Should I take my cat to the vet??

Question

Ok, my cat had a bad eye infection about a month ago (started with one eye being VERY swollen, pussy, watery, then spread to both eyes. I took him to the vet immediately and they put him on some drops. He got the drops for a few weeks and his eyes SLOWLY got better. The drops are gone and his eyes still get green crusty things in the corners. When I lift his eye the whites of his eye are just a little red still, he started sneezing maybe once every other day, and he breathes really heavy like he is congested, like he's snorting through his nose (it's weird). Should i take him back to the vet, he doesn't seem sick, I just want to know if this breathing thing is something to be alarmed about??

OMG, you are freaking me out, "a medical emergency"??? So I just called vets office to explain and they said yes, bring him in b/c it could be upper resp. infection. Thanks for all your answers, I'm gonna take my frankie to the vet tomorrow

Answer 1

I would. He could have persistent allergies and a different medication might help. Also, a cat that can't breathe well and acts congested should be checked out. Depending on his age and contact with other animals, you never know if his eyes are just a symptom of another respiratory ailment. Observe other things about the cat to tell your vet- i.e. has his appetite changed? have you changed diets? is he less active? less interested? any other symptoms? This will help your vet determine when this thing started and what it could be. If you dont feel your vet is doing enough to help you, dont be afraid to change vets for a second opinion- not all small animal clinicians are used to dealing with bigger problems.

Answer 2

There is an upper respiratory/eye infection in cats, and it does clear very, very slowly. I personally have medicated a cat with oral antibiotic, shots and eye drops for well over a month, and at the end of that time, she was still weepy-eyed and a little inflamed. And she was basically a very healthy, young, delightful cat. I suspect your sweetie pie just has one of these infections that is slow to clear. I'm thinking that there is a viral component to this, and antibiotics have limited effectiveness. As with colds you sometimes get, the thing just has to run its course.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't intervene and help your animal as much as you can. One thing you can do right now is get some isotonic saline (saline solution in the same concentration as tears, which anyone with contact lenses has) or a Visine-type, artificial tears and irrigate the eye. Just be gentle, take your cat on your lap, pull down and out the lower lid, squirt, then lift the upper lid back and squirt. Wipe with a clean cotton ball. There are nasty-bug residues in his eyes, and if you wash those out, you help him throw the infection off. If you want to follow this with a bit of boric acid ophthalmic solution (very inexpensive and an antiseptic to the eye, not at all harmful, ever) to really clean it, that might help too.

Another thing you need to do is call the vet. Tell him about the congestion; ask him if he would like to prescribe a course of antibiotics or give the cat some more eye drops. Or if you need to bring your cat back in.

I honestly don't think you do have a veterinary emergency here, just an illness in a basically healthy (and obviously responsibly cared-for) little guy, that has a course to run, and that is going to run that course.

Your cat's behavior should be a tip-off to you of the degree of seriousness of what you are looking at? Is he eating well? Using his litter pretty regularly? Do his poops look normal? Is he friendly and present for you? Or is he lethargic and standoffish? Is he acting sick? My feeling is he is acting fairly normally, just sounding bad.

Clean out those eyes, and kind-of keep them clean -- once a day or so. And give the vet a call, and follow his cues.

You baby will be all right. It will just take a little time.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Glad you're going to the vet - this does indeed sound like an upper respiratory infection, the eyes are usually involved. I wouldn't call it a 'medical emergency' yet i.e you don't need to rush in to an emergency centre immediately, but an appointment asap would be good.

As for 'he doesn't seem sick' - yes he does, he's sneezing and has eye discharge! These are symptoms of illness - but you know that now. It could well be cat 'flu, which is something we vaccinate against as once cats have it they remain contagious for the rest of their lives, even when not symptomatic.

Chalice

Answer 4

Yes. It sounds like the start of an upper respiratory infection. The vet will beable to help make your cat feel better. Good luck

Don't freak out. It's OK. Cats get URI's all of the time. With antibiotics and lots of love and attention he'll be feeling better in no time. It's not really an emergency but if left untreated it could be. Poor Kitty, I'm sure he's not feeling good at all. Give him a hug and kiss from me. Good luck

Answer 5

Is your cat eating normally? Is your cat drinking? No one can say for certian if you should bring your cat in or not, but oftentimes if an animal will not eat or drink they need to be seen by a vet.

Has your cat had all of its shots? Your cat could have allergies, which would explain the red eyes, coughing and sneezing.

For a safe bet: I would take him to the vet and have him throughly checked out. Warning: this might be expensive, since blood work will more than likely be taken.

Hope this helps!

Answer 6

When you are unsure about any condition, a trip to the vet is in order. However, you might want to try another vet as the first one seemed to have relieved the symptoms, but not cured the problem. Tell a new vet you are trying to get a second opinion and then explain it just like you did here. I have had cats all my life and any kind of a green discharge is not normal and should be looked into.

Answer 7

You should call the vet office to see if they think it would be best to take your cat in or not. They are quite knowledgeable over the phone.

Answer 8

you ought to be talking to the veterinarian and not the vet tech. whilst you're particularly in touch, talk with the veterinarian and the vet can handle your concerns - the stats. it ought to reason renal failure yet possibly that is basically occurred in a small type of cats - so in prepare - tremendously no longer likely that your cat would be affected or renal failure must be led to from different issues besides. when you consider that your cat is an elder, renal failure is already a threat faster or later or something else. To me, she continues to be youthful yet I basically lost a kitty that develop into 10 a million/2 years previous - maximum cancers. a chum of mine lost his cat with the aid of renal failure at 10 years previous. It develop into surprising. some months previous, he gained a sparkling bill of wellness - had his enamel wiped sparkling. regrettably, you ought to bypass via your vet. you ought to verify with an area pharmacist yet those i've got labored with did no longer understand too lots approximately veterinary drugs nevertheless they should. it kind of feels to me that all and sundry drugs have their damaging aspects, particularly in cats that are small. they want an exceedingly small dose, frequently. My mom is a vet tech. She's on trip now or i might ask her. are you able to call a vet basically exterior your section and spot what they are able to allow you already know? that's what i desire to advise.

Answer 9

Take the cat to a vet.

Answer 10

When in doubt, take the cat to the vet. I would definatly take him back to the vet asap