Cats and Salmonella?

[Mr.Tibbles]

Hi,
Today one of my cats was acting odd (walking in tight circles, crying, not eating, drooling a bit, standing with her face in corners). We took her to the emergency vet and she has another appointment with our regular vet today. They weren't able to find anything conclusive, although they do have some ideas. I was just wondering if there is a chance she got salmonella from our red footed tortoise. They don't have a lot of contact, but they both wonder around the house and he sometimes tries to climb in the water (if we catch him we change it, we also change it after he goes back in his house).

In short, how likely is it for a cat to get salmonella from a tortoise?

Thanks

 

[leigti]

I would think unlikely. Although I would not let them have access to the same water. I'm no vet but it sounds like your cat may have had a stroke. I hope I'm wrong. Animals aren't as susceptible to salmonella as us humans are. For instants I've been feeding my dog and cat eats raw food for years and never had a salmonella issue.

 

[Tom]

Salmonella in your cat is possible, but not likely.

Your tortoise should not be running loose in the house. Its not safe for him and we see tragedy after tragedy here from the practice. One member squashed her tortoises head in the door and killed it. Another member had her tortoise swallow a 2" long stick pin that she has no idea how it got on the floor. I've seen all sorts of x-rays of tortoises with all sorts of foreign objects in them and broken legs because they were accidentally kicked or stepped on. Everyone of these people thought they were being very careful and had the best of intentions. Being careful and good intentions did not save their tortoise from having to have its plastron sawed open by a vet at the cost of thousands of dollars...

I ask you to please reconsider this practice before something bad happens and you learn the hard way too, at your tortoises expense.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I hope that your cat gets well soon.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

My current cat drinks from the turtle pond regularly. I doubt there's a connection with your cat's illness.

My old cat was 20 years old when she stuck her head in the corner. By that point she had other health problems and there was nothing to be done except put her to sleep. She had spent the previous day in hiding and had not eaten or drunk at all. I'm not saying the vet can't help your cat, just that I've seen some of the symptoms you describe. I'd be inclined to suspect poison.

 

[Jodie]

Hope your cat will be alright.

 

[Randi]

Has the vet done a full panel of blood work? That would be a good place to start. Even a urine sample would help. How old is your cat? If it is older, it could be struggling with cognitive dysfunction. Does your cat have access to outside? Is your cat drinking water? Is your cat puking? Is your cat still going to the bathroom? There could be many things causing your cat to act this way. Salmonella is unlikely. I hope for the best. Best of luck to you and yours.

 

[deadheadvet]

Very unlikely Salmonella is the culprit. Depending on the cat's age, things I would consider, would be: viral, heart disease, stroke, brain tumor, toxin, hypertension.
Blood Work would be a good start as mentioned. A good neuro exam would be necessary as well.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hope your cat has recovered now.