Possibly Sick Kitty

[haleychristen]

Hello! So, my two boys have been getting along really well the past few weeks since their intro! I have a concern, however, that started yesterday as far as I can tell. Ashes, eight years old, has been hiding under the bed the past two days. He only comes out for maybe an hour tops, twice a day. I have seen him eat dry food, but haven’t seen him drink water. He just came over to hang out with me since I was playing with a fun toy with my one year old, Tango. He has always seemed really strong and leans in for pets and face rubs. Right now, he is dipping his body down like he is trying to avoid being petted. I just saw him go poop in the litter box as well. This was the first time I’ve actually ever seen him do it, but am concerned that I heard him kind of moaning or making a quiet, low noise while doing his business. Is there any advice you can give me? Thanks!

 

[valentine319]

How fast did you integrate the two? You only have the two? If kitty is straining in the litter box you'll want to take to the vet. Can you put the kitty in a room alone with a litter pan so you can get a clean urine and poop for the vet?

Hopefully some others can give some suggestions. My instinct is to separate the one that's acting funny and put food, water and a litter box in the room.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

If he isn't drinking enough, that could cause dehydration and difficulty in pooping. Just to be safe, I'd have your vet check him. Tummy upsets can be very insignificant, but they can also be very major. Why take that chance? And he appears to be in some discomfort, which I know you don't want.

 

[Daisy6]

The combination of eating kibbles and not drinking is the recipe for constipation. I would suspect that if he has not poope4d for several days. By isolating him in one room as Valentine suggested you will know how often he poops and if he has hard turds.

 

[haleychristen]

Thanks for the input! I will be going home as soon as I’m off work and will see how he is acting. I didn’t realize until someone mentioned it how helpful it would be to separate the two to see if he is actually peeing as well as pooping. I did notice the droppings were smaller and more dry. I was calling around vet clinics to see if one could fit me in at the end of the day, but was only able to get a time at 6 pm tomorrow. Thanks for your help!

 

[Daisy6]

Ugh, that's a late appointment. I hope Bear Cat feels good that long. But you may be lucky to have an appointment tomorrow.

If you see him poop again take it out of the box ASAP. Samples are better without all that litter stuck on them.

 

[haleychristen]

Okay, will do. He’s been out the majority of the time I’ve been home, doing his usual things just with less enthusiasm I think? He’s scratching his post, chilling on the patio, eating wet food now.. I have yet to see him poop or pee tonight. I was petting him a lot though and he was enjoying it, and let me check out his whole belly and his genital area. Nothing weird to be seen and he let me palpate without acting uncomfortable at all.

 

[haleychristen]

My one year old misses his buddy’s energy lol! When Ashes came out from under the bed when I got off work, Tango did the cutest nuzzle and everything. They used to both be chilling together when I got home but now Ashes is being reclusive frequently.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Oh my, I had to delete this...I forgot what thread I clicked on!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Let us know what the vet says!

 

[haleychristen]

So the vet and I came to the consensus that he was healthy, no raised temperature, good vitals, etc. I noticed a small scab on his shoulder/neck a day or so before the appointment and just thought Tango may have accidentally bit him too hard when playing. I’ve seen him bite Ashes’ neck

 

[haleychristen]

Then when I got him in for his appointment I had him on the table and noticed the scab was gone, like maybe Tango licked it off and open? It is like a 1cm circle max. We agreed that it was probably the reason for his lethargy and hiding under the bed. I declined the antibiotic shot in favor of topical triple antibiotic, since he is definitely acting better than before. She said they would keep the orders on file just in case something changes in the next couple days. I notice Tango licking the wound here and there, so he probably got the scab off. I am suspicious that Ashes could have scratched his neck on my metal bed frame if they ever got to playing under there.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

That can happen. The main thing is that he is feeling better, and you have a "Plan B" in place!