The Cat Practice

(When to seek Emergency Care for your Cat)

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Most of this information (and much more) can be found in Dr. Skip Sullivan’s new book: Why Don’t Cats Go Bald?
The Questions You’ve Always Wanted to Ask Your Vet This book is available to buy at The Cat Practice, and also at Amazon.com. (click here for Amazon)

Please use the alphabetized drop down menu here to find your cat’s particular problem/symptoms.

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Disclaimer: This index is meant to help the cat owner determine if a midnight or Sunday visit to the emergency service is necessary. These services are often very busy and slow and usually expensive. Thus, unless really necessary it is often advantageous to wait and see your own vet who has a comprehensive history of your cat.

This list is not complete and, of course, there are always exceptions and contradictions in medicine. If in doubt you may call an emergency service (several options are listed on our answering machine during non-business hours) and ask them for an opinion. Dr. William H. Sullivan and The Cat Practice Veterinary Hospital, P.C. bear no responsibility for problems that may contradict this information, nor can we bear any responsibility for the health and well-being of pets that we have not seen or treated.

Accidents
Whether it is a fall, hit by car, or closing a door on your cat it is good to seek an emergency service as cats can act rather well initially with potentially serious internal injuries.

Appetite: Excessive or Loss of Appetite
This can wait 36 hours unless accompanied by other signs discussed here.

Behavioral Changes
Are not an emergency unless accompanied by other more serious symptoms.

Bleeding
Most bleeding problems in cats are minor—normal cats are good clotters, but serious bleeding not controlled by local pressure is an emergency. You can also salt an ice cube and apply it to the wound

Bloody Eye Discharge (tears of blood)
Tears do have a reddish brown coloration which can appear to be blood but has much more of a liquid texture than blood which is sticky. Actual bleeding from the eye is both unusual and an emergency.

Bloody Nose
Cats frequently bang their noses against immovable objects at play. Normally, the bleeding will slow and stop within 20 minutes. If it is serious and persistent seek emergency care.

Blood in Feces
It is common in cats with anal gland problems or colitis and is not an emergency unless copious (more than 2 teaspoons). Often the blood will be mixed with mucous which is shiny and will make it appear that there is more blood than there actually is.

Blood in Urine (see also Urination)
It is a common finding that represents urinary tract inflammation or infection. It is not an emergency but can become one over time if left untreated.

Breathing Trouble
Increased respiratory rate or effort is always an emergency if the nostrils are flaring or especially if there is open-mouthed breathing. A cat’s normal respiratory rate at rest is 25-35 breaths per minute. The rate while they are asleep is 17-25 breaths per minute. Any breathing above or below these ranges would definitely constitute the need for emergency care.

Constipation
Is rarely an emergency unless it has been going on for 24 hours or more with straining.

Convulsions or Seizures
Are always an emergency!

Coughing
Cats cough by extending their neck with chin toward the ground and make a hacking sound. It looks like they’re about to vomit, but nothing comes up. This is not an emergency unless accompanied by difficulty breathing in between coughing episodes.

Dehydration
Is usually due to fever, inappetance or severe disease. A cat is dehydrated when you pinch and pull up the skin over the shoulder blades and it is slow to snap back into place (compare it to your own skin recoil on your forearm). Further evidence is that the interior of the mouth feels dry. A dehydrated cat requires emergency treatment.

Diarrhea
Is not an emergency and can wait 24 hours unless accompanied by dehydration (see dehydration section). A combination of vomiting and diarrhea will rapidly lead to dehydration that would constitute an emergency.

Ear infection
Are marked by swelling or redness of the ear, itchiness, discharge and sometimes an odor. This is not an emergency unless accompanied by a head tilt and/or imbalance or circling which implies a middle-ear problem and is an emergency.

Ear swelling
If the standing ear is significantly swollen (blood-filled) it is usually the result of ear disease (mites or infection) which will cause excessive scratching with the rear claws which breaks a blood vessel in the ear. This is not an emergency unless accompanied by head tilt or imbalance.

Fainting/ and or Falling over
Can be caused by a multitude of serious problems. It is an emergency unless it is shortly before or after vomiting which will cause a temporary lack of blood to the brain.

Fevers
You have to take a rectal temperature to be sure a cat is feverish. Cats normally have a temperature between 100.8 and 102.5. A mild to moderate fever would be 102.6 to 104.6. Above 104.6 is severe and may rapidly cause dehydration and systemic stress and should be treated as an emergency.

Heart Trouble
Signs of heart problems usually present as breathing abnormailites (see Breathing Problems section) and are always an emergency. (See also Lameness). If a cat suddenly loses the ability to stand on or move both back legs this could be related to a heart problem and is an emergency.

Imbalance
Is an emergency (see Ear Infections).

Lameness
Is hardly ever an emergency unless it is both hind legs simultaneously( see Heart Trouble) or if a broken bone is poking through the skin. Usually, fracture repair is delayed because of soft tissue swelling for 24-48 hours, so unless it is a fracture penetrating the skin it is not an emergency.

Most limping or lame cats have tendon or ligamentous injuries. If your cat fell 5 stories or was hit by a car or door this is a different and matter (see Accidents) and would definitely be an emergency.

Lethargy
Lethargy of more than 48 hours duration could be an emergency but short of that it does not constitute an emergency unless accompanied by other more serious signs.

Limping
See Lameness.

Meowing (changes in normal vocalization)
Is not an emergency. Cats in pain will usually withdraw and sometimes hide (going to ground). Rarely do they voice pain. Unless a cat makes a wailing/yowling sound it is usually a locator call that means it is temporarily mentally confused. This is not unusual in older cats and is due to a variety of problems that are not usually an emergency unless accompanied by more serious symptoms.

Paleness
Your cat’s gums and conjunctiva should be pink. If these look pale you can shine a flashlight through the ear flap and see the blood vessels. The vessels should appear medium to dark red. If they are pink then the cat may be anemic and should be seen by a veterinarian quickly especially if it is acting weak, depressed, and/or has an elevated respiratory rate (see Breathing Trouble section.)

Respiratory Problems

See breathing trouble section.

Salivation (ptyalism)
Cats drool when nervous or sometimes while being petted, but excessive salivation if it continues is symptomatic of many different problems, but usually not an emergency unless other symptoms exist.

Seizures
See Convulsions section.

Sneezing
Cats get colds and allergies just like people. Sneezing is not an emergency unless producing copious amounts of blood (see Bloody Nose section).

Straining
To Urinate see Urination Difficulties
To defecate see Constipation

Swelling (s)
The most common cause of swelling we see in cats is under and around the eye. This is usually a sinus abscess due to a bad molar. Swelling under the skin can represent an abscess or a tumor—these are not an emergency. Significant abdominal swelling can represent fluid in the abdomen (ascites), which is often an emergency especially when accompanied by inappetance and lethargy.

Temperatures
(See Fever.)

Urination Difficulties
If a male cat is straining to urinate and producing very small amounts or none at all this IS AN EMERGENCY. Male cats can obstruct with urinary tract infections. The same symptoms in a female however, can wait until the next day as they practically never obstruct.

Yellow (Jaundice)
If a cat’s skin appears yellow or orange or you note this color change in the whites of the eyes or inside the mouth this is an emergency as it connotes serious liver/gall-bladder problems or severe destractive anemia.

Yowling
See Meowing (Changes in Vocalization).

Vomiting
Cats vomit a lot as a species. Vomiting that continues more than 24 hours is an emergency, but a short episode of vomiting can wait until the following day. Violent vomiting can cause a small amount of blood (pink tinged vomitus). This is not an emergency unless there is significant volume of blood (more than 1 teaspoon).

Walking Trouble
See Lameness or Limping.

Weight Loss
Connotes serious problems but never happens acutely, so it is not considered an emergency. This would constitute a serious concern, but could be dealt with outside of a 36 hour period.

Weakness (sudden)
Please see (Falling over or Lameness).