Is my cat ok

[Dreamhope11]

over the last two days my cat has been moving slowly, he cant climb the stairs well, he used to run up them, when i tryed to pick him up he jumped back did a loud meow and showed his teeth, he is eating and drinking normal. He did come in with two scratches on his nose, his tail is very low. whats wrong!

[Jeff777]

This shouldn't be in Senseless Banter, and Burns is really good with cats, ask her.

[pj]

Indeed - PM Burns. She's the best... this is what she does.

[Goldney]

Maybe your cat is being bullied by another cat?

[Burns]

aw thanks for the recommendation, Jeff and pj Dreamhope, if you think something is wrong with your cat, take it to the vet! No one will be able to give you a diagnosis over the internet. But if I had a take a wild guess... If your cat goes outside, and came in with some scratches, and is now acting painful, he may have gotten into a fight with another cat and may have a wound/abscess. Most cat fight wounds occur on the back, rump, tail, and extremities. If left untreated, an abscess will form (painful swelling of infection) which will need to be drained and flushed, and he will need to be on antibiotics. Don't wait until he gets more sick/painful - call you vet and get him seen! Let us know how it goes. Good luck

[Mes Tarrant]

Yeah my cat had a terrible abscess recently, although he didn't act the way that you describe your cat acting. Your description fits my cat's behavior when he had a bladder infection. But in any case, cats are so good at hiding their problems that once they become apparent.. then you know that something must be wrong! Take him to the vet. Everyone will feel better.

[Burns]

But in any case, cats are so good at hiding their problems that once they become apparent.. then you know that something must be wrong! Take him to the vet. Mes is absolutely right. Cats are masters of disguise and will hide signs of illness, weakness or disease until they feel so sick/painful/whatever that they can't hide it anymore. Any change in a cat's routine should prompt a visit to the vet. You know your cat better than anyone and chances are if you think there's something wrong, there probably is.

[Dreamhope11]

My cat is now fine,thanks everyone. : )

[Burns]

Did you take him to the vet? What was the problem? Glad he's feeling better

[Dreamhope11]

the vet said he had a cut on his left leg, its healed now.

[Mes Tarrant]

Burnsy, can I ask you an unrelated question on here? My cat's 12.5 years old now, and the vet said his teeth looked like he was 5 (yippee!!) but that there was some plaque or tartar or whatever on them.. I was wondering if I should go through the trouble of forcing weird stuff on him to clean up his teeth, or if it's okay to just leave it be.... ?

[Burns]

Burnsy, can I ask you an unrelated question on here? My cat's 12.5 years old now, and the vet said his teeth looked like he was 5 (yippee!!) but that there was some plaque or tartar or whatever on them.. I was wondering if I should go through the trouble of forcing weird stuff on him to clean up his teeth, or if it's okay to just leave it be.... ? Well, the plaque and tartar may not be causing any problems now, but you'll need to decide if you want to take a preventative approach, or if you want to wait until problems develop and then deal with them. Ideally, a preventative cleaning is the best way to go - that way you're not waiting until the teeth are rotten or painful before taking care of them. Generally, a preventative cleaning is easier on the cat (and much cheaper for you!) than waiting until teeth are bad and need to be extracted. Bacteria in the mouth can negatively impact other organ systems such as the heart, kidneys and liver. By doing a prophylactic dental cleaning, you will not only be keeping the cat's teeth healthy but also saving the other body systems from additional strain from dirty teeth. Personally, I take the preventative route. I don't want to have teeth extracted if I don't have to. My cats needed to have their first dental cleaning at 5 years of age. Depending on the cat, some need it more often than others, but if your cats' teeth look good for his age, this may be the only dental cleaning he will ever need. Hope that helps

[Mes Tarrant]

Yeah, I like the preventative approach too. He's my baby!! Is this dental cleaning thing expensive? He's also absolutely terribly afraid of vets, so what's the procedure like?

[Burns]

Is this dental cleaning thing expensive? He's also absolutely terribly afraid of vets, so what's the procedure like? As far as cost goes, it varies greatly vet to vet and state to state. My clinic is a bit more costly because we're a speciality clinic. Generally, a routine dental cleaning can range anywhere from $200-$500. Keep in mind that general anesthesia is involved so it's not like a regular trip to the dentist like you or I would get. It's considered a surgical procedure because of the anesthesia involved, so that is reflected in the cost. The important thing is to find out what is included in the cost. What kind of preanesthesia bloodwork do they run? What anesthesia is used? What monitoring do they do? etc etc. Every clinic is different so you need to ask these type of specific questions to see if the cost = value. I've heard clients tell me they spent $75 on a dental cleaning, but it was some hack vet that didn't do any preanesthetic screening, inadequate monitoring, etc. You get what you pay for - remember that. The procedure (at my clinic, at least) involves a recent physical examination and preanesthetic screening to make sure all systems go for anesthesia. If everything checks out ok, the cat is sedated with a gas anesthesia and then intubated (tube down the throat to directly deliver anesthesia). Then xrays are taken of the full mouth since most problems with cat teeth occur under the gumline and you are not doing a complete dental cleaning and exam without doing xrays. Then the teeth are scaled with an ultrasonic scaler to remove tartar. Since the scaler puts microscopic grooves in the teeth which plaque and tartar will cling to, the teeth are then polished - just like at our dental cleanings - to make the surface of the tooth smooth so plaque and tartar can't stick so easily. Then flouride is applied to support enamel. Blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature are monitored closely throughout the entire procedure. Once everything is done, the anesthesia is turned off, the cat is extubated (remove tube from throat), and recovers quickly. They go home the same day - no staying overnight. Most older cats who have their teeth cleaned experience increased quality of life afterwards. They are more active and happier in general. It really does a great deal for them and their overall health and I think it's really worth it. After all, we want to keep them healthy and happy for as long as possible, and routine dental cleanings are instrumental for good health.

[Mes Tarrant]

Ooooh. Sounds complicated. Yet worth it at the same time. Thinking about him getting anesthetized at his age makes me worried though. In addition, my parents are going to hit the roof at the mention of the cost. I think I'll plan on waiting a few more months until I graduate and get a (real) job, and then I'll pay for the damn thing myself.

[Burns]

Ooooh. Sounds complicated. Yet worth it at the same time. Thinking about him getting anesthetized at his age makes me worried though. In addition, my parents are going to hit the roof at the mention of the cost. I think I'll plan on waiting a few more months until I graduate and get a (real) job, and then I'll pay for the damn thing myself. Sorry, didn't mean to make it sound scary and complicated. It's really a routine procedure, just like spaying or neutering. No need to worry. But yeah, it may be a good idea to wait til you can afford it on your own

[Soldier]

wow Burns you were a qualified person for those questions. this is the sad part for me, my dads a vet (cat, dog, horse,) and sometimes he thinks the cat doesnt need to be checked (which hes qualified to say) but i notice the cat limps in every so often and i feel sorry for him if anything serious happens my dad takes care of it but the little stuff doesnt seem to matter. why is he limping? i see it way to often and hes 12 (which is older). my brother likes to throw the cat around(i mean throw) and i think it way have something to do with it. also he gets in fights with other cats, one time a owl(had a cask on his leg after that). how much can a cat its age take? hes 12 and gets beat up. he gets the best medical care when hes hurt bad but im worried about the little things. lol im really a dog person but i like my cat, any suggesting would be helpful.

[Mes Tarrant]

Your brother throws him around?? Sorry man but he has GOT to stop that. How would he feel if someone threw HIM around day in and day out?

[Burns]

wow Burns you were a qualified person for those questions. this is the sad part for me, my dads a vet (cat, dog, horse,) and sometimes he thinks the cat doesnt need to be checked (which hes qualified to say) but i notice the cat limps in every so often and i feel sorry for him if anything serious happens my dad takes care of it but the little stuff doesnt seem to matter. why is he limping? i see it way to often and hes 12 (which is older). my brother likes to throw the cat around(i mean throw) and i think it way have something to do with it. also he gets in fights with other cats, one time a owl(had a cask on his leg after that). how much can a cat its age take? hes 12 and gets beat up. he gets the best medical care when hes hurt bad but im worried about the little things. lol im really a dog person but i like my cat, any suggesting would be helpful. Unfortuntely, no one will be able to tell you why your cat is limping over the internet. There could be a lot of reasons. It could be arthritis or an injury. You can't know for sure unless a thorough exam is done and you can rule out problems. And if he gets in cat fights a lot, maybe you should keep him inside. There's no way to prevent him from getting into trouble if he is allowed outdoors. But I agree with Mes, why do you allow the cat to be thrown around? It may be contributing to the limping problem. Cats can feel pain just like dogs and people - so why should you treat them any different?

[Soldier]

he hardly throws the cat around any more mainly because he was caught, i just wanted to yet you know he has gotten beat up alot. I'll ask my dad to look at him, hopefully he will. yea cat chucking has to stop.