Cat is being lethargic, and not acting like herself......

[lovemyfurbabies]

First off, I have ALREADY made a vet appointment for Friday to take my 1 1/2 year old cat to the vet for a checkup but in the meantime, I thought I would seek some advice here.

My 1 1/2 year old cat, Sasha, has not quite been acting like herself the past week or so. She is very lethargic, laying around a lot (in odd places, like beside the refridgerator in the kitchen on the floor ) She usually always takes naps frequently throughout the day, but she usually sleeps on her cat tree or on her cat pillow or on the couch...ya know, somewhere soft.
But she's been laying in weird places - like I said, by the refridgerator and stuff. And she's just not being as playful.
Usually when my 5 month old kitten pounces on her and plays with her, she'll pounce back and play with her, but not lately.

And about 2 weeks ago, I saw blood in her stool a little bit. I just saw it once, when I was changing the litter box and have been looking for it again, but haven't seen any.
But since her behavior was fine, I assumed it was just a freak thing and wasn't too concerned.

I really don't know what it could be. She NEVER goes outside, and she's had all her vaccinations. She's not eating anything differently. What could it be?

I put a new flea collar on her about a week ago...could that have anything to do with it?

I just wanted some opinions from some of you that know cats better than I do....But like I said...I know to take her to the vet, I have already made an appointment....

What do you guys think?

[Tambrey]

YES...PLEASE take the flea collar off of her right away....I have heard nothing but bad, sometimes fatal, news on flea collars and cats...I know Traci or davet will have more "medically correct" information on flea collars and cats...

I am sure the collar is the reason she is like this...and I am not sure I would wait until Friday to get her to a vet if she has some sort of toxicity from it...

I hope she gets better soon and is back to her playful self...prayers for Sasha...[/code]

[lovemyfurbabies]

Well, I am estimating that Sasha weighs about 6-7 pounds...maybe even 5...she's a very lean cat....I mean, she eats well, she is just slim.

And my 5 month old, Tigger weighs about 1 pound!! And she has a flea collar on too, but she is acting like her same ole crazy self...it doesn't seem to be having the slightest effect on her.

You think Sasha is just having a different reaction to it? I never knew that a flea collar would cause them to get sick. But Tigger is much smaller than Sasha and they have the same flea collar on, but Tigger is fine...!!

I'll go take it off of her immediately....

[Tambrey]

Just like people, animals can react differently to chemicals...but I am sure that lethargy is one of the effects due to how it affects the nerves...

Hopefully after the collar is removed, she will perk up...but keep an eye on her...
You might want to remove Tigger's collar also...

Do you have a flea problem?

[Traci]

For flea application/toxicity concerns, please see here: Just Say No. If you have a flea problem, please only use Advantage or Frontline from your vet.

As for laying in unusual places, is she seeking warmth from the fridge, or is she seeking coolness from the tile/linoleum floor? Seeking warmth from the fridge could signal her temp may be low and she seeks a warmer place. Seeking a cool tile floor could signal she is overheated, or, is trying to get your attention to some matter (as in laying in an area she knows you will notice her). Some cats, if they have a heart condition or breathing problem, will seek cool tiled surfaces or porcelain areas.

In any event, check her mucous membranes (her gums)....if they are pale or white (or blue), waste NO time in getting her to an ER vet immediately. If they are a healthy pink and moist, then remove the flea collar, make sure she is drinking and eating, and watch her closely in the next 12 hours. If she continues to act lethargic, don't wait til Friday, get her to your vet promptly.

[lovemyfurbabies]

Thanks for the info, ladies.

Tambrey ~ I did remove Tigger's flea collar also, just in case.
I don't really have a flea problem, but when I brought Tigger into our home about 4 1/2 months ago, she had a few fleas on her. And she gave them to Sasha, also. I gave them both a flea bath, but that didn't seem to help. They aren't covered in fleas, but every now and then I will notice a few running across their bellies, but I don't see many of them at all, so I figuered if they wore a flea collar for a few weeks, that would get rid of the remaining fleas.

Traci ~ I felt of Sasha's ears to see if they were warm, indicating she may have a fever, and they felt cool...I mean, average body temp..you know. I do keep it fairly cool in the house, because I live in the south and the outside temperature is still pretty warm here. So maybe she was seeking the warmth from the refridgerator...I don't know. Usually if she wants my attention, she will get in front of me and meow, or something like that....
She seems to be eating good and drinking good as well. But I will watch that over the next few days.

Another thing I forgot to mention in my original post - sometimes she wheezes....like she is trying to expectorate something. I was thinking it might be hairballs, so I got her some hairball treats and gave 2-3 per day to her and that seemed to help. But I haven't been giving them to her lately, and she has started the wheezing/coughing again. And sometimes it gets so bad, she will actually throw up. But all her vomit is is chewed up food...I can't really tell if there's hair in it or what.
I'm definetly going to ask my vet about that also.

I can't get to the vet any sooner than Friday, because I have class tomorrow and Thursday. I don't think she is in an emergency situation, but I will defintely keep a close eye on her until I can get her to the vet.

Any other comments/suggestions???

[Traci]

One thing, anytime a cat starts laying in an unusual place, especially around appliances or things I mentioned above.....you can usually bet it is an unusual circumstance, and one that your kitty is trying to alert you to something. I would guess she needs to see your vet promptly.

The wheezing is concerning. Wheezing in cats is not normal, and it could signal asthma, lung infection, tracheal infection, even heartworm. If she is perhaps overweight, this wouldn't be good either, she could have added pressure to her heart and lungs. Not trying to scare you, but again, wheezing isn't normal and should be checked by your vet immediately. If she vomits after she wheezes, this does not necessarily mean it is related to undigested food...the food vomited could be a coincidence to something more serious.

Again, check her mucous membranes. It would be good if you can get a rectal thermometer (digital) to have on hand...if you have one, take her temp, normal = 101 - 102.5° F. Feeling the ears, nose or skin are not accurate methods to determine core body temperature.

[lovemyfurbabies]

Well, I am estimating that Sasha weighs about 6-7 pounds...maybe even 5...she's a very lean cat....I mean, she eats well, she is just slim.

She isn't overweight at all. And she doesn't vomit everytime after she wheezes, just occasionally.

Oh, and I know that feeling her ears won't give me a accurate exact core body temperature ( ), but it will give me a estimation (since I don't keep a spare rectal thermometer in my pocket.)

[Phoebe's human]

You really should have a thermometer for use with your cats, especially since you have two kitties. They're inexpensive and not so difficult to use, really.

I myself wouldn't ignore blood in the cat's stool.

I agree about cats seeking out unusual surfaces to lie on for no known reason. My 12-year-old cat who died in April was spending most of her time in the bathtub for several weeks before she died.

She had never done that before. Sure enough, she was a very sick kitty.

I don't mean to scare you. Your cat is so young that whatever is going wrong may be quite treatable. Hope you'll find some answers.

[Laurie]

Might want to get her check for diabetes while you are at the vets also helps to check it out sometime they don't think to test for it

Just a thought

Laurie