So my cat is an indoor/outdoor cat and the other week he came in with wounds on him from an apparent altercation with another animal. Not sure what happened though after licking his wounds for a couple days I figured he needed a vet visit. He ended up getting antibiotics for an infected wound and he has healed up well and was fine as of yesterday.

Tonight he is laying on my daughters bed, I go to move him to get to the covers and he meows like he is in pain. When I pick him up it’s worse and he is quite irritated. This has never happened and he is always very tolerant of everything. He is great with my kids and is not agtresive at all. He did not try and bite me though he looked like he was holding back. He went downstairs and is sort of breathing heavy and mildly swaying back and forth. He just layed down and is sleeping now. Wouldn’t even really look at me or wag his tail like he always does.

I’m planning on taking him to the vet in the AM. We were just told when he got the antibiotics a few weeks back he did not need a rabies vaccine as he was current, but I’m freaking out a little. We have all been licked by him over the last few days and have played with him without any issues, but I wonder if we are at risk now. I don’t think it can be rabies, but I’ve been researching and I’m not sure. In any event if it’s that then we will know for sure over the next week as he would not get better if he had that.

Any ideas?

This is him by the way. He has been a great little buddy and I hope he is okay.

Hope your little buddy gets the right diagnosis and care.

Here's hoping he recovers; wishing both of you the best. We used to let our cats roam outdoors, but no more. Too many bad things can happen to them.

I'm speculating, so take this with a grain of salt until the vet looks him over.

Sore or broken ribs or bones? If his ears are hot and he tends to keep his tail low then he may have an infection that got past the antibiotics. Pulled or bruised tendons and muscles are also possible.

I'm guessing he has a secondary infection. The vet should do a blood panel to see if the original infection is gone. A different antibiotic will probably be given. I know cats can get expensive, I'm in the middle of a feline health crisis myself.

^^^^^^yeah his tail is curved under his pelvis. I just noticed also that he is breathing at a faster rate.

Get him to the doc as soon as you can. He is a good looking fella. Hope he heals up soon.

It kinda sounds suspect for a cat bite abscess. Cats are masters of the abscess, they seem to be healing fine then pop up in a couple days. Especially when they are bitten by another cat, the pointy teeth like to inject bacteria and leave them to fester for a few days (those of you who've suffered a cat bite can attest to this...).

Usual spots to find the abscess are around the tailhead (that is, the base of the tail itself and the soft flesh around the tail area on the cat's legs/back/booty), feet, and neck. If he isn't moving his tail around, I'd look to that area first. If he looks at you like you owe him money and maybe freaks out a little, you've hit the jackpot.

If that's it, the vet will likely sedate him, lance and flush it and give him an NSAID like meloxicam (Metacam) to use for swelling and pain, and he should recover. As an addendum, they will (should) recommend that he be tested for communicable cat diseases like FeLV and FIV. Depending on history, they may recommend doing it now, but may also advise waiting a bit to allow the body to develop some of the antibodies required for one of the tests (FIV). These diseases can be lethal not just to your cat, but to other cats he grooms or fights with, so diagnosis is essential to control disease spread to other cats in the area.

Hopefully he will feel better soon, keep us posted!!

I'm offering up prayers for your kitty and y'all.

And for a restful night.

That's a mighty fine looking cat. I hope the vet can diagnose the issue tomorrow.

My prayers are with you and your feline buddy.

flashguy

I don't know about the injury/illness but hope your kitty feels better soon.

Best wishes on your little guy..

Get well soon kitty.

Thanks for the support everyone. Now I’m not sure what to do as he is not irritable this am and is breathing pretty much normally he is just still lethargic and sleeping all day. Not really engaging with play activity, which is still unusual. I may give it the afternoon and this evening and if he still not 100% tomorrow in the a.m.then I will take him in. I think in the meantime I’ll still call the vet just to inquire.

Honestly, I'd just take the cat in. No one wants their vet (or their doctor) to think they're panicky, but (1) unusual lethargy is something to take note of, (2) cats are natural stoics as a matter of survival and (3) cats don't get injured or sick in exactly the ways we're familiar with as humans. The worst that can happen is that your vet is going to think you're a natural cat daddy, and every guy with a cat has to put up with some of that.

god speed little guy!

Now he is walking around and wants to go play outside. Seems back to normal.

quote:

Originally posted by Il Cattivo:
Honestly, I'd just take the cat in. No one wants their vet (or their doctor) to think they're panicky, but (1) unusual lethargy is something to take note of, (2) cats are natural stoics as a matter of survival and (3) cats don't get injured or sick in exactly the ways we're familiar with as humans. The worst that can happen is that your vet is going to think you're a natural cat daddy, and every guy with a cat has to put up with some of that.

^^^ this- Cat's are extremely good at hiding their illness or injury. I sure hope he's ok and gets better soon.