a cold or something else?

JBalways2000 · 03-06-2008, 09:26 PM

Sorry to be starting yet another thread about Raven

the poor boy really is in the wars lately.

i mentioned on my other thread about him that he went to have his stitches out on monday. just before bringing him he had a little coughing fit that i assumed was him trying to bring up a hair ball. when putting him in the carrier i noticed he was a bit wheezy so my fiance mentioned all this to the vet and the vet checked him and said he sounded fine and to just keep an eye on it. well he has been coughing a fair amount since then and my fiance was at the vets again today(one of our ratties is poorly

) and he mentioned Ravens coughing again(same vet he seen monday) and she said that he may just have a cold and to wait a week and see if it clears on its own.

now im not sure if im being paranoid or not so need some advice. if he had a cold or something similar, wouldnt he be showing other signs of illness such as sneezing or runny eyes etc? because hes showing none of that. my worry is that he has something stuck in his throat. they used a bit of bandage to attach his cone and i noticed threads were coming off it and i did cut some off but what if he got hold of the end and chewed some? dont know if that makes sense but im concerned that what we are seeing is him trying to get something out of his throat. theres nothing else other then the string that he could have lodged in his throat, so if it is string would that just resolve itself or need medical attention?

ive tried having a look but his tongue gets in the way lol he has been so quiet today(hes been the toilet so its not that thankfully) and just not himself, but then again if he had a cold like the vet said that would probably cause him to be quiet anyway.

i keep thinking shall i bring him to the vets again tomorrow to be checked but we have to get the train to the vets and its a good 5/10 minute walk to the train station from our house and if its raining again like it has been here, that wouldnt do him any good if it is a cold.

sorry to go on, would be nice to have one day where im not worrying about one of the animals! anyone had cats with just a cough before that turned out to be just that?

angieh · 03-06-2008, 09:59 PM

That's a really difficult one, JB. I appreciate that you have a nasty journey to the vet which wouldn't be good if it's raining and Raven does indeed have a cold.

I wonder if you could phone and tell the vet exactly what you fear as you have done in your post above? I think that your hunch could be a good one, given the bits of bandage and the lack of other cold like symptoms. Try and talk to the same vet your fiance saw - did your fiance say whether the vet had looked down Raven's throat?

If you do have to go to the vet, you could put an old (if you have such a thing) waterproof over the top of the cat carrier and maybe lash out and get a taxi to the station? Good Luck!

Let us know what you decide and how things go.

pinklizzy · 03-06-2008, 10:04 PM

Oh Raven! You naughty thing, giving your mum all this worry! It can be difficult with something like a cough, is he eating and drinking normally? If he's able to eat and drink and isn't retching/vomiting, it's probably unlikely that he has some of the bandage lodged in his throat.
Not sure what to suggest r.e taking him to the vets, only you can make that decision, not helpful I know!

Maybe keep an eye on him tonight, see how he is in the morning, you can always call your vet before bringing him in?
I'm going to stop now, I'm not helping

JBalways2000 · 03-06-2008, 10:12 PM

Thankyou both, i think i probably will risk the vets tomorrow but as you said pinklizzy, just see how he goes tonight. he has been eating and drinking ok and will get his evening feed shortly so hopefully he will eat that ok too.

and yes if its raining i may just have to wrap a bin bag or something around the carrier, im sure he wont be too pleased with that! lol oh he is such a worry at the moment bless him, i just really hope i am being paranoid as usual and that theres nothing wrong but a sore throat!

oh and no the vet didnt get to look down his throat because he was already very unhappy from having his stitches taken out and when she tried he was having none of it. hes a very tempermental cat and if he doesnt want something done he usually gets his own way

i shall keep you updated, again!

kado · 03-06-2008, 10:19 PM

I am sure he is going too be aright. Every time guinness goes too the vets he hyperventilates. He has even done this while waiting in the vets. He realy hates the vets so he panicks and she said he was trying too get a furball up. I know its worrying but if it was me i would take mine to the vets just for a bit of reasurance.

jane

babycakes · 04-06-2008, 06:06 PM

The last time Denis was coughing he had a blade of grass that had lodged itself in his throat. Is he eating ok?? Denis couldn't swallow.

JBalways2000 · 04-06-2008, 06:12 PM

Hi everyone just to update you, i havent brought Raven to the vets yet as he actually hasnt been too bad today. he hasnt coughed half as much as yesterday and hes acting much more his old self so im going to see how he goes and aslong as it doesnt get worse or give any other reason for concern im going to follow the vets advice and give it until monday to see if it clears up on its own.

but yes Raven is eating and drinking fine so hopefully i am just being paranoid and its just a little cold or something. shall let you know if anything changes though, thanks for all your input with this

angieh · 04-06-2008, 08:10 PM

They worry us all no end sometimes!

JBalways2000 · 07-06-2008, 09:45 PM

just thought it fair to let you all know that......Ravens fine

after all my worrying and posting on this thread, since the day after i last posted he hasnt had so much as a tickle in his throat

so yes, im glad that i hung on and didnt rush him upto the vets and put us both under more stress! lol

i can also tell you that he is without a doubt back to his old self-this i suppose should be a good thing if it didnt mean that it made him moodier

no i am honestly pleased to see him refusing as many cuddles-he literally tried to take my eye out last night-i have the scratch on my lid to prove it!

he is eating and drinking fine, though dont think much of the food hes on cus he has put on so much weight after only two weeks on it but it is definately doing the trick for his bladder because there have been absolutely no problems there

infact, hes even started using the tray! its another thing that worried me because for a day we didnt find any pee patches on the carpert to clean but then we saw him in the tray

hes being a terror having his meds now, he hates it now hes all better

but vets orders are to keep him on the muscle relaxant until we get his urine tested so thats another month-not much fun for me!

so yes, very good news that i had to share with you all, im so pleased after all hes gone through this past month or so to see him back to normal, might actually be able to catch up on some missed sleep now once i shake of this damn flu!

Mags · 08-06-2008, 10:24 AM

Glad to hear Raven is back to normal now

hopefully you'll be able to relax more now

Welcome to our Cat Forums!
				Welcome to our CatForums! You are seeing this message because you are viewing our cat forums as a guest. You can continue to browse our many cat related areas as a guest but you are more than welcome to register and join our friendly community of Cat Lovers! ... And for free! Doing so will also remove this message and some of the ads, such as the one on the left. Please click here to register.