My cat is acting strange today. She is twitching her head to one side and her eyes are very dreary, especially her right eye. She is very quiet and has retreated to the closet. She also seems to be a bit disoriented and she normally would playfully bite my hand when I pet her, but not even that would she do today. What could be wrong with her?
When you say twitching, do you mean leaning? Do they eyes look like they are watching a tennis match?
Reply to Tammy Falkner's Post: How do I describe this? Her head goes to the right side with a jerking motion as if she is shaking off something. Her eyes look sleepy. Her right eye has that white layer that you see when she is partially asleep.38643.9753251157
It sounds like you are seeing the third eyelid. The third eyelid can be visible for one of three reasons:
I suggest that you see the vet for a fecal exam to rule out parasites. If this is negative, your cat may need antibiotics to treat any eye infections that are present.
The vet might also want to stain the eye to look for a corneal scratch that might be the culprit.
Let me know if you still have questions.
Experience: Not an active Expert
Tammy, What are the symptoms if the cat has come in contact with a frog?
Some frogs have toxins in the skin which protect them from danger. They usually cause drooling, vomiting and sometimes neurological symptoms (falling, inability to concentrate, etc).
She is not vomiting or drooling, but she does seem to be weak and disoriented a bit. Is the toxin fatal?
Not typically. But it can cause some severe symptoms. Based on what you are seeing, I would go ahead and give the vet a call and get his opinion.
Would it be ok to wait until tomorrow to get the vet?
...and what if she has parasites? What would happen then?
If she has parasites, the vet just needs to do a fecal float and tell you what kind. Then they can give you an appropriate medication to treat it. It's not very expensive for either one.
Reply to Tammy Falkner's Post: Have you ever heard of Necrotizing granulomatous steatitis?
Yes. I have. Why do you ask?
Because Missy (my cat) was spayed by the vet on April 28, 2005 and after that all the trouble started. The stitches didn't heal very well and started to look infected so I took her back to the vet. After looking at it he said it was infected and full of puss which he squeezed and actually reopened the cut and restitched. After that I took her home and she still would not heal well. He took a specimen and sent to the lab which they diagnosed as the condition I mentioned above. I have spent so much money trying to make this cat well, but she still has a moderate sized lump on her stomach where the incision was made. The specialist I was referred to quoted a price anywhere from $1,800 to $2,000 to fix which would required taking skin from the flap of her hind leg to reclose the opening once the growth was removed. I really don't know what to do or where to turn now.
That is a rare diagnosis and you are lucky that your vet caught it.
I am sorry that you are going through this.
You might want to look into www.carecredit.com if finances are troublesome for you. They offer financing for large and small vet bills with easy terms.