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hi,

just got back from vacation, and my cat is sick. his gums are turning white, he is very lethargic, little grooming, little eating. lastly his left eye is frequently pussing a lot.

we are in a tick heavy and mosquito heavy are where both tick fever and hear worm occur?

his last heart worm treatment was missed so he is overdue by a month..eke

he wearts a front line collar

Submitted: 150 days and 2 hours ago.

Category: Cat

Value: $9

Status: CLOSED

Pet's Sex: Male
Pet's Age: 2

Already Tried:
just giving him some treats with some honey so he keeps some food and sugar levels up. also, forgot to mention that i live in a place where vets are few and far. our vet isn't back until tuesday.

Posted by Dr. Marie 150 days and 2 hours ago.

Answer

Hi, this is Dr. Marie here..

Sorry to hear that your cat is not well. From what I have described I am quite concerned about him!

White gums are a sign of either shock or severe anemia (low red cells). My first instinct if he were my patient would be to test him for a blood parasite called hemobartonella. Hemobart is usually treatable if we catch it before the red cell level gets too low.

It is also possible that he is bleeding internally (i.e. from a spleen or liver injury) but this would have to be the result of a serious trauma.

The gums only turn white when the red blood cell level is extremely low. If there is any way at all that you can get him in to the vet's today or tomorrow I would highly recommend it!

I hope this information helps! If you have more questions regarding this problem, just hit reply. If I am online I will respond right away. Otherwise I will respond as soon as I come online again. Or, if my answer is sufficient, then please hit accept. Thanks!
Dr. Marie.

The above is given for information only. Although I am a licensed veterinarian, I cannot legally prescribe medicines or diagnose your pet's condition without performing a physical exam. If you have concerns about your pet I would highly advise contacting your regular veterinarian.

150 days and 2 hours ago.

Reply

what about the possibility of tick fever or heart worm..and symptoms...also how about the eye pus

Posted by Dr. Marie 150 days and 2 hours ago.

Answer

Neither of these should cause severe anemia and in order to have white gums really there has to be a good degree of anemia present.

It's hard to say for sure why there is pus in the eye. This is often a symptom of an upper respiratory tract infection but this doesn't directly fit with anemia. However, we often see a discharge from one or both eyes in animals who are really dehydrated which could be the case with anemia.

I hope he does oK!

I hope this information helps! If you have more questions regarding this problem, just hit reply. If I am online I will respond right away. Otherwise I will respond as soon as I come online again. Or, if my answer is sufficient, then please hit accept. Thanks!
Dr. Marie.

The above is given for information only. Although I am a licensed veterinarian, I cannot legally prescribe medicines or diagnose your pet's condition without performing a physical exam. If you have concerns about your pet I would highly advise contacting your regular veterinarian.

150 days and 2 hours ago.

Reply

hi again thanks for your help. i will def. hit the accept button one more time. lets say for a second i miss diagnosed the gums being white. i am def. no expert. they were pink right at the teeth only, but just above that when pulled up, they were going white, do you still stick with that or no???

Accepted Answer

No problem!

This is a tough one. If your cat had the symptoms of lethargy, lack of appetite and a weepy eye without the white gums this can be a sign of literally hundreds of problems.

My first rule out would be some type of infection such as from a cat bite wound. (Often these wounds are very difficult to find). It could be that he has gotten into something toxic to his liver or kidneys. A virus such as feline leukemia virus or FIP is possible too.

Tick fever or heartworm does not sound like the problem regardless.

I hope that helps!
Dr. Marie.

Accepts:
Expert:	Dr. Marie
Pos. Feedback:	100.0 %
Answered:	6/26/2009

Veterinarian

Compassionate licensed veterinarian with >20 years experience with cats, dogs and pocket pets

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Pet's Sex: Male
Pet's Age: 2

Already Tried:
just giving him some treats with some honey so he keeps some food and sugar levels up. also, forgot to mention that i live in a place where vets are few and far. our vet isn't back until tuesday.

Answer

Reply

what about the possibility of tick fever or heart worm..and symptoms...also how about the eye pus

Answer

Reply

hi again thanks for your help. i will def. hit the accept button one more time. lets say for a second i miss diagnosed the gums being white. i am def. no expert. they were pink right at the teeth only, but just above that when pulled up, they were going white, do you still stick with that or no???

Accepted Answer

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Optional Information

Pet's Sex: MalePet's Age: 2 Already Tried: just giving him some treats with some honey so he keeps some food and sugar levels up. also, forgot to mention that i live in a place where vets are few and far. our vet isn't back until tuesday.

Answer

Reply

what about the possibility of tick fever or heart worm..and symptoms...also how about the eye pus

Answer

Reply

hi again thanks for your help. i will def. hit the accept button one more time. lets say for a second i miss diagnosed the gums being white. i am def. no expert. they were pink right at the teeth only, but just above that when pulled up, they were going white, do you still stick with that or no???

Accepted Answer

Related Cat Questions

Pet's Sex: Male
Pet's Age: 2

Already Tried:
just giving him some treats with some honey so he keeps some food and sugar levels up. also, forgot to mention that i live in a place where vets are few and far. our vet isn't back until tuesday.