Vet Q&A-Cat

I already asked u why my cat Storm has a swollen penis. U send me a thing on why cats meow. Do I get an answer on not? Is it that u don't know or what

From reviewing your previous question on Storm I believe that the answer that was provided regarding why his penis is swollen was about the potential for urethral blockage. Male cats are prone to a condition called Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) that can cause severe inflammation in the urethra, which we often see as swelling of the penis caused by their licking it. This is a serious condition that can become life-threatening if the urethra become partially or fully blocked, as they can't urinate. Your vet can check Storm for signs of this disease and recommend medications and/or food that will treat this condition.

Hello, my cats one nipple looks dark around, hard and dry. Is it something I need to worry about? Is there anything I can do to make it better? Or should I take her to our vet

Hello, it looks like the hair follicles around the nipples could be plugged. You do not need to worry about it, besides making sure that Oreo is bathed and grooming on her own. There are some diets with increased essential fatty acids that may improve the over all coat health of your cat. Hope this helps and best of luck.

What should I do about my cat eating a cooked chicken bone?

Unfortunately there is nothing you can do about this situation. It's not recommended to induce vomiting because the bone could get caught in Furman's esophagus, and/or cause damage on the way up. You can only watch him to see if there are any problems from this ingestion. If you see any blood in his feces, he becomes anorexic, he start vomiting, there is blood in his vomit, he has diarrhea, and/or he becomes lethargic, you will need to take him into a vet immediately. It can take up to 72 hours for signs of an obstruction or perforation to appear, so watch him closely over this time. Best of luck, I hope this helps.

Is it possible that a cat that’s been neutered can impregnate a not yet spayed female cat? Because I think that’s what happened here and we are assuming something went wrong when we neutered him 7 years ago.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Boop by Petco. No, a neutered male cat cannot impregnant a female cat. Neutered males have no testicles and therefore no sperm. If you have a female cat that has become pregnant, she must have been mated by another, intact male cat. I hope this is helpful!

Can I use Vaseline to clean dried-up stool off the fur around my cat's anus?

Sure you could use vaseline to help soften the debris or warm water and soap work well too. If it becomes a chronic problem some older kitties benefit from a a sanitary clip (especially if long haired) to keep the hair shorter in this area so fecal material has less to stick too. I hope this helps and thank you for using Boop by Petco!

My kitten is having some gurgling sounds from his stomach. I have a feeling that it is just gas as he has a rather unpleasant smell when the sound arises. But recently I was hearing these sounds and my hand was on his stomach and I could actually feel little pops of air maybe. Is this just gas or something underlying and life threatening. I have tried searching it up but it comes up with either gas bloating or death by parasites.

If your kitten is active, playful, and eating and drinking, then I'm not too worried. Your kitten may have overeaten and his GI tract might be working hard on digestion, or there could be intestinal parasites or gas causing the GI sounds. If he is otherwise happy and active, I'd just monitor for now and mention it at his next kitten visit, and bring in a fresh fecal sample for your vet to check for parasites. However, if he's lethargic, vomiting, or not eating, then this should be checked immediately. Hope this helps!

My cat is scared to come downstairs. She's never been scared for the past 6 months and she use to love it. Now she just sits at the top of the staircase and looks down. She's still socialable when I'm upstairs with her and she has no problems with her siblings at all. I can't think of anything that has happened that may have traumatized her not to come down. I tried bringing her down to see if a little nudge would help, but she ended up freaking out and bolting back up. What's wrong with her?

Hi there. Without a much more detailed behavioral history, it's hard to say what might be causing this. It does sound like something downstairs probably spooked her, but this could have been almost anything - an unusual noise, a strange smell, or something else that you aren't aware of. She may eventually decide to come back downstairs on her own, but I would not try to rush this process as this will only make her more fearful. You can try feeding her treats at the top of the stairs where she is comfortable, and go one step lower each day as long as she is doing well - this can help encourage her to associate good things with coming down the stairs, as long as you go very slowly. You could also try a Feliway pheromone diffuser downstairs, along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure to see if this helps with her fear.

So I am pretty sure my cat is pregnant with her brothers kittens and was wondering if this would cause any problems. He is nutured now. Also what should I do to prepare for the newborn kittens?

The concern with breeding siblings is that it can cause genetic problems to be expressed easier due to recessive genes. Unfortunately you will not know if any problems will exist until the kittens are born. To prepare for kittens, the first thing to do is take Mango into the vet to confirm she is pregnant. The vet may be able to do an ultrasound or x-ray to tell you how many kittens she is carrying, and can help give you an approximate time as to when she may give birth. Normally, cats do not need help giving birth, but when it gets closer to the time she is to give birth, she will need a quiet and dark area to give birth to the kittens. You want her as calm and relaxed as possible. Also make sure there is food, water, and a litter box for her in this area. First off, however, take her into a vet. Best of luck!

My female cat hasn't peed in 24hrs. She appears to be drinking, eats her wet and dry food like normal. She appears to be fine. I usually only find 1-2 clumps of pee a day in her litterbox. I cannot afford a vet visit, so if there is anything I can try first before resorting to that

Hello. I hesitate to recommend anything just yet since you say she seems to be fine. If she was unable to urinate, she would be crying, painful, trying to posture & strain to urinate in the litter box. Unfortunately, it may be possible that she is urinating elsewhere, perhaps in the back of a closet or on a pile of laundry. I assume she is also an indoor only cat. Just watch her for now, & if there are any indications that she is having difficulties in the litter box, or she seems to be licking her vaginal area excessively, try to push fluids to her by adding a little extra water to her canned food ( remove the dry for now ) & encouraging her to drink by offering low sodium broths or stock along with very fresh water. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.