the animal. He would always say, 'It seems to be ..." Finally got fed up with paying for an opinion. I wanted a proper diagnosis. Please take your cat to a sharp diagnostician. She may have gotten a very bad scratch or a bite. However, if that were the case, you would see inflammation somewhere. There may be internal injuries, so best to go to a large hospital and get all the necessary tests done. I've always found that it's cheaper in the long run to get the tests. That way you know exactly what you're dealing with.
2006-07-19 13:01:57 · answer #2 · answered by pepper 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to call another veterinarian to get a second opinion. I would look for an AAHA approved animal hospital, if one is available in your area, since you don't give any more specifics. A cat bite abscess will make a cat act very sick with a high fever from infection. Does your cat go outside? Run your hands through your cat's fur. If she was bit by another cat, you will find either very small scabs (like a hard spot in her fur) from a bite wound (most likely 2 little holes) or a warm swollen area that is very painful to the touch (abscess). If you don't find any of these things, it may not be a cat bite abscess. FYI: one shot of antibiotics doesn't do a whole lot. An antibiotic for anaerobes given by mouth 2-3 times daily is much more effective than 1 shot. You don't say what was found on physical exam or if lab work was done. Did you allow your veterinarian to do any lab work? Finding the cause of sickness in a cat can be tricky. If you could give more information perhaps you might get more help.
Is she sore in one area? Like limping on one leg? Is she sore on her back? Did she act fine when she came in the house and then started acting sick later? Or was she acting sick when she came in the house? Did your vet do a good physical exam right in front of you and tell you/pinpoint where your cat hurt? Like, "She is really acting painful over her hips. I can feel a swelling and here is a couple of scabs. I really think she got into a cat fight." Or did the vet say, "Well, I'm not sure what it is. Let's just treat it like a cat bite and see if she gets better." There is a big difference between those two statements. The first one says "Here is some evidence of a bite. I am not 100% sure that is what happened but it sure looks that way". The second one says, "Heck, I don't know what is wrong. Let's go with the odds and treat for a cat bite abscess because I am already 20 min. late for my next appt and don't have time to figure out what is really wrong with your cat." Did they clip any fur from your cat over area where painful? I do that routinely to check for bite marks or bruising since she may have been hit by car, etc.
Bottom line is no one here can tell you what is wrong with your cat. If you don't feel like your cat was taken seriously, you need to find another vet for a second opinion.
Could this vet do a good physical exam on your kitty or does your cat bite? Was it aggressive to the vet?
What I would do:
Temperature: greater than 103.0F in the exam room is too high for a cat (>102.5F is abnormal but through in a couple of degrees for stress) Cats with abscesses run high fevers.
If there is a swelling or abscess, it needs to be clipped, cleaned and flushed. Won't get better until it is addressed.
Antibiotics sound reasonable for an abscess, especially clavamox drops. Dose is 1 mls per 10 lbs of cat, twice daily.
What it could be if not an abscess? I don't know since I haven't examined your cat. Tests to follow: FeLV/FIV test, cbc, chemistry profile, urinalysis, good abdominal palpation (any fluid in abdomen? I would start to think FIP). XRays??? Possibly... Hopefully by the time you get this some of your questions will be addressed by another vet or your cat is getting better.
Best of luck
2006-07-18 17:56:47 · answer #3 · answered by bluesuedeshoes 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Please take her to another vet! This guy sounds like a jerk. Ask your friends and neighbors for a recommendation, there are lots of great, caring vets out there. "Might have been bit" is not a diagnosis!
2006-07-18 17:49:39 · answer #4 · answered by Lee 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think u should ask other Dr but via phone as not 2 exhaust ur sick cat.. give her extra care ... really wanted 2 help u more
2006-07-18 17:51:54 · answer #5 · answered by yummy yummy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
take her to another vet and ask for there opinion and tell them what they think about her hope she didnt get rabies and she is around ur kids or get parvo that will kill her
2006-07-18 17:49:01 · answer #6 · answered by Tiffany 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with everyone else, get a 2nd opinion!!!
2006-07-18 19:28:22 · answer #7 · answered by tricialou68 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋