Conference misery::feline_v1

    Stephanie, it doesn't sound strange; I think you are very observant!

    Are you saying the color of Elsa's lips has gotten darker or lighter? 
    I think just the fact that the color has changed noticeably is something
    to check out. If it were me, I'd call the vet today (since tomorrow's
    a holiday) so I could have some peace of mind. It may be nothing to be 
    concerned about, but if it's something that needs treatment you will 
    be that much closer to getting it fixed.

    I once brought my cat Alice to the vet because she had been favoring 
    one foot. At the vet's she continued to do this, but it was the *other*
    foot! The vet checked her out, including both legs, and found nothing
    physically wrong. He figured it was her way of asking for attention 
    because my cat Alfie had been sick that week and had been getting a 
    lot of extra attention and sympathy. When I gave Alice more attention 
    (and Alfie was back to normal) the "sore" foot went away. I felt kind
    of silly for having worried, but on the other hand I learned something 
    about feline behavior. 

    Hope Elsa is ok. Please let us know what you find out.

    Linda

    What colour is Elsa?  My cream point Himmy, Chauncey, has pink
    "leather", but when his lips are very pink, I check his gums for signs
    of inflammation.  If his ears and nose and lips are "hot pink", I
    wonder who his ticked off at!!
    
    Call the vet anyway.  They'd rather check it out before it might turn
    into something serious.  I'm a worry-wart like you, which is why my
    vet's phone number is programmed into the memory on my phone...
    
    Mary
    

    Mr. Miyagi one of my himmies has a sort of pout to his lower
    lip. This is very pink.  I always thought pink gums were a
    good sign.  White gums are a sign of death in an animals but
    please all the vet anyway.
    
    Keep up with the medication for those lousy ear mites. They are
    awful to get rid of and can do real damage to a cats ear and
    eventually to their brain if not gotten rid of.
    
    Let us know what your vet has to say.
    
    Barbara

    Stephanie,
    
    My Bandit once has this happen but it was serious.....it was more
    noticeable in that he had a problem breathing too, and it turned out
    that the little nut was out in the yard and was chasing a bee (normal
    behaviour for cats, I guess) and this time he caught it in such a
    fashion that the bee stung his inner mouth area.....  caused swelling
    of the area and a minor reaction....
    
    just check it out to be on the safe side.... you just never know....  i
    have also heard that pesticides can cause problems too with cats who
    chew outdoor foliage (and you know it is JUST that time of year)!
    
    Nancy

    Hi Stephanie,
    
    One of my cats, Sargent, started with pink gums.  Then, after a few
    days they began to swell.  Turns out, Sargent had an allergy to 
    something.  The vet gave him a shot and the swelling went away.
    The vet mentioned that if we hadn't brought him in, he would have
    lost his teeth.  The vet won't laugh.  It's safer that way.
    
    Linda

    I breed Birmans (another breed with point color) and sometimes a cat
    will have it's nose leather and gums turn pink.  Some lines are more
    prone to this than others.  One very famous Birman (Sahra Soleil Bleu
    for those that breed Birmans and are interested) had a pink nose and
    some of his progeny inherit this fault.
    
    Is your himmy a blue point?  What color is she?  Can you check with
    your breeder to see if this is common in her lines?  If you can't check
    it out with the breeder, then I suggest calling the vet.  Better safe
    than sorry.  But, my gut feeling is that this is nothing to worry
    about.
    
    Jo

    
    Thank you for all the help. I am going to call my vet right now. Elsa
    is a blue cream point. She has a black nose, her lips were never pink.
    I can notice her lips from way across the room. She is 4 years old and
    this has never happened before. She is an indoor only cat, so I know it
    isn't caused by something she ate.
    
    The reason she got ear mites is because I adopted a shelter kitty that
    had ear mites. All three of my cats have them, and it is a lot of work
    to get rid of them. 
    
    Thank you again. I'll keep you posted on her status.
    
    Stephanie
    
    PS - I did try to check in her mouth and I didn't see anything, but she
    didn't like me looking around in there either.

    
    Well, I just called, and they told me not to worry about it as long as
    she is eating. I hope they are right, because I know there is something
    wrong. They wouldn't even give me extra mite drops for my other cats
    unless I brought them in. I know my other cats have mites too, it gets
    me so mad. I'm almost out of the stuff now because I've been using it
    on all three of them. I'm thinking about switching vets. 
    
    Stephanie

    Stephanie,
    
    If she is a blue-cream point, her nose leather should be dark blue or
    pink, depending on her color distribution on her face (this doesn't
    take into consideration variations that may occur due to her
    pedigree--but that is what the standard calls for).  If she has a lot
    of cream on her face, then she may have pink pigment on her nose
    leather and/or lips.
    
    For more info on what Barbara Ives brought up, if you ever notice that
    your cats gums and the lining of their eyelids are white, get the cat
    to the vet immediately.  This whiteness could indicate severe anemia
    or internal bleeding.
    
    Jo

    Stephanie.....try not to worry...but just keep a close eye
    on her.   Does she show any other weird signs????  
    
    I also can determine the slightest difference in my cats...my
    husband says I can even read their minds.   
    
    Try not to worry..I have also heard that if the lips/gums are
    white that is a bad sign.
    
    .Sandy 

    Call them back and tell them that you are running out of the mite
    medicine.  Mites are highly contagious, and most vets will recommend
    treating the whole household if one cat turns up with them.
    
    If the vet isn't meeting your needs, by all means, look for another. 
    When you have multiple pets, you really must have a good relationship
    with your vet.  
    
    Other signs to watch for in your himmy, excess thirst, dehydration,
    frequent urination, or problems urinating, listlessness, lethargy, and
    any deviation from normal behavior.  
    
    If she is looking and acting normal in every other way, it could just
    be that she experienced a change in pigment.  Lots of cats go through
    this depending on their age and color.  Red or cream cats will often
    develop "freckles" on their lips, gums, eye linings and paw pads as
    they age.
    
    Also, a blue point male Birman that was sired by my Kalliste once lost
    the pigment in his nose leather--it turned completely pink overnight. 
    We were concerned that it was inherited from that cat I mentioned who
    was way back in this boy's mom's pedigree. But, it turned out that the
    cat had been stung by a bee on his nose, and his nose leather returned
    to it's normal blue color a few months later.  The cat suffered no
    other ill effects from the sting.
    
    Jo

    Where are you located?  Perhaps a noter could recommend a nearby vet.
    This business of no extra mite medicine for the others doesn't
    sound right to me.  It's best to have a vet you feel comfortable
    about.
    t

    No kidding...It sounds like the Vet just wants to pocket some extra
    money for two more visits. Not a very nice thing to say, but it DOES
    happen. Vets aren't always as noble as you'd like to think. I've left 
    a vet behind for this very reason!
    
    I hope the mites & pink lips clear up quickly!!
    
    Bonnie
    

    I do agree with having multiple cats you need a very good
    relationship with your vet.  My vet is very sensitive to
    any illness and the effect on my other cats.  I have gotten
    prescription with refills just in case I ran out.
    
    He even came over my house to give all my guys rabies shots...
    because between me and my sister there are 11 cats in the house...
    and he thought it would be best to come over.  And he is a vet
    that normally doesn't do housecall.
    
    You might want to start talking to some other vets in your 
    area just to find out what they would have done in this
    prediciment with the mites.   
    
    Sandy

    As an example, when one of my cats had worms due to fleas, my vet
    prescribed worm pills for my other cats without my even asking.
    

    
    
    I was so mad last week when they wouldn't give me more mite medication.
    I'm not stupid, I know my other cats have mites too, and I know they
    got it from the cat from the shelter. They are all scratching their
    ears and have cofee ground looking black stuff in there. I know that
    they must just want my money, it is so frustrating. Someone did
    tell me about another vet in the area that is real good. I live in
    Manchester NH. The lady laughed at me on the phone when I told her my
    cat had pink lips. She said "Well, I don't think we can do anything
    about that". I tried to explain but they just didn't want to be
    bothered. It always seems like this kind of thing happens before a
    holiday or on a weekend when the office is closed!
    
    Elsa is still acting like her normal self, but her lips and around her
    lips are all pink. It looks like she drank something pink, but there
    isn't anything pink in my house that she could have drank. 
    
    I would think if this pinkness was a normal symptom of some  kind of
    problem that cats get, then the vet or some of you would have known.
    Since it is nothing obvious, then I won't worry as much. 
    
    If anyone does have any suggestions of good vets in the Manchester
    area, I would be interested.
    
    Thanks again for all you help.
    
    Stephanie

    Could Elsa have been nibbling on a house plant?  Some plants are
    very irritating to cats (some in fact can be fatal).
    

    This thing with the mite medication  - ok - I'll take a deep breath!!!
    Just my 2 cents worth - taken them to another vet - those mites take a
    while to clear up and you'll need adequate medication for all three -
    as for Elsa's lips - it could be nothing but it's better finding out
    that it's nothing and putting your mind at ease.  Maybe another vet
    would be a little more concerned about her lips suddenly turning color.
    
    Heck, my vet always gives me extra medication to keep on hand for
    "certain" re-occurences and it's usually at no cost.
    
    Giudi

    Re: .16

>    							      I live in
>    Manchester NH. The lady laughed at me on the phone when I told her my
>    cat had pink lips. She said "Well, I don't think we can do anything
>    about that". I tried to explain but they just didn't want to be
>    bothered. It always seems like this kind of thing happens before a
>    holiday or on a weekend when the office is closed!
        
    You have a legitimate question, and deserve a proper answer. You do *not* 
    deserve to be laughed at. It sounds like the person you spoke to was not 
    a veterinarian. (If so, I would quickly find another!) I could excuse 
    the average person for thinking a cat with hot pink lips was hilarious 
    and laughing at the image, but for this person to say "I don't think 
    we can do anything about it" was downright wrong. Your questions should 
    be answered by a vet, not an unknowledgeable person. Abnormal coloring 
    of a cat's gums and mouth *can* be a sign of serious illness (pale gums 
    are one of the signs of feline leukemia, for example) and you should be 
    able to get a satisfactory explanation of your concerns. 

    When I lived in Goffstown, I took my cats to the Bedford Animal Hospital,
    off Route 101A.  Dr. DePrima and Dr. Sofield own the hospital and are 
    very good. There are usualy one or two other vets working there (I think 
    they are either interns or just out of medical school, and usually stay 
    about a year) who range from ok to very good. Dr. Baus, who is probably 
    no longer there, treated Fuzzy Wuzzy, who had feline leukemia, and was 
    very compassionate. BAH has regular office hours 7 days a week (except 
    holidays) and 24 hour emergency service all the time. Their prices 
    seemed reasonable to very good and they had a group rate for multiple
    cats (if you're interested in trying them, though, I would ask to be
    sure the policy is still the same). 

    If you are still worried about what the change in Elsa's lip color means,
    you could make an appointment for a second opinion with a new vet you'd 
    like to try. For me, it would be worth the price of an office visit to 
    put my mind at ease.  

    I also think that, under these circumstances, you should be able to get 
    ear mite medicine for your other cats without bringing them in. 

    Linda 

    When you call the vet about the lips, instead of saying "my cats lips
    are pink" why not say that you cat has experienced a loss of pigment on
    her lips.  They may take you more seriously.
    
    Jo

    Excuse me, Bedford Animal Hospital is off Route 101, not Route 101A.
    My mind must be in holiday mode already!
    
    Linda

    
    Thank you all for your help. Elsa's lips are still a little pink, but
    she is not acting sick. I got the name of the vet in my area who is
    suppose to be really good. I am going to make an appointment today,
    because I have now run out of the mite medication. Since this is a new
    vet, they might require seeing all my cats in order to give me the
    medication for all of them, but at least I won't run into problems the
    next time.
    
    The only reason I didn't switch vets sooner is because my cats were
    never sick before. I just took them once a year for their shots. One
    year they gave Elsa the Leukemia booster shot and she never had even
    had Leukemia shots. I was worried that she would get Leukemia because
    of this, but they told me not to worry. I was even more upset when they
    charged me for it!! I should have switched vets then. 
    
    Thank you all for your information. I know Elsa is okay, but I will
    feel much better having her checked out again. I'll post a note when I
    find out what it is. 
    
    Thanks.
    
    Stephanie  

    Please, Stephanie, Do keep us posted. I'm very interested to know what
    the vet has to say about the pigment change.
    
    Crossed paws!
    
    Bonnie

    According to my notes from the MSPCA lecture on first aid the color
    of the mucous membranes can indicate the following:
    
    white - Low blood pressure, anemia, shock
    blue - low oxygen (cyanosis), respiratory problem
    RED - Sepsis (systemic infection), heat stroke, High Blood Pressure
    
    I certainly would consider the situations associated with red
    mucous membranes to be sufficiently serious to warrent some 
    consideration by a vet.  
    
    If it was sufficiently hot during that time period, perhaps she was
    just a little overheated - like humans with a flushed face - or it
    could be High Blood Pressure or some other condition that warrants
    consideration.  Humans with HBP know that there usually are NO 
    other symptoms and that the only way to tell is to have their
    BP taken.  I have no idea how prone to HBP cats are, but its worth
    consideration.
    
    Regarding the FLV shot - I make it a point to refuse to pay for
    services I did not request.*  You rely on your vet to know what shots
    your cats need and to administer them appropriately.  If the vet
    mistakenly gave a FLV booster to your cat then you should not have
    to pay for it!  It is even more galling when you consider the fact
    that FLV shots only cost the vets around $3-$5 each and they charge
    $18-$25 to give them.  
    
    Nancy DC
    
    * within reason.  If its really necessary then I'll pay for it.

    Re: RED - Sepsis (systemic infection), heat stroke, High Blood Pressure
    
    Of if its at the margins of the teeth only, gun inflamation that
    probably needs treatment.
    

    Hopefully the basenoter is still checking this....
    
    My vet is in Goffstown.  He's Dr. Charles Leighty and runs the Village
    Animal Clinic.  497-4113.
    
    I have had him for years (he started at the Bedford Animal Hosp. and
    left to start his own practice).  He's very easy to talk to and very
    compassionate.
    
    There is one of his assistants who thinks she knows EVERYTHING
    (although she HAS gotten better over the last few years).  Dr. Leighty
    keeps her because she is VERY good with the animals, just not a good
    people person.  So, if you get by her I'm sure you'll love the vet!
    
    Good luck!