Vet Q&A-Cat

My cat is 63 days pregnant today she has been sleeping pretty much all day is that a sign she is going into labor soon

Although the timing would be right, normally signs of labour include restlessness and nesting. The closer to the birth they are, they more queens tend to sleep because of the extra weight put on and being more tired and less agile. So in general I would not say that this is a sign of imminent labour.

I found a rubber band on my cats paw this morning and I noticed it while I saw her hand being unusually bigher than normal. I think the rubber has been there for 12 hours, since my cousins were playing with her yesterday. I've been reading articles online but can this be a cause of gangrene? Is there a possible problem with her circulation. She's just 3 months old

It is true that gangrene can occur in animals if circulation is completely cut off for long periods of time. However the placement of a rubber band in this case is not causing complete lack of circulation but instead is just resulting in some localized swelling to the Joint below the rubber band. I expect that you will see the swelling continue to subside over the course of the next day and that your kitten's Mobility will not be affected in any sort of long-term way. If you are seeing changes in Mobility past the one to two day mark, seek Veterinary attention. Hope this helps!.

I don't think my cat is producing enough milk for her 4 kittens and there going to be a week old Sunday. How can I tell if she's producing enough to feed them

The best way to know whether or not the kittens are getting enough milk is to weigh them daily. You should use a gram scale (food scales work great) and the kittens should be gaining about 10-15 grams per day. If their weights are stable or if they are losing weight they may not be getting enough milk and ou should take the mother and kittens to your veterinarian to make sure everyone is healthy. Bottle feeding with a kitten milk replacer might be recommended.

Can I use baby shampoo to bathe my kitten?

Baby shampoo is fine to bathe your kitten, but a cat shampoo would be a better option for Stevie. It's also safe to use Dawn dish soap to bathe him. Just make sure to wash all the soap out, and to dry him completely after the bath.

What can I use for fleas on a 6 to 8 week old kitten

Revolution (a spot on flea treatment) is safe to use on kittens six weeks of age and older, according to their package instructions. I recommend using that on Jasper. If he has fleas, you will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash his bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home.

my cat has had on-going constipation issues for a couple years. i have tried adding cooked butternut squash, psyllium powder and bone meal to his raw beef diet to no avail. do you have any suggestions? otherwise, he is a 14 year old, healthy, fixed male. mara domingue

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! Some cats, as they get older, can develop constipation. Some of these cats can develop a condition known as megacolon in which feces becomes trapped and difficult to pass for the cat which leads to constipation, very painful constipation. In older cats with constipation I will recommend adding fiber capsules to the diet such as Vetasyl Feline fiber supplement capsules that you sprinkle over the food. In bad cases of constipation, I will perform an enema and then place the cat on a medication called Lactulose. This last method is quite effective at managing chronic constipation. I would try the vetasyl capsules and if there is no improvement, I would suggest having your veterinarian take a look at Spot to discuss long term management with a drug like lactulose. Also, when your vet performed in exam, he / she may also find out what the cause of the constipation is. A rectal exam should be performed and possible ultrasound to ensure that there is not a tumor / mass in the colon / rectal area causing the constipation. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available by phone or text based consultation if needed.

My cat just came home from a 48 hour vet visit. He is a 4 year old neutered male and was treated for a urinary blockage. His catheter was removed a few hours ago, and he is now home. He is using the litter box but only producing small amounts of urine. He also will not eat or drink. They had a hard time feeding him at the vet also. Is this normal post catheterization behavior?

Urinary blockage effects a cat's entire system and can make them feel very poorly. When the catheter is removed there is usually a fair bit of inflammation due to the catheter having been in place. The fact that he is producing urine is a good sign. You want to see him continue and start to produce more and more. If he appears to get duller or stop urinating take him back to the vet. He is likely not fussed on foid due to a mixture of pain and nausea, this should settle.

my cat ate one possibly two raisins, should I be worried?

Hello and welcome to Boop by Petco. With raisins the exact toxin isn't known completely, and cats for the most part don't seem to be susceptible as dogs are. However, there are one or two cases where cats have developed kidney failure after ingestion of raisins, but it isn't know if the raisins caused it. If you want to be very careful, you can take Dahila to the vet and have them try to make her vomit to see if you can get the raisins out, and they may feed her some activated charcoal to soak up any potential toxin. They may also suggest IV fluids for 48 hours to make sure the kidneys are OK. The other option is to monitor her closely, and ANY signs of weakness, vomiting, acting tired, get her to the vet right away. The likelihood that she will have any problems is very small, however we cannot say 100% that she won't. I know this is a frustrating answer, however it is a frustrating condition, as we still haven't figured out exactly what in grapes causes the problem. Best of luck with Dahila. If you are still unsure I would call your vet and ask if they feel you should bring Dahila in for care

Hi my cat ate 2 of my Rennie indigestion tablets. It says on the box that its 680mg/80 mg Calcium carbonate and Magnesium carbonate sparemint tablets. It also contains sucrose 250 mg, glucose 250mg, flavouring, providone, saccharin sodium and magnesium stearate. ( that's i think for each tablet, he ate 2.) He is about 8 lbs. He ate it about an hr ago now and he seems fine. Just wandering if i should worry or get him to the vet? Thank u

Other than vomiting and/or diarrhea I wouldn't expect any real problems in most cases. Since he ingested it about an hour or so ago, chances are the medication is already absorbed so there is no use in inducing vomiting. I would say just monitor him for now and if you notice any abnormal behavior or illness then you should then get him to a vet ASAP. I don't think this is a huge issue but you never know how an individual will react to any medication.