Kitty Seems Slightly Off

15 years ago

So I need some advice. Per the advice of my vet, I brought my cat for a simple teeth cleaning on Friday 4/29. It was a non-aesthesia cleaning so it was minimally traumatizing to my cat. They just scraped off the tartar. My kitty was not happy to go to the vet for this, but after I brought him home he seemed fine. He was acting his perfectly normal self.

Fast forward one day and on Saturday 4/30 we notice kitty is acting a little bit off. He's sleeping a lot and just seems very low energy. He is still eating, but not finishing his food. He is going to the bathroom like normal, but he just doesn't seem his normal curious/active self.

Fast forward one more day on Sunday 5/1 we notice kitty is still a little bit off, but maybe slightly better. He eats more food than the day before, but still sleeping a lot and being very low energy. Spends most of the day sleeping.

Fast forward to today on Monday 5/2 kitty is still not quite right. Usually he wakes up very early around 4AM and when we come out to feed him at around 5:30 normally is very active and meowing for food. This morning we found him exactly as he left him the night before asleep in his bed. We woke him up and he ate all his wet food (better than day before), but doesn't eat all of dry food. He stays awake a little while to get pets and kisses but still low energy. When I left the house this morning for work he is fast asleep again in his bed.

Is my kitty sick? He is going to the bathroom normal, but he just doesn't seem quite right. Did he catch a cold from the vet office? He isn't sneezing, no discharge from eyes, just low energy. Please any advice would be helpful!

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Comments (6)

homebodymom
15 years ago
Hope your kitty is feeling better by now. If not I would call the vet. Maybe he is sore from the cleaning?
mazer415
15 years ago
It could be an infection. Take your cat to the vet ASAP
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Meghane
15 years ago
Anesthesia-free dentals cause more problems than what your pet had prior to getting the procedure done. Yes, the tartar is scraped off. However, doing this etches the enamel on the teeth, which makes it easier for bacteria and tartar to collect again. Also you can't evaluate under the gumline in an awake pet to check for pockets of pus, etc. Finally you can't extract problem teeth in an awake pet, if you could find any problems anyway which you can't because it's not possible to probe properly in an awake pet.

With anesthesia you save your pet from being manhandled while sharp objects are poking around its mouth. Anesthesia relieves your pet of pain, being scared, and allows for a much more thorough procedure since they can polish the teeth and restore the smoothness that prevents bacteria and tartar from adhering in the first place. Anesthesia allows for probing and extractions.

It's very possible that a sharp dental instrument has scraped your cat's mouth while it was struggling during the procedure. If you think your cat wasn't struggling, try brushing its teeth. Imagine how much pain a sharp dental instrument could cause by sticking into your cat's tongue or gums. I wouldn't eat well and would probably be moping around if someone did that to me, especially since pets can't understand the command "Open wide."

It may be totally unrelated to the dental procedure but I would still have them make sure there are no traumatic lesions in your cat's mouth while you are having him checked out at the vet. Definitely something is wrong. I hope he starts to feel better very soon.
Elly_NJ
15 years ago
It sounds like you know something is wrong with your cat.
annzgw
15 years ago
I am so glad to see Meghane's viewpoint on this procedure since I've always had my doubts about it.

I've never understood how any vet could see it as minimally traumatizing, especially for a cat.
californiangardener
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you for everyone's comments especially's Meghane's! It's been a week now and my cat seems almost normal again. I didn't end up taking him to the vet because he just seemed to get better and better everyday. But next time he gets a dental cleaning it won't be non-aesthesia!!