Cat health questions

caitlin, my family had a cat who got scratched on his chest by another tom cat and the scratch oozed puss like you describe. We took him to the vet. I can't remember what they did to him there, but we were given an ointment to put on his cuts and he was fine in the end.

I was thinking it was probably a scratch that had somehow "gone bad", but I can't actually see where the stuff is coming from. My mother keeps saying "it must be earmites - I've seen him scratting his ears all the time lately". What worried me was the vet's "he might need surgery" assumption; I assume they say that to all random callers, though.

If the ear is leaking, that's harder to say; it could be an infection. I hope it's nothing too serious!

my cat is sneezy and the stupid internet has just made me fear heretofore unheard-of diseases [cat herpes??], when it's probably just that my apartment is dustier than Ye Olde Dust Shoppe

I've had him treated for earmites too, but they're kind of hard to keep away. He's five and in good health overall.

How are you sposed to tell if your kitty needs things like teeth checked? My cat never complains about anything and seems fine - she's only ever been to the vet twice as a kitten for desexing and her shots.

I had an adopted cat - a cat offa the sterrts missing teeth, claws who turned out to be FIV+ (feline AIDS basically) and with all the panics I had he was always ok (after all the expensive pills I shoved down his throrat, but still)

They tend to be much healthier than you believe. All my panics were overwroughta nd unnecessary. Give yr kitty a lil bit and see whasup. If yr kitty is really in pain, trust me you will know!

happy birthday sindy!

On the subject of cat teeth: the vet also noticed that he has four bad teeth, at the back of his mouth, and a gum infection. I had no idea about any of this; so he's also going to get his bad teeth pulled and the rest cleaned at the same time.

Oh, and the vet also persuaded me to get him neutered.

I have to phone back this afternoon to check that all this surgery went OK. Naturally, I'm a bit worried that something bad is going to happen.

(and am completely avoiding looking at the "Cat demise" thread)

(the only time I've had teeth out was under a general anaesthetic, too, for my badly-impacted wisdom teeth. I found it rather fun myself, but I don't think the cat would agree)

Never had to brush my cat's teeth, but because she has white ears, in times of hot sunshine I have to put suntan lotion on them to stop them burning.

The cat is currently hiding behind some boxes in the spare bedroom, looking very ragged and sorry for himself, and wondering where his back teeth and testicles have gone.

Our older cat has had a series of strokes/neurological attacks but has mostly recovered each time, other than seeming slower and maybe having some vision issues. For the past few months, she has consistently been going to the bathroom on the floor instead of in the litter box, even when the litter box is 100 percent clean. We tried a bunch of different things, including a new, shallower litter box that the other cat wasn't allowed to use. The other day, I saw her with her front paws in the litter box but her back end on the ground, peeing on the floor. So it doesn't seem like it's a physical issue (she can also jump on the bed/chairs/etc), but that she thinks she's in the litter box when she's not. I don't know what to do about this other than put down a tarp (which I'd still have to clean) or keep her caged up (and I'd still have to clean the cage). Any ideas?

Sounds like kitty dementia. I'm sorry :(

This isn't a very environmentally-friendly answer, but an option might be to put absorbent pads in front of the box and just toss/replace as needed? They are also known as underpads or Chux. If you know anyone who works in a hospital or a bio/chem laboratory, I'm sure he/she could set you up.

i'd recommend the pads too. they make them for training puppies too i think (google puppy pads or training pads). if she's still getting close to the box at least it's confined to an area.

i've used pads for years. in the litter box, no litter (multiple boxes tho). sometimes litter gets painful on their paws, or if they've had problems going they can associate it with pain. either way definitely try the pads.

Thanx dudes

not that this is necessarily the case with your cat, but when my cat was pissing outside of the box, it was because she had a kidney stone and (apparently) was associating the box with discomfort. had to give her a course of meds, then switch to special food and filtered water forever after.

we've got a cat somewhere between the ages of 12-14. she's had a cat cold, or what was diagnosed as one, for about three months. lots of sneezing and cat mucus. we went to a vet recently (when she was diagnosed) and they gave us some antibiotics but she's still fighting it. so i guess my question is, has anyone else dealt with this sort of thing? could it be anything else? she's been wheezing occasionally too, so i'm a little worried. this is the cat i refused to let my then-GF/now-wife give up and instead decided to get an ongoing series of allergy shots, so she's my little buddy and i want to see her as healthy as a cat her age can be.