Ask the Veterinarian!

[Xana44]

Sweetpea The Tigress

Hi Xana, biggrin
Hi EnviousPoppet, biggrin

I got a new kitty from my sister. The kitty is about 4-5 months old, and she has some mutations, and I'm wondering if that means that she will go deaf or have internal mutations that will effect her health.

Her face is a little funny- she's got a small brow ridge, her forehead between the eyes is wider than normal, and her eyes are smaller than normal.

She's also got funny paws with extra toes- the front paws have an extra claw, then a regular-looking extra toe, then an extra pad with no claw. Her forearms are a little thicker than normal. Her hind feet each have a normal-looking extra toe.

Also- she's a white cat with a gray cap, and I've seen a lot of those- but she has like these odd fawn and salt and pepper stripes in her cap which I have never seen before...
Does any of this indicate health problems for her? neutral

A picture would be helpful here.

The toe and foot issue is actually a variation of normal, called polydactylism. It is genetic trait and is common in certain lines of cats. But it does not cause a problem other than having lots of nails to trim.

The white with a spot on the head is also common. The color spot can be any color, and it sounds like your kitty has a dilute tabby spot on her head. This is uncommon but not abnormal. White cats can be deaf, but if they have any color on them at all, it becomes much less likely (no that that is common anyway).

Sounds like you have an interesting kitty, but none of the things you have described so far seem to be anything that would cause her any long term health problems.

If you have any other concerns, a picture will give me more info, or see your local vet. She needs shots and to be spayed anyway.

[EnviouSPoppeT]

Hello Sweetpea The Tigress,
Thank you for posting biggrin .
Regarding the concerns you have about your kitty(the abnormal mutations and such), that might be a result of inner breeding between cats. When one cat has health problems it's very easy to pass that on into the gene pool of the offspring. Also the nutrition of the mother during her pregnancy plays a big role. If she does not have proper nutrition the fetuses will not be able to develop properly sad . Medical history of the parents also helps..

From what you described though it seems like you have a normal poly-dactyl kitten, but like Xana mentioned if there is some problems with her eyes it's best to have her seen by a Veterinarian.

[Sweetpea The Tigress]

Xana44

Sweetpea The Tigress

Hi Xana, biggrin
Hi EnviousPoppet, biggrin

I got a new kitty from my sister. The kitty is about 4-5 months old, and she has some mutations, and I'm wondering if that means that she will go deaf or have internal mutations that will effect her health.

Her face is a little funny- she's got a small brow ridge, her forehead between the eyes is wider than normal, and her eyes are smaller than normal.

She's also got funny paws with extra toes- the front paws have an extra claw, then a regular-looking extra toe, then an extra pad with no claw. Her forearms are a little thicker than normal. Her hind feet each have a normal-looking extra toe.

Also- she's a white cat with a gray cap, and I've seen a lot of those- but she has like these odd fawn and salt and pepper stripes in her cap which I have never seen before...
Does any of this indicate health problems for her? neutral

A picture would be helpful here.

The toe and foot issue is actually a variation of normal, called polydactylism. It is genetic trait and is common in certain lines of cats. But it does not cause a problem other than having lots of nails to trim.

The white with a spot on the head is also common. The color spot can be any color, and it sounds like your kitty has a dilute tabby spot on her head. This is uncommon but not abnormal. White cats can be deaf, but if they have any color on them at all, it becomes much less likely (no that that is common anyway).

Sounds like you have an interesting kitty, but none of the things you have described so far seem to be anything that would cause her any long term health problems.

If you have any other concerns, a picture will give me more info, or see your local vet. She needs shots and to be spayed anyway.

Thank you for the reassurance biggrin - I'll see if I can borrow my mom's camera and get pics. I do need to get her shots and fixed, but I wanted to wait for the fixing until she gets her full cat-beard. There's no way she'll get pregnant- my tomcat is already fixed, and I don't let them outside of the building.

Edit: I didn't see your post there- sorry.

Well, her eyes just look a little small and her forehead is broader that normal, I think. But I don't know anything about her breeding. I will just have to save up and take her to the vet. But I'd still like to send a pic, if you don't mind.

[Xana44]

Just a little thread bump!

[Vicariance]

Do you know much about rats?

[Xana44]

Girliciousy

Do you know much about rats?

A little, not a lot. Envious Poppet knows quite a bit about rats though.

I have had a few rat patients, and they were pretty cool. Most rat owners are very attatched to their pets. I think they are underrated as pets and more people should consider them.

[EnviouSPoppeT]

Girliciousy

Do you know much about rats?

Is there something wrong with your pet rat?
Or are you thinking about getting one?

[Sweetpea The Tigress]

I was thinking- Bumping really isn't allowed in the ED, and will get you dumped into the Chatterbox- so when you need to bump, just post a few lines of info that people need to know. Like there's all sorts of things y'all know that you might think is small but is a big deal to us.

For instance- what shots do cats need? What shots do dogs need?

I've got to save up to get my kitty shots, and I need to know how many, how often, and how much they cost so I can plan.

Also, my sis didn't get her dog any shots and the dog caught Parvo. What the heck is Parvo? The dog nearly died!

[Xana44]

Sweetpea The Tigress

I was thinking- Bumping really isn't allowed in the ED, and will get you dumped into the Chatterbox- so when you need to bump, just post a few lines of info that people need to know. Like there's all sorts of things y'all know that you might think is small but is a big deal to us.

For instance- what shots do cats need? What shots do dogs need?

I've got to save up to get my kitty shots, and I need to know how many, how often, and how much they cost so I can plan.

Also, my sis didn't get her dog any shots and the dog caught Parvo. What the heck is Parvo? The dog nearly died!

I did not know that bumping was not allowed. I was just meant to keep the thread from getting lost. Sorry! redface

Cats vaccines: FVRCP (upper respiratory disease combo) and Rabies. If the cat goes outdoors, I would also recommend FeLV (feline leukemia) vaccination. In general vaccination for FIP and FIV are NOT recommended.

Dog vaccines: Distemper/Parvo combination vaccine, Rabies vaccine, and Leptospirosis. Based on lifestyle and region of the country, Bordetella and Lymes disease vaccination. Also with dogs, always remember heartworm prevention and testing.

Cost of vaccines and routine procedures is very variable based on location. You would need to call local vets.

Parvovirus causes a severe enteritis. Vomiting and bloody diarrhea are the hallmarks of the disease. Basically the virus kills the cells lining the small intestine. Most animals die of dehydration and/or secondary infection. If treated with fluids and antibiotics often the affected patients survive. Parvo is spread by fecal contamination. The contamination can be spread by flies from one area to another. Parvo is easily prevented by vaccination.

[Sweetpea The Tigress]

Xana44

Sweetpea The Tigress

I was thinking- Bumping really isn't allowed in the ED, and will get you dumped into the Chatterbox- so when you need to bump, just post a few lines of info that people need to know. Like there's all sorts of things y'all know that you might think is small but is a big deal to us.

For instance- what shots do cats need? What shots do dogs need?

I've got to save up to get my kitty shots, and I need to know how many, how often, and how much they cost so I can plan.

Also, my sis didn't get her dog any shots and the dog caught Parvo. What the heck is Parvo? The dog nearly died!

I did not know that bumping was not allowed. I was just meant to keep the thread from getting lost. Sorry! redface

Cats vaccines: FVRCP (upper respiratory disease combo) and Rabies. If the cat goes outdoors, I would also recommend FeLV (feline leukemia) vaccination. In general vaccination for FIP and FIV are NOT recommended.

Dog vaccines: Distemper/Parvo combination vaccine, Rabies vaccine, and Leptospirosis. Based on lifestyle and region of the country, Bordetella and Lymes disease vaccination. Also with dogs, always remember heartworm prevention and testing.

Cost of vaccines and routine procedures is very variable based on location. You would need to call local vets.

Parvovirus causes a severe enteritis. Vomiting and bloody diarrhea are the hallmarks of the disease. Basically the virus kills the cells lining the small intestine. Most animals die of dehydration and/or secondary infection. If treated with fluids and antibiotics often the affected patients survive. Parvo is spread by fecal contamination. The contamination can be spread by flies from one area to another. Parvo is easily prevented by vaccination.

Thanks a lot, Xana. 3nodding

[Sweetpea The Tigress]

I hope I'm not being annoying... I have another question- When i look at my cat food can, it says 6.5% ash. What is ash? And I feeding my kitties burnt stuff or something?

If it doesn't annoy you, I can come up with a question probably every day. Better than bumping. I want to be a doctor or a vet. Also, don't apologize to me about the bump, I don't mind, was just giving you a heads up. 3nodding

EDIT: Not every day- I just realize3d I'm not on every day. redface

[Xana44]

Sweetpea The Tigress

I hope I'm not being annoying... I have another question- When i look at my cat food can, it says 6.5% ash. What is ash? And I feeding my kitties burnt stuff or something?

If it doesn't annoy you, I can come up with a question probably every day. Better than bumping. I want to be a doctor or a vet. Also, don't apologize to me about the bump, I don't mind, was just giving you a heads up. 3nodding

EDIT: Not every day- I just realize3d I'm not on every day. redface

Ash is the percentage of minerals, particularly magnesium in the food. It is what is left over if they were to burn the food. There is no actual ash in the food. Ash (magnesium) was believed to play a large role in the development of urinary tract disease in cats at one time. Magnesium levels are important, but other things like stress and water intake probably play a larger role.

[Lithium Rain]

Hi Xana, hi Poppet! Thank you both for volunteering your time ~

Not an urgent question, but something I'm curious about. My family found a cat wandering the streets crying two or three years ago. We set up flyers and nobody claimed him, so we took him in ourselves.

He's very affectionate - a big fat orange male - that we think is about four. About a year ago, he was in a serious accident - some idiot was speeding, hit him and ran off. Fortunately, my brother was outside playing, and we were able to rush him to the vet. It didn't look good at all - his entire head was swollen, he couldn't eat, third eyelid up for days, etc. Amazingly, he pulled through. For a while he had no sense of balance, only walked in circles, didn't recognize us... now, a year later, he's almost entirely back to his old self.

In the last few weeks, he's become very clingy and close. He likes to climb up on me and go to sleep, he likes constant attention. Any idea what's going on? It's not like it's a bad thing, but I'm curious. I don't think the accident is relevant - it happened a long time ago - but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway. He's neutered.

Thanks again!

[Xana44]

Lithium Rain

Hi Xana, hi Poppet! Thank you both for volunteering your time ~

Not an urgent question, but something I'm curious about. My family found a cat wandering the streets crying two or three years ago. We set up flyers and nobody claimed him, so we took him in ourselves.

He's very affectionate - a big fat orange male - that we think is about four. About a year ago, he was in a serious accident - some idiot was speeding, hit him and ran off. Fortunately, my brother was outside playing, and we were able to rush him to the vet. It didn't look good at all - his entire head was swollen, he couldn't eat, third eyelid up for days, etc. Amazingly, he pulled through. For a while he had no sense of balance, only walked in circles, didn't recognize us... now, a year later, he's almost entirely back to his old self.

In the last few weeks, he's become very clingy and close. He likes to climb up on me and go to sleep, he likes constant attention. Any idea what's going on? It's not like it's a bad thing, but I'm curious. I don't think the accident is relevant - it happened a long time ago - but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway. He's neutered.

Thanks again!

Any change in behavior could be a sign of a potential problem. Is he still eating and drinking normally? Is his litter box use consistent? Is he having trouble getting around the house?

The accident could have left him with a seizure condition which could be making him act oddly. Pets don't always have seizures like we think of them, but can have other symptoms. Also after a seizure they often will act clingy. You might not have witnessed the seizure event. But that does not usually last longer than a day or so.

Unfortunately, without examining your kitty it is hard to say much more. If the behavior continues, I would recommend having him seen by a vet. Hopefully he has just decided to be a bit more loving and there is nothing wrong with him, which is, truth to be told, the most likely thing. Don't worry too much.

Good luck!

[XCracking]

Hi, I don't know if you know anything about Snakes...
It's not sick or anything, was just wondering if you had any helpful tips:

Basically, I just got a new snake.
It's a milk snake, about two years old. I got it from a friend who's brother wasn't really looking after it properly, and thought it would be better with me.
But it hasn't been handled a lot, as in, probably not in the last year.
I love handling snakes. I currently have a Royal Python around the same age who's the calmest, most adorable thing ever.

So I tried to pick this snake up. It freaked out, darted all over the tank, and I quickly pulled my hand out for fear it would bite me [It's bitten someone before.]
I'm presuming it's so frightened because, well, it's just moved house, and it's never really been picked up at all.
Thing is, the tank is filthy, so I kinda need to take it out to clean it, but it's freaking out and won't sit still.

Any tips on how to get it used to me/ being handled?
And do Milk Snakes have teeth? Random question, but I thought they did and my friend told me they didn't so, just wanted to know...