Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Let me tell you a little bit about "The Freak"...

He adopted us last year on the Fourth of July. He is a butterscotch tabby and was approximately 4 or 5 months old. His tail was broken in several places, and the way he cringed at a hand waved over him, or bit when touched led us to believe he was mistreated and either moved out voluntarily, or was just thrown from a passing car.

When we got him he had an explosive sneeze, with blackened areas around his eyes and nose from dried up snot and "eye goobers" (don't know what to call them). Eventually his sneeze went away, but he always seemed to have some sort of nasal discharge leaving him with a black ring around his nostrils.

Lately, the last couple of weeks, he doesn't appear to be feeling very good. He hasn't started to sneeze, but his third eyelid has been a little bit visible and he feels a little warm when I touch his nose. Today his third eyelid is at "half mast", half covering his eyeball.

While he has still enthusiastically played with me every day since he started to feel bad, he doesn't appear to have as much uumph and energy. This is a cat who is probably approaching his first birthday, likely only 10 or 11 months old. He's been fixed and dewormed since we got him. I'm concerned and want to help him.

I know that the immediate question/response is "what has the vet said." I have to clarify (please don't villify me) that a condition of "cat ownership" that my husband insists on is that other than fixing the animals and the basics of shots, etc, he prefers to let "nature take its course". If an animal develops an illness we will make sure it is comfortable, and if/when it seems likely that the animal is in pain, we will put the animal painlessly to sleep. He does not believe in spending money on vets. While I might have a few differing opinions, a lot of my own feelings are in line with his and I do not argue about this with him.

SO, given that a vet is out of the question, are there any suggestions on what might be wrong with "The Freak" and any suggestions on how we might make him feel better? He's still very frisky, at the moment he is tussling with another foundling alley cat (our only felines are those that adopt us).

I realize that your husband doesn't consider the vet an option, however the third eyelid staying up can be the sign of something serious or even fatal. There is no treatment you can devise on your own for this. He may get well, but he may not. Only a vet can really diagnose and threat the problem. Sorry.
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

I don't know how in the world you expect someone to read your post, diagnose what the problem is, and tell you how to treat it.

Providing health care when a pet is sick is part of having them, and I'm really sorry that you and your husband feel the way you do.

AshleyElla

I go the shivers reading your post. There are so many eerie similarities between your cat and my Fritz, who is now at the bridge.
Fritz was born on July 4, 1988. Shortly after we got him, he started vomiting, stopped eating, and the third eyelid popped out. I can distinctly rememember him seeking out heat and facing the wall, as well. Long story short, Fritz had a kinked intestine - I know there's a medical name for it, but it was explained to me as a kink. He was about 10 months old at the time and had to have a large portion of the (large) intestine removed.
He lived to be 16 years without any complications from his surgery as a kitten - BUT - he could have easily lived a longer, more pain free life.
When Fritz was about 10 years old, I noticed him straining and urinating in copious amounts. At the time I was about 18-19, a college student and lived at home. What does this have to do woth you and your cat? Well, I brought this to the attention of my mother, who was adamant that we let nature take its course. Those were her exact words. Eventually, he had to be treated for the horrible urinary tract infection he had. We took him to a crapshod vet who gave him Baytril and caused him to loose his vision - but thats another story.
My point is that the UTI never got under control and he had all sorts of $$$$$$$ complications from it. Because it wasn't treated early, it led to kidney disease, and eventually he died of renal failure ;o( He was in extreme amounts fo pain, and all because we let nature take its course.
Funny thing is, when my mother had a terrible cough, she also said those famous words - let nature take its course - and ended up with chronic bronchitis that nearly killed her.
When you let neature take its course, you may not end up with a dead cat, but a chronically ill and painful one. Most problems can be prevented or controlled with early vet treatment. If you wait, you also run the risk of skyrocketing vet bills, because not only do you have the underlying issues to deal with, but the complications that arise from it.
So ... when the third eyelid pops out in a cat, it always means extreme pain/fever/illness. In this cat's case it may just be an upper respitory infection as you describe sneezing and nasal discharge. You CANNOT just sit by and do nothing. His immune system is probably not up to par or entirely run down and incapable of fighting off infection. I live by a colony of feral cats and when nature takes its course with them, the ensuing result is a slow, drawn out, painful, agonizing death.
Please rush this cat to a vet ASAP! There are so many low cost vets and vets who work with payment plans that money doesn't have to be an issue!!!