Cat owners cannot decode next steps for complex diagnoses

“Hi! Don't normally post on Reddit, so I threw together an account because I'm currently torn over this. I've had a cat for a very long time: * Age: 15 * Sex/Neuter status: Male, neutered * Breed: Orange shorthair and he's never had any health problems in his entire life. Until last year he got his vaccines and boosters, but my vet told me it's probably time to ease off them as he's getting older. Despite his age he still plays, eats, uses his litter box, is very vocal, et”

“- Species: Cat - Age: 5 years - Sex/Neuter status: Male, neutered - Body weight: 5kg History: Gingivitis and periodontitis since he was a kitten. Some of the smaller teeth have been extracted under anaesthetic every year. No medications and no other medical conditions. At this year's dental, our vet took radiographs of the canines and has recommended extracting all four, which we'll likely have to ahead with it seems. Scans: https://imgur.com/a/LAucJZ5 I'd like to understand what the”

“Hello! I have two male oranges, completely indoor, one just turned 3 and the other is 3 next February. The fella who is 3 now is a little rescue domestic shorthair, we've had him since he was 5(ish) months old. Sweetest, friendliest tiny dude ever. Very big eater, quick to learn tricks, very vocal and extremely affectionate to everyone. He's Kimchi. Both were given their kitten vaccines & boosters but no boosters as adults, they've never been outside or interacted with other anim”

“Hello all, We have consulted three vets and are between two. We have two cats, aged 16 months, neutered male Havana Browns. They are between 8-9 lbs. One initially presented with juvenile gingivitis, the other no issues with teeth. I then noticed a foul odor recently from both their mouths, scheduled a check up and their usual vet diagnosed both of them with stomatitis due to the loss of 3-4 teeth in both cats. We went for a second opinion because we were in understandable shock. The second vet”

“My cat, Gus, (4M, indoor only) went through FIP treatment last year. Because of everything we went through with diagnostics and treatment, he ended up with a lions shave. Thankfully, he finished his treatment in October 2025 and he has been very healthy since then. The only odd thing is that his belly hair never came back. I noticed around June 2026 that he had been grooming himself more than normal. Over the last two months, he has groomed his arms and legs bald too. (Photos linked at the botto”

“Hi everyone, today I brought my 6 month old cat (male, domestic shorthair, neutered, 7.5 lbs) to the vet for a check up and unrelated issues to this post. During this visit everything was great except they said he has juvenile gingivitis. He recently lost his baby teeth and his adult teeth are growing in. They basically gave us options and estimates for professional dental care and it is expensive ($800-$3000) and want us to come every few months for a few years and pay that much every time. I l”

“he’s 2 years old and i adopted him earlier this year from a cat cafe (that did not do the best in providing veterinary care for their cats but i digress). looking through his vet paperwork today i see that they wrote periodontal disease grade 3, but i remember from his earlier visits this year that they said we will have to provide oral care and add anti plaque powder and give him dental treats and they made it sound like it wasn’t a big deal. but at a glance online, there’s a few sites that say”

“Hi all, apologies for the long post. I am 25 based in the UK I have access to a vet but worried about funds as I’ve been back and forth at the vet this past month. My cat is a 3 years old male and a tonkinese mix, neutered, 4.56kg from 4.8kg post hospital stay. TLDR: My cat’s nose randomly started fluctuating from bubblegum pink, he’s experiencing lethargy but eating 1 pouch wet royal canin gastrointestinal, a cup of dry royal canin digestive care, 1 pouch purina hydro life. churu treats include”

“[USA] (26F) My cat Smokey is 11 1/2 years old neutered male cat. He just went into the vet 08/28 for his updates FelV shots, senior bloodwork and me wanting to check in with the vet about his food and water habits. I told them I wanted them to check his teeth and let them know I could provide assistance due to a spot on his lower mid back mouth area that had seemed irritated last year but improved after his last dental. Vet said Smokey wouldn’t let him check his teeth and yesterday he barely ate”

“Hello! I just need some reassurance or what are some of your experiences. (this is my first cat with FIV so i don't have much experience) My 15y old male neutered cat (who has been hit by a car a month ago, minf you) went to a check up today, to take a wire out of his jaw since it was already 6 weeks in. We did bloodwork because i though he had some PU/PD and was worried for his kidneys. Other than that, he is totally fine behaviour wise. Turns out everything is okay (kidneys, T4 normal as w”

“Hey everyone, new cat owner here, northern Alabama, lm not unfamiliar with them or owning pets in general. I could go into why I rationalized owning a 2.5 year old FIV rescue while living alone for the first time at 21 with bills, but I’m really here to gain more insight and choose how to go forward. — (Intro/relevant information - issues stated afterwards ) — I did my due diligence, spoke with his caretakers and met him, and after he let me pick him up, I very carefully and quickly checked his”

“Location: Colorado. I have a 13 year old neutered tuxedo male cat that is 100% indoors (always has been), 8.5lbs. We have another cat (3 year old, neutered male, 100% indoors) who we've had for 2.5 years. About 9 months ago, I started noticing the hair thinning on the 13 year old's neck and him scratching more often. No changes in the household; food is the same, laundry detergent the same, my husband and I both have asthma so we use air cleaners and nothing scented (cat litter is also n”

“I have a 16 year old spayed cat that is about 12 lbs who is thriving in every way except one, her dental issues. At some point she had lost one of her 4 fangs, but she never really showed symptoms of discomfort despite this. Now I've noticed one of her teeth look like "tooth resorption" and I changed her food and cutback on dryfood hoping it would heal a little which worked to a degree. She is still chattering after eating though and seems to have some discomfort. The issue that ma”

“I found this sick stray cat around a month ago she's around 7-8 months old, not spayed, around 2.5 kg weight, short haired cat. She had 106 fever and very low wbc or something. I took her to vet and she got better and stayed better for few days but now she has dental issues. I already spent all little money I had on her fever treatment now I can't afford to take her to vet again. Please suggest what I can do she's already very weak I'm afraid she can't go another day without”

“Hi everyone. I'm looking for some advice and personal experiences regarding my 2-year-old oyen soldier of a cat. My oyen soldier recently had digestive issues and was put on an 8-day treatment by the vet, which I've been giving him at home. His appetite and energy have remained good, and his stool improved significantly during treatment. At his follow-up, the vet tested him for FeLV (feline leukemia virus) and FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) test kit, and unfortunately, he tested pos”

“i have a ~6yr old male neutered house cat Went to Vet nr 1 for respiratory issues, got back meds for the respiratory issues and a diagnosis for gingivitis. Vet1 also said the next course of action would be teeth pulling(not all ,just the ones that are problematic). Went to another vet on the other side of town for a second opinion. Vet2 said to absolutely not pull teeth and sent us home with dental bites. So I'm asking for a third opinion, can gingivitis be cured with just some treat flavore”

“Me and my partner recently adopted a male cat, he’s six years old, he’s neutered, a domestic shorthair, and slightly under 11 pounds (also we live in the pacific northwest). He also has mild static CH, but still loves to play, and is able to eat and use the litter box by himself. He is one of the sweetest cats we’ve ever met and that’s why we picked him, but unfortunately he is dealing with some chronic issues and I would like advice on what would be best to do in terms of what we should priorit”

“Hello everyone, I’d really appreciate some opinions, especially from veterinarians or anyone who has experience with similar cases. My cat is 16 years old, FeLV positive, and over the past few weeks she has lost a significant amount of weight, is eating much less, has become much less active, and often walks in a crouched position. She also has a firm abdomen. Today she was examined by our veterinarian, who found a mass involving the stomach and intestines, although they don’t yet know exactly w”

“Hi everyone. Last Thursday, our 6-year-old male cat, Nicky, had all his teeth extracted except for the small front ones. His gums were chronically inflamed despite antibiotic treatment, and the vet said his body was "rejecting" his teeth. Apparently, some bone was also shaved off his jaw. He was doing great for the first two days, but since Sunday, he’s started pawing at his mouth as if something were stuck there. He does this every now and then. He also frequently smacks his lips and”

“We have an orange boy, who we took on after his previous family abandoned him. Our best estimate for his age is somewhere in his mid-teens. In the last couple of weeks a lump showed up on his mouth- about the size of a ping pong ball now. We took him to the vet and they said it's a mass - likely cancer. They've left us with some options. He is very loved and we do not want him to suffer. That said, aside from the lump on his face, he seems much himself - eating and cuddling, and doesn&#3”

“Species: Feline Age: 3 Sex/Neuter status: M, neutered Breed: Domestic short hair, possibly russian blue mix Body weight: 10.6 lbs History: In vet's words, "possible" feline herpes, has had recurrent conjunctivitis. Used to get teeth brushed daily or every other day, but due to hardship at home, frequency has dropped to 1-3x/week depending on situation. Clinical signs: According to vet, mild and light conjunctivitis with almost no tartar at home; gums are red, particularly in one sp”

“Signalment: 1.5yo domestic shorthair orange cat, neutered, 12.5 lbs Short history: Adopted with his twin sister a year ago from a small adoption agency in San Jose. Both cats generally healthy, though have dealt with fleas and tapeworms in the past year (both treated). Clinical signs: Had a vet visit 5 days ago for something unrelated but came back with watery eye more than usual, squinting, redness around eyelid, light sensitivity Length of time you have seen these changes: Leaky eye constantly”

“Hi everyone, I’m looking for a direction to go in for my cat, Clark, who is 10 years old and has several issues. I found out that he is FIV+ and has persistent a mycoplasma haemofelis infection that he can’t shake despite being on 4 weeks of antibiotics. He had an overnight in a vets office which caused severe stress and a herpes outbreak. He has had ultrasounds of his GI and lymph node aspirations that all came back normal. Something is suppressing his bone marrow and he has severe neutropenia”

“Species: Cat Age: 8 years Sex/Neutered: Male, neutered Breed: Domestic Shorthair Body weight: 3.4 kg (has gained ~500g since first visit) Location: Western Cape, South Africa (coastal) Duration of issue: 3 weeks (first presented 22 June 2026) FeLV and FIV: negative. Under active veterinary care: Yes — currently being managed by our vet. Not looking to replace their advice, just hoping for additional perspectives on what else to consider asking about. History Alex was bitten by another cat and th”