Moonpie's Little Problem - Paw Talk

elfomatic · #1 08-09-2004, 11:39 AM

Okay, when your cat starts scooting her butt on the floor after using the restroom do you think that it is indicative of a urinary infection or a gland problem or something?

For the past week I've been suspecting someone has a problem. I've noticed a few things have been marked. And that is the worst smell in the world, BTW. My cats normally don't do that so I figured it had to be a problem with one of them.

The problem is that I have so many cats it can be hard to narrow it down to who is the culprit. And there was no way to know for sure if it was a territorial problem rather than a health problem.

But since we have plenty of litterboxes and no one has had a problem until now I figured it must be a health issue.

Well, I've taken to staking out litterboxes and stalking cats for the past few days. I must look like a complete idiot ... either that or a freak!

I saw Moonpie do that scooting thing on Saturday. Unfortunately it was too late in the day to take her to the weekend vet so she has an appointment today.

Does the scooting mean it is a gland problem? I think I remember that is what it is for dogs ... And she has been fixed so I guess it could be hormonal as well?

veggiegirl · #2 08-09-2004, 11:48 AM

Wow, I've never heard of a cat doing that. Could she possibly have worms? I know tapeworms irritate that "area." I hope its not a urinary problem and she gets better soon! I'd call the vet or take her in to be safe.

elfomatic · #3 08-09-2004, 11:55 AM

Thanks for your concern!

I didn't think about worms .... hmmm .... well, she is a very healthy weight and her gums are nice and pink. I'm no expert by far but from what I remember (with dogs, mind you) worms make animals lose weight and can cause anemia. Or maybe that was heartworms that cause the anemia ... I don't remember. I wouldn't rule it out though. I don't have much experience at all with cat problems.

veggiegirl · #4 08-09-2004, 12:37 PM

When I took Oliver in (he was a stray) he had tapeworms from fleas. Even though I had him dewormed and put frontline on all three cats, they all got worms again. My kitties looked perfectly healthy. If your cats go outside of there are any fleas in your house, its very easy for them to get tapeworms. They are very easy to treat though so it would be a good thing if your kitty just has worms.

I would check the litterbox after they go to the bathroom. There are usually white things that look like grains of rice in their stools. If you see things that look like sesame seeds laying around, those are dried up tapeworms.

I would still take her to the vet to diagnose the problem though.

elfomatic · #5 08-09-2004, 01:19 PM

Hmmm, haven't seen anything like that. And they are all indoor cats but I guess it is still a possibility.

She has an appt. this afternoon.

CTChin · #6 08-09-2004, 01:47 PM

PRobably worms or an anal glad problem

Punxatawny · #7 08-09-2004, 03:22 PM

Kramer did that once we took him in and it was his glands. The vet said that it happens sometimes but not very often and with cats it usually only happnes once or twice their entire life, with others it happens a lot and they will do surgery on the cat to remove them, but this hardly happens.

pihlaja · #8 08-10-2004, 01:18 AM

I know gland problems like that are seen in pugs but I've never heard of it in cats.

Very strange!

Keep us updated on what the vet says! It will be interesting to see how this turns out (and good to know for our own future references)!

elfomatic · #9 08-11-2004, 03:06 AM

The vet suspects a urinary infection and perscribed amoxicillin for it. She was kinda stressed but seems to be feeling better today.

Poor thing was almost an afterthought for the vet ... I brought in a tortoise to be weighed and he was so engrossed with it (he doesn't see exotics normally) that he amost forgot about poor Moonpie.

CTChin · #10 08-11-2004, 01:33 PM

Poor Moonpie!

If she doesn't stop the scooting in around 4 days or so on the antibiotics, it probably is something else.

GertieGirl · #11 08-13-2004, 06:51 PM

I've seen female kitties do that when they're in heat. is she spayed?

elfomatic · #12 08-13-2004, 08:10 PM

Yes, she is spayed. The antibiotics seem to be working.

GertieGirl · #13 08-13-2004, 08:29 PM

oh, that's great news!

Formula86 · #14 08-15-2004, 05:18 AM

just caught this thread. glad to hear she is feeling better! poor little moonpie. (love her name btw). hehe.