u/Fresh-Potential2409

hello everyone

i 18f watched my cat Ariel who is around 14f (neutered) wake up from a nap looking particularly dishevelled. she seemed completely fine before this nap, but then afterwards started displaying some concerning traits. her bottom lip looks almost as if its poking out and swollen, and she had edged herself onto my pillow and against the wall. its now the next morning and she has barely moved. ive gotten her to drink once, but she hasnt left to eat, use the litter box, or stretch her legs. i have a container of water for her on my bedside if she needs it. she looks okay physically, besides when i try to touch her neck, face or mouth. she pulls away and growls or hisses. she doesnt usually hiss so this is also concerning to me.

i am considering taking her to the vet today, please let me know if there is anything that i may be able to do to help her regain some strength. the drive would be roughly 40 minutes, and she doesnt look to be in very well shape for it.

for reference, the first two images were taken this morning, and the second two were taken around 2pm yesterday.

thank you

edit/update:

hi everyone! thank you so much to all the people who offered helpful advice, your input is greatly appreciated. we have just finished up at the vet, and she’s had pain relief and anti inflammatories administered. the vet says she is very healthy for her age, and im so proud of my baby for being so brave. i mushed up some tuna and popped it into the carrier with some blankets, and she ate it! she seems to be doing much better now. the vet believes that its either an insect sting or ulcer forming and has given us some paste to administer to help bring down her symptoms.

my apologies if i came across as short in my original post. It was 7 am and i had just woken up. we had always planned to take her to the vet this morning, my wording was inaccurate and it seemed to create some misconceptions about the situation. I really dont care if people want to make mean comments under my post, but since there seems to be a lot of misconception, im going to provide some clarification as to some questions or assumptions that have been made about me.

I am not located in the USA, and I live in a rural town with little access to vet facilities. Since my area is so small, they do not run overnight or emergency vet clinics anywhere near us. because of that, and because of the need to book an appointment, i was unable to take her when i first noticed the symptoms. i also do not have a licence or access to public transport (again, isolated rural area) so i had no option but to wait until the morning when my parents were able to take us.
i absolutely adore my princess and take really good care of her. we are basically attached at the hip, and she is my closest animal companion.
we adopted her from an abusive household when she was barely 2 years of age and pregnant. she’s been apart of our family for a long time, and is very deeply treasured and loved.
I stayed by her side and barely moved when i noticed how serious she had gotten. i stayed with her for many hours while she was resting and made sure she was absolutely as comfortable as possible.

again, thank you so so much to all the wonderful people who offered helpful advice and support. to everyone else, please think before you comment something rude. personally i am not affected by it, but you never know what someone else is going through and your words could be what makes or breaks them during difficult moments. speak life into people, not death. ❤️

Ariel update!

cat woke up from nap with a sensitive mouth. She hasnt moved in 20 hours