URGENT - Please help my baby

I have a 5-year old cat, he's always been perfectly healthy if a
little disturbed by any changes he might experience psychologically
(he moved a lot before he came to us as his previous owner left the
country and he didn't settle anywhere else and it took a while to
settle here).

Lately he's taken to hiding (his usual behaviour when something
frightens him), which was not surprising since he came in from outside
one day in a state of shock and hasn't tried to go out since (he is
normally an indoor cat but we occassionally let him into the front
yard when we're about during the day).
Unfortunately we found him in one of his hiding places last night
looking listless and lying in his own sick. We gave him a bath and put
him in his favourite raised house next to the bed and looked after
him, making sure he is eating and drinking water.

He has been eating but he is incredibly listless and there seems to be
some kind of liquid (with a crackling sound) just under his skin on
his back. I'm very worried but we can't get to a vet tonight.

Please help if you know anything that might help us.

Yes, get to a vet any way.

Stacey

"Jaq" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a 5-year old cat, he's always been perfectly healthy if a
little disturbed by any changes he might experience psychologically
(he moved a lot before he came to us as his previous owner left the
country and he didn't settle anywhere else and it took a while to
settle here).

Lately he's taken to hiding (his usual behaviour when something
frightens him), which was not surprising since he came in from outside
one day in a state of shock and hasn't tried to go out since (he is
normally an indoor cat but we occassionally let him into the front
yard when we're about during the day).
Unfortunately we found him in one of his hiding places last night
looking listless and lying in his own sick. We gave him a bath and put
him in his favourite raised house next to the bed and looked after
him, making sure he is eating and drinking water.

He has been eating but he is incredibly listless and there seems to be
some kind of liquid (with a crackling sound) just under his skin on
his back. I'm very worried but we can't get to a vet tonight.

Please help if you know anything that might help us.

"Jaq" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a 5-year old cat, he's always been perfectly healthy if a
little disturbed by any changes he might experience psychologically
(he moved a lot before he came to us as his previous owner left the
country and he didn't settle anywhere else and it took a while to
settle here).

Lately he's taken to hiding (his usual behaviour when something
frightens him), which was not surprising since he came in from outside
one day in a state of shock and hasn't tried to go out since (he is
normally an indoor cat but we occassionally let him into the front
yard when we're about during the day).
Unfortunately we found him in one of his hiding places last night
looking listless and lying in his own sick. We gave him a bath and put
him in his favourite raised house next to the bed and looked after
him, making sure he is eating and drinking water.

He has been eating but he is incredibly listless and there seems to be
some kind of liquid (with a crackling sound) just under his skin on
his back. I'm very worried but we can't get to a vet tonight.

Please help if you know anything that might help us.
-----
Please, he needs to be seen ASAP. What you're describing sounds the same as
the other cat who had similar crepitus (crackling sound) under his skin. It
could be an abscess from a wound, or it may be that someone injected him
with something in an effort to poison him. Maybe he was stung by some an
insect. Please, have him seen ASAP.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

"Jaq" wrote

Please help if you know anything that might help us.


At what point might it ocurr to you to take the cat
to a vet?

Jaq wrote:
I have a 5-year old cat, he's always been perfectly healthy if a
little disturbed by any changes he might experience psychologically
(he moved a lot before he came to us as his previous owner left the
country and he didn't settle anywhere else and it took a while to
settle here).

Lately he's taken to hiding (his usual behaviour when something
frightens him), which was not surprising since he came in from outside
one day in a state of shock and hasn't tried to go out since (he is
normally an indoor cat but we occassionally let him into the front
yard when we're about during the day).
Unfortunately we found him in one of his hiding places last night
looking listless and lying in his own sick. We gave him a bath and put
him in his favourite raised house next to the bed and looked after
him, making sure he is eating and drinking water.

He has been eating but he is incredibly listless and there seems to be
some kind of liquid (with a crackling sound) just under his skin on
his back. I'm very worried but we can't get to a vet tonight.

Please help if you know anything that might help us.



What you are feeling could be crepitus (also called subcutaneous
emphysema), as someone else posted. It feels like little bubble wrap
cracking under the skin. What crepitus is is actually air bubbles
under the skin caused by leaking of air from the lungs. i.e. a
collapsed or perforated lung. This is NOT something that should wait
until morning. Could he have been shot with a bb or pellet gun or
something while outside? Somehow gotten injured causing a rib to
puncture his lung? If this is what it is, there is nothing YOU can do
to help him. You need to get him to a vet ASAP.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Shel

In ,
bob and shel wrote:

*Jaq wrote:
*
* Please help if you know anything that might help us.

Without knowing a diagnosis, there's really not much to offer except best
wishes and hope that you can get to a veterinarian soon, because it sounds
like he has a serious problem.

*What you are feeling could be crepitus (also called subcutaneous
*emphysema), as someone else posted. It feels like little bubble wrap

Crepitus may be caused by subcutaneous emphysema, but it is not "also
called" subcutaneous emphysema. Crepitus is a crinkly/crackly/grindy/or
grating feeling or noise which occurs on palpation of skin or joints.

*cracking under the skin. What crepitus is is actually air bubbles
*under the skin caused by leaking of air from the lungs. i.e. a

Yes, that's one cause of subcutaneous emphysema. Another possibility is a
wound from the outside allowing air into the subcutaneous space, and then
healing over - sometimes this happens with a tunnel-shaped wound in my
experience.

Another thing that leaps to mind is an infection with a gas-forming
bacterium, totally unrelated to any kind of trauma allowing air into the
subcutaneous space.

Hopefully the kitty gets some help...

-h.
--
Hillary Israeli, VMD
Lafayette Hill/PA/USA/Earth
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it is
too dark to read." --Groucho Marx

Hillary Israeli wrote:
In ,
bob and shel wrote:

*Jaq wrote:
*
* Please help if you know anything that might help us.

Without knowing a diagnosis, there's really not much to offer except best
wishes and hope that you can get to a veterinarian soon, because it sounds
like he has a serious problem.

*What you are feeling could be crepitus (also called subcutaneous
*emphysema), as someone else posted. It feels like little bubble wrap

Crepitus may be caused by subcutaneous emphysema, but it is not "also
called" subcutaneous emphysema. Crepitus is a crinkly/crackly/grindy/or
grating feeling or noise which occurs on palpation of skin or joints.

*cracking under the skin. What crepitus is is actually air bubbles
*under the skin caused by leaking of air from the lungs. i.e. a

Yes, that's one cause of subcutaneous emphysema. Another possibility is a
wound from the outside allowing air into the subcutaneous space, and then
healing over - sometimes this happens with a tunnel-shaped wound in my
experience.

Another thing that leaps to mind is an infection with a gas-forming
bacterium, totally unrelated to any kind of trauma allowing air into the
subcutaneous space.

Hopefully the kitty gets some help...

-h.

Yes, Hillary, thank you for clarifying this. I definitely worded this
poorly. I am aware that subcutaneous emphysema is not crepitus, rather
one of many possible causes of crepitus. Certainly crepitus can be
caused by a lot of other, and much more benign, things... such as
arthritic changes in joints.

Unfortunately in the scope of my job, the most common cause of crepitus
in the back (or chest/neck/face) area is due to a pneumothorax, or in a
few cases, a ruptured trachea (not such a good thing). At least when
the patient is in obvious distress, like the kitty is. I would assume
you might see a wider variety of causes of crepitus than I would, as I
care for humans. I think most people tend to seek medical attention for
themselves or loved ones a bit sooner than some seek it for their
pets... so generally we hope to see them before the infection (or
whatever) is so advanced that the patient develops crepitus from it.
Though not always. (Let me add that *I* think pets deserve excellent
and timely health care, and mine get it.)

I should have worded the post more appropriately. I did not mean to make
it sound like the cat had a pneumothorax, rather that it was a
possibility. The main thing I wanted to get across to the OP was that
this might be very serious and it might not be something he/she wants to
wait until morning before getting help. I hope the kitty is OK. I'll
be interested to hear a follow up.

Take care,
Shelly