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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

The litter tray

poorly cat, any advice?

25 replies

Jenda · 19/09/2013 23:45

My boy was sick on tuesday which isn't unusual because he bolts his food.. but he hasn't really eaten since. I've bought him the posh food he adores and he doesn't even want that He's pretty much stayed in the same spot on the sofa for two days and hasn't talked to us - normally he is very chatty when we come home. He doesn't seem to be in pain but just doesn't look right.

we've done nothing different recently apart from use flea spot on. I saw a flea in the lounge the other day and have ordered indorex. Could fleas make him ill? he's not scratching and skin looks fine although he's all black so hard to find dirt.

Any ideas how I can make him feel better? I will take him to the vet tomorrow if no improvement but I can't bear to see him look so sad tonight.

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thecatneuterer · 19/09/2013 23:52

Yes take him to the vet tomorrow. Which flea treatment did you use?

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Jenda · 19/09/2013 23:54

Bob Martin. Not used it before but DP bought it home..Do you think it could be that then?

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thecatneuterer · 19/09/2013 23:58

Shit. Bob Martin has killed quite a lot of cats (that's a whole other thread). However they have changed the formula recently to take out the dangerous ingredient. Do you still have the box? What do the ingredients say? It's possible it was an old batch with the old and dangerous ingredients. However the cats that die from it have convulsions within a couple of hours of it being used, so it's probably not that.

Also it was definitely a cat one and not a dog one?

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Rockinhippy · 20/09/2013 00:04

Fleas can make them pretty miserable if they have an infestation & yes can put them off their food a bit, but even on a black cat you would know if it were bad enough to make him ill - we have a black female & I've had a black Tom in the past so I do speak from experience.

Spot on IME isn't one of the treatments that works well & they all can make them a bit under the weather if he has a sensitive stomach, which sounds like he does if he's sick if he bolts his food - my Tom does the same & he tends to be a sickly boy, but has been fine with vet checks.

That said if its been a few days & you feel he's not right, it's better play safe than sorry & get him seen by a vet - try & keep a check on other things such as toilet habits - is he weeing more, does he have soft stools or diarrhoea?? Is he thirsty & drinking more - this would all be good info for your vet - kidney infections can be quite common in cats, so always worth keeping in mind.

Also,is he an old boy ?? - older cats can be prone to thyroid trouble, though he would likely have least weight & be quite jumpy too.

In short, if he's no better by tomorrow - take him for a check up & whilst you are there I'd recommend asking if they do the Programme Anti Flea Jab IME FAR better than any other flea treatment as it sterilises the fleas that feed on your cat - so eggs & no infestation :) - it lasts a lot longer than your vet will have you believe too ;)

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Kormachameleon · 20/09/2013 00:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Rockinhippy · 20/09/2013 00:07

I misread the " spot on the sofa" my migraine brain took that as the brand name

Good advice as regards Bob Martin - I've also read it can cause problems & best get him checked - good luck

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Jenda · 20/09/2013 00:11

oh no. why the Hell do they sell it then?! we've always used frontline before.

He's not drinking lots and I assume not weeing lots or anything else as he's not been much. I feel terrible

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thecatneuterer · 20/09/2013 00:12

Do you still have the packet? What do the ingredients say?

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Jenda · 20/09/2013 00:13

any idea what the dangerous ingredients are? going through the bins to see if I can find the box.

He is 5.

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thecatneuterer · 20/09/2013 00:16

The new ones that are safe enough contain Fipronil.

The old dangerous ingredient I can't remember exactly but it's something like pymethrim. I'll have to google - so basically beginning with 'F' is good and with 'p' is bad

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Jenda · 20/09/2013 00:21

ok seen that word. doesn't mention either it just says imidiacloprid

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thecatneuterer · 20/09/2013 00:26

That's interesting. They must have changed the formulation yet again. It is definitely the cat one you have - not the dog one?

Imidiacloprid is the main ingredient of Advantage, which is fine. As long as it doesn't contain the 'p' ingredient I don't think your cat is in imminent danger. But do take him to the vet if he's not looking any better tomorrow.

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thecatneuterer · 20/09/2013 00:30

Also, anyone else reading this, beware. Even though Bob Martin have now removed the dangerous ingredient, a lot of the very cheap 'off the shelf' spot ons still use it. And it does indeed kill a small percentage of the cats that come into contact with it.

There has been a lot of lobbying to get it removed, but the large pharmaceutical companies have a lot of big shot lawyers who threaten vets with being struck off and sued if they try to testify.

Always stick to the spot ons that you have to buy from a registered vet or chemist or (in the case of say Pets at Home) a specially trained person. Never buy the 'off the shelf' stuff.

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Jenda · 20/09/2013 00:35

that's good to know. it says for.cats and small dogs. Not sure how old it is as was from small pet shop and could well be old stock.

Just tried to pick him up to bring him to my bed and he squeaked and hissed at me. He did that when he had an abscess from a fight so maybe he is in pain although he let me touch him all over. I noticed his breath was very smelly so possibly a tooth infection?

Will get him to the vets tomorrow... if I can get him into his box which is always a nightmare. Thank you very much for help and advice

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Jenda · 20/09/2013 00:37

By the way the P word is Permethrin

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Secretswitch · 20/09/2013 00:39

Sending good thoughts to your kitty. Hopefully, a trip to the vet will set things to right.

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thecatneuterer · 20/09/2013 00:39

No it won't be old stock if it doesn't contain the ingredient beginning with 'p'. (Sorry, I still haven't googled it). In fact it must be very new as Fipronil was the ingredient that took over from that. But in fact fleas have been shown to be becoming immune to Fipronil recently so maybe they've changed it again in response to that.

Smelly breath can certainly mean a tooth infection or gingivitis. Could be other things too. Yes, vets tomorrow.

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thecatneuterer · 20/09/2013 00:40

Ah, thanks for googling :)

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Jenda · 20/09/2013 09:01

He looks rough this morning so made a vet appointment for 10am. I opened a tin of tuna to.try and tempt him to get some food and moisture and he's made a miraculous recovery and is tucking in! hmmm..Will still take him in though

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cozietoesie · 20/09/2013 09:38

Best idea, Jenda. Let us know how he gets on.

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WinterWinds · 20/09/2013 13:19

Yes you are best to get him checked out just to be on the safe side.

I have been using the Bob Martin with the imidiacloprid for about a year now. I googled the ingredients before buying it and saw that it was the same as Advantage which is what I used to get from the vet and have never had any problems.
That said though I wouldn't use any other Bob Martin products as I have read too many bad reviews with people reporting that their at had become seriously ill or even died after using them.

Good Luck with the vets. Hope everything goes ok !

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WinterWinds · 20/09/2013 13:26

Ps: if I remember correctly the Bob Martin with the imidiacloprid was available before the one with Fipronil came on the market. I bought my last lot of flea treatment about a month ago and both were available at the time.

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Rockinhippy · 20/09/2013 14:34

Good luck, I hope he is okay xx

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Jenda · 20/09/2013 20:54

The vet said he had a temperature but couldn't find any sign of infection or anything else untoward. He gave him some meds and told us to give it to him for two mornings. Said he seemed pretty healthy. He's still not hungry and is quiet but he's moving around and seems a bit more with it! I should bloody hope so for 63 quid

Thanks to all for your advice, I really appreciate it. I've owned cats in the family forever and they've all lived to 18 plus without illness so I do worry when my little one is off colour!

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timtam23 · 20/09/2013 21:01

Glad to hear that Jenda, it sounds as if he is going to be ok

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