cat with lump under chin - poorly :-(

[itsnothingoriginal]

My cat has been off her food for a few days now but not showing any visible signs of illness until this afternoon when I found her crashed out on my son's bed. I noticed her shivering and that she has quite a large soft lump under her chin. She's only 16 months old so I assume not a tooth problem but could it be an abscess? We can't see vet until tomorrow eve and am worried - is there anything I can do to help her before she's seen? I know cats are usually really poorly before it's obvious :-(

[RubbishMantra]

Sounds like an abscess, does she go outside? Cats often bite each other around the head/mouth area when scrapping.

Won't your vet see her out of hours? As you say, cats mask discomfort extremely well. If she's shivering, she's most likely feverish, which leads to dehydration. Cats dehydrate quickly. Until you can get her to the vets, make sure she takes enough fluid. You can do this by giving her water from a syringe (without needle obv.) Insert the tip from the side of the mouth, close to the back teeth. Not from the front, otherwise you could squirt the water into her airway.

I personally would be ringing the vets for an out of hours appointment.

[itsnothingoriginal]

Thanks for replying - it was an abscess and she has antibiotics and clearly feeling a lot better!

[LEMmingaround]

It sounds like an abscess with systematic infection. Your cat sounds really poorly. I think you should at least call an emergency vet for advice.

[LEMmingaround]

Cross posts. Glad she is on the mend

[Fluffycloudland77]

That's good. I bet you feel better too don't you?.

[itsnothingoriginal]

Very relieved indeed!! Just need to keep her out of mischief from now on (easier said than done!)