Vet Q&A-Cat

My 6 month old kitten has very smelly, yellow diarrhea. What could be wrong?

Poor Willow! This diarrhea could be caused by GI illness, Giardia infection, Coccidia infection, eating something rotten, a foreign body, or intestinal parasites. The yellow color indicates it's traveling very quickly through the GI tract. I would take her into the vet with a sample of her feces for an exam. The vet can examine her feces, do a physical exam, routine blood tests, and a urinalysis to diagnose what is causing her diarrhea, and can treat accordingly.

Hi. We applied Advocate flea treatment to both of our cats this evening. A couple of hours later one of our cats licked the treatment site of the other cat. Do we need to take her to an emergency vets or keep an eye on her?

Just keep an eye on her. She would need to eat a lot of the product to get sick. You may want to give some wet food with added water to get the product to pass through more quickly. I would expect some drooling as the only side effect. Do monitor her though and should you see any medical problems such as tremors or vomiting and diarrhea then I would take her in. Thanks for using Boop by Petco to help you care for Pippa.

I recently switched my cat to a dry Rachel ray food . Approx. 6 weeks ago. The last week or so, ice noticed the clumps of urine in her litter are tiny. She's now staying in the box for long periods. It was suggested that it may be crystals in her tract caused possibly by the food. No vet will see her because I'm broke for another week. I was denied for care credit . I just got back from the store and bought her Purina, which is what we used to use, for urinary tract health, along with moist food

I'm sorry that you are having such problems with Lola! It certainly is possible that she has crystals in her urine, and taking her off the Rachel Ray food is probably a good idea. I'm not a fan of that brand at all, I personally think it's a poor quality food. Definitely give her canned food as well, add water to it, and make sure she drinks a lot of water to help flush the bladder. Keep an eye on her, and if appears she is straining to urinate, tries to urinate but nothing comes out, and/or howls when urinating, these can be signs her urethra is blocked. That is fatal without treatment and a medical emergency, so in that case she would have to see a vet immediately. I can give you some resources that may help you afford a vet for her sooner than this week. Check out the links below as they may help you! The Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization that provides financial assistance to cat and kitten guardians who are unable to afford veterinary services to save their companions when life-threatening illness or injury strikes.  God's Creatures Ministry helps pay for veterinarian bills for those who need help.  The Onyx & Breezy Foundation has many programs including helping people with medical bills. They are a good resource for information.  Brown Dog Foundation provides funding to families with a sick pet that would likely respond to treatment, but due to circumstances, there is not enough money immediately available to pay. IMOM is dedicated to insure that no companion animal has to be euthanized simply because their caretaker is financially challenged. http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets http://lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/when-pet-owners-cant-afford-veterinary-bills/ http://www.dogheirs.com/resources-affordable-veterinary-care/ https://www.redrover.org I hope this helps!

How long can u keep a cat on tylan powder for I.B.S. ? Is there a injection or tablet form I can use ? Is there any other meds ?

Hi and thank you for your post on Boop by Petco this afternoon! Tylan powder can be used in cats with IBD, but is not a long term solution for this problem. Tylosin can come in tablet, liquid suspension, or capsule form. IBD symptoms will reappear after stopping the Tylan administration. Prednisolone can help symptoms as well as another antibiotic called Metronidazole, but again, these drugs are not for long term usage. Changing the diet to a novel protein source that is highly digestible can really help IBD patients. Sometimes there is a concurrent food allergy causing the symptoms so it is worth exploring with your veterinarian if a food trial or food allergy screening test is worth doing. High fiber diets can also help as well. Most diets that can help with IBD are prescription diets that are available through your veterinarian. I hope this helps and thanks again for using Boop by Petco!

My cat poops and pees right where he is laying, he will lay in it unless I pick him up. How can I help him?

That is not normal. for a cat to lie in his own eliminations, there must be a serious problem. I suggest you clean him up and take him to a vet or pet ER right away. If you cannot do this today, then at least put some cat litter underneath him so that the urine gets absorbed. Take him ASAP, please.

My cat died nearly a month ago, and I'm still constantly finding fleas in my bedroom, I pulled the whole room out and cleaned and washed everything

Fleas have a cycle of about two weeks. Adult fleas living in your house (usually in the carpets) would lay eggs and take 10-14 days to hatch however they can lay dormant and wake up when they think there is food to feed on. This is probably another cycle hatching. They can be difficult to get rid of as you need to kill adults, wait until the next cycle starts and kill the newly hatched ones before they have time to lay eggs and breed again. This will also depend of the type of product used to treat your house. Depending where you live grocery stores and pet stores sell flea spray/powders but some will only kill actual fleas, some will also kill the eggs. You need to vacuum very well everyday )be sure to get rid of vacuum bag after), wash all bedding and treat carpets, wash floors etc. It'll take some work but you can get rid of them.

My cat has a black growing scab on her nose. She is 14 years old. I do have pictures..

Dark scabby areas on the head and necks of cats are often attributable to a complex known as eosinophilic plaques. Many are allergic in origin, and respond to a change in diet (hypoallergenic diets such as those made with "novel" protein and carbohydrate sources or hydrolyzed diets such as Hill's z/d) and treatment with immunosuppressive drugs. Some studies also point to a tie-in with feline herpes virus. Diagnosis is made via biopsy. These lesions can occur on the lips, inside the mouth, just about anywhere on the head or on the pads of the feet. I've also seen them on the abdomen. Again, it's really important to get a biopsy done, because the appearance can mimic some cancers (squamous cell carcinoma) and also some fungal diseases that are quite serious.

My cats pupils are dilated to different sizes. Should I be concerned?

Yes, unequal pupil sizes can indicate trauma or neurological disease. Schedule an exam with your veterinarian today or tomorrow at the latest. Monitor for ataxia (wobbly gait), weakness, lethargy or head tilting.

Hi! My cat has changed eye color from bright green to orange brown. Should I be worried, is it normal?

It is common for kittens to undergo an eye color change. If your cat is an older cat though, it may signify infection or more serious underlying disease. Any sudden change in eye color should be addressed by your vet or veterinary ophthalmologist.