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

Should I call the vet

22 replies

Onceuponaheartache · 31/08/2022 20:13

Dcat is always howling for food...like I can feed her and 30 seconds later she is screaming at you like she hasn't been fed in weeks. She is literally Mog the forgetful cat.

This morning she shot down the stairs as normal and appeared to slip/miss a step and seemed to sort of skid to the bottom of the stairs.

Checked her over, all absolutely fine. No obvious signs of damage, no distended tummy etc. Scoffed her breakfast in seconds.

Have come home from work and she is very quiet and sleepy. She hasn't once asked for food. Has turned her nose up at her dinner, had to be encouraged to eat a couple of dreamies which are normally like kitty crack for her. She will literally destroy the packet and eat the lot if it is left out of a cupboard.

Her breathing and heart rate seem ok. She is happy to be picked up and cuddled. Have given every bone/joint a squeeze to check for pain/breaks and nothing. Had a good feel round her belly and mouth. Eyes are reactive to light etc.

I can't explain it other than she is the world's most food centered cat so to be off it has me a bit worried. Although she has recently had a habit of catching her own so she might just be full if she has had a bird today.

Would anyone else be calling the emergency vet/making an appointment tomorrow or just monitor for another 24 hours

OP posts:
piglut · 31/08/2022 20:46

Can't offer any advice but i personally would see how she is in the morning as long as she is responsive. Hard to tell from 'sleepy', but whenever i have called the vets for my pups about anything similar (so i do understand the temptation) - the first thing they always look for is responsiveness. I am lucky enough to have insurance that comes with video vet appointments for free (i think you can get them at a small cost one off if you google and they always have a slot in 15 mins). They have been great for things like this and whenever i have used them they've said to see how things are in 24 hours and invariably its all been fine!

Onceuponaheartache · 31/08/2022 20:56

Thanks @piglut I was leaning towards see how she is. My mum thinks she has probably caught her own dinner and is full.

Normally she is worse than the dog for bouncing around my feet the second I walk in the door and howling and me for food. Tonight she was asleep in the windowsill (her escape place) and never moved when I got it. Have tried to feed her and she has refused it.

When I force her off my lap and onto the floor she is walking about normally she is just quiet and just doesn't seem herself.

Will see how she is tomorrow

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piglut · 31/08/2022 20:59

Really hope shes ok, i know how worrying it can be! X

BoneyEmm · 31/08/2022 21:02

Last time this happened to Dcat, turned out it was a middle ear infection. She'd lost her balance. Also was very sleepy and off her food.

Easily sorted with antibiotics, but not easily diagnosed.

Ihatethenewlook · 31/08/2022 21:03

I’d give it another day and see how she is in the morning

elfycat · 31/08/2022 21:07

One of my cats stopped eating and seemed sad/depressed for over a week. Took her to the vet to be checked over. Obviously she perked up the next day.

I think she had to retreat from a territorial cat fight, and lost a bit of her street cred and mojo.

See how it goes tomorrow.

GingerPigz · 31/08/2022 21:09

Cats are remarkably resilient. I'm not medically trained but, if it were my cat, I'd definitely give it until the morning - like your mum said, there's a good chance she caught her own dinner. Hope she's ok - keep us updated!

Onceuponaheartache · 31/08/2022 21:15

Thanks folks.

She is snuggled up on the sofa beside me and purring happily.

There are no feathers inside (or bits) so if she had got take out god knows where she has hidden it!

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Geminio · 31/08/2022 21:18

I also have a food obsessed cat, came home after work one day to find him curled up looking very sorry for himself. Didn’t get up and ask for food, I tried to stand him up him just flopped back down again. Took him to the out of hours vets terrified something serious was wrong.
Vet examined the cat and say his stomach is very full, he has overeaten 🤦‍♀️
Got home and discovered that he had found the new bag of cat food in the spare room and had torn it open and eaten loads of it.

i would definitely speak to the vet if she’s not better in the morning. Fingers crossed she is ok.

Onceuponaheartache · 31/08/2022 21:39

Immediate panic over ... apparently the water in her water bowl wasn't to her liking...just changed it as I do before bed (and before I leave for work in a morning) every day and she has leapt off the sofa sat and drank for a good 5 minutes and then hunted round for food.

It would appear she was thirsty.

I think she is punishing us for going on holiday. Even though she had the house to herself (dog was with friends) and my neighbour was in several times a day for food/water changes/cuddles. She is such a bloody pampered princess!

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Onceuponaheartache · 01/09/2022 20:50

Just a brief update...

Dcat took a massive nose dive in the early hours. By 730 she was barely conscious and couldn't walk, laboured breathing. Took her to the vet who found her core body temp was critically low. They agreed that whatever happened yesterday had obviously got very bad very fast over night (they think seizure or heart issue) and she had gone into organ failure.

Dcat was pts at 925 am snuggled in my arms.

I have one very broken daughter but I honestly cannot thank the vets enough. They were amazing!!!

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Aberration · 01/09/2022 20:54

So sorry op. It sounds like there wouldn’t of been any use getting her to vets sooner so you still did the right thing. Nice to think she was happily purring with you yesterday

Qwerkie · 01/09/2022 21:00

Oh god how awful for you she sounded like a real character. Unmumsnetty hugs to you

GingerPigz · 01/09/2022 21:01

Oh OP! I am so so sorry to read this. Sending deepest condolences to you all - I just can't quite believe it. Seek solace in the fact that she didn't suffer long and, by all accounts, had a wonderful life with you.

Onceuponaheartache · 01/09/2022 21:15

@Aberration @GingerPigz @Qwerkie thank you all. Hugs much appreciated.

She was still purring cuddled up to me at the vets.

The vet basically said had I called them yesterday they would have advised me to monitor her and if no better or worse today bring her in.

Once her breathing got bad at 430 I rang the emergency vet who said it was over
£300 just to get a vet to the surgery but given my description the outcome was a given so it would be their suggestion to wait for normal hours appointments.

Just cantget over how fast she went down hill. She literally leapt off the sofa at 10pm like a youbg kitten and downed half a bowl of fresh water (apparently this was her last stand to be queenie I think) scoffed her tea and went back to sleep on the sofa.

She threw up at 230 which I figured meant she had eaten too fast or had got a take out and it was disagreeing with her.

But seeing her deteriorate so fast from 430 was awful. I sat with her for 2 hours syringing water into her mouth.

But she is out of pain and in better hands. Just gotta deal with the broken (if somewhat callous) child whonasked if we could get a kitten less than 8 hours later.

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Igmum · 01/09/2022 21:20

So sorry OP. It's heartbreaking 💔. Sending love to you all Flowers

Wolfiefan · 01/09/2022 21:26

Oh OP I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m so sorry for your family. It’s so heartbreaking. Sounds like DD was trying (in a clumsy way) to say she loved your cat and missed her already. It’s hard to have a house without a cat. I remember losing our old girl and wanting to fill the house with more cats as soon as I could. 😔

itstrue · 01/09/2022 21:43

Sadly our cat who was only 9 was pts because of a stomach cancer a couple of weeks ago. My DD is devastated- it's been very difficult to deal with this. Like yours it all happened so fast.

We are on a waiting list for a new kitten. We all deal with grief differently and some of us are desperate to have that sort of love again so don't be so hard on your DD wanting another so quickly. You can't replace what you had but you can start a new journey.

Onceuponaheartache · 02/09/2022 06:16

Oh don't get me wrong I'm not hard on her at all. I fully expected it as she adored having her own pet.

I haven't said no I've just said we need to wait a little while for everyone to adjust to not having dcat efore think about a new one.

Ddog is looking very worried that she is about to leave the house never to return and would definitely ot take kindly to a new cat just yet!

Dd asked if her dad could pop up last night so he came over straight from work and had his tea with her. He then put her to bed so that seemed to have a good positive impact on her. She slept in my bed with me and was a bit tearful when he first left but she settled quickly and has slept through with no issues.

She is away with friends this weekend which will cheer her up too.

Thanks for everyone's kind words!!!

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UserError012345 · 02/09/2022 06:40

I'm sorry for your loss Flowers

I lost my much loved cat earlier in the year in an RTA. xxx

piglut · 02/09/2022 20:22

Oh my, i am so so sorry. I feel awful. I am so sorry for saying to wait, though if thats what the vets would have said then nothing more we could have done. Devastating. I'm really, really sorry for what you have been through xx

Onceuponaheartache · 02/09/2022 21:13

piglut · 02/09/2022 20:22

Oh my, i am so so sorry. I feel awful. I am so sorry for saying to wait, though if thats what the vets would have said then nothing more we could have done. Devastating. I'm really, really sorry for what you have been through xx

Please don't feel bad @piglut . You and the others were there with support when I needed it and I am eternally grateful!!

Other than off her food and clingy she was absolutely fine on Wednesday and was mostly fine til 430 on Thursday morning.

She clearly knew ot was her time to go and she wanted to be as close to dd as possible for as long as possible!

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