URGENT! i cant tell if my cat is dying!

[jkrodger]

Hi, I just saw this post, first of all, I'm very sorry to hear about how sick your cat has been, but it is a good sign that she's showing improvement.

About her eye rolling/drifting, I'm wondering if that's just her third eye-lid coming out. Have you ever noticed your cats doing that before? They will often do it if they're VERY happy when you're petting them, but bringing out the third eyelid when not happy is ofter a sign of illness, so it might not be anything additional to worry about. The eye discharge however, can be a sign of multiple things, most likely an eye infection. Have you noticed anything else about her eyes? Can you see the tissue around her eyes? Normally this is not very visible on cats but when they have an eye infection, this tissue will often become inflamed and more visible when looking at her.

If it is just a simple eye infection it's an easy cure of a shot and some eye drops so you might want to watch for that.

 

[georgydude]

Originally Posted by jkrodger

Hi, I just saw this post, first of all, I'm very sorry to hear about how sick your cat has been, but it is a good sign that she's showing improvement.

About her eye rolling/drifting, I'm wondering if that's just her third eye-lid coming out. Have you ever noticed your cats doing that before? They will often do it if they're VERY happy when you're petting them, but bringing out the third eyelid when not happy is ofter a sign of illness, so it might not be anything additional to worry about. The eye discharge however, can be a sign of multiple things, most likely an eye infection. Have you noticed anything else about her eyes? Can you see the tissue around her eyes? Normally this is not very visible on cats but when they have an eye infection, this tissue will often become inflamed and more visible when looking at her.

If it is just a simple eye infection it's an easy cure of a shot and some eye drops so you might want to watch for that.

ive heard about the third eyelid, but im not really sure of what it looks like. If it is that than that would make a little bit of sense because recently shes been doing it mostly when i pet her and comfort her, but before when she was doing it she just did it randomly and a lot more, like when she was just laying there, which was when she was more ill (or seems more ill). I havent noticed any tissue around her eyes. The best i can describe it is that her eyes get kind of cloudy looking and then drift off outward in opposite directions, but when im moving around or make noise or do something to hold her attention it doesnt happen. It happens more when shes laying there and im petting her, or when shes just laying there.

 

[georgydude]

Originally Posted by valanhb

I think that the kid is doing his very best to convince his father to get the kitty to the vet, but we have to understand that he's simply not in control of that situation. Think back to when you were at the mercy of your parents - there wasn't a lot we could do when the parent made up their mind about something. The best we can do is to try to help him help the kitty as much as possible.

As far as the eye discharge, that could an indication of an upper resperatory infection. If you cannot get to a vet, try giving her some Grapefruit Seed Extract, which you can get at any health food store, or you could even try the vitamin section of your grocery store or Wal Mart/Target. Put a couple of drops into her water or wet food. GSE is very bitter so it needs to be mixed with something else. GSE will help to boost her immune system and is a good natural remedy for both felines and humans.

thank you! thats exactly my situation; i have no control at all. And ill look into the GSE.

 

[georgydude]

i just did a google image search for the third eyelid and it looks exactly like what shes been doing. At least its not a separate problem, but the question is is it happening because shes ill or because shes really happy....well my guess is because shes ill because we KNOW shes ill, but sometimes she seems pretty happy when im petting her and thats when i see it. maybe a little bit of both....either way i guess it doesnt matter too much.

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by Georgydude

i just did a google image search for the third eyelid and it looks exactly like what shes been doing. At least its not a separate problem, but the question is is it happening because shes ill or because shes really happy....well my guess is because shes ill because we KNOW shes ill, but sometimes she seems pretty happy when im petting her and thats when i see it. maybe a little bit of both....either way i guess it doesnt matter too much.

Cats will purr when they are in pain also so just because she purrs doesn't indicate happiness. If she is really, really sick and in pain, please try to do something to help her. I know you are doing the best you can, but if you can explain to your dad that she is in pain (and explain that purring can also indicate pain), the third eyelid showing indicates she's quite ill, maybe he'll reconsider helping you with her.

 

[georgydude]

Originally Posted by Yosemite

Cats will purr when they are in pain also so just because she purrs doesn't indicate happiness. If she is really, really sick and in pain, please try to do something to help her. I know you are doing the best you can, but if you can explain to your dad that she is in pain (and explain that purring can also indicate pain), the third eyelid showing indicates she's quite ill, maybe he'll reconsider helping you with her.

yea ive heard that they pur when they're in pain, but i dont think shes in pain reallyu because she acts pretty normal and she doesnt pur until i start petting her and stuff. When shes just sitting there shes not purring, and im guessing she would be if shes in pain.

 

[kittylover13]

Hi
its me again how has ur cat been doing? i hope she is getting better. when i first saw ur thread i thought for sure she was going 2 die. ur cat sounds like a real fighter! do u have ne pics of her u could post on ur thread?

 

[georgydude]

at first i thought she was definitely going to die too

shes doing even better, she seems to being walking close to normally, i havent seen her third eyelid for a while, she smells a lot better, and shes eating. I havent really checked to see if she still has eye boogers, but i havent noticed them so far. I think shes using the litter box normally (she might be a little constipated or somthing, im not sure im gonna try to get her back to the vet to see) and she hasnt been going down the stairs. Im pretty sure she can because ive seen her do it with some effort, and that was whe she was still wobbly, and when she was downstairs she ran up the stairs if u chased her up, but she would fall a couple times and struggle a little bit. Shes licking herself normally, so i guess that means that theres nothing wrong with her mouth (i heard that when they have really bad breath they dont lick themselves much) i think shes getting better pretty quickly. Nothing appears to be getting worse, but like i said i still want to show her to the vet soon. Ill try to get some pics up of her somethime tonight.

 

[georgydude]

here are some pics of her

 

[mzjazz2u]

Awww she's a sweet little thing! What a darling face!

 

[kittylover13]

That is the sweetest looking cat i have ever seen! this question may sound wierd but noticing shes a calico i have 2 ask. does she evergrowl when shes mad? cuz my calico does and wasnt sure if that was just her or lots of calicos do it

 

[jcat]

She really is adorable, and I'm so glad to hear that she's improving.

 

[kuddlekitty56]

Dehydration is probably your cat's biggest threat right now. It is deadly. Put water in the syringe and keep getting it to her. Quick way to diagnose dehydration: Gently pull up on the scruff of her neck. Her skin should go back to normal in less than two seconds. The longer it takes to go back to normal, the worse the dehydration is. If you have a cat bottle, that would be even better.

 

[rumpleteazer]

Oh! She's adorable! I have a soft spot for calicos. I'm glad she's doing a little better. Obviously, I'm not a vet, but I had some thoughts on a couple of things you mentioned.

My Teazer is a calico with tabby stripes and she's about 2 years older than your baby.

T's gotten eye gunk on her face all her life. The vet said it's normal, most of the time, and to just keep it cleaned off. People's eyes do it too. You wake up with those crusty things at the corner of your eyes. It's from your tear ducts. When the gunk is clear or dries brown or black, it's normal. If it's yellow or green or something like that, then it can indicate infection.

The lip licking can be because she has a hairball she can't get up, or her tummy is upset (from illness, something she ate, or stress). Or, in the case of my Teazer-cat, acid reflux. Just like in humans, stress from being sick can make this flare up. Teazer sits there and licks her lips. Based on the frequency of the lip smacking, I can tell if she's going to throw up cause it's irritating her throat and stomach. She gets a simple, inexpensive, liquid antacid, and the problem goes away. Obviously, it's up to the vet to decide if that's what it is and what she needs and she should NEVER be given a people antacid without a vet's say-so!

As for the little pimple spot, does it feel sort of solid? Teazer had two such bumps on her neck. At first I thought they were flea bites! Over the months, they slowly got a little bigger. I showed them to the vet and he said that they were lumps of calcification. He said it's VERY common in cats 10 and up. He said sometimes they go away by themselves, sometimes they just stay the way they are, but on occassion, the vet's office has to do a little minor surgery cause the calcification has gotten big enough to bother the animal. Later, I had to switch her food because she wasn't getting enough nutrition from the old one. I was scratching her neck the other day and noticed that the bumps were gone.

Again, a vet has to decide if that's the case with any of these. I agree with everyone saying to read up on cat nutrition. I would, however, not spend too much time reading up on diseases and syndroms and such. Yes, knowledge is a good thing, but most of us here aren't vets, with years of training. Any single symptom can be a symptom of several dozen different things. Some serious, some not so serious. When my cat was much younger, I used to go look stuff up on the internet when she got sick and all I really did was work myself into a frenzy before we got to the vet. And I was always wrong. Right now, your kitty is relying on you for safety and strength. You can't give her that if you're all worked up. She can sense when you're upset. And before anybody starts screaming at me, I'm not saying don't do research, I'm saying bare in mind that one symptom can mean a LOT of different things. If the internet was such a infallible rescource for such things, we wouldn't need dr's or vets anymore.

Yes, your little one needs to see a vet. No doubt there, and it's unfortunate that your dad doesn't feel the same way. One of my friends' parents used to call cats, "the renewable resource." Believe me, it made me so MAD!

But unfortunatly, we can't make everyone think the way we do (is mass hypnosis an option?!). My vets actually had to change their policy to stop people from putting older animals down just because they're inconvenient to them. Thankfully, your little one has you to stand up for her.

Hang in there! Hold your kitty, tell her how much you love her, and keep track of her symptoms. Maybe write down dates and times something happens in a notebook so if you can get her to a vet, they have a starting point. I'll be thinking of you two!!

 

[georgydude]

Originally Posted by kittylover13

That is the sweetest looking cat i have ever seen! this question may sound wierd but noticing shes a calico i have 2 ask. does she evergrowl when shes mad? cuz my calico does and wasnt sure if that was just her or lots of calicos do it

well i never heard her eally growl when she gets mad. That doesn't mean she doesnt, maybe i just havent noticed. She hisses sometimes, but honestly she only hissed a few times in her life (once when i took her to the vet a few weeks ago), she just meow alot. She doesnt really get mad that much though.

Well heres a list of all the symtoms shes had through this whole thing:

rear leg weakness
third eyelid
hard to wake up
slight dehydration
loss of appetite/thirst
eye boogers
lip licking
twitching in face/legs
dull fur color
falling while walking
moaning (she only did that one day)
coughing/sneezing (a little bit)
not urinating/ possible constipation /light colored feces
laziness
bump on head (which is probably nothing)
heart murmur (i think i forgot to mention that)
bad breath and body odor
purring a lot

now this is what she still has:

very very slight wobbly walk
occasional eye boogers
heart murmur (im guessing, i dont see why it would have went away. even so
it probably has nothing to do with this whole thing and is
minor)
bump on head (which is probably nothing)

so yea most of her symtoms are going away, and shes doing a lot better. All of the symtoms that were affecting her behavior are gone, and now its just (what seems to be) the minor stuff, which there are still less of.

 

[kotmaciek]

I hope she will be better by tomorrow. I don't know what that could be, but I'm sure she needs to see vet ASAP. Keep us posted. Wishing you best...

 

[myboys15]

I do not want to be say anything that may hurt you

but my little boy started to purr up a storm when the end was near.

Rumpleteazer and the rest of the board has given you some really great advice. My boy needed to be force fed and all that I can tell you is just keep doing it. Even if she fusses, just keep watering and feeding her. Maybe someone on the board can help you make a slurry of food for her. I put in the blender cat food and Rebound (it is a special electrolyte solution) and fed my boy with a large gauge syringe. DEHYDRATION IS DEADLY!

I see how much you love your girl, just keep chugging away!

Keep a log of how much she eats, urinates and poo's.

I have seen on "Emergency Vets" that there are some "discount" (meaning places that can help for a lower cost) vets. But, I know nothing about them. I know that money is a problem. Have you called your vet and asked about any places that do sliding scale. I could be completely wrong here, but it is worth a shot.

I know that this sounds horrible but if it comes to a point that you can no longer help her. She is in pain or suffering and there is no chance of recovery, please do not let her suffer. She looks like such a great girl but she has been sick for almost a month now. You are doing the best job that you can and that is GREAT! Keep doing what you are doing and hopefully a vet visit will make her better.

Best of Luck!

 

[mzjazz2u]

Originally Posted by Myboys15

I have seen on "Emergency Vets" that there are some "discount" (meaning places that can help for a lower cost) vets. But, I know nothing about them. I know that money is a problem. Have you called your vet and asked about any places that do sliding scale. I could be completely wrong here, but it is worth a shot.

Earlier in this thread, Georgydude mentioned that money is not the problem. His dad just won't allow a lot of money spent on the cat. His values are just different then some of ours.

Georgydude, It sounds like the kitty is doing much better and is coming around. Good job!

 

[kittylover13]

Originally Posted by Georgydude

well i never heard her eally growl when she gets mad. That doesn't mean she doesnt, maybe i just havent noticed. She hisses sometimes, but honestly she only hissed a few times in her life (once when i took her to the vet a few weeks ago), she just meow alot. She doesnt really get mad that much though.

Well heres a list of all the symtoms shes had through this whole thing:

rear leg weakness
third eyelid
hard to wake up
slight dehydration
loss of appetite/thirst
eye boogers
lip licking
twitching in face/legs
dull fur color
falling while walking
moaning (she only did that one day)
coughing/sneezing (a little bit)
not urinating/ possible constipation /light colored feces
laziness
bump on head (which is probably nothing)
heart murmur (i think i forgot to mention that)
bad breath and body odor
purring a lot

now this is what she still has:

very very slight wobbly walk
occasional eye boogers
heart murmur (im guessing, i dont see why it would have went away. even so
it probably has nothing to do with this whole thing and is
minor)
bump on head (which is probably nothing)

so yea most of her symtoms are going away, and shes doing a lot better. All of the symtoms that were affecting her behavior are gone, and now its just (what seems to be) the minor stuff, which there are still less of.

poor kitty! she must have been miserable!!!!how bad is her heart murmur? thats interesting about the growling. it must be just my cats personality. it is very unusual (so says my parents) this next question is a little emabarressing and u dont have 2 answer it, but what was ur moms opinion about the entire thing? because u have mentioned is what ur dad said. i have found moms can b a little more understanding.

 

[georgydude]

Originally Posted by kittylover13

poor kitty! she must have been miserable!!!!how bad is her heart murmur? thats interesting about the growling. it must be just my cats personality. it is very unusual (so says my parents) this next question is a little emabarressing and u dont have 2 answer it, but what was ur moms opinion about the entire thing? because u have mentioned is what ur dad said. i have found moms can b a little more understanding.

she did seem miserable, im really happy shes no where near as bad as she was before. I dont think the heart murmur was very bad, im pretty sure it was minor, but im just wondering if its related to all of the other sym0toms or if its just a separate problem. Ur second question is fine, i have no problem answering it, even though the answer might be a little awkward. My mom actually passed about when i was in second grade. She was actually the reason why i have these cats, cuz she loved cats, so thats why we got the two cats that i have in the first place. She would probably want to spend the money to help her though, but all that matters now is my dad's opinion