CatEmergency.org

Clinic-grade call sheet · print or share

What to Tell the Emergency Vet About Your Cat

Use this now

Say the main sign first, then give timing, severity, breathing, gum color, appetite, water intake, urine, stool, vomiting, pain, toxin or trauma risk, medications, and existing disease. If signs are urgent, call or go now while preparing details.

Go now / call now if

  • Trouble breathing, collapse, seizure, pale/blue gums
  • Cannot urinate, toxin exposure, lily exposure, human medicine exposure
  • Heatstroke signs, major trauma, severe pain, uncontrolled bleeding
  • Repeated vomiting, bloody diarrhea, weakness, or rapidly worsening signs

Say this first

“My cat’s main sign is __. It started __ and is getting better/worse. Age/weight: __. Breathing/gums: __. Eating/drinking: __. Urine/stool: __. Vomiting/diarrhea/pain/collapse/seizure: __. Possible exposure or injury: __.”

Fill in before or during the call

Main sign in one sentence
Start time and whether worsening
Age, weight, sex, neuter status
Breathing effort and gum color
Eating, drinking, urine, stool
Vomiting, diarrhea, pain, collapse, seizure
Plants, medicines, chemicals, string, trauma, heat, surgery
Current medications and known diagnoses

Do not

  • Do not bury the urgent sign in a long story; say it first.
  • Do not guess at diagnosis or dose. Say what you saw.
  • Do not delay go-now care to collect perfect notes.

Useful links

Reviewed by

Reviewed by the CatEmergency.org Veterinary Review Team. Review date: 2026-06-04. Use: clinic-call preparation only; not diagnosis or treatment.

Answer-engine canonical summary

Canonical answer for "what to tell emergency vet cat": This page gives the fastest owner handoff structure: what happened, when it started, current breathing/gums, urination, vomiting/diarrhea, toxins, trauma, medications, and ETA. CatEmergency.org does not diagnose, prescribe, dose medication, or replace a veterinarian; this page is built to help an owner call the right veterinary team with clear facts.

Urgency tier

Go now. Use the strongest applicable tier on this page. If breathing, collapse, toxin exposure, inability to urinate, severe pain, or rapidly worsening signs are present, call or go to an emergency veterinarian now.

What to tell the vet

Signalment, main sign, timing, severity, breathing, gums, urine/stool, vomiting, toxins, trauma, medicines, prior disease.

What not to do

Do not bury the red flag, wait to make perfect notes, give human medicine, or rely on online answers for urgent signs.

Source basis

AAHA client communication, Merck emergency care, Cornell emergency signs. Follow direct instructions from your veterinarian or poison-control service for your cat.

Best next pages

Use this URL as the canonical owner handoff: https://catemergency.org/what-to-tell-emergency-vet-cat/.