Vet Q&A-Cat

Hello, my cat has this weird scab on her neck. I don't have the money for a vet visit, could you tell me what it is?

It looks like it may be a wound that has developed a scab. This may habe been from a cat fight wound. I would be concerned with how deep this wound goes and a secondary infection. You can make up a light brown solution of Betadine and sterile saline to clean the area and monitor it. If it worsens, I would strongly urge you try to get in to see a vet for proper treatment.

Hi I have a 3 week old kitten how often should she poop? We got her 3-4 days ago and don't know when she last poop

3 weeks is very young. Under normal circumstances a kitten should be with its mommy until it is 10 to 12 weeks old. Your kitten will still need to be fed with kitten milk (bottle feeding). You can get a bottle and Kitten milk at a large supermarket or your vet;s office. At three weeks, the mother still licks and stimulates the kittens genitals and anus to entice it to urinate and defecate. She then removes the urine and feces. You will need to do this with a soft tissue moistened with warm water every time you feed her. At 3 weeks of age she should be fed every 4 hours. Once she is around 4 to 5 weeks old you can offer her canned kitten food in addition to the milk. Here is extensive information on raising a kitten: http://animalalliancenyc.org/feralcats/tnr-colony-care-resources/managing-kittens/raising-orphaned-kittens/

What are some of the best dental care products for cats?

Great question! The Veterinary Oral Health Council is a group of veterinary dentists that investigates and reviews products that are marketed for dental care in pets. You can find a list of the products for cats that have received their seal of approval here: http://www.vohc.org/accepted_products_cats.html

Is eucalyptus poisonous to cats? I would love to hang some eucalyptus in my bathroom because my sinuses are acting up, but not if it means poisoning my kitties. Thank you!

Eucalyptus can cause gastrointestinal signs like vomiting and diarrhea if large amounts are ingested. The oil tends to be more toxic. You could hang the eucalyptus where your cats don't have access, but if you think they'll still try to eat it you may want to avoid it.

Hi! Is almond oil safe for cats? My bengal cat loves it, he got a few drops when I was applying it on my feet today. I was also wondering if it could help to put the almond oil on his nose because he has a "bengal nose". Vaseline with aloe vera has really made a difference on his nose but he hates it when I apply it to his nose. The almond oil would be a perfect solution, if it works, because he likes it so much. He is 6 months old now. Thank you.

Askur is gorgeous! Thanks for including a picture. Sweet almond oil is safe for cats to ingest, but any oil can cause diarrhea if ingested in large amounts. My only concern with using Almond oil on his nose is if he really likes it and licks it all off right away then it may not work as well. I will often use Vitamin E (from capsules) for nose problems because it has less smell and animals won't lick it off as quickly. But I hope almond oil works for Askur! Good luck. I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Boop by Petco. P.S. I see that you are in Iceland. I got married in Iceland 2 years ago. We LOVED the country and hope to return soon!

My cat had a sore back. My friend gave me s 50 mg tramadol pill.he had for his dog. How much of it can I give my cat? He weighs 20 lbs

Hi there and thank you for using Boop by Petco to address your concern. Tramadol is quite bitter, so it may be quite difficult to give your cat. Tramadol is safe for use in cats and a typical dose for a 20lb cat would be about 25mg, so 1/2 tablet. That is what is most commonly dosed for a 20lb cat. Before giving any medication to your cat that has not been prescribed to him, I would most certainly recommend contacting your veterinarian to discuss this prior to administering the Tramadol as I do not know the full medical history on Billy. There are some circumstances in which you should not give Tramadol so I would confirm with the primary veterinarian that normally sees Billy. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

My cat has started drooling excessively from her mouth and nose straight after giving her eye drops from the vet for conjunctivitis for the last 4 days every time. Is this normal? However this morning she started drooling again but I only picked her up to do the drops so I hadn't put them on her yet. Is this stress releated as I know she hates me doing it? Or is it a reaction to the medication? I would love some advice

One of the medications that we will use for eye pain in cats is called Atropine Sulfate. This medication is notorius for making cats drool profusely since the tear duct system is connected to the nose and mouth (so cats will taste the eye drops). This can potentially occur with other eye drops, but Atropine tends to cause the worst problems. The drooling your noticed this morning is likely related to her anticipating the taste of the eye drops (like a Pavlovian response where dogs drool when they anticipate their dinner). If her drooling response is making it difficult for her to tolerate her eye drops, I would recommend contacting your veterinarian to see how long she needs to take the eye drops and if there is an alternative available for her. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.

Cat ate black eyed Susan's Friday night. It's Wednesday and she is throwing up bile very frequently. Will it pass of do I take her to the vet

Poor Jolene! The black eyed susan is considered toxic to cats, and GI upset is seen, but it is usually self limiting and mild. In this case, given that she is still vomiting five days after ingesting it, I would be concerned and I do recommend taking her into your vet. I think it would be best to have her checked out by your vet, she may need a shot to help her stop vomiting, and may need other treatment depending on what your vet finds on physical exam. I would take her into your vet now.

Why does my female cat Luca sniff my shirt in one area like crazy like there's food on it and then starts to try to bite its not a love bite, ithurts

Some cats can be very sensitive to certain smells - Luca may smell another animal on your shirt if you have been around one, or it may be an area that has a lot of your scent on it from sweat glands on that part of your body. When cats smell things very intensely, they will often also want to put their mouth on the thing that they are smelling or even bite it, in some cases - it means that they're very intensely interested in the smell. So I would say that this is likely just an odd little behavioral quirk of hers :) If it's bothersome, you can move her off of your lap when she starts to sniff your shirt to prevent her from becoming so focused on it, or change into a fresh shirt before sitting down with her.