My cat is wierd-am I paranoid?

Okay-I am a new cat owner and now I have two! They are sisters-one is much
more active but much more thinner and smaller than the other-she also is
crying a lot, too-she is in heat. She has gotten sick a few times but I know
that it was hairballs-I've watched her eat and she does and she also uses the
litter just fine (with a few exceptions) but she is so much thinner and I am
a bit concerned. My husband thinks it's because they are indoor cats and very
active-BUT it is only one of the two cats that seems to be having the problem.
We are very low on cash and any suggestions or tips would be helpful!! Also,
what are some warning signs to tell if she is really sick or if it's just a
too concerned mommy ! Thanks- Jenny

On Jul 11, 8:21 pm, "jennysped" u35776@uwe wrote:
Okay-I am a new cat owner and now I have two! They are sisters-one is much
more active but much more thinner and smaller than the other-she also is
crying a lot, too-she is in heat. She has gotten sick a few times but I know
that it was hairballs-I've watched her eat and she does and she also uses the
litter just fine (with a few exceptions) but she is so much thinner and I am
a bit concerned. My husband thinks it's because they are indoor cats and very
active-BUT it is only one of the two cats that seems to be having the problem.
We are very low on cash and any suggestions or tips would be helpful!! Also,
what are some warning signs to tell if she is really sick or if it's just a
too concerned mommy ! Thanks- Jenny



You really need to take her to vet. As a new cat owner, you don't have
the personal experience to know whether she is sick or not. You
haven't had her long enough to know what is normal for her. Cats tend
to hide any sign of weakness because it would be very bad to do so in
the wild. That makes you prey to other predators. So, by the time a
cat shows the real symptoms, they are already very sick.

She could have worms which require medication. She could have a virus
or illness.

Overweight and underweight both have health issues, so neither one is
preferred. But a fat cat is usually only caused by too much food (no
underlying illness). While a skinny cat is almost always ill in some
way, and it is usually serious.

I have lost 3 cats over the years. All 3 of them had trouble keeping
weight before they died. A lean cat is good, but an underweight cat
can go downhill fast. They don't have anything to fight off an
illness.

When Kira was a kitten, I knew she was sick. She was still eating and
playing, but she was not as active as she normally was. I took her to
the vet. He couldn't find anything wrong with her except for being
dehydrated a little. But he believed me about her behavior. He figured
she probably had a virus, but prescribed antibiotics anyway to prevent
any secondary infection. And he gave her fluids. She was perkier that
night and back to normal the next day. Later that day, while petting
her, I discovered the real problem. Both of her ears had rings of puss
in them. She had infected bites on her ears, but she was so fluffy
that we hadn't seen them. Fortunately, the antibiotics were exactly
what she needed for infected bites, so I didn't have to take her back.
A couple days later, I saw her annoying my older cat, who bit her on
the ear again.

If I had ignored her minor symptom (not being as rambuctious as
normal), she would have gotten much sicker. Instead, she better the
next day, and my vet bill was also very simple. Exam, fluids, and
antibitics.

My sister, on the other hand, tried to clean out a bite wound herself,
to save the vet fee. She cleaned it and put on medicine. But she
didn't realize it was deeper than she thought. It became an abcess,
and he required surgery on Christmas Eve. Had she taken him in right
away, she would have gotten out of the vet's office for less than
$100, maybe only $50. Just exam, cleaning, and meds. But with surgery
and the holiday, it cost over $400.

If you cat is healthy, and you are unnecessarily worried, you will get
out with just the exam fee, some education, and peace of mind. If you
are wrong, and you postpone the vet now, your cat will suffer, and you
will end up paying more in the long run. Don't let the vet fees affect
your judgment of your cat's health. If you are really short on cash,
sell something (craigslist is great, no fees, and you can sell locally
and fast). Or borrow the money. It is well worth it.

On Thu, 12 Jul 2007 03:21:11 GMT, "jennysped" u35776@uwe wrote:

Okay-I am a new cat owner and now I have two! They are sisters-one is much
more active but much more thinner and smaller than the other-she also is
crying a lot, too-she is in heat. She has gotten sick a few times but I know
that it was hairballs-I've watched her eat and she does and she also uses the
litter just fine (with a few exceptions) but she is so much thinner and I am
a bit concerned. My husband thinks it's because they are indoor cats and very
active-BUT it is only one of the two cats that seems to be having the problem.
We are very low on cash and any suggestions or tips would be helpful!! Also,
what are some warning signs to tell if she is really sick or if it's just a
too concerned mommy ! Thanks- Jenny

You will have to get them spayed - ask the vet to check them over at
that time.

BTW, you don't own the cats: cats don't have owners - they have staff.

--
T.E.D. )
Remove "gearbox.maem." from address - that one is dead

On Jul 11, 11:21 pm, "jennysped" u35776@uwe wrote:
Okay-I am a new cat owner and now I have two! They are sisters-one is much
more active but much more thinner and smaller than the other-she also is
crying a lot, too-she is in heat. She has gotten sick a few times but I know
that it was hairballs-I've watched her eat and she does and she also uses the
litter just fine (with a few exceptions) but she is so much thinner and I am
a bit concerned. My husband thinks it's because they are indoor cats and very
active-BUT it is only one of the two cats that seems to be having the problem.
We are very low on cash and any suggestions or tips would be helpful!! Also,
what are some warning signs to tell if she is really sick or if it's just a
too concerned mommy ! Thanks- Jenny

Just because they're sisters doesn't mean they have to be the same
size. See if you can find friends or neighbor cat people to have a
look. Once I saw a cat that was really thin to me but was normal to
experienced cat people. I thought it was thin because the back looked
a bit caved in.

Does she feel strong and muscular when you pick her up?

Can you make an appointment with a local shelter's clinic? They will
offer low-cost basic care based on your income. They will also spay
your cats for a low cost. Please spay your cats. There are millions of
animals that are put to sleep because there aren't enough homes for
them. In addition, it will help your cat be happier and not have the
constant urge to mate, and also prevent reproductive cancers.

One side note: I know from experience that cats can be very stoic
animals. One of my cats has to be *very very* ill before he shows any
outward symptoms. It's the subtle things that we cat owners have to
pick up on, such as vomiting, losing weight, etc. before things get
too far.