Do I need to go to an emergency vet?

July 28, 2023 12:23 PM

There is definitely something going on with my cat but I don't know whether I need to take her to an emergency vet.

-she has been sticking her tongue out a bit, blepping I suppose
-earlier she was drooling a little
-she's not purring when I pet her and is avoiding me a little which is very unlike her
-she did eat her 6:30 am meal and a treat I gave her later, but when I first put the treat on the floor she ignored it, which is also not like her. She's very food-motivated

Generally speaking, she's been healthy. She weighs more than she should but she hasn't had any major problems. She's about 10.

I guess there's probably no way around taking her to the vet but I just wanted to see if this sounds like anything in particular to anyone. Thanks.

posted by less-of-course to Pets & Animals (16 answers total)

Is it super hot where you live? My dog gets pretty "meh" about life when we experience a heatwave (he takes after his mom).
posted by cakelite at 12:28 PM on July 28, 2023

Could be tooth decay? Could explain the drooling and being less keen to eat the treat, especially if that treat was crunchy.
posted by coffeecat at 12:33 PM on July 28, 2023 [6 favorites]

I would call your regular vet and ask them. Mine will recommend if the cat needs an emergency vet, and make a regular appointment if it can wait. In general, cats are masters at hiding pain so even small signs can mean a medical issue.
posted by elsmith at 12:34 PM on July 28, 2023 [15 favorites]

If she's still eating and drinking and using the litterbox, then I would try an online chat with a vet. There are several decent ones to choose from post-2020. They can get details from you and advise you better than your regular people on the internet. To me though this sounds like either she's hot or, more likely, she has something going on with her mouth - maybe a painful tooth or something hung in her cheek or something like that. I would suggest giving her something smelly and soft like just a bit of tuna or what have you and seeing how she reacts to it
posted by Saucy Possum at 12:36 PM on July 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Is she blepping or is she panting? If it's panting, that's a very bad sign with cats and worth bringing her in for as soon as you can, although it's up to your judgement if it's at "emergency vet" level. Combined with behavioral changes, I wouldn't ignore this, based on my experience with my own cats.

Personally, I'd get her in early next week if it's at all possible.
posted by Sometimes you need a little space at 12:37 PM on July 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: In response to various:

Not panting at all.

It's very hot here but not inside my house...

Unfortunately, I don't have a regular vet here yet.
posted by less-of-course at 12:45 PM on July 28, 2023

Any chance she ate something bad?
posted by nouvelle-personne at 1:20 PM on July 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Do you have any lilies in the house or planted in gardens nearby where she could get to them? If you do, go straight to a vet ASAP.
posted by fight or flight at 1:41 PM on July 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

I would call a regular vet that you could use in the future even if you don't have a relationship with one already. They should be able to let you know whether it's an emergency vet situation if they aren't able to get your cat in right away. This definitely seems like a vet situation to me, whether regular or emergency.
posted by Eyelash at 2:52 PM on July 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

I have a dog and a cat. It was actually my dog that was worrying me last week. Normally very food motivated and harassing me all the time, but was not eating all meals and acting very lethargic. It is very hot where I am and although my house is 80 degrees or less most of the time, he was still acting off.

But he was still eating and drinking and using the bathroom. As long as all these systems were working I decided to just keep an eye on it. He's improved a good bit and back to his normal annoying self. Your cat just might not be feeling great for a few days. I know I don't want to eat when its hot or I'm not feeling great, but there's no emergency.

So my thoughts are, if eating and drinking and bathrooming are happening, give it a few more days. If no improvement or gets worse, then yes maybe an ER visist.
posted by Saucywench at 3:16 PM on July 28, 2023

IANAV but maybe toothache? Reluctance to eat dry food and excessive drooling are both symptoms. On preview, what coffeecat said.
posted by caviar2d2 at 3:38 PM on July 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Is she shaking her head, licking her lips, or swallowing often? Then she is nauseous and considering her food motivation probably ate something she shouldn’t. Could be an emergency situation and, in my experience, worth the cost to find out. But could just be something she will regurgitate with time. Do a thorough search for signs of chomping on, well, everything she can access. Also yeah, call a local vet even if they aren’t one you’ve been to before. At the very least they will give you a list of nearby walk in vet practices, ultrasound and other vet imaging places, and emergency rooms.
posted by Mizu at 3:43 PM on July 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

It would be a good idea, if you have any houseplants, to figure out whether they are considered cat-safe. Sometimes cats will nibble on plants and you don't even notice they've done it. Many are innocuous, but others are not.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 4:30 PM on July 28, 2023

Response by poster: Update: went to emergency vet, spent a great deal of money, everything looks normal. Beats the alternative but yipes. They gave her anti-nausea stuff and some fluids and now we're home and she's acting normal if a bit spooked by the whole experience. Maybe she at something. (I have no houseplants so...who knows.) Thanks for all the input.
posted by less-of-course at 5:27 PM on July 28, 2023 [10 favorites]

Well...my foster cat seeks out and eats bugs. If I'm late with his food.
posted by amtho at 7:05 PM on July 28, 2023

I had a cat suddenly show similar behavior and it turned out she had been stung in the lip by a bug that was floating in her water bowl. She always approached the bowl very carefully after that!
posted by Corvid at 5:55 PM on July 31, 2023