Helping sick/dying cat?

Question

we found a starving cat :(

cat is about 6 months old and very thin,weak and having lots of breathing problems.

has started eat and drink. can urinate but now bowel movement yet(not ate enough)

seems to have more energy since eating.

question is if anyone has any ideas about the breathing??

have NO money for vet and our local shelter will just put him to sleep :(

looks like his chest is caving in with every breath.has problems sleeping because if he lays down its harder to breath :(

anything i can do to help his breathing or make him at least more comfortable in his last days if he doesnt make it??

Answer 1

I'm afraid that if you can't afford the vet bills the only thing is to let him get put to sleep as this will end his torture. This is a very upsetting matter and i feel sorry for you as you've got to make the choice. Hopefully he may make it keep trying to feed him and keep his energy up. And thanks for rescuing. good luck with what ever you decide :D

Answer 2

Bobo- Do you hear any rasping when he breaths? are his lungs congested? Can you take his temperature? it shouldn't be any higher than 102.5 (rectally)- it you don't have a thermometer- its cheap at the pharmacy -if you have any, put a dab of corn syrup on his lip so he can l**k it off- pancake syrup will do -then if you can afford to - go get some Pedalyte (less than 5 bucks) at the store - it is in the infant section of the grocery store- just plain- start giving that to him- get a syringe at the pharmacy chances are that they have a 1 ml syringe for free (without the needle of course) and start giving it to him several times an hour - this will replace some of his electrolytes- labored breathing can mean kitty is in pain- try to elevate his upper body on a pillow or blanket so that he is not laying flat- also- check kitty's gums - are they pale? they should be a nice pink color- while you are at the store get WET canned food- its important that you keep him hydrated and wet food will provide some of those fluids-

If you think that he is in great pain- it is important that you call the Humane society and have them pick him up- they will- be sure to mention that he's injured somehow cause he cant' get up- if you have other cats- keep them away from sick kitty- too much of a risk for them

Answer 3

the best thing would be to take him to a shelter and if they cant save him or don't know what to do they will put him down which will be the best for him. it is better for him to be put down then to die in his misery. good luck. poor kitty. :(

Answer 4

i'm sure if you tell the vet your situation they can get the cat healthy again and you could do a payment plan or something

however if they diagnose the cat with a really tough disease then the best thing to do would be to put the cat to sleep...you don't want the cat to suffer  

Answer 5

as long as he is eating, i would feed, feed , feed.

breathing might be from starvation.

feed him meat, beef, poultry or pork. cooked, no seasonings. if he doenst make it, he will die happy and well fed. plus the meat will put weight on, and their digestive system is made for meat, they are predators.

Answer 6

I don't know how well his walking is or how long you have had him but you might want to look into the disease called distemper.

If a stray cat has the disease and gets pregnant she can pass it on to her little ones very easily. This is probably one of the most common illnesses for stray cats to get.

It attacks their entire body all in about one to two weeks depending on the size of the cat. It shuts down their central nervous system causing them to lose control of their body, such as walking, breathing, thinking. And it just keeps shutting down their body until their entire system crashes. If your kitten has distemper and you catch it before she dies, she will most likely have a 50/50 shot at surviving.

And yes, if you go to your vet you can do a payment plan with them if you have been going to them for over a year. Most vets won't take on new patients and do a payment plan. They need to know they're not getting scammed by a fake client. A shelter however might do a payment plan. I'm not sure. It depends on the shelter.

Now as for euthanasia, just imagine if you were in the same situation and your parents were worried about you. You're sick and they don't have much money nor know what to do. They wouldn't just put you down because you are sick; and animals should have just has much rights as a human does when they are sick. Would you want your parents to put you down because they didn't know if you were going to make it?

If he's not going to make please consider not doing euthanasia. Make him as comfortable as possible. Give him a nice bed to sleep in, lots of food and water, and lots of love and attention. Let him know that you really care for him.

An office visit to the vet to see what's going on will be a lot cheaper than doing euthanasia.. just a thought.

By the way - i'm a certified vet tech so i know a little bit about these sort of situations if you have any other questions. Just let me know. Good luck with your kitten and i hope he makes it!

Answer 7

He may have a congenital defect called pectus excavatum and there is no cure. Depending on severity, euthanasia may be the most humane thing to do.