Keeping up with the Pets...

[ottid]

Ok, so this morning just before we left the house the bf noticed that Jellybean (cat) was limping, hadn't noticed before then because he had been sleeping on the bed.

This was when I noticed a small amount of blood on the cover, not a large amount, but enough to go "Where did that come from?" This is his front right leg, and he has been getting into fights (lots of scabs on him) even though he is neutered. So I decided to touch his leg, feel it right up to his shoulder? and he didn't attack me at all, or meow like crazy, so my guess is that he is going to heal by himself, but I just feel like getting a second opinion, that I don't need to spend money on the vet just yet, It's been around 11 hours since we noticed, I did the same thing when we got home, and still no reaction. He is walking to food and drink (about to set up kitty litter) and I'm going to block off the cat flap (had cats visiting a couple of times at night) so that he can feel entirely safe in the house.

I will go to the vet if it looks like he is in a lot of pain, isn't walking at all, or if it looks like it is getting infected (I'm not stupid), but I just don't really want to fork out for the vet if they are just going to send me home without really doing anything.

Oh, and fire your questions away, I can see you all almost bouncing out of your seats...

[ottid]

Just an update, he is moving around more, andwalking without too much difficulty, yay!

[r2cagle]

Yeah, could have a been a sore he buggered with. However.. keep careful watch as animals can develop really bad infections from other animal bites.

Last October, on the same night hubby and I were trying to leave town on vacation, our cat, Sam(my avatar) escaped outside and when I went to pick him up... blood was just pouring out of his backside (or that area ).

So instead of finishing packing, I'm rushing the cat to the E.R.... come to find out, he had a mongo ulcer on the underside of his tail that had burst, caused by a bite from our other cat. Poor baby, had to be sedated since he was in alot of pain and then had to have his tail half shaved. He didn't come out of hiding for almost a week. I think he was embarrassed at how he looked.

[Meganjo23]

If there's a cut or scrape that you're worried might get infected, you can (according to a family member that works at a veterinary clinic) put Neosporin on it. Of course, you have to make sure she/he won't lick it off, which makes it not an ideal solution, but it's better then nothing. Bonnie bent the laws of physics licking it off her neck, but it made her sore (from fleas) a lot better. I've heard honey can work, too, it's an antiseptic (I think) and it helps keep the area clean while they attempt to lick it off. That's all I got, really.

Also, Jellybean is the cutest name for a cat I've ever heard.

[ottid]

Oh wow, thanks Meganjo!

Yes, I'm definitely keeping an eye on all cuts and scrapes, they still all appear to just be scabs though.

Honey does have a lot of health properties, so I wouldn't be surprised if being an antiseptic was one. Manuka Honey is one of the better ones.

[Parrothead]

Some warm water with just a little bit of soap, and use "licking" type sweeps with a washcloth (make sure you follow up with some plain warm water) will keep the area clean and lower the chances of infection. I'd do it about twice a day, if he'll let you.

[Sliceanddice]

or honey

honey is a natural antiseptic and wont hurt mister kitty if he licks it.

[ottid]

Well Jellybean did get better, or so I thought, he was walking quite happily etc on his leg, except two nights go he started limping on the same leg again, I decided to wait again. And he was a little worse last night, but not too bad. Got home this evening after a day being Student Teacher and my short shift at work, and boy, his leg is more than just a little bit swollen now So we are off to the vet tomorrow (Saturday for me) and I don't think it will be an "after hours" type charge, it is also a pet store that is open everyday. I suspect an abscess, so hopefully all they need to do is drain it, and maybe some drugs. Thought it would have popped up before now though, no new scabs since that day he had lots and lots of scabs.

[fireheart]

I remember when mum got bitten by one of our cats. It was purely accidental, as she'd been dragging around a bit of palm leaf in the backyard and when the cat went to bite it, he bit her instead.
Her finger swelled to the point where she spent about a week in hospital (they wanted to make sure they didn't have to operate-it wasn't gangrenous), and had to have an IV in her for about another week. When the swelling started to go down, she said that she was actually PLEASED to see wrinkles.

[ottid]

My guess has been right, well, when we got up this morning it had popped, cleaned it out with a bit of salt water, but still going to see the vet, just in case. And they can probably clean better than I can...

[BookstoreEscapee]

My first cat was a stray who adopted us, so he was an indoor/outdoor cat. He would get in fights with the neighborhood cats and a couple times had to have an abcess drained in his cheek. It was pretty gross and you kinda had to see it every time he looked at you. I picked him up from the vet the one time and he cried all the way home in his carrier, and when I opened it at home he staggered out like a furry little drunk from the medication.

Our current kitties are indoor only for a reason (well, Little Miss is afraid of everything so she wouldn't go out if you paid her, anyway).

[Andara Bledin]

Ah, an abcess that's drained. Excellent.

I've had more than one vet tell me that if it's an abcess and it's drained, to just keep it clean and only come in if it started to look infected. My family has only ever taken one cat to the vet for an abcess, and that was because it was massive by the time we'd had a chance to even spot it. (silly kitties, hiding when they hurt >.< )

^-.-^

This was always for cats, mind you.

^-.-^

[ottid]

Just got back from the vets

Jellybean got an option of having tablets down his throat twice a day for 7 days or an injection then and there. Hmmm, pay less for tablets and have a fight with him twice a day everyday, or pay a little more for injection? I chose injection Now I've just got to keep an eye on it, well the vet didn't exactly say, I just asked how long I should expect it to keep weeping, she said a couple of days. And for the first vet visit since he got neutered (around 4 years ago) he did all right

[MaggieTheCat]

First vet visit in 4 years? Do you give him his vaccines yourself? If not, then I strongly suggest you do so, or at least take him in yearly for re-vaccinations at the vet. I assume he's indoor/outdoor since you said he gets into fights sometimes, and cats can get a lot of diseases from other stray cats, including distemper and the dreaded leukemia, which is almost always fatal. Also, in the U.S., it's illegal to keep a dog or cat without current rabies shots. Edit to add: I realize the OP is not in the U.S., just trying to point out that rabies is very serious as well.

Anyway, sorry for the soapbox, I had an indoor/outdoor kitty too, but I made sure to keep his vaccines up. If you are at all established with a vet and you have concerns about your pet, a good vet will try to give you some advice over the phone if the situation seems non-life threatening, such as the bleeding you saw at first a few days ago. Try calling them next time you have a concern...the worst that can happen is that they tell you they can't advise you on the matter without seeing the animal first.

[ottid]

Oh, at the time I didn't know it was an abscess, the fluid didn't build up until the day we called the vets, and I was at work when the vets were called So if you have a cat who is lethargic, not eating much and limping progressively more heavily, I woul rather call the vet. I got home felt the leg that was sore again and went "That's an abscess, it will need drained anyway, so yay for vet visit" then it popped over night, the original limping was three weeks ago.

My family very rarely keeps up with vaccinations and worming in our cats. The animals here in NZ don't seem to be too bad, I think our dogs have been kept up to date. It is advisable that they are kept up to date, but not a necessity, the vet didn't give me a huge growl, just a "you should bring him back in when he is better for his shots" didn't grumble too much about not worming either (I would be worming if I felt he was eating too much, bloated etc) and I will probably do it in the near future, if only to figure out how to get tablets down him (just telling you my circumstances, no need for fratching, right?). Also I had been planning on getting his shots up to date, just that other more pressing things decided to gobble up my hard earned money first (such as rent and power bills) oh the joys of being a student...

My kitten is lovely, and back on the road to being healthy