3 Year Old Cat Is Sick"(help)"?

Question

OK,I have had snuggles going on a month.He was sickly when I rescued him but Within 2 weeks, he had gained 5 pounds and was given a clean bill of health. He thru up his morning food.I figured he just engulfed as usual but This time vomited.Well,He has done nothing but Loaf around all day,ears outward,head down,sad looking.About 2 hours ago he spat up a hairball.And I found a little bit of spittle.Still not worried at that point because i have rescued animals for over 15 years.But I noticed about 30 minutes ago that snuggles has shallow ,rampid breathing.Very Shallow.He is still purrring.But That does not mean he isn;t sick. I cant get him to a Vet till Morning.I am not sure if he is just under the weather as we all can get(including our 4 legged kids),and the breathing is from being nauseated,or from vomited a hairball and his tummy is sore..Im just looking for any kinda answer.Ijust dont want to lose him over nite.Any ideas?

I forgto to let u know, he is not panting, he is still breathing from his nose.Sorry,My mind isn't working.Had his shots,wormed.And in 2 weeks gets neutered!

ok, Cant find my vet.But I did find a 24 hour vet a lil over hour away. I live literally in teh sticks in bama. I do have gatorade and pepto on hand, But Id rather let this vet see him first. Yall have beeen great except for the a$$ that decided I need to get a real pet. I have a real pet TY sir. I rescue. I have homed out over 40 alone in just 6 years. I also own animals,That other ppl wouldnt take time with. My animals cost more than my home.Dont comment no more to me.Cats r just as much a gift of god as my dogs.TY, I have to get snuggles ready for clinic. TY all.Ill let u know something.Wish me luck.Rescue cat last month cost $2,600.00.Id do it again!The vet said its $150.00 after hour call and $45.00 for office and then what ever next is seprate! Pray for my kittie,TY all.Exceot for u sc**** ur answer was rude and uncalled for.And Snuggles eats the only thing I can get him to.Purina urinary Tract and friskies sliced twice daily.Its checked out.TY all.BBS wish me luck!

ok, Took snuggles in to the Vet.He had a bladder infection which was causing his pain(shallow breathing)His white count was very high and his lil fever was at 104.He is recovering fine and will be better soon.He is on Clavomox and he is cranky from having a TEMP UP HIS BUTT!TY for all ur advice.And Im glad i chose to drive to a dif county.Cool how they cared for snuggles ,compared to my Vet..Thanks

Answer 1

I'd find a 24 hr emergency vet. Surely just about every animal hospital has an on call service. If your vet doesn't offer that, then I'd try to locate one that does. Best wishes, and Thank you for what you are doing for the homeless animals out there. Your an animals angel =)

Answer 2

Sometimes when cats vomit they can bruise thier ribs. Especially if it was twice and they were trying to get up a hairball. Is he dehydrated? You can check this by pinching their scruff on the neck. It should go back to the right place quickly, if not he may be dehydrated. This can be really serious for a cat. If you have ever bruised your ribs, you know how painful it can be. He could be breathing shallow because it is causing him pain.
I would recommend calling the vetand telling them the symptoms. They might give you some advice over the phone or have you wait until morning. Either way, a professional opinion would not hurt.
When did he have his vaccines? I would think pretty recently since you said you have had him about a month. If it was within a few days then it could be a reaction to one of them. If it has been longer than that then i wouldn't think so. Keep him calm and be sure he doesn't get overheated. I would recommend putting him in a carrier and making sure he has plenty of water available with lots of ventilation. Cats are notorious for trying to hide when they are ill. I wouldn't want him to get lost while he is sick.
Call the vet and see what they say. Keep him calm and cool. Check on him frequently. I wouldn't give him any food tonight. Let his stomach rest overnight. Does he have runny stool? Could he have gotten into any poisonous substances or plants? Have you checked him thoroughly for any wounds?

Answer 3

Sometimes cat purr when they're in pain, too. If his breathing is shallow it might be something kinda serious...

Does your vet have a 24 hr. call center? Our vet has something set up where if there's an emergency in the middle of the night we can call in and they'll track down the vet - he asked that we call him first so he can hear symptoms over the phone and either bring us in or calm us down. It's saved us a lot of trips to the (very expensive) vet ER.

Otherwise check the phone book and see if you have a 24 hr. vet or vet ER that will take questions. A professional might recognize the symptoms better than anyone here :)

If a consult really isn't possible until morning, just keep him comfortable, try to calm him down (pet him, talk to him) and see if that will help him even out his breathing. Panicking will only agitate whatever is wrong with him.

Good luck!

Answer 4

What do you feed him? I wish I could say for certain that the pet food contamination was over, but I haven't seen any written guarantees of that since the first recalls and subsequent unadvertised multiple recalls that followed. You might ask your Vet (if the Vet is unsure what is wrong) to run a blood panel to check for toxins like what was poisoning animals in food (melamine, cyanuric acid, even acetaminophen in pet foods).
If he's indoors/outdoors or even indoors only but might have gotten into something toxic or a toxic plant that could cause him to be sick like that. If he is still doing the rapid and shallow breathing at this point in time, if you are reading this, an emergency clinic might be needed. At least call one and see what they tell you. Hope your cat will be okay.

Answer 5

Shallow rapid breathing can be several things. First, it could be an allergic reaction. Has Snuggles eaten a bug that you know of? A shot of epinephren will immediately help...That was the case with my cat....or my mom's cat did that you described and she had fluid around her heart and now takes Lasix daily. I would try an emergency vet service....Good luck to Snuggles and God bless you for rescuing animals.

Answer 6

Cats, for whatever reason, purr when in severe distress. Isn't there an emergency clinic in your neighborhood? Do you have any gatorade in the house? You can force feed him some (to hydrate him) with a syringe. I don't know what's wrong, but I sure wish I did. Also, try smearing some Pepto on your finger and wiping it on his tongue. You have me quite worried...good luck. I'll keep a good thought.

Jo, your answer was spot-on...I didn't even think of the recent recalls...excellent thinking. I hope everything turns out okay.

Answer 7

Though I would take the kitty to a vet immediately, I have a similar cat. After my cat of many years died, I adopted a cat from my friend - he purrs strangely, all the time, and meows more than I am used to - BUT he is fine, missing a bunch of teeth bc he was a street-adopted cat - and throws up because he can't digest the food I give him. I give him aa mix of wet and dry food, well -mixed. And feed him when he wants, otherwise, mine pukes up a white saliva mess if he can't get food on time....but he's good.

Answer 8

shallow breathing is not a good sign and wouldn't be present if he's just under the weather. are there any vets on call? i really wouldn't wait til morning. he might not make it. ear placement and head down sounds like he's in pain.
good luck i hope all goes well. could he have gotten into anything poisonous?

Answer 9

You should take it to the vet as soon as you can probably is poisoned... cats can get poisoned with very common things such as plants, flowers and even some food we think is harmless... good luck

Answer 10

By the time I read this, you were already about to take Snuggles to the vet.

Hope it's nothing serious (or expensive). Let us know what happens.