Emergency! Sick kitten! Cannot see a Vet!

[StefanZ]

You dont need no taurine supplement. As you are giving much animal products, and mainly raw... Taurine supplemnt is necessary in dry cat food - 1. because there is not so very much animal products. 2. these which are, were cooked.  And heat destroys  some of the taurine natural in meat and other animal products.

But that is why the myth has come cats needs taurine supplement.  Its true, but it has its reasons.

 

[Willowy]

Neutering doesn't increase the risk of urinary problems. That's just kind of a general male thing. They call the catheters they use for blocked male cats "tomcat catheters" so it happens to intact males too---in old-timey cat breeding books they talk a lot about their studs blocking. I think back then cat foods were unbalanced and caused urinary issues. In most cases, intact toms are allowed outside, so if they get blocked they just "disappear" and their owners never know what happened . I think that's why some people think that neutered males have more urinary problems. So I wouldn't worry about it on that account. The main worry for you is finding a good vet.

But, yeah, in general, there are more health benefits to spaying females than there are for neutering males. So, while I'd recommend having them all done, the female is the priority really.

 

[Sarthur2]

Spaying her will not prevent your intact males from attempting to mate with her.

It's very rare that neutering causes problems in males.

Will your mother agree to the spaying?

 

[indie-n-button]

Neutering doesn't increase the risk of urinary problems. That's just kind of a general male thing. They call the catheters they use for blocked male cats "tomcat catheters" so it happens to intact males too---in old-timey cat breeding books they talk a lot about their studs blocking. I think back then cat foods were unbalanced and caused urinary issues. In most cases, intact toms are allowed outside, so if they get blocked they just "disappear" and their owners never know what happened

. I think that's why some people think that neutered males have more urinary problems. So I wouldn't worry about it on that account. The main worry for you is finding a good vet.

But, yeah, in general, there are more health benefits to spaying females than there are for neutering males. So, while I'd recommend having them all done, the female is the priority really.

Oh dang those poor boys :-( Do you know if diet affects whether or not they'll form blockages or if it's something hereditary? I think it's to do with whether or not their diet is primarily kibble, but I'm not too sure. It'd be great if the raw diet I'm feeding them would prevent the blockages to an extent too.

Yeah, I'll probably get Sparrow fixed first, for sure. Las time I was investigating, I found that neutering just one of the boys would cost Rs. 3000 which is about £20, not bad at all in my opinion. But because spaying is actually an invasive operation I want to be sure that the theatre will be 100% clean. Also not many people spay/neuter over here anyway, so I'm unsure how experienced the vet will be about the procedure

 
You dont need no taurine supplement. As you are giving much animal products, and mainly raw... Taurine supplemnt is necessary in dry cat food - 1. because there is not so very much animal products. 2. these which are, were cooked.  And heat destroys  some of the taurine natural in meat and other animal products.

But that is why the myth has come cats needs taurine supplement.  Its true, but it has its reasons.

Oh I didn't know that about the cat food, I always thought that cat-food was jam-packed with way too much excess taurine (from artificial sources as well as the animal sources)!! So does this mean that the taurine is completely destroyed while while the food's being processed? Dang, that makes me an even bigger advocate for raw food, at least that way you can be sure that your cat's getting the maximum nutrition that it needs!
Also, for people who can't afford a raw-only diet, would it be alright to make a 50-50 kibble-raw diet? Like a kibble meal in the morning and a raw meal at night? The kibble would be high quality of course. It's just that in England I'm unsure if I'll be able to keep up with the raw diet, with how expensive raw chicken etc. is over there. Though I suppose if I manage to contact a local small-scale butcher, I'll still be able to do it.

 

[indie-n-button]

Spaying her will not prevent your intact males from attempting to mate with her.

It's very rare that neutering causes problems in males.

Will your mother agree to the spaying?

I'm a little confused because they both definately know she's a female but Indie isn't bothered by her at all (she hisses at Indie a lot and swats at him so he just stays away from her). I wasn't really expecting this at all, seeing as he's the 'boss' of the territory. I was partially scared he'd mount her the second he got the chance, so I'm really confused about his behaviour. All he does is run around and play with her, and all Butty does is follow her around and chirp at her every so often.

I think she will, hopefully, I doubt she'd want to have to get all the meat to feed god knows how many babies :0 Plus the stress of finding them all really good homes

 

[artiemom]

I think intact males will go after Sparrow, even after she is spayed. It may take a few months for her hormones to change...

As for male spaying. It will not cause urinary blockage. It is actually better for them. They will not get into fights over females, or other things. Spaying males will mellow them out. 

I think not getting enough moisture, as in feeding dry,  can cause a lot of urinary tract issues. 

You are feeding a raw diet. That is excellent for all your cats.. male and female. Keep it up.

You are doing a great job.

I honestly feel strongly that all cats should be spayed, even if they are pets.....

 

[indie-n-button]

The infection came back today. I was stroking her and I spotted some dark brown/red sticky discharge. It wasn't as much as it used to be but it's still there none-the-less :-( I squished her ear and some pus came out too, this time it was watery. I did some googling around and clear/white discharge is a sign of a polyp. And seeing as the infection is back I'm like 90% sure atm that she's got a polyp, the bacteria couldn't be THAT strong to come back again after more than two weeks of antibiotics, right?!

There was some blood in her ear too. After cleaning for a while, the cotton-buds began to get stained red. This was when I was rubbing underneath the two lumps. In my opinion, the lumps have also gotten larger?

Mum doesn't come back until tomorrow and I really hope that she says yes to taking her to the vet this time. If she says that we're going to try homeopathic medicine or if she says that we're going to wait and see what happens or that she'll get better on her own, I think I'm going to lose it

 

[kskatt]

 
You dont need no taurine supplement. As you are giving much animal products, and mainly raw... Taurine supplemnt is necessary in dry cat food - 1. because there is not so very much animal products. 2. these which are, were cooked.  And heat destroys  some of the taurine natural in meat and other animal products.

But that is why the myth has come cats needs taurine supplement.  Its true, but it has its reasons.

I brought up taurine because I have experience. It wasn't until the late 80's that taurine started being added to cat food. I learned more about it because I have a cat that was diagnosed with HCM, back in the late 80's, once the manufacturers added the taurine her heart healed, took a little while but it made a true believer out of me! Taurine deficiency can lead to blindness, heart failure + other health issues. I'm going to give you a link to an awesome article that is well worth reading very carefully. Feeding raw has to be done right, the meat and organs fed, to get enough taurine. I think you are on the right track, but it never hurts to know for sure.

http://catsndogsnaturally.com/?p=219

 

[artiemom]

 
The infection came back today. I was stroking her and I spotted some dark brown/red sticky discharge. It wasn't as much as it used to be but it's still there none-the-less :-( I squished her ear and some pus came out too, this time it was watery. I did some googling around and clear/white discharge is a sign of a polyp. And seeing as the infection is back I'm like 90% sure atm that she's got a polyp, the bacteria couldn't be THAT strong to come back again after more than two weeks of antibiotics, right?!

There was some blood in her ear too. After cleaning for a while, the cotton-buds began to get stained red. This was when I was rubbing underneath the two lumps. In my opinion, the lumps have also gotten larger?

Mum doesn't come back until tomorrow and I really hope that she says yes to taking her to the vet this time. If she says that we're going to try homeopathic medicine or if she says that we're going to wait and see what happens or that she'll get better on her own, I think I'm going to lose it

Indie, maybe you need to just 'lose it' with your mom, in order for you to get your point across. 

I had to do that a few times with my dad, although it was for far more serious things and he was elderly at the time. 

I put the 'guilt trip" on him.

Perhaps just tell her how her refusal to help Sparrow is hurting YOU!  I mean stress the YOU.., perhaps tell her that buy her ignoring Sparrow and her medical issues that you are feel as if she does not want to help get her well. 

You could tell her that you have tried as much as you can. Point out that you are still young, not educated to be a Vet-as of yet, and that you are still a kid with her as your mom. You are trying to go by HER wishes, but she is wrong at this point. 

You could also bring up how much Sparrow means to you...or do you think that will push her to the opposite extreme?

I do not know your mom, or her beliefs, but she sound so hard to please. It seems to be 'her way or the highway'.

Sparrow desperately needs medical attention. She has for a while. It is a miracle that she has survived and thrived for so long. That is due to you... but there is only so much you can do. 

Maybe it is time to stand up to her....or have you, in the past.

You could tell your mom how much you love and respect her, but this time her judgement is wrong. or just incorrect.

You love Sparrow as much as your mom loves you.. She has to be made to realize that. 

sorry if I sound harsh, but I was raised as an only child. I have been my entire life. I know the expectations and stress that can give you. It can also, in some circumstances make you the adult. 

((hugs)))

 

[jennyr]

Please do anything to get her to the vet. It may be that she needs different antibiotics - not all work for all infections. ANd she may well need them for longer than two weeks - I had a cat who need nearly 6 weeks of antibiotics once for a series of infections that kept coming back.

You are very serious about doing your research and that is great. But maybe it is time you did a bit of research on homeopathinc remedies. The vast majority of medical practioners and academic researchers say that there is no proof that it has any effect at all, either in animals or humans. But look it up, there are many articles available, so you can at least argue the point with your mom.

I think the university clinic would be clean and as they have a pet clinic, there should be someone htere witht he right experience to treat and to spay Sparrow. You have come so far, she is doing so well, you must not give up now.

 

[foxxycat]

sending you positive energies-its so hard to stand up to a parent .

 

[stewball]

Good luck with your mum.

 

[kskatt]

There are lots of times that a vet needs to see a wound to decide what type of antibiotic is called for. Different bacteria need different antibiotics to work. If you've already been doing homeopathic, point out to mom that it's not working. Does she have respect for articles written by professionals? 

btw, when I asked about neutering the boys, I didn't mean instead of Sparrow. I was just thinking about the health benefits to the boys. It would also be beneficial to Sparrow, far less likely to want to go outside and, possibly, bring home a disease from fighting. Not to mention the injuries a cat can get from fighting.

 

[indie-n-button]

Sorry for not responding earlier, I thought I'd replied last night, but apparently my response didn't post?

Anyway, Mum's not gonna be able to come back until tomorrow now (maybe sometimes in the morning or afternoon) because the weather was bad where she is (there was a storm). Fingers crossed she comes back tonight instead, but we'll have to see :-(

Sparrow's doing well! She's active and playing and there's no third-eyelid or anything of the sort. I noticed today that the patches of baldness that she had have gone and it's been replaced with fluffy white fur :-) It's not as long as the rest of her fur as of yet, but it's covered her skin nice and evenly now, so I'm guessing she's no longer scratching.

The ear doesn't have any pus exactly, I'm not quite sure how to describe it. The stuff that she had previously was like a green/yellow pus. This one is brown, as if it's mixed with a little blood and seems whitish (it probably would be white if the brown stuff wasn't there)? She also HATES it if I press the lumps in her ear when I'm trying to clean it, the poor thing screams at me and tries to nip me but the cleaning needs to be done :-(

I'll keep her ear clean till Mum comes back. The pus  stuff also hardens to form a really dark brown sort of crisp? It isn't a scab, it doesn't look like a scab. I'd say it looks similar to the stuff due to ear mites, but not quite, just a little gooey-er

I also have some pictures! :-) Of both her and my other cats, I'll attach them below!!

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[artiemom]

Oh, Sparrow is a beauty!  Your other cats look so healthy! 

Thank you for posting an update....good luck with your mom...

 

[stewball]

Such a shame about her ears. They really are causing problems. They must be seen to. We don't want her to go deaf.

 

[indie-n-button]

Quote:

 
Oh, Sparrow is a beauty!  Your other cats look so healthy! 

Thank you for posting an update....good luck with your mom...

She really is! Her head shape is like nothing I've ever seen in a cat before, and her eyes have a kind of rim of black going around them (it's only really seen in certain lighting). She's getting a little chubby too lmao, she eats SO MUCH.

And thankyou! I used to be really concerned about their weight because they're really slim and I'm used to seeing really podgy cats. I made another topic on here about it, and some users said that they seem to be a normal weight, because their ribs and spine and general bones aren't sticking out :-) I was feeding them the kibble I brought for Sparrow in those pictures -- Sparrow doesn't know that kibble is meant to be for eating, but the other two go MAD for it!!

And an update on Sparrow!! We managed to talk to a vet (not the one I wanted, but this one seemed much more capable than the previous one's I've seen over here) and he prescribed some Gentamicin ear-drops for her. She's got to have 3-4 drops 2-3 times a day and hopefully the infection should be gone within a week :-) She HATES having them put in though and squirms around so much :-( I have to wrap her up in a towel to get them into her, but even THEN she'll sulk at me for an hour and run away if I try and go to her. She warms up to me soon after though, once I give her some chicken lmao

 

[SeventhHeaven]

I'm so Happy for you Both!  Hope Sparrow has a swift recovery

That's wonderful News!!

    

You've come along Way working on your Baby!

 

She's Beautiful 

 

[artiemom]

It is great that you got to talk to a Vet!!! 

And, you got a prescription for antibiotics!!!  

Fantastic!!!!  

 

[jennyr]

That is great, that you talked with the vet. Does he want to see her as well, to check that the antibiotic drops are working? Is he far away from you? Now that you are oin contact woith a vet, maybe your mother will agree to a visit.