Cat Help.........Pleaaaase

kittens · Post by **kittens** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 5:44 am

How did I miss this thread!!!!

Suger totally answered all your question....

But I would like to add one more

(actually two

)

1) For feeding dry food, you might want to take a look at ingrediants. If the dry food contains a lot of wheats or non-meat contents, then you might want to avoid.... b/c this causes crystal in bladder. I used to feed one of my older cat and I had to bring him an emergency room and costed me $2000

(but he is my babe so I did not mmind.... But I was still undergraduate and broke.... So it was painful....).

2) Also you might want to think to have a pet insurance. http://www.petinsurance.com/
From my old cat's sickness, I have learned that you might need huge $$$ for emergency.... So I have insurances for both of our cats. Also it covers all exams and vaccinations......

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 5:44 am

Carefully.

Baakay · Post by **Baakay** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 6:34 am

Sounds to me like you have a wonderful new family member!!

My two cents on the lip business. Yes, cats can get acne. We fed our Crotchedy Old Ladies from wooden bowls for a long while (at least their dry food) but Buffy started getting the gross-chin syndrome.

We went to a plastic bowl -- but these are specifically designed for cats with some type of treated plastic (like I know) and are weighted on the bottom (a treat when your darlings like to push squishy food all over the house). Judging from the sleek lump of feline currently adorning my lap I'd say it worked.

Her behaviour sounds perfectly cat-like to me. We had a gigantic gray tabby once who got himself perfectly hidden for about 3 days when we first got him. How a cat that large could disappear so thoroughly in such a small house is still mystifying to me after some 20 years.

Best of luck to you and a ruffle to the kitty!

Prince Vegeta · Post by **Prince Vegeta** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 12:33 pm

Yea I should take insurance into consideration.
So the bumps are not significant then??? I'll keep an eye on them anyways....

My thanks goes out to Baakay and kittens as well for their advice....thanks guys

One very last questions if anyone is still reading this thread....how do you know if a cat has worms....I was told that Serena has been dewormed already so would she still get worms or is she fully resistent?

The reason I asked is beacause I found this really fat white grain of rice looking thing on the floor today....I'm not sure where it comes from but I awas told that the white ricy things can be a sign of worms. She doesn't have diarrhea or anything else.....

what do you think?

Sugarflower · Post by **Sugarflower** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 12:51 pm

It's possible she may have tapeworms. DON'T BE SCARED THOUGH!

Tapeworms tend to shed off the tip of there 'tails', which is just a segment of the worm, and this little 'grain of rice' really does resemble a grain of rice, especially when it dries out. When the segment isn't dried out it will actually move around just like a worm. If you saw this then I would take her to the vet as soon as you have the time. It's not really life threatening to her.

The worm stays in her intestines and feeds off the nutrients from the food she has eaten. A worm like that can grow up to 4 feet or more as it grows for years and years in body. As it grows occasionally it will shed those little segments which carry it's eggs. When it dries out and opens then the eggs are dispersed. Make sure you vacuum often to suck up segments that may be have been left by you kitty.

The regular deworming treatment given to cats and dogs will not get rid of tapeworm. That treatment is mainly used for roundworms and such. Serena will have to be given an injection of tapeworm dewormer. After the first tapeworm injection I think you have to return to the vet for another one after two weeks have gone by.

I think tapeworms are spread by fleas (I can't remember exactly at the moment, sorry). I can't remember if the tapeworm larva are injected as the flea bites or maybe they enter when the cat eats a flea as she grooms herself.

It's possible she has had tapeworms all her life. I think they can get them from their mom. And as I said, they can stay inside the intestines for YEARS without you even knowing she may have them. Then when you find the little 'grain of rice' you will realize, 'ack she has worms!'

~Sugar

Prince Vegeta · Post by **Prince Vegeta** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 3:19 pm

Well....it was much whiter and fatter then a grain of rice and it wasn't hard and dried out at all. When I picked it up I squeezed it a bit and it just crumbled. It wasn't moving as far as I could tell. And I haven't seen anything else resembling it on Serena's tail or genral anal area.....should I just take her to the vet now or wait and see if another piece comes along???

Would they be able to tell from a stool sample whether she has tape warms???? It doesn't sound like it.

Also....I was clipping her toe nail today....I could only do one paw since she would not hold still. But when she ran away from my lap, she poked at my lag with her sharp nail. It sorta made a really really tiny red mark on my skin....the actually piercing is the size of a pin tip. I looks like it was just a minor scratch....but she could have potentially passed the skin cause I could almost see some a tiny bit of blood. Now....I'm not a pansy or anything....but would this result in an infection or should I not even worry about it? It doesn't really feel itchy or uncomfortable. I felt a sharp poke when she stepped on my leg, but I didn't even bother checking what happened. 30 mins later I go to take a shower and I see the tiny scratch.

Sugarflower · Post by **Sugarflower** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 4:06 pm

Prince Vegeta wrote:Well....it was much whiter and fatter then a grain of rice and it wasn't hard and dried out at all. When I picked it up I squeezed it a bit and it just crumbled. It wasn't moving as far as I could tell. And I haven't seen anything else resembling it on Serena's tail or genral anal area.....should I just take her to the vet now or wait and see if another piece comes along???

Would they be able to tell from a stool sample whether she has tape warms???? It doesn't sound like it.

You can wait to see if you find anymore of those white thingies before deciding to take her back to the vet. From the description you gave of it though it does sound like a tapeworm to me. Even though I described it as being a grain of rice they do look small, flat, squarish, and whitish. Usually the times I ever found an active one was when it was still sticking to the cats fur or around the anal area. As they start to dry out they 'die'.

Hmm, I don't think they can tell is Serena has tapeworm by looking at her poopies. You would have to save one of those white things you are finding (put it in a baggy or something small like a babyfood jar) and bring it to the vet. Some people have even just described to the vet about the thing they have found and they take your word for it. However, they may do things different where you live than what they did at my clinic.

Prince Vegeta wrote:Also....I was clipping her toe nail today....I could only do one paw since she would not hold still. But when she ran away from my lap, she poked at my lag with her sharp nail. It sorta made a really really tiny red mark on my skin....the actually piercing is the size of a pin tip. I looks like it was just a minor scratch....but she could have potentially passed the skin cause I could almost see some a tiny bit of blood. Now....I'm not a pansy or anything....but would this result in an infection or should I not even worry about it? It doesn't really feel itchy or uncomfortable. I felt a sharp poke when she stepped on my leg, but I didn't even bother checking what happened. 30 mins later I go to take a shower and I see the tiny scratch.

I've never had an infection from a kitty scratch or poke. Sometimes my cats would be soooooo happy as I pet them or brushed them that they would knead my lap with their little paws and stab me several times with their claws, lol. Just keep it clean like you would with a normal scrape or cut. If you want you can use a little peroxide or rubbing alcohol (if you can take the sting!), and neosporin for a few days. If it ever gets pus, swollen, and red a few days after the scratch occurs then it might be getting an infection. I think you will be ok though!

A cat BITE is much different! Cat's have tons of nasty bacteria in their mouths (just like us

) and if you get a bad cat bite it can get very ugly. The type of bite I'm talking about is if the cats tooth breaks through your skin (like a puncture or stab) and you bleed alot. When my cats were young they loved to bite and kick you during playtime. Occasionally they would scratch my skin with their teeth and it would lightly bleed but a little soap and hot water always took care of that problem. I've never had an infection from a bite yet.

I hope this helps. Anymore questions and we'll all be glad to help you.

~Sugar

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 4:08 pm

I am very much a cat person.

Sugarflower · Post by **Sugarflower** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 4:08 pm

Do you have a cyber kitty as a pet Cloud?

Prince Vegeta · Post by **Prince Vegeta** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 4:31 pm

Sugarflower wrote:Do you have a cyber kitty as a pet Cloud?

Thanks again for your help and for the smile

Baakay · Post by **Baakay** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 4:45 pm

Yep, what she said. It does kind of sound like little wormies... Not to panic, it's a reasonably common thing and easily taken care of.

As to the scratches, I'd be dead by now if they were really dangerous. I'm serious. I've had cats sink their claws into my scalp (to the point that someone else had to pry the claws loose), lay open a nice piece of knee, and "get" the side of my wrist (the one place I actually have a cat-scar). Scared cat + stupid kid (me) = unintentional infliction of dermatological distress

They are continually using my bare legs as launching pads, and Emily likes to grab on with her sharp little toes when she's "hugging" so I'm constantly covered with little pinpricks on the neck and chest.

Frankly, the two elementary-school-age kiddos are a lot more toxic than the cats!!

Course, those sharp little toes do HURT!

Prince Vegeta · Post by **Prince Vegeta** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 5:31 pm

OH GOD OH GOD......I'm freaking out.....I just cought Serena chewing on the bottom of my Hawaiian skirt.....it's not grass....one of these....

http://www.abfab.co.uk/Thumbnails/HB06047.jpg

Will she be alright....I'm not sure if she's taken any chunks out of it. She's not coughing or anything, but I'm afraid that if anything went down her throat that she's die because of it.......heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp

Sugarflower · Post by **Sugarflower** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 7:24 pm

Prince Vegeta wrote:OH GOD OH GOD......I'm freaking out.....I just cought Serena chewing on the bottom of my Hawaiian skirt.....it's not grass....one of these....

http://www.abfab.co.uk/Thumbnails/HB06047.jpg

Will she be alright....I'm not sure if she's taken any chunks out of it. She's not coughing or anything, but I'm afraid that if anything went down her throat that she's die because of it.......heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp

Usually if they swallow something small like this and not much of it then it will pass through their bowels just fine. One of my cats did the same thing but with a super long cotton string he was playing with. He made this horrible howling sound and I realized he was choking on it. I managed to pull the string out just in time. I'm pretty sure he probably swallowed smaller pieces of it but thank goodness he was ok. He never had a blockage.

If you really can't tell that any plastic strings are missing from the skirt then she should be fine. She may have just chewed it a bit. When I was working at the vet clinic we would sometimes get animals with blockages. They usually didn't have a bowl movement for a few days and became lethargic. When they tried to eat they would usually vomit since the the food couldn't digest. But those animals (all were dogs) had eaten plastic bones, stockings, metal objects, etc.

If Serena does vomit tonight or tomorrow then I wouldn't be to alarmed. Her tummy may be trying to get rid of the strings. But like I said, I don't think you should worry to much.

Cats like to chew on stringy things. I'm not sure why unless it reminds them of grass or something. I've caught my cats chewing on the whiskers of my plushies!!!! They can be so wierd sometimes.

kittens · Post by **kittens** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 10:45 pm

About worm thing, it might be fleas. flea worms grow up inside of cats' stomach sometimes b/c they lick furs...... Both of my cats had one and basically my vet told me to put flea medicine and they were gone in a couple days.....

Chewing things, like suger said, if she bits a tiny bit I would not worry.... If she swallow a lot, then you will notice she does not eat and start puking.... Then I would worry about.

Usually cats do not eat things, like dogs do, so it is very rare for cats to suffer from swallowing things....

Prnce Vegeta, you are like a new parent

Prince Vegeta · Post by **Prince Vegeta** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:08 am

well....when I went to sleep last night she had eaten wet food. She finished her wet food bowl this morning so it doesn't seem like she has an eating problem yet. She doesn't seem to drink too much water though.

And when I checked the litter box....yes.....I found like a bunch of round solid poopies (most poopies I've seen from her as of yet)....does this mean that she'll be ok and that the strings are not stuck in her stomach? Or should I still worry about it???

As far as I could see there were no strings in the poopies. But the litter isn't clumping up around the poopies anymore.....guess it's time to change the litter box.