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About Jana Connell RVT, CVT Expertise PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT do birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks! Experience I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love. Organizations Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians. Education/Credentials Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!). |
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You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Pet Birds > Ask the Veterinarian > Baby Kitty Ask the Veterinarian - Baby KittyExpert: Jana Connell RVT, CVT - 10/17/2009 Question Our sweet Baby Kitty just turned 1 year old last month. She is a silver spotted Bengel. Monday we noticed that her face was a little swollen and she had what looked like a scratch on her forehead. We thought she had gotten into a fight with a neighbor cat or something. However, by yesterday her whole face was very swollen and she had a lot of missing hair on her forehead and it was all scabby and sore. (she was not scratching at all)... So we took her to the vet yesterday. They thought perhaps it was mites, so they gave her a shot of anti-biotics and treated her with resolution. Today, she got much worse. Her eyes were swollen completely shut and she was very sick. she did not eat or drink all night and was lathargic. I called the vet and he asked me to bring her back in. After seeing how swollen she was-- he said that he no longer thinks that it is mites. He gave her a shot of cortizone and tested her for lukeimia. her test came out negative... but the cortizone is not helping her at all. she is not interested in eating, drinking, or even sitting up when you come to her. her eyes are still swollen shut. do you have any idea what this could be? i will send a picture of her all healthy... but keep in mind-- she looks like a completely different cat now (bald, bleeding, with chunks of fur coming out on her face, around her eyes, ears, and body..etc). oh and she had a fever of 104 as well. Answer OK has your vet never heard of cat fights? She is probably cooking a nasty abscess on her forehead. That is why the hair is falling off. The hair comes off so that when it finally peaks and bursts, it has a clean place for the cat to lick it. Not to mention that the skin is dying there. The fever is a give away that an infection is growing in there. That or she could have gotten a bug bite to which the cortisone might have helped some but Benedryl works better. Now I am not sure we ever gave it to cats so I would until you can call the vet- but I would bet it's an abscess brewing in there. She will need it drained and flushed and then be given antibiotics for 7- 10 days. This is one of the most common things that cats outside get- but I have seen plenty of vets that have never encountered one. So that doesn't surprise me. Usually a new vet hasn't seen them. You don't see stuff like that in school! She is really beautiful. If you cherish this cat you might want to think about making her an indoor only cat or daytime only outside cat. If you have a weak stomach you might not want to see these but here is a link or two to pictures of abscesses on cats: http://littlecrittersvet.com/Image_catabscessafter.jpg http://www.veterinarymedicalimages.com/cat_images_abscess.jpg http://www.petvetz.co.nz/case_of_the_week.php?gallery=14&id=17 Those just show that cats get these all over their faces. I have seen many a cat come in with a swollen face. I would call your vet tomorrow and tell them that you think she has an abscess and that you want some antibiotics for her pronto. Please let me know how she does. | |
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