Poor squeaky!
February 11, 2014 7:59 AM   Subscribe

On Sunday, I used a no-rinse waterless shampoo on my cat Fave. It's supposed to be totally safe for cats and dogs-- but yesterday he started to lose his voice and now he's down to squeaking. His ears and paws aren't hot, so he doesn't seem to have a fever, and he's acting totally normally. The only difference is, his usually-demanding meows are now down to pathetic squeaks.

Has anyone else experienced this? I am hoping he will get over this and be back to his normal self. Is there anything I can do for him?

For reference: This is the shampoo, and although there's a picture of a dog on it, the bottle says it's safe for dogs and cats. (ingredient list)
posted by lockstitch to Pets & Animals (10 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
This seems highly unlikely to be related to the shampoo. I would see a vet.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:04 AM on February 11, 2014


Best answer: If your cat were my cat, I'd suck it up and give her a proper bath with water to get the shampoo residue off her. Then I'd watch her like a hawk to see if she needs medical attention.

Edited to add: fancy shampoo is not required; Dawn dish soap works great but be sure to rinse very thoroughly.
posted by workerant at 8:05 AM on February 11, 2014 [3 favorites]


fave's vet knows the patient best and is in the best position to advise, call him/her right away.
posted by bruce at 8:06 AM on February 11, 2014


Best answer: If you have a question about a specific health condition that your pet is experiencing, best to skip MeFi and head straight to your vet as almost all responses here will be 'go to your vet'.
posted by sid at 8:09 AM on February 11, 2014 [3 favorites]


Best answer: Yeah, I'd at least call my vet in this situation.

We adopted a stray and we used to make fun of her because she'd open her mouth to meow and you'd hear her lips smack but no noise or only a very tiny one would come out and her failure to make much of a sound seemed hilarious and adorable. A couple of years later we discovered she was asthmatic and she is now on a twice-daily regimen of expensive kitty inhalers to keep her from having asthma attacks that leave her breathless and require expensive hospitalization. But the other thing about having her on the inhalers is we discovered she is actually a loud little kitty. I mean, she's kind of tiny, but she has a set of lungs. Nowadays she wanders around the apartment in the middle of the night caterwauling and we hear the meows echoing off the walls. It was like night and day once we got her on the prescriptions.

So given that experience I'd be a little concerned that a formerly noisy kitty's inability to meow might be related to something respiratory and would be inclined to get it checked out sooner not later.
posted by Mothlight at 8:10 AM on February 11, 2014 [3 favorites]


Is the cat drinking and eating normally? Voice issues might mean throat issues.
posted by jessicapierce at 8:11 AM on February 11, 2014


Best answer: I'd talk to the vet, but for what it's worth the fresh-from-the-shower smell of my girlfriend's shampoo/conditioner ALWAYS gives me a sore throat. Maybe this is a similar allergic deal?
posted by Ursula Hitler at 8:16 AM on February 11, 2014 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Thanks all. I'll give him a proper wet bath and call the vet... he's eating/drinking just fine and has no breathing issues but best to be safe.
posted by lockstitch at 8:19 AM on February 11, 2014


I'd definitely wash off the dry shampoo ASAP to start. You can use Johnson's baby shampoo on pets which is great because you don't have to worry about getting it in their eyes (just use a teeensssyy amount because it lathers like crazy). Then I'd call the vet.
posted by radioamy at 9:41 AM on February 11, 2014


Response by poster: update: gave him a bath, which he did not love, and called the vet. he'll be fine, and I'll be keeping a close eye on him for the next few days just in case. the vet said it was possibly just a bit of a sore throat and should clear up.
posted by lockstitch at 11:46 AM on February 11, 2014


« Older Best place to buy paper products online?   |   Seeking women's waterproof winter boots.... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.