Zephyrstorm
April 19th, 2007, 03:05 PM
He has an unknown ailment.
We take care of a small cat colony that ranges in number from 2-8 at any time, depending on time of year and who's gotten a home and who hasn't. One of them attached himself to me and my dog when he was about 8 months old and I've taken care of him ever since.
(we'd bring him in except that my oldest cat, Shadowe, doesn't get along with other cats.)
He's completely attached to me and the dog specifically, and doesn't like anyone else very much.
About three weeks ago, he started limping, and I noticed his paw was swollen. So I took him to the vet, who recommended anti-biotics, if we could get them to him. He also gave a cortisone shot.
It seemed to clear up for a day or two, but came back fairly quickly. We found that we couldn't catch him often enough for the anti-biotics to be given to him.
So we caught him again, and took him back to the vet. We had X-rays and other tests done. This time the vet gave us an anti-inflammatory. the vet has no clue what's wrong.
The cat doesn't have any pain response, but cannot put his weight on the paw.
So. This time, we took him in. Set up the dog crate with a litter box and the works. We even gave him some of Shadowe's rejected toys. We cared for him for the past 13 days while giving him his medicine, and the paw healed. He was still favoring just a tiny bit, but the way he was doing it made it seem like more of a ploy for attention than anything.
Yesterday we put him back outdoors (which breaks my heart. :( ) and today... his paw is swollen again and he can't put weight on it. Also a newer stray in the colony (sadly an unfixed male that we haven't managed to trap... thank the Gods that the only female is fixed) is making it even worse by getting into fights with my little boy. :(
Any ideas?
I've been doing research online all morning and have found some possibilities, and one vet who had another cat with similar symptoms and was never able to figure out what was wrong with it - but was able to come up with a treatment that the cat has to be on for the rest of it's life.
Other possibilities include:
Cancer
Lupus
Allergies
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Lyme Disease
Plasma Cell Pododermatitis (unlikely)
or Pitting Edema.
I'm here for your wisdom. HELP! :( I'm really saddened by this. I'm as attached to him as he is to me.
Z
ETA: We found a spot near his central pad on the paw in question. So we brought him back in and he goes to the vet tomorrow. Hopefully this will be the clue we need.
We take care of a small cat colony that ranges in number from 2-8 at any time, depending on time of year and who's gotten a home and who hasn't. One of them attached himself to me and my dog when he was about 8 months old and I've taken care of him ever since.
(we'd bring him in except that my oldest cat, Shadowe, doesn't get along with other cats.)
He's completely attached to me and the dog specifically, and doesn't like anyone else very much.
About three weeks ago, he started limping, and I noticed his paw was swollen. So I took him to the vet, who recommended anti-biotics, if we could get them to him. He also gave a cortisone shot.
It seemed to clear up for a day or two, but came back fairly quickly. We found that we couldn't catch him often enough for the anti-biotics to be given to him.
So we caught him again, and took him back to the vet. We had X-rays and other tests done. This time the vet gave us an anti-inflammatory. the vet has no clue what's wrong.
The cat doesn't have any pain response, but cannot put his weight on the paw.
So. This time, we took him in. Set up the dog crate with a litter box and the works. We even gave him some of Shadowe's rejected toys. We cared for him for the past 13 days while giving him his medicine, and the paw healed. He was still favoring just a tiny bit, but the way he was doing it made it seem like more of a ploy for attention than anything.
Yesterday we put him back outdoors (which breaks my heart. :( ) and today... his paw is swollen again and he can't put weight on it. Also a newer stray in the colony (sadly an unfixed male that we haven't managed to trap... thank the Gods that the only female is fixed) is making it even worse by getting into fights with my little boy. :(
Any ideas?
I've been doing research online all morning and have found some possibilities, and one vet who had another cat with similar symptoms and was never able to figure out what was wrong with it - but was able to come up with a treatment that the cat has to be on for the rest of it's life.
Other possibilities include:
Cancer
Lupus
Allergies
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Lyme Disease
Plasma Cell Pododermatitis (unlikely)
or Pitting Edema.
I'm here for your wisdom. HELP! :( I'm really saddened by this. I'm as attached to him as he is to me.
Z
ETA: We found a spot near his central pad on the paw in question. So we brought him back in and he goes to the vet tomorrow. Hopefully this will be the clue we need.