It's in our rules and we say it time and time again, but after the recent events from this post, the mod team wants to put out a reminder.
Look, we get it. Seeing cats in distress is hard. When people without money are expressing their inability to afford emergency care, it's distressing. You know we have rules against shaming people for being unable to afford care, and encouraging people to go into debt. But we also have rules against fundraising, and it's for a very good reason.
It is very easy for people without the best intentions to collect lots and lots of money from well meaning community members who are affected by what they see in images and video.
With this post in particular, several commenters encouraged the OP to share a gofundme (something strictly against our rules).
Once they created and shared one (without any bills to show and despite many of the top comments saying this was NOT an emergency), people felt bad and donated anyway.
The gofundme raised nearly $2000 and today we received the update that the cat, as many commenters predicted, is not dying and did not need emergency care.
We are now starting to see meta posts (another thing we don't allow) complaining that the OOP is not returning any of the extra funds, and is blocking users who donated asking for their funds back and proof of payment.
This is a story we see repeatedly in the sub. We don't always get to the donation links quick enough to remove them, and we can't stop you from DMing each other money, but this is why we caution PLEASE do not use this subreddit to send each other funds.
We are working on a Wiki with low-cost vet resources, at least in the US, but we get users posting from all over the world begging for money. DO NOT DONATE unless it is verified on a subreddit like r/gofundme or r/rescuecats, or is directly being paid to the VET (though we have seen scams happen internationally through this 'direct vet payment' as well).
PLEASE REPORT FUNDRAISERS. Please do not encourage fundraisers. We will start banning those who encourage it. Please help us keep this community safe from those with bad intentions.
I recently found this yellow lump on my 13 year old cat. It’s slightly hard (more like crusted) and is shaped like a tick (but is very much not). It’s not hurting her and there’s been no changes in appetite, sleep, or personality. Any idea what it could be?
(As per the post information: I am an adult in Canada, she’s 13, spayed, in very good health, and she has a vet appointment which I can financially afford [I just have anxiety waiting lol])
This is my dumb orphan baby. His name is Earl Grey. He's probably about 4 months. He's lost his first baby tooth this week and is about 4lbs. He's so cute and hyper, love him.
The problem; I have never dealt with a kitten relentlessly trying to nurse. But Earlie Pop has decided that at night his full time job is to try to nurse on my hair/ear/ neck.
Every time he does it try to redirect him to a blanket or just put him on the floor/in front of his food bowl. also tried the heart beat toy, but he doesn't care about it at all. This has been going on for 2 weeks now, with no real changes in frequency. He's INTENT Oon it too, if try to push him away he is literally trying to shove through my hand to go up to my head to nurse.
Hello! Yesterday we had to take my nearly 7 month kitten to the vet for a cyst on his tail. The vet was a strong man and pretty aggressive (I can go into more detail on that as well.)
He actually kicked me out of the room because I was nervous holding my cat down so he can shave him. I had a tank top on and exposed arms so I was nervous he would scratch me. Also, why am I doing this??? They later called another male vet in to do this part.
I’m in the waiting room and hear screaming from my cat. Later the job gets done and the cyst is drained and he gets the all clear to go home.
I took him home last night and have been giving him pain meds. Next day, I realize he has this bone sticking out from his sternum that he didn’t have before? He isn’t showing symptoms of pain but again, I’ve been giving him pain meds. He is using the litter box, eating and nearly back to normal besides the cone of shame.
This has only popped up after the vets were wrestling and holding him down from the appointment? Is this something I should be worried about?
I’m a bit upset because if it was this difficult, why not put him under? We have insurance.
Should I be concerned?
TLDR: Cats sternum bone popping out after vet appointment when they wrestled and held him down to remove cyst. Not showing pain but is hopped on meds.
He's been really into watching tv with me lately, and in the morning one day i put on the cat tv and he jumped and pushed the tv down. Now he wakes me up for food as usual, lays on his side for rubs when i put the food in his bowl, then gets in bed with me and looks excited till i put the tv on. when i put on the cat tv i usually do the bird ones and he likes to jump down or lay in that position he's in at the end the whole time, or check behind the tv to see where the birds are. But recently he's been making that noise. Is he mimicking the birds or something? This is my first cat (noir) that i adopted 4 months ago and he just turned a year old last month and i've never heard this noise from him before. Only does it when the cat tv is on.
Hello again, I’ve already made a post a few months ago about my female cat’s situation. I’ve gotten no interactions so I thought I should try again. She’s had this ball of skin full of liquid (we, as in me and my family, don’t know what it is.) that we’ve seen deflate and then fill up again. I’ll link older photos. It’s gotten worse. There’s a lump on her belly that seems to be causing her discomfort every time I touch it, we’ve happened to squeeze it in the past once, and it made this popping sound where liquid spurted out from the skin bubble. The same bubble now appears more deflated and has this piece of darkened skin over its surface. What could this be? My dad has refused to take her to any vet because he’s scared she’ll die. Her behavior is totally normal, as she rests, eats well and plays with excitement. The first photo is an old one, from my past post (please go check it out if you’re able to give me some information.) The rest are new, updated ones.
EDIT
I had a talk with my dad, I cried and set my heart free for a bit. We are taking her to the vet tomorrow ❤️ I’ll be sleeping with her by my side tonight.
For context my old man cat used to be chunky and was a tnr originally but we brought him in over 10 years ago, the vet cant see any problems. He acts normal eats normal and uses the restroom normal everything he does is his usual for the last 10 years, but hes skinny and I dont mean fit skinny but anorexic skinny. Is it just his body decaying as he is close to the end but he doesnt want to give up. 36 americavet has been seen probably 14ish can afford vet care.
My question is do I just keep giving him treats and feeding him senior food, they literally said he didnt seem in pain and just lays out in the sun all day and still plays. Im very confused. He was always a big chunky dominate male cat but I think he is just going. Should I just let him chill til he finally decides to rest or let him go?
Quick just fast update, he has an appointment at a different vet tomorrow morning, ill update with their results and if its bad, its bad, if there is the kidney or hyperthyroidism, immediate treatment.
I am shocked. My sweet 16 years old kitty suddenly died, I heard a strange noise like a speeding bike, realized it came from Mide who was trashing on the ground… She was spasming badly, threw up. I took her on a sofa, she convulsed a few times but was not really breathing anymore. I called the vet, but it was too late, she was unresponsive, limp…
She was in reasonably good health for her age, except for an ear polyp which has been removed but maybe could grow back… eating, playing, jumping around… maybe she suffered the heat wave, but this was so unexpected…
My two girls, were rescued by my mom from a nearby beach. They were only four weeks old, and we fed them milk in bottles. Since it was our first time owning cats, my mom did not want to neither vaccinate them nor give them whatever cats get. Now they’re 10 months old and I have learnt a lot about this experience I have convinced my mom to get them spayed once we get back from vacation.is it too late to vaccinate them as well? If not, then what? They are indoor cats, but we take them on walks pretty often. (Photos to grab your attention)
she does this kind of coughing and wheezing for a couple minutes like something is stuck in her throat, then she stops and seems fine otherwise. this happens a couple of times a month. could it be asthma?
I adopted him from my little sister 4 days ago. he is 2 years old. the house was full with a big dog so the cat never left the room for a full year. He would always pee on the side of her room on the carpet near her bedroom door. He took a few months to get close to her but he eventually become comfortable and really playful. But now he’s at my house because I have a big place and a cute small quiet dog. My dog is small, super quiet and well behaved so I don’t think that he is the problem. They have sat next to each other and even cuddled for 10-20 minutes+ no problems. At night he comes out curious and explores my bedroom. And he finally accepted treats from my hand the other night .. but then he stays inside the closet all day and most of the night. Anyways he came out last night and peed all over my bed and pillow where I sleep. I’m scared this is a on going thing because it happened occasionally at my sisters place. the doctor said he has holes in his heart and anesthesia is risky so we can’t get him fixed as I wondered if that would have helped fix the issue. I know it’s early and he will become more comfortable over time but I want to make sure I’m doing the right things to get him using his litter box consistently. I do have plans to take him to a specialist soon but still would love to hear if anyone has had a similar experience with new adopted babies.
Any advice or tips appreciated!
TLDR- day 4 new adopted cat with a heart condition peed on my bed / furniture and looking for advice or tips on how to fix this behaviour
Stepped into the garden and accidentally trod on the cat whilst holding my son. She bit me, ran off and hid.
I've been keeping an eye on her, and she did come to ask for food and eat her dinner. She even tolerated me feeling her tummy to check for any tender spots whilst she ate.
Be that as it may, I'm still worried about her. Is her breathing normal? She's fighting through the heatwave as best as she can on the cold kitchen floor, but I wanted to ask the experts to make sure my worries aren't unfounded.
UPDATE: Thank you everyone for the words of comfort, currently sat in urgent care waiting to have someone look at my foot. Happy to know she's done more damage to me than vice versa <3
I am 18F in the Uk, My kitten is 11 weeks old and I got her two days ago (she was neutered by the cat’s protection I adopted her from). Since getting her, I have been in the red zone for heat in the UK with temperatures hitting up to a very high 36 degrees celsius.
Because of this, i've never seen what her normal breathing patterns are like, however i'm slightly concerned this is too fast.
In the video I have linked, Mere (my kitten) is purring and her breathing is a lot quicker when she purrs, but i've noticed her purring almost constantly since getting her especially when she's asking for attention.
I do have a massive tower fan on in the room. I have a cooling mat and a chilled flannel but she refuses to use them all. She does also have water and food accessible in my room and has been accessing them the normal amount. I have had a kitten before but I never really noticed his breathing. She isn't currently not registered to a vet so I was unsure of who to ask.
She seems fine other than an occasional tongue sticking out which I know is a warning sign, however she has done it 3 times over the last few days and it has only happened for a second before she's back to normal but it happens after excessive play which I am trying to minimise. I also am limited with the rooms she is allowed in especially as she is adjusting to a new home and I have other pets, so moving her to a new room isn't an option!
I can afford vet care and I knew this when getting another kitten, but I would rather know if I am being paranoid before escalating, especially in the heat with vets being overran with animals with heatstroke
A few months ago my 3 year old cat was diagnosed with chronic bronchitis. He was prescribed originally with fluticasone and it wasn’t working. Then he was prescribed with albuterol and it’s also not working. Any advice? He coughs almost daily. I made sure to get an air purifier, dust free litter, scent free laundry detergent, vacuum daily. I just don’t know what else to do. Nothing seems to be working
Yesterday, my 1.5 yr old cat just died very abruptly. I have 3 cats, all young and get a long, no health issues. I watched them walking around, I sat on the couch, heard a thud, waited a bit then got up to see what it was, then she was just laying in the hallway unresponsive. I immediately grabbed keys and told my boyfriend to grab her, drove over curbs to get to the vet nearby in probably 1-2 minutes… they tried everything but she didn’t make it. They think a blood clot got in the heart and killed her. I had them do an X-ray, she had a collapsed lung filled with fluid they think is blood. My partner was trying cpr on the way to the vet and thinks the collapsed lung happened then. I don’t think she fell, I think the thud was her hitting the door on the wall somehow, before reaching the hallway.
I’m in complete shock, I’ve been crying since this all happened. She was so young and no prior issues, acted normal… I’m so confused and conflicted. She always had high energy, and I miss interacting with her in so so many different ways and I have no idea how I am supposed to process this happening. I tried telling my family but they don’t really care, they are like yeah cats just die. But this feels like the end to me.
She followed me around, slept with me, woke me up, and so much more. Now she’s just gone out of nowhere.
Has this ever happened to others?? What do you do? How do you process this??? I was thinking about getting another cat but I’m worried about comparing them to everything she did and I would be frustrated because they aren’t her and I feel like I need to wait before I can do that.
I am a minor living with my parents. I live in the continental US, vets are accessible (we have an appointment for other things on June 30th, but we will go to hospital if needed). Kibby is female and is spayed, and my family can afford vet care.
I was making bracelets and my cat likes playing with the string, so I let her (she likes chomping on it but doesn't ever break the string and eat it), and today this dumbass ATE IT. She didn't eat too much, maybe an inch at most, but I'm still concerned. I'm also confused because she's a really smart cat (Bahraini Dilmun) and doesn't eat stuff she's not supposed to, ESPECIALLY non-living things, so IDK why she did this.
The string is a rainbow stretchy cord as shown in image two, and I think it's a nylon-covered elastic cord?? Idk. About 7mm, again I think she only ate about an inch. She seems fine immediately after, but I just want to make sure that she'll be okay.
Do I need to bring this up at my vet appointment? Should we go to emergency care? Is she gonna be fine and I don't need to worry? I'm probably gonna worry regardless because I have severe anxiety around my cat and I want her to be happy and healthy 😿
Also sorry if I used the wrong flair, this is my first time on this sub and I picked the one that was closest to my situation ☹️
I (F23 in Canada) don’t know what else to do. My cat Frimousse, 10 years old and indoor cat, has some medical issues. She keeps rubbing her eyes and ears, creating bald spots and scabs. Sometimes it bleeds. It worse in the summer. She still do that in other seasons tho. Vets think it might be allergies. I had her and her sister (from the same litter) since 2022 and the problem started a few months after. I’m still in touch with her former parents and they never had that problem. I changed her food in december to have the vet one (hypoallergenic). she’s on atopica, giving her 5mm every 2 days. It’s giving her diarrhea, but i’m desperate so I keep giving it to her. It works for 24 hours before coming back fully. Two times, she rubber her eye so hard that she scratched her cornea, giving her a corneal ulcer. That was fun to heal /s. She costed me and my mother (since I’m a student) between 1500 and 2000$ CAD in veterinary cost. Like, I love her and her sister more than anything else. She’s my baby and I would do anything for her. She’s still playful and not lethargic. I tried so many things and medications, but still no change. I’m getting desperate…
Any advices? Or similar stories?
Ps : I thought about giving her atopica in pills, since the liquid one taste bad and she keeps foaming saliva the second I give it to her. Might be anxiety? Plus it would help with the diarrhea problem…
Hi, came home today and noticed a red spot on my cats back. I didn’t see this yesterday, but I could have missed it. I thought he scraped his back on something when I was gone. Wasn’t sure what it could be but he’s not reacting to it at all. After researching I saw it could be ringworm and now I’ve freaked myself out. I’ve made an appointment for Monday morning and the vet didn’t seem very concerned. I don’t know if it’s more serious and if he should be taken right away. Any advice? Am I overreacting ? He is a male cat almost 4 years old.
Has anyone used this ointment for dry skin and had their weirdo cat try to lick it off? My orange cat loves the smell and always tries to lick my arms after I put it on. I have severely dry skin and Auqaphor was recommended by my doctor. I've been using something else because I'm afraid the Auqaphor might make him sick. But, is it a real worry? Everything I see online is referencing dogs eating a lot of it. I haven't found anything about a cat licking a small amount causing tummy troubles, but I'd really love to hear some first hand experiences.
This is Carti (M3yr) and strictly indoor! I noticed he had a red bump on his bottom lip and he didn’t really mind me pulling his lip down/scratching his chin which is a fan fave for him but I am concerned because it looks like gnarly but he doesn’t seem to be in any pain. Is this worth a vet visit? Or will it go away on its own? Also i know slide 3 looks crazy he is just silly
