Hey, Lizards: I need emergency vet advice. Cat growling suddenly.

[iconoclastic cat]

My cat, Peeps, was straining in the litter box this morning, so I took her to the vet's office. The vet ran a "full panel" blood test, but Peeps did not a have a full bladder, so she couldn't get a urine sample. She put Peeps on a antibiotic, and I switched her food to Nutra (from IVD).

Everything was fine until about two hours ago, when Peeps began growling loudly when any of the other cats got near her. Now--I kid you not!--they are milling around the cat tree, where Peeps is now perched, growing and staring; theyr eyes are locked.

I have been able to get her to purr, and she lets me hold her, but she just glares and growls when any of the other cats come to stare at her.

What the hell is going on?

[crispini]

1. maybe she smells like the vet's office

and it's freaking them out? :shrug:

[iconoclastic cat]

2. Well, they seem very cautious and wary of Peeps.

But why would she be the one growing at them?

[shesemsmom]

3. I'm no expert but it could be a bladder stone

do you feed her dry food?

[iconoclastic cat]

5. Yes, the IVD rabbit stuff. On it for six weeks.

But we just switced to Nutra because--get this!--our other cat has a bladder stone, which he developed two weeks ago. We switched because the vet said that the IVD has a lower pH, less magnesium, and may have given Mooius (the other cat) a bladder stone.

Now, all of a sudden, two cats with bladder issues? What the hell?

[shesemsmom]

22. For some reason dry food causes them

we found that out when we had a pet racoon

[Not_Giving_Up]

4. She doesn't feel good

She doesn't want the other cats around because she knows she not up to defending herself if conflict occurs.

That's my guess.

[iconoclastic cat]

6. They always barely got along anyway. She just tolerates them.

I don't get it. Gave her the antibiotics, she only ate a little of the new food, and now she doesn't feel well? What could cause that?

[Not_Giving_Up]

13. If she's constipated, she may be hurting

Bear had a hairball that wouldn't come up...he spent a couple of days laying around, not eating much, and growling at the other two cats if they came close. A trip to the vet for an anti-inflammatory shot and daily doses of that hairball goop helped him pass it, then all was well.

[flying_monkeys]

7. OMG! It is Rabies! Get the gun, Pa!

Methinks your kitty feels cruddy and is in a Bad Mood. Take her back in the AM because she may have a UTI afterall....


Would she feel safer confined in a closet/bathroom/room?

[iconoclastic cat]

8. She might. But the vet's closed tomorrow. Emergecy vet only. But she was

just there fourteen hours ago! The gave her some fluids, and then took blood. Shouldn't that make her feel better?

Or is it that I gave her some strong antibiotics on an empty stomach?

[liberalhistorian]

10. That could very well be. Try and see if she'll eat

something. But someone also said that she's growling at the other cats because she doesn't feel good, and that's probably also true. When cats don't feel well, they often don't want other cats around, especially if they feel weak. Even if the other cat's a buddy, they don't want them around if they don't feel well.

[iconoclastic cat]

12. I just put some food, water, Peeps, and the litter in the bathroom.

I'll check in a little bit to see if she ate.

[iconoclastic cat]

9. I can call her to me, and she starts purring and rubbing her face all over

the place, but then she goes back to the cat tree, sits down, and starts growling at the other cats, who appear to be almost stalking her.

[ofrfxsk]

11. Could she be nauseated from the meds?

That might explain her behavior as someome else said. Do you have an extra room she can stay tonight until you talk to your vet? Even a bathroom with her litter, a towel to sleep on and some water might help her calm down.

I don't know what else to suggest but I know how you feel. I love my kitty too.

[iconoclastic cat]

14. Yeah, she gets hairballs all the time. I give her the malt stuff.

Yeah, the bathroom is where she's at right now. I was just in there, and she was up on my lap, purring. This makes no sense.

[flying_monkeys]

16. Try not to worry

For some reason, she likes YOU but doesn't want them (the other cats) around... You don't tackle her, sniff her butt and try to mount her, right?

See how she is in the AM and STOP WORRYING!

[iconoclastic cat]

21. Yeah, that's hard to do.

Oh, the gaul of these cats.

[ofrfxsk]

20. It sounds like she wants to be with you and no one else

Kind of like a child with the flu. They want to be with Mommy and get upset when the siblings are around. Full attention is required. lol

Cats are really hard to diagnose. We recently went through a spell with ours where he wasn't eating or drinking and obviously doing nothing in the litter. He would scream at odd times then pass out. The vet said he had a UTI at first then he started stumbling and fell off the couch 3 days later.

Turned out it was pancreatitis going into fatty liver disease. We caught it in time (thank God) but it cost a lot of money. The only treatment for that is very low fat canned food such as Science Diet RD in small amounts several times a day.
We're slowly getting him back to normal.

The reason I mention this is that too many vets write off every cat illness as UTI when it might be something else.

I really hope your kitty will be okay. She'll be a LOT happier in the bathroom tonight.
My thoughts are with you both! :hug:
:hug: :hug:

[Sannum]

15. It could be a bladder stone or kidney problems.

Both of my cats have this. How old is Peeps?

[iconoclastic cat]

17. She's ten. She's had bladder problems once before, at 2 yrs.

The thing I find strange is that two cats could have a urinary issue within two weeks of each other, and six months after getting that kind of cat food.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

18. I have one cat who when he's sick does the same thing.

He's the least social of my four cats and when he was sick this winter (turned out to be a chipped tooth) he acted like that also.

He didn't want the other cats messing with him, but he welcomed me. I ended up kicking the other cats out of my bedroom and letting him have it to himself. After all, he was the one who didn't feel good.

I bet this is pretty normal behavior for a sick kitty. I do understand your being worried, I was too. :)

I hope Peeps is feeling better soon.

[iconoclastic cat]

19. Thanks! I hope she chills out. A second ago, she let me pet her all over.

She does not appear to be sore or anything. She let me feel all of her, so I don't know about the pain part of it. She may be just freaked out.