I think my cat is sick, need some help.

[Aldo]

I just got home this evening to find my cat laying on my bed. So far no big deal (though I did find it strange he didn't come to greet me). Upon closer inspection I noticed one of his eyes was only half open.

He also seems to be really lethargic, not as active as he usually is. Now I know the first response would be to take him to the vet. But seeing as how I just got home and it's Saturday night, that's not presently an option, I just thought some people might have experience with this sort of thing and could offer some opinions.

 

[Kestra]

Has he ever acted like this before, or been sick in general? Could he just have some sort of cold? There is probably some sort of 24 hour clinic you could take him to if you're really concerned but it doesn't seem like anything too alarming.

Has he been eating well?

 

[Aldo]

I left here about seven hours ago to play poker at my sister's place. He was fine then, very active, both eyes very open. Came home to him like this.

I was doing some reading, I think it may be an eye infection (or some kind of irritation). So I'm not too worried, but still, knowing that my kitty is sick scares me.

 

[Deckerd]

So long as he's eating and drinking he'll keep till Monday and you can show him to a vet.

 

[Kestra]

Would scare me too and leave me Googling symptoms all night, but it doesn't sound like anything dire. Just keep a watch on him.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Does the bad eye have any discharge? It does sound like some kind of cold or infection, so he'll probably be okay. I don't blame you for worrying, though; I always worried about my pets.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

Could be any number of things. Upper respiratory infection, upset stomach, heat(For example, if it's hot out and you set your AC to a higher temp while away), or just some random cat-related unpredictability. If he was fine before you left, I'd suspect it's not anything more serious. But then again, I'm not a vet. The main thing, like others have said is to make sure he continues eating, drinking, and using the litterbox normally. Just keep an eye on him, and if he doesn't improve, take him to a vet.

 

[SmoothieX]

The OP: Call the vet on call today. You'll get better advice from him/her than some random weirdo on the internet.

I've called the vet off hours twice about my dog. Once I was told don't worry about it, the other time bring him in but it'd be ok to wait until Monday. I wasn't charged for any of the phone consultation.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

The OP: Call the vet on call today. You'll get better advice from him/her than some random weirdo on the internet.

I've called the vet off hours twice about my dog. Once I was told don't worry about it, the other time bring him in but it'd be ok to wait until Monday. I wasn't charged for any of the phone consultation.

Assuming that kind of service is available, that would be the prudent choice.

 

[JarodRussell]

I could be wrong, but aren't there people out there that are looking at animals to find out if they are sick? I believe they also do that for a living.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

I could be wrong, but aren't there people out there that are looking at animals to find out if they are sick? I believe they also do that for a living.

The OP is simply reaching out for some kind of reassurance, as it's the weekend and his vet is currently available. He's worried about waiting until Monday to do something about it, and I understand that completely. It can't hurt to ask for opinions from other people with cats who may have had similar experiences.

 

[Kirk's_Tights]

I'm not trying to be an asshole but why do people come to a site and ask questions? If this were my cat, I would be at the vet, asap, no matter how small it ended up being. Better safe than sorry. Vets are ridiculously expensive but I would rather shell out the cash to make sure it isn't serious than to go to a website and let time go by. The animal could be suffering. Just IMO.

 

[Gul Re'jal]

^Did you bother to read the OP post? Seems like not.

I'm sure OP will take his cat to the vet when it's open on Monday.

@Aldo, please let us know when you already know, ok? I hope you're cat's going to be fine and that it's nothing serious.

 

[Kirk's_Tights]

^Did you bother to read the OP post? Seems like not.

I'm sure OP will take his cat to the vet when it's open on Monday.

@Aldo, please let us know when you already know, ok? I hope you're cat's going to be fine and that it's nothing serious.

Yeah I did, actually. Our vet here is 24 hours. Didn't know other places didn't have a 24 hour vet hospital so no need to be a dick.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Sorry, but from where I'm sitting, it seems like you're the one that got yourself in trouble by making assumptions (and then tried to name-call to get out of it). Much better to ask a question, even if it seems like a "stupid" question, if the details don't make sense to you, than to fill in the gaps based on an assumption of how you think it has to be.

 

[RoJoHen]

so no need to be a dick.

Given the tone of your post, I think being a dick was an appropriate response.

I have never lived anywhere that had 24-hour vets. I didn't even know they had such things.

 

[HoneyBLilly]

If we had 24-hour vets in my town then my dog wouldn't have died this past week.

Anyways, Aldo definitely get him checked out, although I'm sure you've already come to that conclusion. Animals are fickle things one minute my dog was jumping on me and playing and then by 4 am he was gone, no warning no nothing.

Hopefully your cat will be just fine and there will be nothing too serious.

 

[Kirk's_Tights]

Sorry, but from where I'm sitting, it seems like you're the one that got yourself in trouble by making assumptions (and then tried to name-call to get out of it). Much better to ask a question, even if it seems like a "stupid" question, if the details don't make sense to you, than to fill in the gaps based on an assumption of how you think it has to be.

If you are referring to me, I don't see how I got myself 'in trouble'. I don't know where people here live, I don't know what they have in their city. We are lucky enough to have a 24 hour hospital here. Excuse me if I had no idea other cities did not offer such a thing. There is still no reason to be nasty about it. I never said it was a 'stupid' question whatsoever. just wondered why looking up a vet that may be open was not an option. Perhaps this person doesn't know about 24 hour vets? I don't know but I found out about ours the hard way. Figured maybe other places had this option.

Here are some links to various places:

http://www.animalemergencycenter.com/
http://emergencyvethosp.com/
http://www.flvrc.com/
http://www.vetspecialistsvalley.com/

This is for the OP:

http://www.petflight.com/states/48/vet_clinics

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

Sorry, but from where I'm sitting, it seems like you're the one that got yourself in trouble by making assumptions (and then tried to name-call to get out of it). Much better to ask a question, even if it seems like a "stupid" question, if the details don't make sense to you, than to fill in the gaps based on an assumption of how you think it has to be.

If you are referring to me, I don't see how I got myself 'in trouble'. I don't know where people here live, I don't know what they have in their city. We are lucky enough to have a 24 hour hospital here. Excuse me if I had no idea other cities did not offer such a thing. There is still no reason to be nasty about it. I never said it was a 'stupid' question whatsoever. just wondered why looking up a vet that may be open was not an option. Perhaps this person doesn't know about 24 hour vets? I don't know but I found out about ours the hard way. Figured maybe other places had this option.

Here are some links to various places:

http://www.animalemergencycenter.com/
http://emergencyvethosp.com/
http://www.flvrc.com/
http://www.vetspecialistsvalley.com/

This is for the OP:

http://www.petflight.com/states/48/vet_clinics

They do have them in other places besides your city. They just don't have them in every place. I'm glad there's one here, because I've had to make use of it several times, but some people just don't have access to a 24 hour vet hospital.

 

[Ninjacore]

Is your cat doing any better?