I'm Worried About My Cat After Rough Vet Visit

Status
Not open for further replies.

JustJ

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 5, 2018
Messages
70
Purraise
111
Location
Southern California
I'll try to make this story as short as possible, so here goes:

Last Friday my cat was taken to the ER having suddenly having gotten very sick out of the blue having a lot of trouble breathing. For the rest of that weekend, he had to stay over at the vet where he had IV's and liquid taken out from the outside of his lungs which was causing his troubled breathing. He didn't get back home until Monday afternoon and had to go back to the vet Tuesday afternoon for medications and a lesson on how to feed him with a syringe.

My cat is very sensitive and is now very upset. We keep him in my room, where he is by himself (I'm at University right now) and he immediately hides underneath the bed where no one can reach him. He only eats when he is being fed with a syringe and just doesn't seem himself. We don't let him out of the room because he will go run down to the basement and hide all day where no one can reach him and it can get very cold down there. He also seems to be sort of mad at my other family members after going through this traumatic weekend and I'm worried if he'll return to his regular self any time soon.

Is there anything we can do to help him feel better and get him back to himself? Do you think he'll be able to recover from this?

And another weird thing we noticed, is that our other cat, his biological brother who has never been separated from him before, is also acting strangely. When our little guy was at the vet, his brother would go around every room every day making weird sounds and seemingly look for him. But when we brought him home, his brother touched noses with him and everything but looked very spooked and scared to be around him. He even hissed at him out of the blue on Monday! Can anyone tell me what is going on with that? Why is he acting strangely around his brother now? I was hoping to let his brother be around him as a sort of emotional support, but none of us understand why he is acting this strangely around my cat.

I realize this has gone long after all, but I appreciate you for reading all the way through. Any advice or insight into our frustrating situation would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.
 

Claire07x

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 1, 2018
Messages
95
Purraise
56
His brother probably just smells unfamiliar scents or scents that he recognises at the vet's office and that'll be why he's wary I think. He'll be concerned because this cat looks like his brother but doesn't smell like him - that'll pass when you're poorly cat grooms himself plenty and "washes off" the smell of the vet.

You could maybe try, when you're at home, bringing the other cat into the room you've kept your poorly cat in - while you're there of course - to see how they react in close proximity. It might be enough for the healthy cat to recognise who the ill one is and all could be reconciled. If it doesn't work that way though and a fight/growling/hissing starts, you're there to break it up.

I'd try taking the other one into the room with you and monitor closely. If it fails, take the healthy one out and try again later or the next day. Eventually it should work and they should be okay.

As for making him feel better, just pop in regularly ifyou can and talk gently to him. Don't grab him/hold him/pet him. Only pet him if he comes to you actively and even then, if he looks like he's had enough, stop. Make sure he's got his usual bed or covers or even just a towel all rolled up into a "nest" for him to sleep in and be warm. You could try putting the covers/towel under the bed initially for him to use, then move it out gradually so he associates it with warm safety - as it was in a place he felt safe in, initially. Other than that, just leave him plenty of food and water out - I know you syringe feed rn but it's good to give him the option to eat wet food while you're not there so I'd leave a little wet in the bowl and you may be surprised! He's maybe only taking the syringe food now because he's not got another option.

Make sure he has a litterbox and some toys/scratch posts or boards around to use and intrigue him out of hiding. Small movements and no lifting would be my advice.

I'm sure he'll be perfectly fine, eventually. They need time to get over things but it will happen. Main focus needs to be recovery from the illness, recovery from the trauma will happen only when the illness has cleared up.

Best of luck and hope things go back to normal soon! Xx
 

Timmer

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Jan 10, 2018
Messages
877
Purraise
1,024
Location
Cleveland, OH
The other cat smells the vet's office. It is natural for hissing and upsets. I'm sorry your kitty is not well and I hope the medications help him. I think just sitting quietly with him will be OK and maybe bring the other cat into the room. I hope eventually he starts eating on his own and won't have to be syringe fed. Maybe find him some yummy canned food that would coax him out and get him eating on his own again would help.
 

KarenKat

Kitty on the half shell, tortie power!
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2018
Messages
2,960
Purraise
7,257
Location
Littleton, CO
Our boys go through this anytime one of them (or both) go to the vet. Usually it lasts 1-3 days for them. This last time I heard someone have success taking a towel that they recently dried off with after a shower and gently petting the “Vet” cat. It both helps mellow the Vet smell and also makes it smell like you. I tried this myself and the next day the non-Vet cat seemed calmer. Could have been a coincidence though. I think like everyone else said, time, patience and love.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

JustJ

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 5, 2018
Messages
70
Purraise
111
Location
Southern California
Claire07x Claire07x Thank you so much for all of that advice! I passed it forward to my family right away so that my room could be more like a cat friendly cave. So far he's showing a little progress, coming out from under the bed and rubbing against my family and allowing to be petted for a little while. He is also meowing at my family members and purring a lot so I'm not sure if that means he's still in pain and wants to be left alone or if he is wanting the extra company.

We tried letting his brother in and he hissed at our Vet cat again. But I think now that our poorly cat has had some rest alone in the room, we will try and bring in his brother again later. Do you think having a Feliway diffuser in the room could possibly help with both of the cats? Or perhaps giving our sick cat a bath?


Timmer Timmer Thank you for your concerns, we put some food in there with him and so far he licks the food but does not eat yet. I'm not sure if that is progress yet or not. But he will drink water.

KarenKat KarenKat That is really fascinating, I'll have to relay that idea. Usually our cats don't like anything put on them, not even blankets! And so far we have put bedding and blankets in the room but he doesn't lay on them. Maybe since he is a bit tired and calm right now, he'll tolerate the towel!

Y Yodasmom Unfortunately, we have no idea yet. What my parents have told me so far is that the Vets found weird puss caused by bacteria in the outside of our cat's lungs and to combat this, his liver started overproducing liquid which got to be too much and led to his labored breathing on Friday and having the liquid removed. Hopefully it is just and infection and not some other problem, but since everyone knows so little as to why this happened so suddenly we will have to wait and see for when he goes back to the Vet (again) next week for X-rays.
 

KarenKat

Kitty on the half shell, tortie power!
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 4, 2018
Messages
2,960
Purraise
7,257
Location
Littleton, CO
Usually our cats don't like anything put on them, not even blankets!
To clarify I put the towel on my hand, and used the towel to pet him a little bit. I tried to mainly make him think I was pettig him like normal. I don’t think he would like it draped over him either, but he’s actually a fairly tolerant cat.
 

mani

Moderator and fervent feline fan
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Messages
46,571
Purraise
23,328
Location
Australia
I go through this every time with my two. The only thing that has come near to working is vanilla essence. I wipe a little highly diluted essence on each of them. Seens to either do the trick or lessen the time they take to readjust.
I'm just not sure this is a great idea if he's feeling under the weather though. :frown: :vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10

JustJ

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 5, 2018
Messages
70
Purraise
111
Location
Southern California
I wouldn't give the sick cat a bath. That would be extremely stressful to him and probably make him even more frightened of you. Just be patient and give it some time.
Your other cat might also be reacting to the illness in the other cat. They tend to know when someone isn't feeling good.
Good idea, he still won't leave the room but I think rubbing against my family and rolling overwhelm petted is a good sign since that is his normal behavior (he's the cat in my profile pic rolling over on his back!) I'm still worried about the syringe feeding though. We've never done this before and he hasn't touched the food in the room yet so I have no idea when he'll start eating again


To clarify I put the towel on my hand, and used the towel to pet him a little bit. I tried to mainly make him think I was pettig him like normal. I don’t think he would like it draped over him either, but he’s actually a fairly tolerant cat.
Ah ok, that makes more sense! Think that might actually help a little bit in his situation, thanks!


I go through this every time with my two. The only thing that has come near to working is vanilla essence. I wipe a little highly diluted essence on each of them. Seens to either do the trick or lessen the time they take to readjust.
I'm just not sure this is a great idea if he's feeling under the weather though. :frown: :vibes::vibes::vibes:
Yes, I'm not sure about that yet but it's a good thought. I was thinking along the lines of a feliway diffuser. I'm not sure what else will help or coax him out of the room.
 

catlover73

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 3, 2006
Messages
2,627
Purraise
1,541
Location
Chicago area
It is a good sign that your baby is seeking attention now after his ordeal at the vet. He could have been hiding because he was stressed out and needed time to de-compress. As for his brother hissing at him this is non-recognition aggression because of the new scents picked up at the vet. I went through something similar with my cats after my Sonny was hospitalized for three days. My youngest cat Casey is normally very laid back but he started hissing at Sonny when he came home. Sonny just ignored Casey's hissing and it stopped after about three days. Apollo groomed Sonny and Casey started hissing at him. After petting Sonny we also got hissed at by Casey. He never attacked us or Apollo. He never hissed at my oldest cat Starbuck at all. We were also dealing with re-directed aggression from Casey to both us and Apollo. Everything stopped after three days and went back to normal. I am going to post some articles that may be helpful to you.

How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats
How To Get A Cat To Come Out Of Hiding?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12

JustJ

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 5, 2018
Messages
70
Purraise
111
Location
Southern California
catlover73 catlover73 Thank you so much for your articles! They gave me some insight into why my other cat was acting strangely, I had no idea cats could get that way with each other! Since my sick cat went to the vet for syringe feeding training yesterday then I'm guessing today actually counts as day 1 of his recovery and being around him brother. Hopefully this clears up in the next few days. But thank you again!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

JustJ

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 5, 2018
Messages
70
Purraise
111
Location
Southern California
Right now I'm really worried about my cat not wanting to eat. Is this fairly common? Does anyone know how long syringe feeding takes on average? Could he not want to eat because of the antibiotics he's taking?
 

catlover73

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 3, 2006
Messages
2,627
Purraise
1,541
Location
Chicago area
I would call the vet tomorrow morning about the eating issue and ask them. He may need an appetite stimulant or medicine for nausea. It is possible that the antibiotics could be messing with his appetite. I have not had to syringe feed a cat in a very long time. The issues that caused me to try syringe feeding are completely different than what you are dealing with.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #15

JustJ

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 5, 2018
Messages
70
Purraise
111
Location
Southern California
catlover73 catlover73 He is scheduled to go back to the vet on Monday but I'm hoping some time during the weekend he'll start eating again. It seems like he wants to if he is licking at the food but it still worries me. Then again it could be the antibiotics since the Vet was the one who said to start syringe feeding before we noticed he wasn't eating. Thank you again for your suggestions.
 

catlover73

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 3, 2006
Messages
2,627
Purraise
1,541
Location
Chicago area
I would still call the vet any way to update them on his eating habits. The licking at the food and not eating could be possible signs of a nausea. I would not wait until his appointment on Monday to discuss this issue. Cats usually will not eat if they feel nausea. Also other issues can develop if he goes to long without food.

Another thing you could try is to cook a piece of boneless chicken plain. You can cut that up into tiny pieces or put it a food processor. You could also try watering down some meat flavored baby food without garlic and onions in it. I used the boneless chicken with one of my cats to re-start her appetite after she was treated for the kitty equivalent of human stomach flu. One of my friends uses baby food to get her cats to eat if they are not feeling well and won't eat cat food. You can always get your baby back on cat food later once he is feeling better.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #17

JustJ

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 5, 2018
Messages
70
Purraise
111
Location
Southern California
catlover73 catlover73 My family did say he seemed to enjoy the type of special canned food that he is eating through the syringe but won't eat it himself. I will pass on those ideas for my family to try on him. I need to try anything that will help at this point. He started the syringe yesterday but getting him to eat is very important. Hopefully they'll get started right away on that. He's acting somewhat normal but the food thing is definitely scaring me. Do you think maybe canned tuna along with the food processor chicken? I thought maybe some of the smellier food might attract him.
 

Claire07x

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 1, 2018
Messages
95
Purraise
56
No worries! You're doing your best and they're both super lucky to have you!! Feliway might work if they're scared or upset so worth a try.
I'd also recommend gently rubbing him with a towel that's in your home. Maybe even pat yourself with it a little first just so it can wipe down the vet smell a bit and have him smell more like you .Familiar scents are always good for calming!

I'd say as long as he's taking the syringe food and it's canned with liquid etc it should be fine for a few days. He may just be sore if he's had work done in that area. I'd add a topper to his food - I find burying treats in and on top of food can help or a little tuna juice/salmon oil etc or a little of their favourite complementary food on top can work wonders.

I'd say if after a few days to a week he isn't trying the wet food alone, that's when it might be an issue. Til then I'd probably say he's just tender - if I had a procedure on my lungs, I'd not want to chew and swallow for a while after it either! Ouch!!

Try syringe feeding less, more often rather than big amounts twice or thrice a day. Might help, I know my girl could eat no bother but liquid is another thing and she won't take much at one go.

Definitely would say the purring and vocalisation is good news and rubbing on your family is fantastic! You must be relieved at that, it's a really good sign he's realised he's not in danger anymore (by danger I mean big bad vets poking him!).
 

KSV

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Apr 23, 2018
Messages
44
Purraise
39
Location
Los Angeles
catlover73 catlover73 My family did say he seemed to enjoy the type of special canned food that he is eating through the syringe but won't eat it himself. I will pass on those ideas for my family to try on him. I need to try anything that will help at this point. He started the syringe yesterday but getting him to eat is very important. Hopefully they'll get started right away on that. He's acting somewhat normal but the food thing is definitely scaring me. Do you think maybe canned tuna along with the food processor chicken? I thought maybe some of the smellier food might attract him.
Also if you ever brush your cats, brush the hisser first and then brush the vet cat with the same brush to transfer smells.
 

Antonio65

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 27, 2017
Messages
6,054
Purraise
9,682
Location
Orbassano - Italy
What my parents have told me so far is that the Vets found weird puss caused by bacteria in the outside of our cat's lungs and to combat this, his liver started overproducing liquid which got to be too much and led to his labored breathing on Friday and having the liquid removed. Hopefully it is just and infection and not some other problem, but since everyone knows so little as to why this happened so suddenly we will have to wait and see for when he goes back to the Vet (again) next week for X-rays.
You might find my thread useful, because my cat has something similar, fluid building up around her lungs, it was drained 5 times so far.

Fluid In Cat's Chest - Advice Needed

Yesterday she was visited again, with an ultrasound scan done, more fluid in her chest. The vet (a university professor) said that it is better not to touch anything.
She has no cough or breathing issues, but nevertheless this fluid is still there, and has been there since August/September 2017.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top