Some sure signs to bring your cat to the ER include:
Difficulty breathing (like open-mouth breathing, panting, or a respiratory rate over fifty breaths/minute [Tip: count the number of breaths in fifteen seconds and multiple by four to get the total breaths per minute]).
Hiding (under the bed, in the closet)
Not moving
Straining or making multiple trips to the litter box
Excessive grooming “back there” with the penis sticking out (dangerous and is typically a feline urethral obstruction or urinary blockage)
Lack of urine in the litter box for more than 36 hours
Painful when picking up
Profuse vomiting (more than 2-3 times in a night)
Excessive drooling
Sitting over the water bowl and not moving
Seizuring or twitching
Any kind of trauma
Any kind of poisoning
Any string hanging out of any orifice (Tip: please don’t pull! Leave all orifices to veterinary professionals).
While this list isn’t complete, it’s a good initial guideline.
If you want to be the financially savvy owner, it is best to go to your regular veterinarian before you end up with a more expensive emergency room visit. In other words, if you even have an inkling that something is wrong, better to go to your pet's veterinarian first rather than wait until Sunday night when your cat is really in dire straits (leading to a more expensive hospitalization).
When in doubt, call your veterinarian or an emergency clinic for counsel on whether to bring your cat in for an emergency visit. In fact, when in doubt, you can even go into the emergency room and potentially asked to be triaged to stabilize your pet's condition. Not all clinics will offer this, but it is worth asking. This is particularly important if you’re not sure if your cat has a urinary obstruction. Simply allow the emergency veterinarian to cop a feel of your cat’s bladder, and voila… if they don’t think your cat is blocked, they may “triage” you away to your family vet the next day.
When in doubt, it’s always safer to heed the side of caution. You won’t regret playing it too safe with your feline friend.
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Related: We have more information under our cat health category.