Cat ate a gecko

[bfc1980]

Hi, my cat just ate a gecko and after reading online (mainly US websites), geckos carry a parasite (liver flukes) that is potentially fatal to cats. Is this also true for Thai geckos? It's our first pet here and only had her a week so are pretty new all things Pet related. 

[AlexRich]

Check out the link below, it explains everything:

 

https://pets.thenest.com/kind-lizards-deadly-cats-ingested-8917.html

[worgeordie]

I don't know about liver flukes,maybe more likely if it ate a frog

as liver flukes are found in water,but you will need to get it wormed

on a regular basis, as that won't be the first or last gecko it will eat,

cats seem to love them.

regards worgeordie

[Oxx]

I suggest you get an ultrasound taken now as a baseline, so if your cat gets sick a repeat ultrasound will show any degradation of gall bladder/liver.

[Sheryl]

Was it an actual gecko or a jink jok (small lizards)?

 

If a jonk jok my cats eat them all the time. Never a problem.

 

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[jak2002003]

On ‎2‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 8:16 AM, Oxx said:

I suggest you get an ultrasound taken now as a baseline, so if your cat gets sick a repeat ultrasound will show any degradation of gall bladder/liver.

Bit of an overreaction!  Are you advising owners to take their pet cats to the vets every time they eat a gecko, insect, mouse or bird?!!!

 

Cats kill and eat other small animals.  Its very very very unlikely to make a cat sick from eating a gecko.  

 

 

[Pilotman]

My cat regularly eats tiny geckos, in fact, it seems to be her nighttime entertainment, chasing them around the house.  If it happens it happens I guess, I don't see how you can stop either the cat eating them or the geckos getting into your house. 

[Oxx]

4 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

Bit of an overreaction!  Are you advising owners to take their pet cats to the vets every time they eat a gecko, insect, mouse or bird?!!!

 

Cats kill and eat other small animals.  Its very very very unlikely to make a cat sick from eating a gecko.  

 

Try re-reading what I wrote.  I was specifically recommending an ultrasound as a baseline.  It is extremely helpful if, at some time in the future, the pet gets sick and needs an ultrasound for diagnostic purposes.  The vet can see to what extent (if any) the liver has been damaged.

[Pilotman]

2 hours ago, Oxx said:

 

Try re-reading what I wrote.  I was specifically recommending an ultrasound as a baseline.  It is extremely helpful if, at some time in the future, the pet gets sick and needs an ultrasound for diagnostic purposes.  The vet can see to what extent (if any) the liver has been damaged.

I'm not at all sure that ultrasound is of much diagnostic use for a liver aliment, unless its very advanced cancer with extensive  damage.  A liver blood test to check enzyme levels is much more informative.  300 Bhat at most vets. 

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, Pilotman said:

My cat regularly eats tiny geckos, in fact, it seems to be her nighttime entertainment, chasing them around the house.  If it happens it happens I guess, I don't see how you can stop either the cat eating them or the geckos getting into your house. 

These are called Jink-jok in Thai and all cats eat them. My 3 consume them daily and always have. Mostly harmless. Occasionally they may contain a parasite which the cat then gets. Good idea to deworm every 3 months.

[Pilotman]

1 minute ago, Sheryl said:

These are called Jink-jok in Thai and all cats eat them. My 3 consume them daily and always have. Completely harmless.

Cuts down on the buying of cat food I guess.  ???? I brought  my cat here from the UK.  She thinks she is in heaven with a free running buffet available 24/7.  

[Sheryl]

But do deworm her every 3 months. Sometimes they pick up parasites this way (and may also from the soil, or from other prey).

[steve73]

One of my cats once caught a small green snake (I've heard them called "coconut" snakes) - about 15" long and a little thicker than a pencil.

 

When I tried to take if off her, she ran off and disappeared.  I found her about an hour later with 6" or so of the tail hanging out of her mouth, and then proudly sucked-in and swallowed the rest of it like I would a piece of spaghetti.  

 

Didn't seem to do her any harm and the resulting "product" was much the same as normal...

[Oxx]

38 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

I'm not at all sure that ultrasound is of much diagnostic use for a liver aliment, unless its very advanced cancer with extensive  damage.

 

I guess you're not a vet, then.

 

One of my dogs was poisoned a few weeks ago.  After the initial blood tests, the vet wanted an ultrasound of the liver and gall bladder.  The ultrasound showed problems with both.  The vet said that he was hindered by not having a baseline ultrasound, so couldn't tell to what extent the problems were caused by the poisoning, and to what extent from a possible underlying condition.

 

Oh, and this wasn't a "regular" Thai vet, but a lecturer at Kasetsart University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.  Apparently he knows more about the use of ultrasound in pets than you.

[Pilotman]

3 minutes ago, Oxx said:

 

I guess you're not a vet, then.

 

One of my dogs was poisoned a few weeks ago.  After the initial blood tests, the vet wanted an ultrasound of the liver and gall bladder.  The ultrasound showed problems with both.  The vet said that he was hindered by not having a baseline ultrasound, so couldn't tell to what extent the problems were caused by the poisoning, and to what extent from a possible underlying condition.

 

Oh, and this wasn't a "regular" Thai vet, but a lecturer at Kasetsart University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.  Apparently he knows more about the use of ultrasound in pets than you.

maybe, maybe not.  Depends on the situation, the animal concerned and the problem.  

[poohy]

My dogs eat them no ill effects

 

But their favourite toys are small frogs in the evening chasing them around and throwing them in the air then checking if still alive by banging them with their paws.

From start to finish (death of frog) is about 15 mins

[Oxx]

21 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

maybe, maybe not.  Depends on the situation, the animal concerned and the problem.  

 

I really can't believe someone can be so obtuse.  There are conditions where having a baseline ultrasound helps with diagnosis.  Unless you have a time machine you can't go back in time to get the baseline ultrasound.  And if one doesn't have a time machine, best to get that initial ultrasound, just in case.

[Pilotman]

1 hour ago, Oxx said:

 

I really can't believe someone can be so obtuse.  There are conditions where having a baseline ultrasound helps with diagnosis.  Unless you have a time machine you can't go back in time to get the baseline ultrasound.  And if one doesn't have a time machine, best to get that initial ultrasound, just in case.

I know of no one who has ever a 'baseline ultrasound' of themselves, their family, or their pets.  Not being obtuse at all, I just dont see the point and apparently not many others do too.   

[CharlieH]

Nonsense post removed.

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, Oxx said:

 

I guess you're not a vet, then.

 

One of my dogs was poisoned a few weeks ago.  After the initial blood tests, the vet wanted an ultrasound of the liver and gall bladder.  The ultrasound showed problems with both.  The vet said that he was hindered by not having a baseline ultrasound, so couldn't tell to what extent the problems were caused by the poisoning, and to what extent from a possible underlying condition.

 

Oh, and this wasn't a "regular" Thai vet, but a lecturer at Kasetsart University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.  Apparently he knows more about the use of ultrasound in pets than you.

And I guess a few weeks ago, you were unaware of these baseline ultrasounds until your 'hi-so' vet brought it up?

[Rimmer]

I have six cats at this time,  they all eat geckos all the time, its what cats do. No harm comes to them or ever has in fifteen years here and 20 years of cats eating geckos in Singapore.

 

The big green spotted towkay guys are a different matter, they still eat them but sick them up a few hours later. Still no harm to the cats  ????

[NCC1701A]

all I know is my crew of cats have annihilated very living thing within 100 meters of my house and they are fine.

 

but they did get sick accidentally drinking my unfiltered tap water.  

 

[nauseus]

2 minutes ago, Rimmer said:

I have six cats at this time,  they all eat geckos all the time, its what cats do. No harm comes to them or ever has in fifteen years here and 20 years of cats eating geckos in Singapore.

 

The big green spotted towkay guys are a different matter, they still eat them but sick them up a few hours later. Still no harm to the cats  ????

My cat usually throws geckos back up too, after a while. Very fussy eater. Makes a bit of a mess but all part of nature's protection, I suppose. Main dangers to cats are vehicles and mean dogs. Visiting cats often like a fight but these are rarely too serious. I wouldn't worry about a little old lizard too much.

[bfc1980]

Thanks for the replies. As an update, a few days after I wrote the post, her abdomen swelled up massives and has been diagnosed with bacterial peritonitis (probably caught from when she was spayed a week before we got her). She's been on antibiotics since then and it keeps coming back. We initially thought it could be FIP so there's huge relief that it isn't. We just need the infection to clear which is taking a very long time.

I took her for an ultrasound over the weekend at Rama 9 animal hospital to find out the extent of the fluid inside her and fortunately her organs are all ok. All in all since we got her, we've spent around 10,000 baht in vets bills. But she's well worth it. Plus, if this were in the UK, those vets bills (xray, ultrasound, drugs, fluid aspiration x2, blood tests x 2, bacterial culture and consultation fees) would be in excess of 50,000 baht.

[steven100]

leave a saucer of milk at the door .....  if the milk is gone in the morning the cats fine .....

if the milk is still there in the morning .... order a new cat.

[wgdanson]

On 3/9/2019 at 10:21 AM, Oxx said:

 

Try re-reading what I wrote.  I was specifically recommending an ultrasound as a baseline.  It is extremely helpful if, at some time in the future, the pet gets sick and needs an ultrasound for diagnostic purposes.  The vet can see to what extent (if any) the liver has been damaged.

Getting a new cat would be cheaper !   LOL

[djayz]

On 3/9/2019 at 1:17 PM, Sheryl said:

But do deworm her every 3 months. Sometimes they pick up parasites this way (and may also from the soil, or from other prey).

Deworm at the vets every 3 months, or can I buy the stuff at a pet store and apply it to the cat myself?

[Sheryl]

Deworm at the vets every 3 months, or can I buy the stuff at a pet store and apply it to the cat myself?

Either but it's a tablet not local application.

Most vets will sell it to you to give at home. Just tell them the body weight.


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[Sheryl]

Getting a new cat would be cheaper !   LOL

Ckearly not a cat lover.

They are as individual as people. There is no replacing a pet.

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[wgdanson]

44 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Ckearly not a cat lover.

They are as individual as people. There is no replacing a pet.

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You missed the LOL sheryl, it was a joke!