Calling the Cat Experts

[Deleted]

(I know we have a lot of crazy cat ladies here )

Saturday I took both the cats I got for the boys for Christmas last year to the vet for their shots.  First of all, I found out they both have ear mites, which kind of pisses me off because I had taken the one in this Spring sure that he did and they checked twice and said no, that he just produces a lot of wax and gunk and gave me stuff to clean them which I had been doing every couple weeks and he seemed ok, but still fussed about them occasionally.  The other cat I never would have guessed, she had some stuff in there, but never shook her head or scratched. 

Anyhow, I got sidetracked.  The ear mites aren't the issue.    They checked Scout's teeth and his gums are blood red.  She tells me he has gingivitis even though he's only a year old and has no plaque on his teeth that she could see, which she thought was weird.  Great.  Well, we'll figure out what to do to deal with it.  Tumbles goes up to get examined and the same thing!  WTH?  Do I just have super bad luck or is there something else that could be causing two unrelated young cats to have the same affliction?   I don't know if food could have anything to do with it?  They both get dry.  I hate to play around with a new brand because after a few months on this stuff Tumbles quit licking all her fur off and doesn't have horrible gas anymore! 

Vet gave us a sample of some chicken flavored toothpaste which smells disgusting and DS has been working on getting them used to him sticking his fingers in their mouths before we move on to actually brushing...which might be a challenge.  Any other tips for how to treat them? 

[movingforward]

I am not much help here but wanted to wish you good luck.  I think there are some antibiotic treatments that can sometimes help.  I couldn't imagine rubbing my cat's gums everyday - LOL!  If you start them young though they will probably get used to it.  

[travelnut11]

Chicken flavored toothpaste. Now I've heard everything.

Wish I could help MPL. I have a very old cat but she's never had anything like this before. It does seem weird. Are they outdoor cats? It seems like there would be a million things that could cause this on a farm.

[Deleted]

Nov 30, 2016 16:54:23 GMT -5 travelnut11 said:

Chicken flavored toothpaste. Now I've heard everything.

Wish I could help MPL. I have a very old cat but she's never had anything like this before. It does seem weird. Are they outdoor cats? It seems like there would be a million things that could cause this on a farm.

They're indoor cats and are only a year old.  I can see problems like this when they're 15, but not 1!

[Deleted]

She said it was an autoimmune disorder that caused reaction to the plaque and they must both be really sensitive if they're reacting already with no build up.

[Tiny]

Uggh. On the ear mite thing - poor Boy Cat came from the shelter with both ears bothering him. It took me 3 months to figure out something wasn't right because he was so stressed from the shelter - it took him 3 months to loose the "I'm a terrified Cat" look/movements.

FWIW: your vet should be able to do a test on the  swab of their ears and tell you if it's mites or some sort of other thing - Boy Cat got treated for earmites - unsuccessfully for 4 months (and several vet visits and medications) before I got really aggressive with the "are you SURE it's ear mites? - is there a test?? Something?? cause now my cat is beginning to hate me because I'm fussing with his ears EVERYDAY and he's uncomfortable from whatever is wrong with his ears... and then you gave me some sort of flea treatment that made him 'sick' for a few days.  I don't think it's earmites. "  which caused the vet to do some sort of test of an ear swab.  I think she then proclaimed that he had earmites AND something bacterial going on in both ears. She gave me $15.00 worth of ear drops to go in 2times a day for 10 days (and it had to be cold poor cat.) I sequestered the cat - and by day 3 of getting drops in his ears - he started feeling better.  After his followup  on day 11 the vet suggested another 10 days of drops - but the poor cat only tolerated another 4 days - I got mauled on day 14 when I tried to get the drops in his ears and we were done (I called the vet and they said to stop with the drops).  His ears have been fine ever since.

 

Can you maybe get them to CONFIRM the earmites?    My cat suffered for a lot of months (and vet visits) because he was misdiagnosed.    I spent a lot of money on vet visits AND 4 different 'earmite' treatments that didn't work.

[Tiny]

Little Girl cat was probably a year old or so (the shelter said she was a senior cat... probably because I was looking for an older cat to with the Boy Cat OR maybe they assumed her bad teeth meant she was older... ) when she lost one of her front fangs - on my pillow.   poor kitty. This caused me spend 3 days attempting to capture her (she's pretty much an indoor feral cat that you can't touch). And then to make a vet appointment.

She had terrible teeth.   She got a cleaning and had 5 teeth removed.    Boy cat also got his teeth cleaned and had one tooth removed (this a week or two after suffering thru COLD drops being put in his ears every day).

I don't think it matters the age of the cat - or the type of food they eat.   I think some cats just have bad teeth.

It's been years and I still can't catch the Little Girl cat - so while I'm sure she has more bad teeth - she doesn't seem overly uncomfortable - she's got a healthy appetite and eats any kind of kibble she is presented with.  

I need a tranquilizer gun and a net to catch her.   ::sigh::

(I know she wasn't a senior cat when I got her - because she'd be close to 18 years old based on the age they told me - and believe me - she's not 18 - she's probably more like 8 or 9 (the Boy Cat is 11 yo - the shelter had all his records since kittenhood).

[Tennesseer]

Nov 30, 2016 17:36:00 GMT -5 Tiny said:

Little Girl cat was probably a year old or so (the shelter said she was a senior cat... probably because I was looking for an older cat to with the Boy Cat OR maybe they assumed her bad teeth meant she was older... ) when she lost one of her front fangs - on my pillow.   poor kitty. This caused me spend 3 days attempting to capture her (she's pretty much an indoor feral cat that you can't touch). And then to make a vet appointment.

She had terrible teeth.   She got a cleaning and had 5 teeth removed.    Boy cat also got his teeth cleaned and had one tooth removed (this a week or two after suffering thru COLD drops being put in his ears every day).

I don't think it matters the age of the cat - or the type of food they eat.   I think some cats just have bad teeth.

It's been years and I still can't catch the Little Girl cat - so while I'm sure she has more bad teeth - she doesn't seem overly uncomfortable - she's got a healthy appetite and eats any kind of kibble she is presented with.  

I need a tranquilizer gun and a net to catch her.   ::sigh::

(I know she wasn't a senior cat when I got her - because she'd be close to 18 years old based on the age they told me - and believe me - she's not 18 - she's probably more like 8 or 9 (the Boy Cat is 11 yo - the shelter had all his records since kittenhood).

The only cats currently in my home are three sisters born in the bushes outdoors. One was friendly so she was the first to be brought in when she was about six months old. I felt sorry for her other two sisters who would look in the windows at their sister indoors. I don't recall how I did it, but I somehow pushed the other two sisters into the home.

I was able to spay the friendly sister and put her in a cat carrier to the vet for procedure. The other two sisters wanted nothing to do with me (and still don't after 11 years in the house). But I needed to get the two unfriendly sisters to the vet to get them spayed because they were too damn noisy when in heat. I had to set live traps bated with food in the bedroom where they hid underneath the bed most of the time. Both cats were caught within two hours in the live traps.

But to have to set live traps in your own home to get a 'pet' cat to the vets was ridiculous. But it worked.

[Bonny]

Nov 30, 2016 17:45:42 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Nov 30, 2016 17:36:00 GMT -5 Tiny said:

Little Girl cat was probably a year old or so (the shelter said she was a senior cat... probably because I was looking for an older cat to with the Boy Cat OR maybe they assumed her bad teeth meant she was older... ) when she lost one of her front fangs - on my pillow.   poor kitty. This caused me spend 3 days attempting to capture her (she's pretty much an indoor feral cat that you can't touch). And then to make a vet appointment.

She had terrible teeth.   She got a cleaning and had 5 teeth removed.    Boy cat also got his teeth cleaned and had one tooth removed (this a week or two after suffering thru COLD drops being put in his ears every day).

I don't think it matters the age of the cat - or the type of food they eat.   I think some cats just have bad teeth.

It's been years and I still can't catch the Little Girl cat - so while I'm sure she has more bad teeth - she doesn't seem overly uncomfortable - she's got a healthy appetite and eats any kind of kibble she is presented with.  

I need a tranquilizer gun and a net to catch her.   ::sigh::

(I know she wasn't a senior cat when I got her - because she'd be close to 18 years old based on the age they told me - and believe me - she's not 18 - she's probably more like 8 or 9 (the Boy Cat is 11 yo - the shelter had all his records since kittenhood).

The only cats currently in my home are three sisters born in the bushes outdoors. One was friendly so she was the first to be brought in when she was about six months old. I felt sorry for her other two sisters who would look in the windows at their sister indoors. I don't recall how I did it, but I somehow pushed the other two sisters into the home.

I was able to spay the friendly sister and put her in a cat carrier to the vet for procedure. The other two sisters wanted nothing to do with me (and still don't after 11 years in the house). But I needed to get the two unfriendly sisters to the vet to get them spayed because they were too damn noisy when in heat. I had to set live traps bated with food in the bedroom where they hid underneath the bed most of the time. Both cats were caught within two hours in the live traps.

But to have to set live traps in your own home to get a 'pet' cat to the vets was ridiculous. But it worked.

You are a kind and patient person!

[Deleted]

Nov 30, 2016 17:24:22 GMT -5 Tiny said:

Uggh. On the ear mite thing - poor Boy Cat came from the shelter with both ears bothering him. It took me 3 months to figure out something wasn't right because he was so stressed from the shelter - it took him 3 months to loose the "I'm a terrified Cat" look/movements.

FWIW: your vet should be able to do a test on the  swab of their ears and tell you if it's mites or some sort of other thing - Boy Cat got treated for earmites - unsuccessfully for 4 months (and several vet visits and medications) before I got really aggressive with the "are you SURE it's ear mites? - is there a test?? Something?? cause now my cat is beginning to hate me because I'm fussing with his ears EVERYDAY and he's uncomfortable from whatever is wrong with his ears... and then you gave me some sort of flea treatment that made him 'sick' for a few days.  I don't think it's earmites. "  which caused the vet to do some sort of test of an ear swab.  I think she then proclaimed that he had earmites AND something bacterial going on in both ears. She gave me $15.00 worth of ear drops to go in 2times a day for 10 days (and it had to be cold poor cat.) I sequestered the cat - and by day 3 of getting drops in his ears - he started feeling better.  After his followup  on day 11 the vet suggested another 10 days of drops - but the poor cat only tolerated another 4 days - I got mauled on day 14 when I tried to get the drops in his ears and we were done (I called the vet and they said to stop with the drops).  His ears have been fine ever since.

 

Can you maybe get them to CONFIRM the earmites?    My cat suffered for a lot of months (and vet visits) because he was misdiagnosed.    I spent a lot of money on vet visits AND 4 different 'earmite' treatments that didn't work.

We're pretty positive on the mites.  Boy cat had his swabbed by a tech 6 months ago and nothing and the vet was surprised, so took another swab and checked himself.  Again, nothing.  But this vet took the GIRL cat back.  We think the boy was just producing so much waxy greasy crap in response to them that they were hard to find.  Her ears looked relatively clean.  The vet put them both on a two month regimen of Revolution (the stuff you put on their necks for fleas) and he looks much better already and it's only been 5 days. 

[Deleted]

Nov 30, 2016 17:45:42 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

<abbr title="Nov 30, 2016 16:45:42 GMT -6" class="o-timestamp time" data-timestamp="1480545942000">Nov 30, 2016 16:45:42 GMT -6</abbr> Tennesseer said:

I was able to spay the friendly sister and put her in a cat carrier to the vet for procedure. The other two sisters wanted nothing to do with me (and still don't after 11 years in the house).

That is just crazy!  I can't imagine them not getting tame after all that time.   Even feral barn cats often eventually warm up to the one bringing them food everyday.  

[Tennesseer]

Nov 30, 2016 18:05:57 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Nov 30, 2016 17:45:42 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

<abbr title="Nov 30, 2016 16:45:42 GMT -6" class="o-timestamp time" data-timestamp="1480545942000">Nov 30, 2016 16:45:42 GMT -6</abbr> Tennesseer said:

I was able to spay the friendly sister and put her in a cat carrier to the vet for procedure. The other two sisters wanted nothing to do with me (and still don't after 11 years in the house).

That is just crazy!  I can't imagine them not getting tame after all that time.   Even feral barn cats often eventually warm up to the one bringing them food everyday.  

When I brought the three sisters into the home there were three other cats already here:two females and a male (all fixed). The male was about 9 years old at the time. The two unfriendly sisters just LOVED the male. And he tolerated the sisters. But at bed time, he slept right up next to me. And because the sisters loved him, they would sleep next to him on the bed while he was next to me.

The only time I could pet the unfriendly sisters was when the four of us were in/on the bed. They cautiously allowed me to pet them. When the male died last year (he was going on twenty years old), the sisters had no reason anymore to lay on the bed when I was there. The one they loved was gone.

[Tiny]

Nov 30, 2016 18:05:57 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Nov 30, 2016 17:45:42 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

<abbr title="Nov 30, 2016 16:45:42 GMT -6" class="o-timestamp time" data-timestamp="1480545942000">Nov 30, 2016 16:45:42 GMT -6</abbr> Tennesseer said:

I was able to spay the friendly sister and put her in a cat carrier to the vet for procedure. The other two sisters wanted nothing to do with me (and still don't after 11 years in the house).

That is just crazy!  I can't imagine them not getting tame after all that time.   Even feral barn cats often eventually warm up to the one bringing them food everyday.  

LOL!   The Girl Cat will FINALLY walk towards my outstretched hand and rub her chin/head/ears  but that's as close as I can get - If I move she'd dance back out of reach.   I can't even do a quick grab of the scruff of her neck.      

I may have to try out the cat trap idea.   The Girl Cat's surprisingly smart and might be willing to starve to avoid it - I'm sure I'll catch the Boy Cat - he's not the brightest bulb in the lamp.

[Cookies Galore]

Nov 30, 2016 18:20:20 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Nov 30, 2016 18:05:57 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

That is just crazy!  I can't imagine them not getting tame after all that time.   Even feral barn cats often eventually warm up to the one bringing them food everyday.  

When I brought the three sisters into the home there were three other cats already here:two females and a male (all fixed). The male was about 9 years old at the time. The two unfriendly sisters just LOVED the male. And he tolerated the sisters. But at bed time, he slept right up next to me. And because the sisters loved him, they would sleep next to him on the bed while he was next to me.

The only time I could pet the unfriendly sisters was when the four of us were in/on the bed. They cautiously allowed me to pet them. When the male died last year (he was going on twenty years old), the sisters had no reason anymore to lay on the bed when I was there. The one they loved was gone.

Aww! That's so sweet, in a jerky cat kind of way.

[zibazinski]

I had a cat from 2001-2015. She never warmed up. Not really.

[Deleted]

Ok, so what I'm getting here is we don't have many people brushing their cat's teeth. 

I ordered some brushing supplies and Greenies tarter control treats off Amazon last night.  If anyone has any other suggestions let me have them.  My son is panicking.  It didn't help that the exam rooms were full and they took us to the "family room" for the cats exams.  This is the room where they put Leroy down in February after his downhill slide following the tooth extraction, so he was anxious and upset to begin with.  Then when we got the news that both cats have mouth issues, he was practically in tears. 

[TheOtherMe]

I have been owned by many cats over the years.  I've never had any with teeth issues until they were in their teens.  I do get their teeth cleaned as it is better for the cat and my pocket book if you catch things early.

When Lucy had an upper respiratory infection last summer, the vet looked at her teeth and said she has great teeth.  I know that doesn't help you.

[Deleted]

Their teeth are beautiful.  Sparkly white and no plaque.  It's the gums that look like hell.  She said if they're reacting this bad already, that they will surely have problems with bone loss and need extractions later.  I'm just wondering if there is anything I can do (cheaply!) to thwart that. 

[zibazinski]

Dec 1, 2016 11:11:52 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Ok, so what I'm getting here is we don't have many people brushing their cat's teeth. 

I ordered some brushing supplies and Greenies tarter control treats off Amazon last night.  If anyone has any other suggestions let me have them.  My son is panicking.  It didn't help that the exam rooms were full and they took us to the "family room" for the cats exams.  This is the room where they put Leroy down in February after his downhill slide following the tooth extraction, so he was anxious and upset to begin with.  Then when we got the news that both cats have mouth issues, he was practically in tears. 

That's why we're alive to post

[movingforward]

Dec 1, 2016 22:06:58 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Their teeth are beautiful.  Sparkly white and no plaque.  It's the gums that look like hell.  She said if they're reacting this bad already, that they will surely have problems with bone loss and need extractions later.  I'm just wondering if there is anything I can do (cheaply!) to thwart that. 

I picked the cat up yesterday afternoon.  He ended up needing 3 extractions.  The total cost was $800 (and that was with a discount).  Anyway, they gave me something called TrisDent to add to his water each day to help prevent future gum disease and plague.  It was $21.99 for a 16 oz bottle.  You only need to add 1 teaspoon per 4 cups of water so this bottle should last a very long time.  They also gave me some samples of Bio Dent which can be grumbled up onto his food.  I haven't tried either of these yet but will later today.  Hopefully, he will be receptive to them. 

On side note, they gave him a shot of Simbadol for pain at 5PM yesterday and I hate the way it making him act.  He seems completely paranoid and, to my knowledge, hasn't slept since leaving the vet hospital.  He has spent the last 17 hrs roaming around and growling at any and every noise.  The refrigerator cuts on or off, he growls at it (yeah, my cat growls).  When he is settled he is just starring into space.  He won't cuddle up and sit on me, which is his favorite thing to do.  The meds are suppose to last 24 hrs so I am waiting to see what happens when they wear off.  They sent me home with some pain meds for him (different than the injection).  I am hoping they don't make him loopy too.  I don't want him to be in pain but I am not sure what is worse for him, the way the meds are making him feel emotionally, or the pain itself

[zibazinski]

Dec 3, 2016 12:21:50 GMT -5 movingforward said:

Dec 1, 2016 22:06:58 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Their teeth are beautiful.  Sparkly white and no plaque.  It's the gums that look like hell.  She said if they're reacting this bad already, that they will surely have problems with bone loss and need extractions later.  I'm just wondering if there is anything I can do (cheaply!) to thwart that. 

I picked the cat up yesterday afternoon.  He ended up needing 3 extractions.  The total cost was $800 (and that was with a discount).  Anyway, they gave me something called TrisDent to add to his water each day to help prevent future gum disease and plague.  It was $21.99 for a 16 oz bottle.  You only need to add 1 teaspoon per 4 cups of water so this bottle should last a very long time.  They also gave me some samples of Bio Dent which can be grumbled up onto his food.  I haven't tried either of these yet but will later today.  Hopefully, he will be receptive to them. 

On side note, they gave him a shot of Simbadol for pain at 5PM yesterday and I hate the way it making him act.  He seems completely paranoid and, to my knowledge, hasn't slept since leaving the vet hospital.  He has spent the last 17 hrs roaming around and growling at any and every noise.  The refrigerator cuts on or off, he growls at it (yeah, my cat growls).  When he is settled he is just starring into space.  He won't cuddle up and sit on me, which is his favorite thing to do.  The meds are suppose to last 24 hrs so I am waiting to see what happens when they wear off.  They sent me home with some pain meds for him (different than the injection).  I am hoping they don't make him loopy too.  I don't want him to be in pain but I am not sure what is worse for him, the way the meds are making him feel emotionally, or the pain itself

That doesn't sound right.

[gambler]

I am no cat expert but I do have a lot of dogs. procedure is the same

1,the first thing you need is a first aid kit(for you not the cat).

2,pain killer I recommend whiskey again for you not the cat.

3, a vet appointment this is for the cat

4. take the cat to the vet and have them clean the teeth.

5. still drink the whiskey for having done the right thing

[zibazinski]

OH dear

[Deleted]

I'm going to talk to the vet about getting the stuff in the water.  I've been looking online but apparently it's prescription only. 

[TheOtherMe]

Vet prescribed valium for 3 cats when I moved.  Two of them slept the 3 hours to new home.  The other howled all the way.  When I took her out of her carrier, she was out of her mind.  She acted like she didn't have any legs.  I felt bad for her and for my mom who had come to help me move. 

I ended up holding the cat because that made her quit howling.  Mom ended up putting the sheets on two beds and we called it a night. 

By morning, we were all doing much better and mom and I could start putting the house together.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Sounds like stomatitis to me.

[TheOtherMe]

That required Dr. Google!