I have an 8 month old kitten who has an allergy to flea saliva. Everytime he gets bitten he gets huge open sores of the back of his neck which bleed constantly until he gets a steroid shot. This time we went to the vets and not only does he have the sores he also has got an infection which has caused his cheek and neck to swell with pus (gross) and sag under the weight. Because of the anti biotics we cant give him the steroid shot to stop the flare ups until the infection has cleared. The vet said this is something he will have for the rest of his life now, he suggested that we consider putting him down as every time he has the steroid shot (almost monthly) we lower his immune leaving him open to further infection.
What do we do? Am i being selfish wanting to keep with the steroids?
2007-01-15 23:50:58 · 12 answers · asked by Jadedrose 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
Poor kitty, but the good thing is that with preventive care he can have a good life. Make sure to do lots of vaccuming and put flea killer on the carpet. It is a lot of work but your cat is worth it.
Shame on the vet for wanting to end its life just because of inconvenience. He should be giving you advice on what to do to help him and not kill him. I would look into finding a more compassionate vet.
2007-01-16 00:01:33 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
this is a very hard decision,i am an avid animal lover and i would hate to b in ur position.i have a white cat who is also allergic to fleas,but not to that extent,he just gets smalls sore on him.just b4 xmas i found out he has cancer in his nose an he was anaemic from all the blood loss from his nose and from his flea bites,i thought i would have to get him put down becoz he was so weak,the vet gave me advantage to kill the fleas ,an he hasnt had the sores since,u just hafta put it on the back of thier neck every 4 weeks an it kills all thier fleas,it works wonderfully,maybe u should give this a go first b4 u make any decisions,becoz if he has no fleas ,he wont have these problems!i pray this works for u,an all the best for u an ur cat!
2007-01-16 08:05:58 · answer #2 · answered by jessica h 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you treated EVERYTHING in your house for fleas and also your yard? Also you can keep something like frontline or Advantage on him to help keep the fleas off. I have never heard of a Vet recommending putting an animal down over flea allerges though, so I'm not sure.
2007-01-16 07:57:19 · answer #3 · answered by Charlie D 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I encourage you to aggressively try getting rid of the fleas before making any big decisions regarding your cat. There are many many products (some of which are available thru your vet) that should help to keep the cat from being bitten. Good luck, I hope you are able to get some answers for your kitty so he can feel better
2007-01-16 08:23:11 · answer #4 · answered by Somanyquestions,solittletime 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would hesitate to put an animal down only on allergies. Are you sure that the vets in your city are all unable to do something for the poor thing? The best vets often volunteer their service at the local SPCA, even the teachers , professors of university vet schools do their civic contributions to the SPCA, not mentioning their love of animals which brought them to their jobs in the first place.
Try the things they said in this website.
2007-01-16 08:07:57 · answer #5 · answered by QuiteNewHere 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Fleas are a major pest. There are various species of fleas - cat fleas, dog fleas, rat fleas and rabbit fleas.
You can get rid of them by the safest and cheapest methods like boric acid.
More details are available at http://pests.in/fleas.html
2007-01-17 11:55:06 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can't put your cat down because it has an allergy to something you can prevent!!! Get him on a good flea prevention program like Advantage & have your home fumigated or do it yourself with sprays like Ovitrol!
2007-01-19 14:53:36 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Get rid of the fleas! I have 8 cats and dogs and none of them have fleas. Get rid of the fleas and then the problem will go away.
2007-01-16 10:07:44 · answer #8 · answered by KathyS 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Treat your home for fleas and keep the cat indoors. That's what I'd try first before killing the poor creature.
2007-01-16 08:01:47 · answer #9 · answered by Melius 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Put yourself in the kitten's spot. Wouldn't you want a doctor to put you to sleep?!?! Too bad...they don't treat humans that well.
However, you do have the choice for the poor kitten. You'd be doing the poor thing a favor. Bring him to the vet, say your final good-byes, and keep the memories alive.
2007-01-16 07:57:41 · answer #10 · answered by poutine 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋