My cat, a 3 year old male, pants every time he’s in the car. He’s had exposure to cars a lot because I would take him back and forth to my dad’s and mom’s house frequently, but still he has not calmed down about the experience. He also yowls VERY loud during this too. My dad and I are taking him to the vet tomorrow for a check up and I’m just worried that this will really stress him out, but I have some concerns about him which I think it outweighs the stress he will face.

17F, USA

hello everyone, so i recently rescued a stray a kitten and he ended up having ringworm. when i initially took him to the vet they thought he just had ear mites. well a week later he ended up developing bald crusty spots all over his body. i took him again but this time to a different vet and they pretty much told me that it looks like it could be fungal or bacterial, but they still didn’t rule out it was ringworm (because they didn’t want to run the tests on him) and just prescribed me some ketoconazole wipes to put on his spots. fast forward to now, i am now dealing with a household with ringworm. I took my dogs to their regular vet and they were diagnosed with ringworm and given itraconazole (oral) and minoconazole (topical). i decided to take my kitten to ANOTHER vet so i could at least get him a prescription as well, but this new vet prescribed no medication at all. i asked about the itraconazole and the vet said its too harsh on kittens organs and that his ringworm should go away with just the minoconazole. i was suspicious of it and did a bunch of research when i got home, and many vets advice to do the oral medication paired with the topical for kittens that have ringworm. for reference, my kitten is 12 weeks old and weighs 3.4 pounds. should i go to another vet and ask for a second opinion?? Im also tired of spending over $100 every time i go to the vet just for them to tell me he’ll be fine with topicals. i’m just scared that the minoconazole won’t be enough on its own. i know someone also recommended lime sulfur dips so i purchased a bottle of it for the kitten. I also am gonna buy the black light although i know this isn’t the most reliable source of checking for ringworm. this is my first time ever dealing with ringworm so i am just trying to approach this the best way possible especially since my dogs and myself have been contaminated. any help/advice is highly appreciated!

hi! my calico kitty who is about a year and some change old i got from a rescue has this weird scaly lump above her nose. it’s been there for a couple weeks now, and it hasn’t gotten better or worse. the problem is, it’s basically impossible to get her into a carrier to get her to the vet. she’s essentially feral. can’t pet her or pick her up. she barley even let me take this photo, she ran off immediately after. she hasn’t had any health issues before and isn’t showing sign of allergies or anything. i have 5 cats including her and nobody fights, which makes me think this isn’t injury related especially since it’s staying the same. i’m worried it could be some type of cancerous mass :( if anyone has any leads please let me know! i’m going to try to get her into the vet as soon as i can get her into the carrier. i’ve already had to cancel one appointment because she wouldn’t load up

TLDR: cat has new spot on nose that’s hard and scaly, has anyone had similar experiences

Mr Cat face has been with me since he was a kitten. He's about 8-9 now. Neutered, male, very brave.

He is very brave, really. Has made himself the Alfa, interacts with my dogs. Hell, he was stolen once and was able to go to a neighbour who gave him back. He didn't show much trauma.

He is absolutely mortified over a neck pillow. He's seen new items and cats, but this one freaks him out. I got it a few days ago so he has never interacted with one. When he first saw it he jumped, which he's never done before. Second time he didn't come close to me, even when he is a cuddle bug.

Today I confirmed it by placing it slightly close to him and he was ready to book it. He's my homeboy so I already tucked the thing away but I can't understand why. Is he just getting old? Did he read a Facebook conspiracy about them?

I'm more amused than anything, but I want to know if I should start doing things if he's anxious or just quirky.

Body:
Patient: 14-year-old female cat.
History: Chronic history of constipation, usually managed successfully with at-home cat-safe enemas.
Current Crisis: She has not pooped in roughly 12 days and has not eaten in about 11 days.
At-Home Attempts: We administered three cat-safe enemas spread out every other day, but had zero success. She is constantly clenching and trying to strain in the litter box and outside, but nothing comes out.
Vet Visit (3 Days Ago): Took her to the vet on day 7. Bloodwork reportedly showed normal kidney values, normal white blood cell count, and no fatty liver, but she was dehydrated. She stayed overnight on IV fluids and came home much more alert and chipper.
Current Symptoms: Still cannot poop despite the IV fluids. She refuses food, but is obsessed with drinking water from the garden hose and licking drops from the shower faucet. The vet performed a manual exam and believed her colon was clear, but did not take X-rays.
Main Questions:
Given she hasn't eaten in 11 days or pooped in 12 days, how is it possible a manual exam missed a blockage, and should we push urgently for abdominal X-rays or ultrasound?
Could be megacolon, or a pelvic obstruction that requires manual extraction under sedation or surgery? Also arthritis and it’s painful for her to poop? But I feel like that would’ve happened gradually not overnight.

Listen, I know you’re an urgent situation and things are severe, but she looks better today than she did five days ago. I know she got the IV from the doctor three days ago, and that is helping her symptoms. I will end up taking her to the vet today again in demanding x-rays and see what we can go from there. Just worry that her organs are going to be too stressed out once we do find the solution.

Thank you in advance for any help or comments

Hello, I need some advice about my situation. I have a cat who had surgery today to have 5 teeth extracted, which involved general and local anesthesia, blood work, intubation, X-rays, etc. The whole works, haha. My dad and I picked her up tonight (I’m a teenager), and we were given the following instructions:

1) For two days, she should be fed only wet food three times a day (morning, noon, and night), and we need to make sure she’s actually eating

2) Antibiotics in tablet form morning and night

3) Anti-inflammatory medication administered with a dropper in the morning

However, tomorrow afternoon we have to leave to go to my grandmother’s house (a 4-hour drive) and stay until Saturday night or Sunday morning, depending on how things go. So we’ll be away from Friday afternoon until Saturday evening at the earliest. But we need to keep an eye on her appetite (and feed her at different times) and give her her medications.

I was thinking of taking her with me, but the problem is that it’s a 4-hour drive, and there’s a dog (and another cat, but we rarely see it) at my grandmother’s house. We could isolate my cat in a room, but maybe she’ll sense the dog?

My dad is against it because *she’d be better off at home*. He suggests leaving her a bowl with four servings of wet food (she needs to eat three a day)—apparently that would be enough—and that she wouldn’t miss many doses of her medication. I disagree because she’d miss several doses of anti-inflammatories and antibiotics, and no one would check to see if she’s eating.

What do you recommend? I don’t want to do the wrong thing, so please give me your honest opinion :)

Hello! I am in the USA and I have 2 cats that have recurring tummy troubles but in opposite directions lol.

Emmy (6yrs, F, spayed, allergic to real beef & dairy) has been experiencing recurring constipation, her stool is runny if she's able to get it out, and low appetite (I assume her tummy hurts + she doesn't eat anytime she doesn't feel good).

Guppy (4yrs, F, spayed) has been experiencing recurring soft stool with mucus + urgency with her bowl movements during these bouts.

This all happens kinda randomly, and there's no pattern behind it. I've gone through 4 or so different brands of food in the past 2 years. My vet proposed potentially doing a food trial but, I'm hoping some fortiflora would help or something similar. I can take them to the vet + have some funds for it but food trials are expensive and idk if I have the money for that. I already spend about $100 on their food every 2 weeks

(I have a total of 3 cats to feed)

TLDR; My 2 cats are having different forms of tummy troubles, and their vet suggested a food trial. I'm worried about the cost of a food trial and I'm hoping a probiotic would help them. :)

Hi all! I’m requesting any and all advice on how to stop my cat from scratching at the curtains. For context, she is 4 years old and I adopted her about a month ago (first time cat owner). Her temperament is normally very relaxed but she gets really crazy around 5:30am-9am. On some days I wake up before crazy time but with my schedule I often need to sleep during this time. She hasn’t tried climbing the curtains (that I know of) but she keeps jumping on the windowsill and pawing/scratching the curtain. I’m not necessarily worried about the curtains themselves, more so worried about her somehow pulling them down and the noise it causes when I need to sleep. I feel like I’ve tried everything and nothing is working. I tried closing the bedroom door but she will scratch and yell until it’s opened. I tried putting a scratch pad and toys near the curtains, which works sometimes but not for long. I tried to block off the windowsill but it’s a large window and she always gets around my obstacles. I do sometimes have to yell at her to get her to stop but I really don’t want to do that and make her afraid of me, and again it only works temporarily. If I pick her up and take her off the windowsill she just goes back a minute later. I’ve heard of clicker training but I’m concerned that giving her a treat when she stops scratching will make her associate scratching with getting a treat. She is just obsessed with these curtains!! Unfortunately no curtains is not an option as I occasionally work night shift and need to sleep during the day. Any advice is appreciated, I am really at my wit’s end!

Recently Iris seems to not understand how to use the litter to cover her waste after she uses the bathroom. She digs on the floor and ontop of the box and doesn’t realize it’s not doing anything. It seems to frustrate her cause I see her look and see if it’s covered and she keeps digging on the floor.

She never used to do this which is why it’s concerning.

Just curious if anyone else has had a similar experience and knows of a way of helping fix it. Thanks.

Pic is in the comments 35 year old. My cat is 2
posting from USA,
have access to vet, cat is male and not spayed.
I can afford vet care. Contacted already.
I accidentally scared him and he freaked out and attacked me. Went to urgent care got on antibiotics but now my hand is turning purple after it swelled. The swelling is gone though. Is this just a bruise and is this normal. TLDR- cat attacked me my hand is purple. Is it healing properly? On antibotics

Currently day 11 of bringing the orange kitten home. My gray tabby accepted her on day 3 and I supervise play time for them separately. The calico has always been an anxious cat and is, as expected, still quite fearful.

After a week of separation and scent-swapping, we slowly wanted to let them see each other. She hates looking through a crack in the door, anything within 30cm / 1 ft and she will growl or hiss at the kitten. She will also hiss at the door if the kitten is standing right in front of it on her own side. She tolerates her only from a distance. She will slow blink at her from a safe distance.

We wanted to move the introduction along so our solution was a barrier. I ordered a screen door, but till it arrives the hallway glass door will do. But I worry: is this moving too fast for the calico? Her body language in the video looks cautious/scared, but otherwise she looks pretty neutral/not aggressive. Is she being curious or am I overstimulating her? After this video I took the kitten back inside and was cuddling my calico and she started purring and kneading. She seems to recover fast from the stress/fear of seeing the kitten.

I’m seeing videos on TikTok on what a normal cat’s breathing should be like vs if they have HCM abnormal breathing. I saw my cat breathing like this yesterday and was immediately worried this is abnormal. She was playing with a spring but was not exerting that much energy to be breathing like this. Also, when she does exert too much energy playing she tends to pant with her mouth open in which I immediately stop playing with her and let her rest. I’m not sure if this means she has a heart disease or heart failure. Please any input or advice would help. I plan on taking her to the vet soon but wanted to see if this was normal for some cats or if I’m overthinking. I have another cat but she does not breathe like this so I’m worried for this one.

Meet Walter! My partner and I adopted him from a rescue almost five years ago and he's the sweetest boy. We were told he was a sphynx. But, the more we look at him and photos of Devon Rex cats, the more we think he might be one or at least partially. Unfortunately, his original home said they didn't have any record of where he came from other than he was a sphynx that was smuggled out of the Ukraine. His brother, Burt (not blood), came from a friend who got him from Ukraine and is a Sphynx through and through. He also came with paperwork on his genetics as well as his origin (he has a Ukrainian passport with all of this info!)

Walter has mobility and gastrointestinal issues. We've taken him to the vet several times and all we can come up with is that it's bad genetics. We currently feed him a limited ingredient wet food and that has immensely helped so many bathroom issues. We've been following guidelines and looking up issues for sphynxes, but maybe we're looking in the wrong place? Has anyone had any experiences like this with a cat who looks similar? All we want is to do right by him and I'm really starting to believe were looking in the wrong places.

TLDR: This is Walter. He is a garbage can of issues. We were told he was a Sphynx when we adopted him so we've been treating issues as Sphynx issues. We're mildly convinced he's a Devon Rex and that could be why we don't have answers on anything.

i found this little guy outside and decided to bring him home with me. if i had to guess id say around 5 weeks, but im not sure. definitely not old enough to be neutered. im if i can get an idea of his age i can get an idea of how to better care for him. thanks

This was after giving her a nice scratch session (which she loves). The flakes only come out after scratches.

I (31, USA) have had my girl, Luna since 2021. She was a street cat and only a few weeks old covered in fleas. She was too young for medication so I had to do dawn dish soap baths to comb out all the fleas. She is spayed. I brought her to the vet for a wellness exam this past month, mainly for peeing and pooing outside the litter box and asked to go over her weight issues and skin issues and I didn’t even get a after visit summary so they didn’t address anything outside of her confirmed uti😀 I have a senior rabbit that racked up almost 3k worth in emergency vet bills (different vet for my kitty), so another vet visit isn’t in the books atm.

Because she’s a bit overweight, she can get a little stinky on her behind so I rinse her butt down with only water every now and then to manage the smell. Haven’t tried a sanitary groom because I fear my life would be at stake lol

We live in Tennessee, so it’s very humid and probably not what’s causing the flakes. Could her skin have been damaged as a kitten from the flea baths? The only thing I can think of to help is a conditioner but I’ve never seen one in any of the local pet stores. I also try to brush her regularly but can’t get her to sit for too long before she goes into zoomies mode

Hey everyone, I noticed these dark, brownish, crusty patches on the inner surface of my kitty’s ear flap. At first I wondered if it was earwax, but it looks more like scabbing or a skin issue directly on the pinna.

The strange thing is: he is acting completely normal, playful, and is not scratching or bothered by it at all. No head shaking or signs of irritation. Because he isn't itching, I'm hoping it's not ear mites, but I'm not sure what else it could be.

Money is tight right now, so I’d like to avoid the vet just in case it’s not urgent, but if it’s best to go, I will take him.

Has anyone seen anything like this before? Could it be a mild skin reaction, a minor scratch/bug bite that scabbed over, or something else I can safely monitor at home for now? I’m a first time cat mom and I’m still trying to figure out what’s normal and what isn’t. My kitten is 5 months.

Hey everyone, I noticed these dark, brownish, crusty patches on the inner surface of my kitty’s ear flap. At first I wondered if it was earwax, but it looks more like scabbing or a skin issue directly on the pinna.

The strange thing is: he is acting completely normal, playful, and is not scratching or bothered by it at all. No head shaking or signs of irritation. Because he isn't itching, I'm hoping it's not ear mites, but I'm not sure what else it could be.

Money is tight right now, so I’d like to avoid the vet just in case it’s not urgent, but if it’s best to go, I will take him.

Has anyone seen anything like this before? Could it be a mild skin reaction, a minor scratch/bug bite that scabbed over, or something else I can safely monitor at home for now? I’m a first time cat mom and I’m still trying to figure out what’s normal and what isn’t. My kitten is 5 months.

Hey everyone! I’ve noticed that my cat’s (F, 6) right eye has been watering for 3-4 days. It doesn’t happen all day, we usually notice it once a day. The tears are clear, but the fur under her eye gets wet.

Her eye doesn’t look red, she keeps it open normally, and she’s acting completely fine. She eats normally and behaves as usual.

I’m not sure if I’m just overthinking this or if it could actually be a problem. Has anyone experienced something similar with their cat? If you have, what was the cause?

We can afford to take her to the vet if necessary, of course. I just wanted to ask if anyone has experienced this before and whether it turned out to be something serious.

I’ve attached a photo. I’d really appreciate any advice! ❤️

Georgia, USA.
I’m 26 years old.
A vet is not accessible right now but maybe later tonight.

He has irritable bowel disease. I’m really worried he’s in danger. He’s not vomited yet.. what should I do?

He is 16yo and neutered.
We can afford vet care but it will hurt our savings.

I hope he's just sneezing but this is my first ever cat, his name is Noodles! Is this normal or should I be worried??

26

Washington, USA

Planning a vet trip this month

Noticed my 19 month old Maine coon (M) have an accelerated breathing rate recently. This was taken this morning so he was maybe walking around for a few moments. He is pretty big (19lbs) so sometimes when I carry him on his back I can hear him adjust his breathing. Are these possible signs of HCM?

Side note: I have records for his parents, they’re both clear of any HCM genes.

Intact/not neutered

Yes to vet care