2 sick cats-Post number 4?

Question

Please read my other posts because a thousand words is not enough to ask the question and explain. I have 4 indoor cats and the one has the earmites and is lethargic, the other one has been sleeping a lot more than usual. They both are sleeping way more than usual and are not themselves. I had Melvin's ears flushed on Friday and he still hates to have his ears or head touched today. Please read post number 3 about the vet advice that I received today. Yes, cats do sleep a lot, but it is not normal for these 2 cats in particular. They are buddies, could the younger one ( oliver) be depressed because the older cat with the mites is not feeling well?

How do I do a follow up to a past question that I asked without having to type the entire thing again in a new question? There are not enough words to explain the first time, let alone explanations in response to suggestions on here.

Thanks much

Answer 1

your explanation seems quite clear to me

Ear-mites are a nuisance and very uncomfortable for the cat
They are unfortunately very contagious

cats hate their ears being , cleaned , treated or when they are painful, to be touched . ( takes a while to get over that)

yes they do get anxious, when another of their family is sick
And NOT playing lively games with them

It is most probable, that Oliver has ear-mites too now.

Cats can sleep up to 23 hours a day in my experience ,
Especially when they are warm and cozy.and properly fed !!!
Sleep pattern is not something ,i would worry too much about .

The fact that you say, they are not themselves , does worry me ,

but i would put that down to the mites , unless the vet finds something different .

persevere with the ear drops and keep an eye on the others for infestation

.I hope you can see an improvement really soon, when they are clear of those pesky mites

They sound like a delightful family of cats

Like children we worry about them a lot


Awwwwwwwwwww!


>^,,^< >^..^< >^,,^< >^..^<

Answer 2

Poor Melvin. Having your ears flushed isn't fun. And he will be skittish about it for a while. It's possible he not only has the mites, but an inner ear infection, which could be the reason why he's lying around. Here is a site that will give you more information on that:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1336&articleid=1564

Since you said you got Melvin from a shelter, then I would think he was tested for FELV/FIV. But Oliver was found and wasn't tested? Then he should be.

I don't know how many stool samples you brought in regarding Oliver's worms. At the clinic I work at, my doctor wants 2 stools samples, consecutively, that test NEOP (no evidence of parasites) to be considered parasite free. Maybe he still has worms? You can bring in a stool sample to the vet and find out.

We treat ALL the cats for parasites, even if they originally didn't have them because it's so easy for them to get them.

The doctor can also do a urine test to check for an infection and some bloodwork to check to make sure that everything is working ok. He can even check how the organs are working through bloodwork too.

For Melvin, I would check the inner ear. For Oliver, I'd have the stool rechecked. Start there. Oliver could just be laying around because his buddy is doing that too.

Hope this helps, good luck. Keep us posted on these guys, ok?

Answer 3

yes the other cat could be sad because his buddy is sick, when my cat's brother died he was very depressed for 2 weeks & the same cat was depressed again when a wild kitten that I tamed died after having him for 2 1/2 years -they both got ran over by a car-neither one of them were suppose to be outside at the time- would take to long to explain as to tell you how they ended up outside though

I would call your vet & tell them that Melvin still won't let you touch his ears or head and ask them if he should be feeling this way or not & how long it will take for him to get better & if your other cats can catch what he has

Answer 4

Have they all been checked / treated for ear mites? I don't know why that would make them lethargic, but it's very likely that more than 1 cat has them (if not all 4). Ear mites spread so easily that it's recommended you treat all animals in your home.

Answer 5

its completely possible for the other kitty to be depressed while its buddy is sick. thats what happened to my two female cats... theyre very young too... they played with each other all the time, totally loved each other, i took the baby to the vet for a day cause she was really sick and not eating.. brought the baby back and our older cat all she did for 3 weeks was just sleep. she wasnt active or nothing. she was even kind of timid of my boyfriend and i. she wanted to be left alone.. but as soon as the baby was all better and started to gain weight again, theyre back to normal.

Answer 6

I would call around and see if a diffrent vet was availible.
It sounds to me to be an inner ear infection that will need antibiotics. oliver is probably trying to keep melvin company.
which isnt fun for any one to babysit when someone is sick.