Cat Illness Symptoms- when to call the veternarian for help

Cat illness symptoms are so difficult to diagnose- you can't ask your pet if they feel ill, or indeed are they in pain and where is it? Yes, if they bite you when you touch an area of their body, that is an indication, but it is hurtful to both you and your cat to do it! Taking the animal to the veterinarian can be expensive for you but also disruptive and frightening for the cat. My boys, Tiggy and Bagera leave home once a year for their annual check up and I get a clear message from them- don't take us out again!

Just like humans, if your cat's illness gets worse or is still present after two or three days take her to the veterinarian. If you can't afford private care, look for animal welfare organisations that may be able to offer help at reduced cost.

The main way that you can prevent illness in your cat family is to provide a clean and comfortable home. If they live indoors they love a clean bed (probably yours) and need their food and litter trays cleaned regularly. Just as you wash your own dishes and disinfect your toilet to avoid disease, so you should do the same for your cat to avoid tummy bugs and the spread of sickness bugs. This is extremely important if you have more than one cat or your cat goes to play outside and there are a large number of neighbouring cats.

It is really worrying when you go to feed your cat and it looks at what you have put out, and promptly walks away! Your cat could be ill, but in my experience, (over 40 years of sharing cat's homes) it is usually because they don't like it. Sometimes they just get fed up with the taste, or the manufacturer changes the taste and they don't like it. Your cat can't read the label that says "new and improved taste" all she will say is "I don't like it", and leave the food- then mew all evening that she is hungry, until you relent and open another food. If she misses two or three meals and you have served a variety of flavours then a trip to the veterinarian might be in order just to check if she is uncomfortable because of something else.

Cats are like us, they get depressed, which means they go off their food and don't want to do anything. Often this is associated with lack of sunshine so maybe a sunlamp might be a good idea if your cat is really depressed. Bagera is prone to this and when he won't move, I start to play with him and at times have even put him outside in the garden, it might not be sunny, but it’s not cold and he gets some fresh air! He usually snaps out of it pretty quickly as with a large family there is usually something going on to distract him, or he finds he is suddenly scooped up in the air by my son to say "hello"

As cats get older they suffer many of the illness symptoms that humans suffer from. Cats go blind and they lose their hearing- obviously they can’t be fitted with glasses and hearing aids. If this happens, the blind cat will adjust moving slowly finding his or her way around their home. Complications will arise if they have to change homes so try to avoid having house moves if your cat goes blind. Deaf cats operate on a “business as normal” bass, apart from the fact that they can’t hear what is going on around them. They completely ignore warning cries from other cats, I saw a deaf, elderly cat walk past the areas “brawler” as if he wasn’t there- he was hissing and spitting, but she couldn’t hear and just walked past him.

To take a cats temperature you have to insert the thermometer in her bottom. You will need help and it may help to have a towel around her to stop her scratching and biting you. Cat temperatures are different to ours. Normal is around 38.6 c or 101.5 F or maybe even slightly higher. However if the temperature is over 39.2C or 102.5F, it is best to give the veterinarian a call as they may suggest that they need to see her.

Feline Diabetes- yes cats can get diabetes too. Like us the symptoms are increased urination and thirst. Left untreated the cat will become very poorly, very quickly. Like us there is a genetic predisposition amongst certain families of cat, so if mum had it, the kitten may be more likely to have it. Age can also be a determining factor; maturity onset diabetes is becoming more common as better healthcare is resulting in our cats living longer. Weight is an issue, as it is for humans and the best preventative medicine is that you help your cat keep a good weight rather than overweight. I know that could be easier said than done, especially with an older cat, or one who lives indoors. If a cat has feline diabetes which is left untreated it can lead to vomiting, loss of appetite, weakness and dehydration. With treatment and proper cat care your cat can live a long and healthy life even if she has feline diabetes.

Allergies- cats can be allergic to certain types of food. They can be intolerant of certain proteins within food. I suffer from Celiac disease which means I am intolerant to the protein gluten found in wheat. Bagera has had quite a lot of sickness and diarrhoea and the veterinarian thought this might be his problem (my celiac is hereditary) so I tried lots of different foods until I found one that he could eat that did not make him sick. I give him and his brother a little boiled chicken a couple of times a week to vary it. I would give them fish but Bagera does not like it!

If you think your cat has a problem with its teeth or is not eating food that it would normally- check her teeth. Choose a time when the cat is relaxes, probably on your lap and raise the upper lip of the cat’s mouth. Teeth that are brown need cleaning, just as our own they have tarter and plaque build up. If your cat has bad breath or has a raised red line over their teeth they may have gingivitis which is a bacterial growth. As they get older some cats need to have teeth removed, but this is done under a general anaesthetic.

Ear mites- does your cat continually scratch her ears? They can be a really difficult area for her to clean and if she can’t stop scratching she may have ear mites, tiny kittle bugs that you cant see, but really cause her to itch. In this case you should see the veterinarian as soon as possible as he will have to identify under a microscope that she has them and prescribe ear drops and give her ears a through clean.

Hairballs- all cats get hairballs but long haired cats suffer more. If you can groom your cat regularly it stops the hairballs forming so quickly. They usually sick the fur ball up, right where you don’t need it. Various treatments are available from your pet food supplier or your veterinary surgeon.

Worms- It is important to work your cat regularly. If your cat has tapeworms you will see little white micro organisms under her tail and on her stools. The tapeworm can only be stopped by medication. A cautionary tale was a friend of mine who was showing her cat off and failed to notice a tapeworm crawling out of her cat’s bottom. Luckily the visitor, who was a nurse, grabbed a pair of gloves from her bag and pulled out the worm. Thereafter all the families cats were urgently wormed.

Emergency

Like us there are times when cat’s illness symptoms indicate a possible emergency. These symptoms are almost the same as for humans.

· If your cat does not respond, are they breathing, is there an obstruction- seek help

· They are breathing, but its slow and laboured- get her to the veterinarian quickly, it could be pneumonia or even a cardiac arrest.

· Drooling- they can’t stop the saliva running- seek a vet quickly.

· Vomiting- if it is severe and does not stop quickly your cat can become dehydrated – seek help as they may have eaten something that is now causing them difficulties.

· Diarrhoea- again if it is severe it can cause dehydration – if the diarrhoea is severe and especially if it involves a kitten get help soon

· Gums- if your cats gums go a funny colour- if the gums go pale or blue take them to the veterinarian as they could have respiratory problems whilst a yellow tinge might indicate jaundice- again a trip to the veterinarian is necessary.

· Fever- if you suspect a fever try and take the temperature, but if you are not sure aim for safety and take her to the veterinarian