My poor kitty :(
 

my cat O'Brien has been missing in action for a couple of days and now I know why. He tangled with something that made his tooth jut straight out front like a tusk. I opened his mouth to see if I could push the tooth back but it looks like the whole root and everything is displaced. I dont know what to do, I cant afford the freakin vet but I dont want him to get an infection....I dont see any blood or anything and hes purring and not in any apparent pain but thats gotta be miserable...

here's a quick pic:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...rienstooth.jpg

Aw, poor thing. Looks miserable. If he's not hurting, I'd say forget the vet. Last time I went, he put me in debt.

well, Im torn, because Im not sure if it should be pulled or what....he just wolfed down a can of wet cat food so he has his appetite and he was purring and kneading on my blanket (and me!) so he seems to be in ok spirits, but Im thinking something needs to be done? I'd like it best of all if it could be pushed back or maybe surgically put back into its rightful place....

oh I'm so sorry. I hope he's not in any pain. good luck.

thanks hon....I called my mom and gave her all the gory details, and she seems to think nature will take care of it.. especially since he isnt acting like he's hurt :shrug: in fact, he just went back outside...

I hope your cat is ok.... can I just say though, that I have read that cats can purr because of distress as well as contentment etc...

I would keep an eye on his mouth over the next day or so and maybe if its dislodged (the tooth), it may be better to actually pull it out... I know that sounds gross but I think (and it is only my thought, Im not an expert or anything!) but I think that if you pull it out it is less likely to get an infection from stuff getting into the gum under the tooth.. does that make sense... I would ideally recommend the vet.. as the mouth is a very sensitive area and cats are unable to tell you if they are in pain...

a few years back, my cat was drooling all the time.. . no other symptoms, no hint of pain...was eating wet food and dry food... but he was starting to drool excessively... I took him to the vet and it turned out that he had pretty badly infected gums and had to have them cauterised.. he is fine now... but the vet said that he would have been in pain even though it didnt seem like he was...

Maybe give your cat a chicken neck or something to chew on and see if nature takes its course and the tooth comes out naturally... Good LUck!!! Hope he gets better!!! :nod:
c ya
sammi

HUGE cat lover here. I'm so sorry to hear about your kittie. My 2 cents: I would take him to the vet. Only because, I know with humans, anything to do with the teeth, HURT.

TAKE HIS ASS TO THE VET!!! NOW!!!

I think you should take him to the vet. My dog lost the exact same tooth on the other side. According to the vet, they arent' that important of teeth (I thought they would be, being canines and all) but she asked me "how often does murray go out in the wild and chase a gazelle or antelope" As far a I knew, only once a month. :laugh:

but seriously, she said they don't use those as much, becuase they are for tearing, and most of them eat "catfood/dogfood" etc.

But now you're looking at a possible infection and just the fact, if the tooth is loose, it's going to keep the area aggravated if it stays mobile (remember when you were a kid and had a loose baby tooth) If you can pull part of it out, and then take him in-they will probably just inspect him/her and give antibiotic (at least that's what they did for Murray) she said that is a VERY long tooth..(for dogs anyway) and the extraction will more than likely do more harm than good. Unless the antibiotic didn't help the healing process. I hope everthing works out and Kisses to your kitty.

Where's Miss Vicky when you need her? :p

I wouldn't mess around with teeth - too risky as far as infection, abscess, being close to sinuses, etc. Better to take him now, hopefully they can just pull it & give him an antibiotic, as opposed to ending up with major complications later.

well guys, I appreciate the advice and I think the vet is the best thing to do...but Im flat broke AND he wanted out so I let him go :shrug: now I cant find him...If he comes back in, I will take him to the vet up the road and pray I can make payments...

surely they'll work something out for you. or you can put it on a credit card and pay it off when you can.

all my cards are maxxed. I ran them up to pay for food when my ex didnt pay me childcare $$$. He owes me over $2K. my best friend now buys my groceries for me. Im broker than the 10 Commandments. seriously. but I will beg and plead and see where that gets me.

oh chit. sorry. it'll work out. don't worry.

pray for O'Brien for me will ya? Thanks :xoxo:

:distress: Poor kitty!

Now my best friend many years ago had a cat that jumped out of a moving vehicle...and the exact same thing happened to its tooth!!

She was also broker than broke....so didn't take the cat to the vet - and it grew into adulthood with the wonky tooth - it never affected him, his eating, never got infected.

Looking back - probably not the best thing - but she could barely pay rent let alone vet bills..but she'd rescued the cat and couldnt' give it up.

Anyway -I hope your kitty is ok.

well, I wish I could find him but he's probably resting somewhere. rest is always good. all I can say is he wasnt in obvious distress, eating, drinking water, kneading my bedspread, loving on me, just as normal....seriously!
no temp, no bleeding, no nothing...

Well I'd say that's a good sign, but I'm no vet.

But like I did say earlier, my friend's cat lived a long and full life with his tooth jutting straight out. Since you're cat is still eating and drinking I'd say that's definitely a good sign.

I pray you're right :angel:

sayin kitty prayers.......

How aweful. Don't you hate being in situations like that, where you feel absoulutely helpless. I feel for ya girl!!! Try not to worry so much, I know it's hard though. Sendin Kitty prayers!!

aawww... get better kitty. Kitties are survivors, so think positive! :angel:

Thanks everyone, Im a bit worried, he hasnt come back yet this morning, and he usually does want to eat about now...I just hope he's ok....:(

I thought about your kitty last night.

if he does come back and you do take him to the vet, PM me and I'll try to help you.

I hope your kitty has come home!!!

Please let us know how things go... thinking of you!!

Sammi

Thanks Jason, he's still not back and now Im really worried...I will tell you all when he comes back and what sort of condition he is in....gosh...I've had him for 12 or 13 years (I always lose count!) and he is so loveable and sweet....Im just sick about this....and I feel guilty because I let him go out, but he acted so NORMAL in every way that I didnt stop to think about abcesses or infections or any of that, I just let him do what he wanted, and now, if he is hurt somewhere and I cant help him, I'll just die. :distress:

Thanks Sammi :xoxo:

Aww, kitties are my weakness. Hopefully he is just sleeping somewhere.

I would take him to the vet...don't tell them you cannot pay until AFTER they work on him. I made payments when I had a problem with one of my cats. I could not pay the whole bill at the time so they sort of had no choice...but I did make the payments every month.

I hope he's ok too...and I've already decided I will take him if he comes back home---unless the tooth is already out, and maybe even then if it looks like he has an infection or something...this will make 2 days without food so he's getting weaker Im sure...and he will need his strength to fight off any infection.

JUST COME HOME O.B.

Maybe try looking under your house or in your garage in any small dark space, ask your neighbours to check under theirs and in their garages or any sort of quiet place that could he may hide in... usually a cat will try and hide in a very dark place... you may be able to find him somewhere like that... GOOD LUCK!!!

UPDATE:
I went around my back yard calling for him when I got home from work....I went to my neighbor's fence, and I saw him sitting next to their back deck. he squeaked at me a time or two but didnt come near me. I couldnt tell if his tooth fell out or not because he was too far away...and then my neighbor came outside to get some wood for his fireplace and scared my cat back under the deck. I dont know what kind of shape he was in but he was sitting up normal and he did squeak at me (he never did meow very robust) So, I know he's not dead and I know he heard me call him and I know he saw me but I dont know if he's hurting or infected or anything else because he was too far away and now he's back in the black hole under that deck. Damn.

Ugh. I'm so sorry - how frustrating...I'd be beside myself if I couldn't get to Clancy....I hope your kitty comes near...sorry to say but it's not a good sign that he's so reluctant - he may just be in pain and confused etc...

I really hope things work out for the best though...

actually, he's like that. He'll come to the front door and claw the screen cuz he wants in and then as soon as I open it, he runs away....he's a butt that way.

all my cats are butts. but I love them :rolleyes:

Oh ok..good, as long as his behaviour isn't too unusual - that's when I'd start really worrying. I think all pets are butts...and yep, we love 'em anyway :laugh:

I sure hope this all works out.

Me too Jason, at least he came out where I could see him and he squeaked at me...(thats his NORMAL meow) so thats a good sign. I just wish I would have gotten a closer look so I could determine if he's infected or not....

HUZZAH! HUZZAH!

I shoulda thought of this earlier! I took the cat food container outside and shook it and guess who came running? old empty stomach, thats who!

hes scarfing down a can of wet food right now, and I took a quick look the tooth is gone. I think there's some jagged edges but I'll look later. Right now, its more important that he eat. still no obvious blood anywhere....

here he is:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...evr/OBrien.jpg

and another:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...vr/OBrien2.jpg

why are they two different sizes? sorry they're fuzzy, I took them in my bedroom and its dark somehow, even with the lights on :shrug:

he hasnt stopped kneading the blankets since he came into the room 20 minutes ago! he's a happy camper I think :nod:

Good, I'm glad he's back home. :angel:

I am so glad he is back!!! I would just keep an eye on his mouth .... see how he travels over the next few days.

Yay!!!!! I am just so happy that he is back for you!!!!:]

Thanks Sammi. I know he is in the house here somewhere, but I dont know where. this is the bad part, where he hides. when he hides, I know something is wrong.