Open to everyone
Emergency protocols
These pages stay unlocked. If the sign matches, you leave. The hospital does the rest.
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: 888-426-4435 (consultation fee may apply).
Go now — hours matter
Urethral obstruction
A blocked male cat cannot empty the bladder. Potassium rises. The heart can stop.
Minutes — do not wait
Respiratory distress
Open-mouth breathing or a pumping belly means the cat cannot meet oxygen demand.
Go now, even before signs
Toxin or lily exposure
True lilies can wreck feline kidneys from pollen or a few petals. Human pain medicine is often fatal.
Go now — this is painful
Saddle thrombus
A clot from the heart lodges where the aorta splits to the back legs.
Stabilize and go
Trauma and bleeding
Cats walk away from injuries that are still bleeding inside.
Cool gently, then go
Heatstroke
A panting cat in a hot car or sunroom is in trouble. Cats do not cool like dogs.
If known diabetic — do not wait
Diabetic crisis
A diabetic cat who is vomiting, too weak to stand, or breathing in deep slow pulls needs a hospital.
If a kitten is stuck, go
Labor that is not progressing
More than 20 minutes of active straining without a kitten, or a kitten visible and not moving, is dystocia.