On Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:21:54 -0400, "cybercat"
wrote:


"dgk" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:16:10 GMT, (Gandalf) wrote:

On Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:39:34 -0500, dgk wrote:

Nipsy, 7-8yo long hair.

About two months ago he lost is voice for a few days. I checked on
internet and it seems to often be caused by a cold and he did seem a
bit more lethargic than normal so I gave him a few days and his voice
sort of came back. First just a pathetic yip but soon enough he was
whining just like always. He's never been a very happy cat and I used
to bring him to the vet when he sounded particularly unhappy but there
was never anything wrong.

But he also started sneezing a few weeks back. Since this coincides
with Scooter starting to live in the house, upsetting everyone, I
figured he might even be allergic to Scooter. I am a bit allergic to
him. Plus everyone is upset , Nipsy lesa

I was away for a week and the cat sitter reported that Nipsy was
sneezing quite a bit, and last night he was really sneezing a lot so
off we went to the vet this morning. He seems to have lost quite a bit
of weight and his temperature was low.

I can't understand the weight part - he has been 15.2 for quite some
time on my household scale and I weighed him a few weeks ago. I'll
drop him on it tonight but if he lost weight it was pretty sudden.
Since he's a big longhair it's tough to tell.

Anyway, $200 for visit, CBC/Chem, T4, and Amoxicillin. Hopefully we
turn up nothing bad but the vet did say a chest x-ray might be needed.

Well, start up the purring machine. Hopefully nothing serious here.

I hope Nipsey responds to the antibiotic.

It is very worrisome when there isn't a clear diagnosis; all you can do
is watch and hope



Good news! All tests are perfectly normal.

yay!


I'm still out $200 but I'm happy with that given the alternative. Of
course, he stopped sneezing when I put him in the car to go to the vet
and there hasn't been so much as a sniffle since then.

And one of the neighborhood cats (Shay) somehow has a bad foot.
Apparently he couldn't even walk on it one day and when one of my
neighbors tried to touch it he screamed. She gets along well with
Shay; he even comes into her house sometimes to sleep over. Sort of
like I'm doing with Scooter.

Her husband went nuts when she suggested taking Shay to the vet - they
just spent $300 when he managed to get a good gash on the head. They
don't have much money so I do understand.

He was walking, with a limp, on that foot two days ago so maybe it's
getting better. I'll check with her today and see how he's doing.
Maybe I'll have her put him in a carrier and see if I can take him to
my vet for a look.

In the meantime, Scooter still goes out pretty much every morning to
hang with his girl and kid. He's always around the front of the house
when I get home and spends the evening and night with us but I do get
worried that something might happen to him outside. You're surely
correct that it is dangerous for cats outside - and I think of my
neighborhood as being pretty safe for a cat.

In the last few weeks Pretty Girl got run over and killed, Shay got
that head cut and now a foot problem, and no one seems to know what
happened to the other kitten. Very possible she got adopted by a
neighbor though - she was very cute.

As the weather gets nicer it gets tougher to keep Scooter inside and
he loves going out - he stands by the door in the morning and pushes
at it. Do I have the right to make him stay inside? With Marlo, who I
also pulled off the street, it was very different. She never wanted to
go outside, in fact it took weeks before she was willing to go into
the backyard. Scooter is a very different case.