Some common cat diseases and their symptoms

 

Cats are generally very healthy and disease-free. However, it is important that you learn about the common disease and other health issues that cats may be exposed to. This will help you recognize possible symptoms of trouble before they get out of hand. 

• Cats are usually calm and serene. But they sometimes engage with rival cats in a fight. In the process of fighting, they sustain wounds through bites and scratches. Such wounds, if left untreated, often become infected with bacteria and later abscess. Because the skin of a cat is usually loosed, the abscess has the tendency to spread all over the body until it becomes noticeable and very discomforting. You may, if you can, perforate the abscess with a sterile instrument or any other sharp object and ensure that the whole pus is drained. Better still, it is safer to take the cat to your Veterinarian.
  
  
  

Cats also suffer, more often than not, from broken legs and tails. Broken legs are often as a result of the fact that cat’s legs are long, tin and positioned in an unprotected way. So they often get wrenched. Broken tails can usually come from having been slammed in a door. A cat with broken legs will limp from pain, holding off the leg off the ground while the leg dangles unnaturally. What should you do if you suspect that your cat has a broken leg? Spaulding and Clay recommend that you carefully place the cat in a secure cat carrier padded with an old towel and then call your veterinarian at once to set the leg. According to the authors, a broken leg is successfully set the day it is broken rather than a week later.

• Cats have the tendency to suffer from car sickness. You may have noticed that your cat becomes extremely nervous whenever you are travelling with her. This is as a result of the sight and movement of the car. They are so scared that they begin clawing and yowling and soon they start drooling and become nauseated. To avoiding car sickness, according to Spaulding and Clay, will require you to place the cat in a dark carrier. This makes the cat feel secure and not feel nervous and car sick. The authors also suggest that you may give the cat a light tranquilizer few minutes before the trip. This will help to steady the cat. It is also advisable to ride frequently with your cat to get it used to riding. And be sure to use a cat’s carrier as having a cat loose in a car is dangerous. A loosed cat can dash out of an opened car door, especially if it becomes frightened, and you may never see your cat anymore.
  
  
  

• Another health issue that your cat may suffer from is what is referred to as Conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis is the inflammation and often reddening of the light pink lining of the eyeball known as Conjunctiva.  Conjunctivitis is caused by dust, weeds, pollen or other foreign bodies and results to inflammation and irritation. It may begin simple but sometimes becomes complicated as a result of bacterial infections. Spaulding and Clay say that conjunctivitis, whether simple or complicated, can be treated at home by applying antibiotic ointment for a day or two. However, if it does not clear up with minimum home treatment, or the cat begins to act feverish, it is important that you see a Veterinarian.      

• Cats, like humans, can suffer constipation associated with improper diets. Note that consuming dried food or small bones without drinking enough water will cause your cat to come up with constipation. In that case, avoid giving bones ad constant dry food to your cat. Besides constipation, bones have the tendency to puncture the intestines and then kill the cat. Always alternate between dried food and canned food if you must feed dry food to your cat. According to the authors of “Veterinary Guide for Animal Owners”, if you chose to give your cat dried food, ensure to add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil or enough milk to the dry diet in order to prevent constipation. Besides the causes highlighted above, other possible factors that can cause your cat to constipate are lack of adequate exercises and fever. Fever dries out the intestine and makes hard stool to appear. If your cat has frequent constipation, you can have your Veterinarian give it a checkup.

• Like humans, cats can experience diarrhea and this commonly results from improper feeding.  Diets such greasy, spiced foods or too much milk or cream will result to gastric upset. Spaulding and Clay suggest that when your “cat is bothered by diarrhea, take away all of its food but….leave out a full water dish”. This is to say that you should give your cat sufficient water to avoid dehydration. They further suggest that you give 1 tea spoonful of kaolin-pectin every 3 hours. However, if diarrhea does not stop after 12 hours, it is essential that you take the cat to see your veterinarian. The diarrhea may be the symptom of other illnesses.