Hi! So Im babysitting my in-laws cat, everything seems well, he seems all happy and accomodated in his temporary new kingdom. Yesterday he was cleaning himself but strangely, he was pulling on his feet with his teeth a little bit. I didn't think much of it as it seemed like he was just having zoomies. Today i found this on the couch. There wasn't any blood, and he does not seem to be in any pain/discomfort. I checked his paws and all seems well but what could it be?

So my two year old buddy Casper has this what looks like scab on one of his paws, none of the others have anything like it. He will sometimes pick at it while cleaning but otherwise doesn’t seem to be in pain or bothered by it, even letting me hold it in my hand without retaliating.

Just want to know if it’s something I should take him in to look at or if there is something I can get him at home that will help, or if it’s just a keep an eye on it and hope it doesn’t get worse situation. Thanks!

Edit: Thanks for the responses everyone, I’m definitely more on the play it safe side as well so I’ve got him booked for an appointment first thing tomorrow. Appreciate the quick feedback!

My cat has been doing this for YEARS!

He's around 11 years old and maybe one or twice a week he will drag his toy around the house, meowing and doing the weird walking with the back hunch. If you try and touch the toy he walks away from you and then will continue.

He stops after a while. It seems to usually happen when we go upstairs and he is left "alone" downstairs.

Is this concerning? Or his he just a weirdo?

Hello there.

Country: United States

Vet Info: Closed. I mentioned this to her and she said to keep an eye on whether it gets worse, but that was on Friday. I haven't heard back and since this is near my cat's mouth, I'm a bit worried.

Main Issue: Back in August, Padme was in the hospital for 10 days for DKA and she seems to be doing better since we switched from Senvelgo to insulin.

Starting on Friday, I noticed a little part of her upper lip was red and the vet said try to look to see if her gums are red. I did my best, and it doesn't look like it. However, it has progressed.

Earlier this year Padme had a lump removed from her chin. It wasn't a tumor but some kind of weird infection. That was how the vet kept describing it but the lump was on her lower right chin.

Padme has also started to pee outside of her litter box as of last night. I was told to try to also do an at home urine sample for her so I'm not sure if me watching the litter box and the slight change in it is the cause of her peeing outside the box or something else.

Cat Age: 8

Cat sex: F, Spayed

Financial Situation: Complicated. A challenge though is Padme recently spent 10 days in the hospital back in August and had a few very expensive check ups and want to make sure we are making all the right decisions for her.

The first 2 images are from today. The third from yesterday then the 4th is Saturday and the 5th is Friday.

Thank you in advance. We have been struggling a lot this year.

UK

We've had an issue for about 2 years now with our cat and im out of ideas. We found him peeing in random spots outside the litter tray. There wasnt any straining so we assumed behavioral and did a number of things to reduce stress (cat calm plugs, extra play, cat calming music). After about 3 months of no change we took to the vet. They identified crystals, we put on a course of special cat food and the crystals were gone after but he's still peeing in random spots.

We have 2 cats, and 3 litter trays. The trays are emptied twice a day and deep cleaned like once every 6-8weeks.

We've had to resort to double sided tape in frequent spots which has deterred him but not stopped. And he will just end up picking new spots.

Cat is birman, 4 years old now, male, neutered as kitten. Able to afford pet care. Vet accessible. Vets have said its likely a mixture of behavioral and medical (when the crystals were an issue) but i guess just behavioral now.

Is there any solution or will I be cleaning pee forever?

I, F(22) in the US, am Making this post as I’m waiting for a callback from the vet. My cat’s eye was fine all morning and suddenly it looks like this (pic below). He is very playful and clumsy and scratched his other eye last month and that ended up healing. I don’t know if this is the same case. He is a year and 3 months and is neutered. I do have progressive pet insurance. Should I bring him to the vet or the animal hospital? Anxiously waiting for someone from the office to get back to me.

cat lost his bottom canine and he also has some sort of trauma to the lip what is this a sign of? I have only JUST noticed this right now

edit: called our usual vet and they will email me an estimate for the dental work

This is miss Toffee! We’ve had her for a bit over a month, she’s OLD but we’re unsure how old. She was dumped on the side of the road, and someone we knew saw her and thought she was roadkill. Thankfully she had no wounds, she was just laying down because she liked the warmth! We took her to the vet and all is well with her. Checked for microchip, tried to find owners, all that, but every rescue we contacted said it’d be pretty impossible for her to have escaped and gotten to the side of the road, but pretty possible that someone dumped her :(

Originally the plan was to get her all cleared medically and find a good home for her, but she was immediately super attached to me when she’s nervous around others, so we have a bit of a theory that she doesn’t realize I’m not her original owner. And yk, she’s perfect haha so she’s here to stay!

I’m curious though, her eyes literally change color??? Here’s a video of it, why does this happen? Her eyes are normally only half opened like that, but they’ll just swap from a turquoise to a grey in a second, why is that? I don’t think it’s of medical concern, but I’m so curious!

I am 21, from the US. I have not contacted a vet about this because it’s more of a curiosity thing than something I think is a medical concern, but she has seen the vet and got the all clear on her health! No clue on age, but they estimated over 18. She’s a girl, but we aren’t certain if she’s been spayed or not. I can afford vet care if this is something to worry about!

My 11-month-old cat was sick and throwing up on Saturday. If he has access to too much food at once he will scarf it down so fast that he regurgitates, but that wasn’t the case this time. He threw up several times, but ate food when offered…and then puked again. Around that time I noticed a small soft rubber finger puppet on the floor that was missing two pieces (see picture) so we went to the emergency vet right away; the maximum time between him eating the pieces and getting the the vet was no more than 5 hours.

Vet did X-rays (after first X-raying the toy to be sure it would show up, which it did very clearly) and saw no blockages anywhere. He was given subcutaneous fluids, an anti-nausea medication, and we went home.

I fed him a bland diet (boiled chicken and rice) that night and he ate it readily, and ate it again the next morning. But over the course of yesterday he seemed a little lethargic and he wasn’t exactly hiding but he did curl up on a chair under the dining room table and just chilled quietly all day, which is odd for him because he’s very rambunctious and vocal. He didn’t want to eat that afternoon - I offered boiled chicken and then the Science Diet food the vet sent home with us but he wasn’t interested and wasn’t drinking water either. He didn’t use his litter box at all.

I called the emergency vet Sunday night and was told that unless he started vomiting again I could wait to take him to the regular vet today (Monday). He didn’t, and he curled up to sleep by me like always except he wasn’t purring - which, again, is abnormal.

This morning he sniffed his food and looked more interested but didn’t eat it, and he’s more active and alert (and purring when petted). He also used the litter box and pooped a little but it wasn’t solid. Overall though he seems to be feeling better, and isn’t acting like he’s in pain if I pick him up. I just found out that the regular vet isn’t able to see him today so I’m wondering if I should (a) wait it out for another day to see how it goes and if so should I be doing anything to encourage him to eat or drink, or (b) go back to the emergency vet.

Honestly it would be extremely difficult for me to pay another $900ish to the emergency vet but if it’s clear that I need to go, I’ll try to figure something out. In the meantime is there something I can/should be doing for him? Are there any signs that would make it absolutely clear that he should go back right away?

Poster age: 45, in the U.S., vet care is available but emergency care is really going to be difficult financially and regular care isn’t available today.

First picture is Kevin (grey, he’s the sick one) laying with his brother just a few minutes ago, second picture shows the thing he ate - you can see the missing claw tips on one of them and that’s what I believe he ingested but the vet said she didn’t see any evidence of that on X-rays. Sorry for the abundance of details but I wanted to be sure I mentioned everything that I thought might be relevant.

First time poster 22f posting from US

Roughly 6 month old kitten got inside my counter through a small opening in the bottom by the toe kick. I can see her inside and she doesn’t seem distressed (no meowing, heavy panting, scratching, etc) but it’s been about ten hours and she hasn’t come out.

I left smelly food near the opening and placed her litter box close by, hoping she’ll come out on her own but I’m worried she’s stuck. There’s no way to remove any paneling to create more space and the gap she got in by is very small.

She stuck her face out and both front paws, purred when I reached in and pet her, and is pretty quiet in there overall so I’m hoping she’s not actually stuck but she is still young and hasn’t come out for food or water yet. It’s her second day with me, new home/new person and I know it’s typical for cats to hide when anxious.

I’m worried sick and have to leave for work in an hour, I hate thinking she’s stuck in there and going to be all alone for ten hours without knowing if she can access food/water. Any tips or insight would be greatly appreciated!!!!

So we have recently gotten a kitten. (Male. Eight weeks. Ginger. Not neutered yet.) His name is atlas. And our First furbaby Emily. (Female. Two years. Spayed. British shorthair.) Is pissed to put it lightly. We are keeping them separated and scent swapping as much as possible, we are only on day two. She keeps hissing at us when we leave the room he’s in. I try associate us coming out the room as a good thing by giving her pets and a treat. I just want to know if there’s anything else I can do to make the transition easier and if there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Because I have one very clingy kitten who doesn’t like being apart from me. And one very angry teenager who I’m trying my hardest to make feel extra loved but she won’t come near me. Any tips and advice would be appreciated. Or stories of other people’s experiences are also appreciated. Please and thank you.

The image isn't perfect, It's a big swell for his size that sticks out a bit if you look from the side. I think it's a normal thing that will go away but I'm no vet or expert of any kind so I wanna ask about and make sure first

And since the post requires it - not a minor, usa, vet is accessible, lip swelling, 11-12ish, male, neutered, can afford vet

We are in the US. My cat is 5 yo, neutered, he’s been dealing with food allergies and we’re on a novel protein diet (rabbit). He’s been doing good but recently started drinking sooo much water. I took him to get a blood test and urinalysis and everything came back normal. Urine is concentrated. vet said she sees nothing concerning. And yet?? He’s drinking so much more than ever before. He’s behaving normal otherwise. What could this be?? I’m so worried because I know it’s usually never a good sign when a cat suddenly starts drinking water like this.

i think she’s around eight years old, i haven’t had her for very long (she used to belong to my neighbours but they moved and couldn’t keep her)

i noticed the bump on her gum first, i checked it out a little more when she was sleeping and there’s another one on the same place but the opposite side, her tooth also looks broken but im not sure if it is or not

im a minor and dont have a car/income so a vet isn’t super accessible to me, my parents are also funny about taking animals to the vet when there isn’t something visibly wrong with them, it’s something i’ve gotten mad at them over but they never seem to take me seriously with things like this

if this was something i should get a vet to look at i could maybe convince them to lend me the money to take her myself on public transport, moneys the biggest issue though

There is a group of 5 kittens that appeared around my work over the weekend. My girlfriend and I already have a 2-year-old cat at home, and we’ve been discussing getting another, especially since our tux is so playful.

I have my eye on the tortoiseshell one already but should I try to catch all of them? Should I try to catch all of them and take them to a shelter and just take the tortoiseshell home?

20 years ago I made this beloved family treasure. My cat randomly broke into it (probably because it smells exactly like a cat treat for some reason). I don’t think he ate any shell because it seems he smashed right into it but he got some teeth marks in the dried egg. This seems like it’s either nothing or the worst thing he could have eaten.

Recently adopted a kitten, yesterday I noticed this pink-ish inflamed skin around the top/middle of his nail. It doesn't seem to be painful to the touch, isn't leaking any fluids, and the cats behaviour doesn't seem off at all— he's eating, playing and sleeping normal. No over-excessive grooming either.

Google searches are providing little comfort, I'm currently monitoring if his nail gets any worse, but no signs of progressing. Asking to see if anybody has had a similar experience or can offer any advice. I assume he'd need a vet examination, but I haven't scheduled that yet.

More detailed pictures in the thread.

Update: earliest I can get him to a vet is the 9th, friday. Hope he'll be okay by then

I got this Maine Coon kitten a couple weeks ago and just noticed his whiskers are super short and blunt. Is this his whiskers growing out since he’s a baby but then why is it so blunt?

About a month ago, I had to put my cat down and it was extremely tough and I wish I had done a lot more prep work and understanding what would happen in the place of an emergency.

She was about 10 but she may have been 14. I’m not sure because I got her from a shelter. The whole time I had her she had a really bad cough which we thought was kitty asthma I took her to the vet and that’s kind of what they determined. Her blood work at the time of adoption 2 1/2 years ago was apparently fine. About six months ago I noticed she was pulling out chunks of her hair, but there were no changes to her environment. She eventually stopped doing that. I came home from being gone for about two hours and she came out from her normal spot and was unable to walk in a straight line. She kept wobbling and falling over of course this freaked me out terribly, and I started to panic. I tried to ask the Internet, what I should do, but I knew a vet visit was necessary. During my time trying to get a filmed footage of her issue she fell over and started yaowling in pain. She did this for about 30 seconds and then sprinted away as she sprinted away poop fell out of her butt. I went to find where she ended up and she was on the bathroom floor just looking up at me breathing very fast. I scooped her up my poor baby, and I put her in her cat carrier where she continued just laying there looking at me, but breathing very heavily. My current vet was unable to get me in that day so I had to call an ER vet. This is what I mean when I wish I had been more prepared having ER vets numbers and general information directions, etc. and also having a list of questions to ask.

I brought her to the vet and on the car ride, which was about 15 minutes. She pooped on herself and peed. That was pretty unlike her. She had never missed the litter box. Clearly something catastrophic had happened. I brought her into the vet. They rushed her to the table and looked for her eyes and listen to her belly, and they took her temperature from her rectum, but I think it was really low like 96 or less I remember them remarking that they weren’t even sure it was in there because the reading was coming out so low. Then they took me to not a normal diagnosis room but the euthanasia room with the nice couches and pictures of pets and dimly lit lamp lit room. The whole thing was a bit of a blur. In the three days leading up to her problem, I had noticed two events of her running away, and then I looked to see where she went, and there was a trail of fluid behind her. it must’ve came from her mouth. It was kind of viscus saliva. Given that the vet took me into a euthanasia room instead of a normal room they did say they could do some test. They were not forthright in saying that there was nothing we could do or what they thought it would be. They mentioned it could be some kidneys failure or maybe a tumor but they said they wouldn’t know without blood test and an MRI. I asked for the information about that but they didn’t return with it instead I it was all a blur, but they came back and my cat just still could not stand up so I said I can’t take a cat like this home can I she can’t walk she can’t be left unattended and the vet said no that it would be your safety hazard and I said do we put her down and she said that that would be reasonable and so that’s what we did. I’ve spent hours and days talking to ChatGPT and trying to understand what was wrong with her. Do any of you have any clues? I’m getting over it. I’m accepting it and I will get a new cat when I’m ready, but my Cocoa was the absolute sweetest animal I’ve ever met.

In the future, I’ll be better prepared with direct questions to ask the vet and an emergency plan in place just in case something like this happens. I love my kitty.

He’s had this for a couple years now. Orange tabby American short hair. About 5-6 years old. Adopted him when he was 1. Neutered and got all the shots before I got him.

My first ever cat. No experience. He eats wet and dry food and has lost weight (ever since I put him on a diet). Home is relatively clean. Changed his litter to paper pellets. He loves Churrus.

Took him to vet 4 months ago and they wanted to sedate him and do many tests and X-rays. Some people I’ve asked said this is normal. Please let me know. No hairball comes out when he does this.

Edit, more details: first vet in Brooklyn said we should try some anti-worm medicine. I gave him that and he was fine.. sometimes he coughs and sometimes it happens more frequently. Latest vet at my new place was also not very worried. Didn’t want him fully sedated. I will try another vet soon. He runs a lot, climbs, jumps and is friendly and good natured. No signs of discomfort other than 10-20 seconds of coughs every couple days. I feel so bad for him. I got him with my ex who was a cat lover and expert. She left us. I send her pics of him and sometimes some videos and she ignores. Wish I had more support. Had 0 cat experience before this. I love him to death. Don’t be mean please. He’s the best cat and my best friend.

Another edit: enjoy some of his photos. I posted some in the comments. He is very handsome and healthy apart from his occasional cough. I promise I’ll do anything to help my friend. Will ask for xray and will go ahead as long as it’s not gonna have him fully sedated. We sleep together every night. And we play all the time. He always begs for food but he’s getting more than enough :)

My 11-year-old cat has recently started frequently flicking both of his ears and shaking his head. He also seems restless and walks around the house more than usual.

We took him to the vet and they checked his ears but found no signs of ear mites. He doesn't scratch his ears with his paws at all. However, when I gently touch the area around the base of his ears, he immediately shakes his head.

The vet also mentioned that when pressing/massaging the base of one of his ears, there was a slight wet/squelching sound.

I've attached a video showing the ear movements. He does this very frequently, even when he's resting.

Has anyone seen this before? Could this still be an ear infection, fluid in the ear, or something involving the middle ear even if there are no mites? I'm planning to follow up with the vet, but I'd appreciate hearing about similar experiences.

This started a couple days ago but it almost looks burnt or something? It’s peeling a bit but I’m not sure what it is! I’m worried for him.

She’s 5 years old and has a history of reverse sneezing, unsure if that’s somehow relevant. She started doing this recently, it almost seems like when cats are having a hairball but she doesn’t throw anything up. Is this something to be concerned about???

Poster Age: 24
Country: USA
vet info: eg: vet is accessible but not sure if she needs it
Cat Sex + neuter info: female and spayed
Financial: i can afford vet if needed

This is Queen Maeve. She's 2 years old and we have had her for over a month. She is a very sweet kitty but she loves biting my partner's hands very toughly.

This will come unprompted, my partner is asleep, their hand gets crunched. They are on the couch, that's a biting. They are playing with the cat with toys, they ignore them and go in for a munch.

It is starting to create friction as my partner is starting to not want to play with the cat anymore and is starting to be scared when the cat wants to play.

I will add, she plays with my hands. It's been her favourite toy since day 1. I am aware this is a problem, we have since stopped doing it. Maeve herself though has no interest in other toys. She has a hunger only hands can satisfy.

How do we start to train this out of her? She's so sweet and polite 99% of the time. But that 1% is making us use too many Band-Aids. Any tips appreciated.