Cat Having Trouble Breathing?

Question

About a month ago introduced my other 2 cats that my brother was watching for me. At first the cats were kind of standoffish as could be expected but started to get along after about a week, within the last week however my kitten has been getting beat up by the other 2 cats and has gotten quite the cut slightly above his right rear leg. We have treated it a few times clearing away the puss and then putting on polysporin. The cut almost entirely healed... but now my cat is having a real hard to breathing his stomach is contracting in and out and he can be heard breathing through his mouth and nose, he doesnt seem to have an apitite and very little energy.

I understand the best option is the bring him to the vet however I am broke and cannot afford the rates of the emergency clinic.
Im wondering if someone else has had this kind of experience before or knowledge of this and has any ideas on how I can help him. and is this related to the fighting?

Thanks In Advance

Sorry I deleted the part that says I have a 6 month old male cat (kitten) and that I recently introduced him to my 2 other cats my brother was watching

Please dont comment "Take It To The Vet" As I already stated its NOT POSSIBLE I am broke and only have about $20 to my name

ok for the record I do care very much for my cat and am doing everything in my power to get money together to get him to the vet. As I stated in my question I know that this is the option I have, However I was looking for any other means in which I can help him until he either gets better or until I can get the money together. Im not sure if you are aware of this but Animal Hospitals are VERY EXPENSIVE and unfortunatly not everyone is made of money.

Second my cat was not getting beat up on a regular basis. They got into the fight once and we seperated them.

Being rude about these things is not a help and definetly not wanted. All I was looking for was information on what to do.

And again, My cats are usually taken care of very well, The way I look at it is if I can afford to spend hundreds of dollars a month so I can live well then theres no reason I shouldnt spend a little extra so my cats can live well too

unfortunatly this has come at the worst possible time for me having just moved into a new place and a lot of new expenses making money extremely tight.

and yet again I ask that people stop criticising my so called lack of care for my cat and help me out with some solid information.

AND if you are so concerned and feel so inclined by all means feel free to lend me the money

Sadly my cat (Bert) was euthanised on Sunday night. His condition had gotten worse and we were unable to wait until morning, we were able to get money from my gfs step mom ($500). Turns out Bert was sick from birth and was under developed for his age. He had slowly developed water in the lungs throughout the 6 months of his life and by the time syptoms were showing it was too late.

This makes me very sad as he was very near and dear to myself and my gf. He was suppoed to get his checkup in 2 weeks. There were no clues that he was sick.. it came very sudden and is especially hard to deal with.

I thank everyone who offered constructive ideas on how I could help him until I could get him care.

and to those who could not offer any help but instead chose to insult me and criticize me when you dont take the time to know the situation. Shame on you. You had a chance to help Bert, but instead you chose to make false statements and accusations which did little but waste time.

Answer 1

It never fails, kitty gets sick on a holiday weekend and when there is no money in the bank!

Can you take the kitten next week during regular hours? I feel he needs medical attention, just want to see if can get him to when it will be regular hours and it won't cost so much. I feel from your information, there may be infection internally, that the polysporin couldn't treat. But it was good to use it on the wound.

First, does he have a fever. A kittens normal temp is about 100 -102 F, so he will feel warm to you anyway, but does he feel extremely warm?

Next, how does the cut look now? Is there still puss or redness around the wound? Are you still putting the polysporin on it?

Is he drinking and going to the litter box okay?

If he is not eating well, we want to prevent him from getting dehydrated. To check for dehydration, pull up the skin at his shoulders. If that skin snaps back, he is in good shape. If it doesn't he is starting to become dehydrated. Also, check his gums, they should be pink, it they are pale not good.

Get some unflavored Pedialyte and flat 7-Up and see if he will drink that. Make sure it is room temperature, cool, but not cold. Also get some of the meat baby food, but make sure it doesn't have onion. Offer him a spoon of that. The main thing is to keep fluids in him. If he won't lap, get a small dropper and give him a dropperful about every hour.

If you suspect he does have a fever, there is no human medicine you can give him that is safe. Don't try to cool him by wetting him, it will chill him too much. Giving him fluids will be the only safe method you can do, until you can take him to the vet.

If he continues to get worse, please see if you can borrow some money and go ahead and take him to the vet.

Here is a link to a credit card just for medical expenses, including veterinary, called Care Credit. You can apply on-line. My kitties routine expenses are in the budget, but Care Credit has saved me many times for the 'surprises'!

Hope kitty feels better soon.

Answer 2

My vet will let me run a bill for a few weeks. I do pay it as soon as possible. Look into that. But is it fair to own a pet if we can't get it help when needed? I don't say this lightly. I live on a very limited income and my pets take a good share of my money. Please get the kitty help somehow. It may die if you don't. Call and ask if they will let you run a bill for a couple weeks or a month. And DO PAY IT ON TIME. Believe it helps when you have an emergency and NO extra money.

Answer 3

Please take care of this kitten and don't make it suffer. Sorry to say this but you were negligent. You owe it to that 6-month old, beaten up creature who can't breathe right to borrow a few dollars for a trip to the vet.

But first make sure he can't get any more "beat up" by putting him in a safe place like a pet carrier or cage. Put all his stuff there--water, food, small towel as bed.

You seem like a sensible person and I don't want to be rude but how can you let your kitten be "beat up" by those cats your brother was watching?

I have four cats, and I've cared for six stray kittens before they were taken to the shelter. You should always keep your kittens or any new cat in a limited area of you home first, and separate from the old cats. You already knew your kitten was "getting beat up" but didn't make a separate space for him. It can be a small area in one room, separated by a box, or anthing really.

Edit: On second thought, I agree with Jenny R. You shouldn't own a kitten or any pet for that matter. Bring it to the shelter.

Answer 4

It sounds like an upper respitory infections, but you need to take the cat to a vet. It is not normal and very hard on the body for the cat to be breathing through the mouth, which can lead to further complications.
If they cat is not eating, try getting some wet cat food (canned food) and slightly warm it in the microwave, the cat will be able to smell it better. p.s. dont get the really cheap canned food, its not good for them nutritionally wise.
But the best thing is to take it to a vet before your cat gets worse!!

Answer 5

Really, all you can do is take him to the vet.

You're cat is in critical condition and could be dying. Heart failure manifests itself in the way you are describing. If you had a cut that was infected, its possible he may have FELV or FIV and could have an infection that has spread to the bloodstream.

It is impossible to say what is wrong with your cat without examining him. Take him to the vet and put it on a credit card.

Answer 6

Something has probably gotten damaged in the cat's abdominal area. If you really can't take the cat to the vet you should feel your cat's stomach and see if you feel any thing abnormal. The best thing I can think would be to feed the cat a vitamin supplement and let him relax in a room by himself away from any other cats. That should give him enough time to let the ailment to be healed.

Answer 7

Can't afford a vet; shouldn't have pets. It's that simple. It's not so bad to be poor, but it is so dumb to expect people on the internet to solve this kind of problem.

Answer 8

Cat Having Trouble Breathing

Answer 9

It really sounds like this cat needs antibiotics.
I don't think it's related to the leg injury - sounds more like cat flu - this kills cats.
Borrow some money and take him to a vet.

Answer 10

It sounds like your kitten isn't likely to live if you don't bring him to a vet. There has to be someone you could borrow $$ from to bring him, or make payment arrangements with the vet. Do you want to watch your kitten struggle and slowly die?