Salt seems a bit off

[Naomi]

Salt came to visit today, haven't seen her for a while. She charged upstairs, under the floorboards in the bathroom and has stayed there all day :?

I heared her coughing her little lungs up about 20mins ago but she hasn't surfaced yet :(

[Elaine]

Oh dear, so sorry Nae, I do hope she is ok. Maybe you can encourage her out with something tastey?

[Fran]

Oh dear, she doesn't sound well Nae :( Hope you can entice her out...

[Naomi]

She's poked her head out but then ducked back under the floorboards again. Think I'll leave her there and let her come out in her own time.

[dandysmom]

That's worrying! Hope you can lure her out..........

[Naomi]

She finally surfaced at 3am yowling outside the bedroom door. I opened my door and she ran to the top of the stairs. I went down, she followed me and then started yowling to go out. I've let her out now but not sure when she's gonna be back.

[dinahsmum]

Hi Nae.
Do you remember that Mini caught kennel cough last year? At that time my vet told me something (which, when I think about it is quite correct in my experience) which is that it is very rare for cats to cough - except for hair balls.
So, please keep an eye. Maybe it is something simple like a temporary irritation (maybe she sniffed in something to do with those blimmin' fireworks?), or perhaps she had a nasty furball, but I think it needs watching.
Anyway, hope she's gone back to her new home and all is well.

[Naomi]

Nope she's back. She's had breakfast and gone back under the floorboards.

Salt is booked into the vets at 4:30 Thursday and Tilly's booked in for her health check too :)

[Jac]

Fingers crossed it's something simple.xx

[alexgirl73]

Poor baby, hope it's just something silly.

[Elaine]

Poor Salt, I hope she is ok Nae xxx

[Sweet]

I hope all goes well at the vets x

[Naomi]

Cos she's not coming out from under the floorboards unless i've got food for her, the litter tray has been dug out from under the cupboard (glad i kept it now) and is now in the bathroom along with her food and water dish. When she's eating you can hear her wheezing and coughing.

Hope I can get her out to get her to the vets on Thursday :shock:

[Mags]

When she comes out next time, is there any way you can block off that entrance to underneath the floorboards Nae?

I would also try to keep her indoors until you can get her to the vet as she doesn't sound at all well :(

[Naomi]

I've had a hunt around but can't find anything suitable. She's not venturing out anywhere altho she did manage to come down the stairs earlier when I opened a tin of food but darted back up the stairs when I spoke to her, almost as if she was afraid of being spotted.

[Kazz]

All does not sound well. Hope its nothing though.

I know it sounds silly but you don't think she's got worms do you? dogs when they have a bad case of worms hacking cough and trying to throw up. May be miles off course.
Hope all is well Naomi.

Karen

[Naomi]

Actually Kazz, thinking about it she hasn't been wormed since October/November. I'll see what the vet says on Thursday.

[Kazz]

Can't you get her before Naomi? does not sound good I know we can only go by what you say and not hear her ourselves but it sounds bad reading it. Maybe not as bad as it is, but you know what black and white is like hard to read between the lines.

But she is obviously eating, breathing etc, so maybe not as bad as it sounds but I wonder if its worth popping over to the chap you rehomes her with and asking when he last saw her and what she was doin? maybe she's been locked in somewhere and eaten something with wire or twine attached. Ask the chap when he last saw her and if he'd noticed the coughing its obviously noticable.

Karen

[tilly]

Buster coughs but my vets don't know why yet. They said it could be ashma or something like that he is still undergoing test.
Sally

[Naomi]

He popped over last night Kaz cos he was worreid that he hadn't seen her for about a week. I thought he'd been feeding her but obviously not, someone else has :?

I've been up the shop, my source of gosspi lol and made a few enquiries. Apparently there was an elderly lady complaining that the kids next door to her had scared a black and white cat that she had been feeding and homing for the past week, away. The shop owner didn't have the heart to tell her that it was probably my cat. If it was indeed Salt then she has been fed tuna, salmon, chicken and goodness knows what else.

Unfortunately Thursday was the earliest that they could get her in :(

[dinahsmum]

He popped over last night Kaz cos he was worreid that he hadn't seen her for about a week. I thought he'd been feeding her but obviously not, someone else has :?

I've been up the shop, my source of gosspi lol and made a few enquiries. Apparently there was an elderly lady complaining that the kids next door to her had scared a black and white cat that she had been feeding and homing for the past week, away. The shop owner didn't have the heart to tell her that it was probably my cat. If it was indeed Salt then she has been fed tuna, salmon, chicken and goodness knows what else.

Unfortunately Thursday was the earliest that they could get her in :(

Nae :shock: - you don't think the little b*gg*ers could have tried to drown her do you? That would explain both the terror and the coughing. Don't know what the treatment is if she has water in her lungs - keep her warm and lots of tlc I guess. Might be worth mentioning it to the vet. Hope that's not what it is - that's a horrible thought.

[Naomi]

She's finally surfaced from under the floorboards and has made herself comfy on Thomas' bed.

[Mags]

Maybe she is telling you she wants to come back home Nae .......:) I hope the poor little girl will be alright :(

[Fran]

She's finally surfaced from under the floorboards and has made herself comfy on Thomas' bed.

Aww at least she will be more comfortable now

[alexgirl73]

Poor Salt. big hugs for her!

[Naomi]

She's staying upstairs which I don't mind. Will be glad to get her to the vets and checked out.

[Elaine]

Poor baby, I hope all goes well at the vets. xxx

[Naomi]

Salt is not good :( She's coughing more and seems to be walking odd and shaking her head. When she's trying to cover up her toilet in the litter tray she's scratching the side of the tray or the door frame but not the actual litter. It's all clean litter in there.

The vet appointment can't come quick enough.

[dinahsmum]

:(
Hope it's something really simple that the vet can sort out Nae
Poor Salt.

[Mags]

Poor Salt, I hope it's nothing too serious Nae :(

[Kazz]

Salt is not good :( She's coughing more and seems to be walking odd and shaking her head. When she's trying to cover up her toilet in the litter tray she's scratching the side of the tray or the door frame but not the actual litter. It's all clean litter in there.

The vet appointment can't come quick enough.

Hope all is well.
Karen

[Mags]

How did Salt's visit to the vet go Nae? I hope it wasn't too serious :(

[alexgirl73]

Was just wondering the same thing x

[Naomi]

Okay we have good news and bad news.

The good news, she's a good weight 3.10kg the bad news :(

She has a grade 2.5-3 heart murmer and she has got a swollen lymph gland (i think that's what he said). She's on antibiotics and she's got wormer. If she's no better in 7-10 days then she's got to go for a chest x-ray :(

All in all she cost me £48

[alexgirl73]

Oh poor Salt. I'm not knowledgeable about heart murmers at all Nae but I hope she'll be ok.

[Mags]

Sorry to hear that Nae ...... :(

[Naomi]

The vet says that the coughing is down to her heart murmer and is concerned because a heart mumer shouldnt be affecting her at this age as she's only 2 :(

[Fran]

I'm sorry to hear this Nae :( I hope something can be done for her x

[Elaine]

So sorry Nae, wishing Salt all the very best xxx

[Naomi]

Vet says there's nothing that can be done. A chest x-ray to see how serious things are or we can let her carry on as she is but she's not allowed out as it could be too much of a strain on her.

[alexgirl73]

Will she be staying with you now then Nae or going back to your neighbour?

[Naomi]

I'll have a chat with my neighbour and see if what they want to do, personally I'd rather she stayed with me

[yola]

Oh poor Salt :( Thank goodness you've got it diagnosed and can now deal with the best way to manage her situation. I don't know much about heart murmurs in cats - is it something she can continue to live with happily but with appropriate medication??

[dandysmom]

Sorry to hear this. Don't know anything about heart murmurs in cats, but hope she'll do well, and will stay with you......(((hugs)))

[EmmaG]

Sorry to hear this Nae :(

I think the vet will need to do an ultra sound as an x ray will not be very conclusive. Arthur had one quite a few years ago when he was diagnosed with a very pronounced heart murmur (you can actually see his murmur if it you look when he is laying down)

I was told by the specialist at the clinic Arthur went to that cats either are born with it (a defect of the heart and it tends not to get any worse) or they can suffer from a heart disease that causes the valves/arteries to the heart to thicken and this can be helped with drugs, this I was told tends to happen more to older cats.

HTH

[EmmaG]

some very good articles here Nae

http://www.vetinfo4cats.com/cmurmur.html

[Kazz]

Sorry to hear this Naomi.

[borderdawn]

Poor Salt. my Scooter has a slight heart murmur, it doesnt bother him at all, perhaps Salt feels off because of an infection and the tablets will help.
Dawn.

[tilly]

Sorry to heasr that she is not well hope she gets better soon and the heart mumur can be sorted out.
Sally

[Naomi]

Once she's finished her course of antibotics we've gotta give it another 3 days and if she's still not well then it's back down to the vets and take it form there.

She's absolutely flat out bless her on the top of the stairs. She's got very clingy tonight which she's never been before.

[alexgirl73]

Give her an extra little hug from me x

[dandysmom]

And a cuddle from across the Pond, please?

[Mags]

Bless her ....... cuddles from me too :D

[Naomi]

Thank you guy's, she's had extra cuddles and is now sleeping by my feet infront of the computer tower. She's taken her tablets great today.

[dinahsmum]

Poor little girl.
In a way I suppose it would be best if the coughing/being unwell is just down to the current infection and the murmer is just a fact of life which is there in the background and won't cause her any problems once the infection is gone.
I'm sorry you have received this bad news Nae.

[Naomi]

We're coming to terms with it and I know that with you all being here we can get through it. The kids have been really good with Salt and have left her alone so as not to get her stresed her out. I've never seen Salt to relaxed around people, she normally runs a mile.