help! health problems

**dab_20** · 09-08-2005, 05:41 PM

my brother got a cat a few months ago. it was from a friend. my brother has learning disabilities (they aren't bad) and doesn't know how to take care of a cat as well as he should. a couple weeks ago the cat (stinker, lol) got treated for kidney stones. now stinker has them AGAIN. we got medicine from the vet. we dont know how old stinker is. do you think he is old cuz he keeps getting kidney stones?? he also has a hard time peeing and dribbles alot.

**Flatcoatluver** · 09-08-2005, 05:48 PM

huh...... i'm not really sure, did you have the vet look at the kitty's teeth becuz i dunno if you know this but vet's can kinda get and idea of how old

**dab_20** · 09-08-2005, 06:13 PM

i know, i told shane to ask, but he hasn't yet. but my main quetion is, is it normal to have so much kidney stones?

**Barbara** · 09-09-2005, 02:53 AM

Stinker- does that mean he stinks from the mouth? This could be not only kidney stones but even kidney failure?

Kidney stones: young cats of some years can have that too. It means that he should only get diet food. Whenever he has a hard time peeing he has to see the vet immediately as a cat can die when he is blocked.

The vet should also be able to say whether the teeth need cleaning. This can occur in cats that are as young as 2 years. It is the same as with humans: some cats have more substances in their saliva that builds tartar on the teeth than others. If it is not treated, the cats are in pain and they can loose their teeth.

Good luck with finding out what is wrong with your brother's cat.

**dab_20** · 09-09-2005, 05:06 PM

well... stinker is his name because my bro's friend named him that when he was a kitten cuz he was always getting in to trouble. lol well the cat is very over weight so now he is on diet food. ok, thanks very much. i will pass the information along.

**kuhio98** · 09-09-2005, 05:26 PM

My vet estimated the age of our adopted kitties by their teeth and by their eyes. We were told that Halo and Cammie were about the same age when we adopted them. The vet showed us how when he flashed al ight in their eyes, Halo's returned to normal dialation very quickly. Cammie's took much longer. He estimated that Cammie was at least 10 years old . Not 2, like were were told.

**dab_20** · 09-11-2005, 09:05 PM

hmmmm..... interesting. well my brother gave the cat to his friend sam, because he coulden't afford the vet bills.

too bad, he loved stinker so much.

**carole** · 09-11-2005, 09:11 PM

Well just think of it this way, Stinker is better off in a home where he can get the vet treatment he needs, as he obviously has some serious problems from what you described, so your brother did the right thing, it would have been more selfish to keep him don't you think?

**dab_20** · 09-11-2005, 09:55 PM

yah it would have. stinker so far has gotten the treatment he needs, but shane doesn't have enough money for his own food, so stinker is better off in another home for both of them.