Accepted Answer

Hi Carl!

Thanks for that further information. I'm relieved that he has not had much aspirin, and would like you to stop ALL aspirin now!

It is quite toxic to cats and not effective at bringing down a temperature. It can cause kidney failure in cats at even low doses.

http://www.petplace.com/cats/aspirin-toxicity-in-cats/page1.aspx

http://www.petplace.com/cats/tip-on-never-give-a-cat-aspirin/page1.aspx

I am suspicious that your boy started limping 4-5 days ago because of a cat bite wound to his right front leg. There are a number of possibilities for what may have caused the limping, but given what you are describing now, I am highly suspicious that this is the case. Let me explain more:

When a cat bite wound occurs, what happens is that there are 2 puncture holes - one caused by the upper and one by the lower canine tooth. The cat's teeth have a lot of bacteria on them, and these bacteria get placed deep below the skin when the bite occurs. The hole is small and quickly scabs over, leaving the bacteria below there.

The most common type of bacteria in the cat mouth is Pasteurella multocida - and it LOVES to grow in a warm, moist environment that has no oxygen present. And that is exactly what you have with a bite wound!

So, the bacteria multiply, and the body sends in white blood cells to fight the infection, and soon you have a big pocket of pus and bacteria: an abscess! The abscess grows bigger until it ruptures and the pus pours out. This relieves the pressure and allows the hole to close over which then allows the process to start again.

Bite wounds, ideally, should be treated with antibiotics within 24 hours of the bite. This prevents the bacteria from multiplying and forming an abscess in the first place. Here is more information:

http://www.petplace.com/cats/abscess-in-cats/page1.aspx

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=361

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=2023&articleid=2968

So, if any bite wound can be treated before it becomes an abscess it is so much less complicated (and expensive)! Getting the cat onto antibiotics right away should stop an abscess from forming. Once there is an abscess, he might need an anesthetic in order to lance and drain the infection, which makes it much more invasive and expensive.

Until you can get any bitten kitty in to see a vet (hopefully within 24 hours), the most helpful thing would be for you to apply a warm compress to the area. Since it has been longer than that, and you are describing warm ear tips and a very lethargic cat, I am suspicious that your boy has a fever due to an infecition.

I'd like you to quite literally go over that right front leg with a fine tooth comb. If you comb the fur, you may feel a little scab where he was bitten. Try to take the scab off to release any pus underneath. Then, if you have antibacterial soap in the house (Hibitane or chlorhexidene soap would be ideal) you can add a little to a cup of warm water. Put a washcloth in, then wring it out. Hold the warm, damp wash cloth to the scabbed area for 10 minutes, rewarming it every 2 minutes or so. Wipe the area with a plain wet washcloth and pat dry. The goal is to keep those puncture holes OPEN as Pasteurella bacteria don't like oxygen. If you let the holes scab over, then the bacteria will grow.

You could if you wish apply plain Neosporin to the bite, but it likely will not be effective as it is the bacteria that are deep under the skin that cause the infection. So, applying a bit of ointment on the top of the skin is not likely to be helpful in any way. You are more likely to help with the hot compresses, but I do think the kitty will get much better much faster with a short course of antibiotics! So, I do think it would be best if you could take your cat to a vet as soon as possible. The vet would be able to rehydrate your cat if he is dehydrated, and start antibiotics to bring down his fever. The vet could lance any abscess that may be forming on your cat's leg.

If you absolutely cannot get your cat to a vet today then what you can do is try to get some calories into him in a liquid form - that way he is getting nutrition at the same time as fluids.

I suggest opening a can of tuna *in water* and offering the liquid.

Also, you can pick up Clam Juice in most grocery stores (sold in with the V8 or the canned tuna) and mix that with some water.

You could try Lactose Free milk (Lactaid is the Canadian brand). Whiskas makes a tetra pack of "Kitty Milk" that is lactose free milk with flavouring added.

You could try getting some human baby food in meat flavours (check that there are no onions or garlic in the ingredients) and mix that with warm water and offer that, or syringe it in little bits into your cat's mouth. Beech Nut makes a line of baby food that has nothing but meat (beef, chicken, turkey or veal) in it. Here's a link:

http://www.beechnut.com/Our%20Baby%20Food/Results.asp

If you cannot find this, you could find another meat baby food - just read the label carefully to be sure there are no onions, onion powder, garlic, or garlic powder in it.

Offer him some canned cat food, and mix it with water to make a slurry if he won't eat it.

Boil a chicken breast and then put it in the blender with water to make a baby-food consistency gruel to offer.

You could pick up nutristat http://www.agri-med.com/site/255063/product/NUTRST-4.25 It is a calorie-dense paste that you can syringe into them to get maximum caloric impact from a given volume of food.

For a cat of this size, he need about 1 cup per day of fluid. If you can syringe this into him in small frequent amounts it will help to keep him hydrated. Aim for 1 tablespoon per half hour to hour for those hours that you are awake.

I really do think your boy sounds sick and would benefit from seeing a vet as soon as possible!

I hope that this helps you to help this kitty! If this has been helpful, please accept my answer and leave feedback. If you need more information, I will be back to provide it.

Best wishes!

Fiona

Expert:	Dr.Fiona
Pos. Feedback:	100.0 %
Accepts:
Answered:	6/29/2008

Cat Veterinarian

15 years experience as a companion animal veterinarian in British Columbia, California and Ontario