Good vibes for my beloved kitty Silver, please [View all]
Silver - a beautiful long haired Silver tabby (part Maine Coon) is my baby girl; I have five cats but she's my shadow and my soul-kitty.
She's been healthy her whole life (8 years so far) but always has had sort of iffy teeth; they've never bothered her, though, and her weight and appetite have always been good.
About 4 days ago she started acting like it wasn't any fun to eat - one of our other cats (Ivan) had a similar issue a few days earlier that cleared up with some antibiotics (I have Clavamox on hand from the days when I was caring for a few sick ferals). Ivan started out drooling profusely and not eating, now Silver is, too (though her drooling has definitely slowed) and both were / are acting like their jaws were sort of stuck sometimes, and like food didn't taste or smell good.
Silver is having a harder time with this. Ivan kicked it fast. Her breath smells fine. I have poked around gently in her mouth and there seems to be no particularly sore area. But she isn't feeling her usual self, isn't drinking and is barely eating. She's also not grooming. Something funky is definitely going on with her mouth.
I've had her on antibiotics for about 4 days now, and we've been giving her water and some fish oil through a little syringe-squirter for calories and fluids. She has licked Fancy Feast gravy but not a lot.
Why haven't I taken her to the vet yet? One, to see if her issue will clear up the way Ivan's did, and two, I have been perpetually short of funds for so long I can barely remember when I wasn't. I'm terrified that there will be the verdict of a gigantic dental bill / tooth removal, and I don't have a regular vet here (having just taken our kitties to the vaccination clinic put on by PetCo for the last 4 years).
So, vibes, please, that she gets better very soon with the antibiotics. Or, vibes that I can find a vet who will work out a payment plan with me.
I love all of my cats, but Silver is just ... my girl. Please help her feel better. 
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