Cat Health

 Keeping a cat in perfect health means providing correct food, grooming, housing, and inoculations at the required intervals as well as a constant show of affection.

Correct feeding
This involves giving enough food of the right kinds, mixed in the correct proportions, enriched with dietary supplements as necessary and offered at intervals that depend on the age and condition of the cat. Titbits between meals are not a good idea, however amusing to the owners and their friends) A cat should know by repetition when and where to expect meals, and will then usually present itself at the right place at the right time.

Grooming
Regular daily grooming is essential for the health of all cats, twice daily being ideal. A well-kept cat should have a glossy or shining coat with visibly separate hairs and no tangles. There should be weekly attention to the eyes, ears, teeth and claws.

Housing
All cats should have a place of their own. A pet cat needs a bed in a warm, dark, draught-proof corner of a room, while a breeding queen needs her own quarters. If your pet is a Siamese or Burmese it may need warm bedding or even a heated bed, for these breeds feel the cold more than others. In fact, if allowed to, they will frequently prefer to sleep with their owners or any other cats or dogs in the household. From their viewpoint this is quite practical: most cats are adept at moving out from under, if rolled upon. All cats should have a choice of a warm or cold area of bed to lie on, so that they can move over to the cold part if they get too hot, or vice versa. In hot climates air conditioning may be required.

Inoculations
The most prevalent serious diseases can be prevented by the right injection at the right time. Kittens receive some immunity from their mother for the first eight weeks of their lives. After this, they need their first jabs for feline enteritis, a widespread and potentially fatal disease, and against respiratory diseases. In each case your veterinarian will provide a certificate which you may have to produce when your cat goes to stud or to a boarding cattery.

Loving
No cat is completely happy without some individual attention from its owner. For its psychological well-being it needs to be stroked and petted and talked to at some time during each day. Most cats will amply respond to any attention they receive and will reward their owners with a lifetime of devotion. Someone once said, 'There are no dull cats, only dull owners.' An interested owner will produce an interesting cat.

Nursing the sick cat
A healthy cat will be alert and friendly, with clear shining eyes and clean shining fur. It will purr a great deal. Any deviation from this norm means that something has gone wrong. The trouble may be an injury. Some cats are very accident prone, but their reputation for having nine lives reflects an ability to recuperate from the most amazing mishaps. However, nursing plays a very important part in recovery. This can be even more important in illness due to disease. A sick cat easily gives up the will to live, unless a human friend is prepared to take the trouble to nurse it back to health.

Water is more important than food to a sick cat and it must not be allowed to become dehydrated. Even when unable to eat or lap, the sick cat can take water administered by eye dropper or by a curved foster-feeding bottle. You can also drop small pieces of raw meat to the back of the throat, but avoid struggling with the cat as this

Taking a cats temperature may require two people. One holds the cat's head and front feet, the other introduces the thermometer into the rectum, having first lubricated it with petroleum jelly. The second person may also have to hold the rear feet.

Eye drops are put into the eye while the head is lifted and kept still. Again, it may be necessary to hold the front paws or wrap the whole cat in a bath towel first to stop it interfering with what you are doing.

Here are a few more chores you may have to perform for a sick cat. If it is bedridden?perhaps immobilized by a fracture ? you may have to turn it from time to time to prevent bed sores. If there is diarrhoea, you must clean it up. If the cat is off its feet for some time you may have to trim its claws (cut the tips only, not into the quick).

Sometimes the veterinarian may recommend a steam bath. The best way to give this is to put the cat into a plastic-coated wire basket, cover the top and sides of the basket with a towel and stand it in the vapour rising from a hot bath of water. In this way, the cat breathes in some of the vapour, which helps to relieve nasal con?gestion. Any mucus round the nose, eyes or mouth must be sponged away with damp cotton wool. Do not add any inhalant to the steam bath without veterinary instruction.

Sick cats often try to run away and hide, but you must not allow them to do so. Place a sick cat in a dark quiet place, with warmth if required, and talk to it reassuringly from time to time without undue fussing. If the disease is trans?missible you must keep the cat isolated, and enter other homes containing cats only after changing your shoes and clothes and washing your hands.

After the illness has subsided, restrict the diet until the patient's stomach can again cope with normal food. Most sick cats do not groom themselves but will appreciate their owner taking the time to do so.

Common accidents
Most road accidents involving cats happen at night or in the early morning. To avoid this risk keep your cat in at night if you can. Cats that have been neutered or spayed (and that should be all cats not being used for breeding) will be quite happy about this. If used for breeding, they will be confined to quarters anyway.

Abscesses These tend to occur in free-ranging cats and are the result of fighting with other cats or, less commonly, from bites from rodents such as rats, mice or squirrels. Cats confined for breeding purposes seldom have abscesses.

Signs and symptoms:
Swelling under the fur, hot or hard and painful to touch. The swelling is caused by bacterial infection.

Basic Health Care

Fractures: Fractures are often sustained in road accidents; or by falls from high windows, buildings or trees; or by heavy objects falling on a cat. Thus fractures are most frequent among free-ranging cats and are commonest in legs, jaw, pelvis and spine. People who keep cats in high apartments should have the windows wired over because it is not unknown for a cat to jump out of the window after a bird.

Signs and symptoms:
Bones sticking through fur Bones at wrong angles

1. Inability to move or eat
2. Limping gait
3. Irritability at being touched Complete or partial paralysis

What to do:
Call the veterinarian or take the cat to his surgery as soon as possible, disturbing the cat's body as little as possible.

If the wound oozes much blood, stem the flow with a pad or bandage. If the mouth is bleeding, hold the head lower than the body and facing downwards, so that blood does not run down the throat. If the body is bleeding, the head should be higher than the body. The veterinarian will repair the fracture and may plaster or bandage as necessary.

Burns: These are generally caused in the home by spillage of hot liquids, electrical appliances (as with kittens chewing through electric cord) or chemicals.

Signs and symptoms:
Hair pulls out or is lost spontaneously.

1. Signs of burns are visible at contact points.
2. If burning is extensive, shock, collapse and unconsciousness will be apparent.

What to do:
Call the veterinarian for advice, having ensured safety from further burns by disconnecting electric cord, moving the cat or removing the source of further burns in the case of chemicals. In severe cases, symptomatic treatment such as artificial respiration and warmth should be applied, but since the treatments for the various types of burns vary with the cause, it is difficult to give any blanket advice. In cases of chemicals on the skin, these are best removed by bathing the cat in a suitable mild shampoo, and it is important that cats should not be allowed to lick the burns for fear of swallowing the chemicals, thus causing internal damage. In this respect, an Elizabethan collar may be helpful. As with human burns, treatment may require intensive hospitalized care, which can only be provided by a veterinary establishment.

Poisoning Cats may eat houseplants (some of which may be poisonous) if they have no access to grass. It is always recommended, for indoor cats, to grow special grass in trays to satisfy their liking for vegetable matter. Drugs of any sort should, of course, never be left lying around the house; cats are known to be particularly sensitive to such commonplace drugs as aspirin. If it is suspected that a cat has ingested drugs of any sort, the name of the preparation or the purpose for which it was prescribed should be advised to the veterinarian, who should be contacted immediately. Guidance can then be given. Unfortunately, cats in the process of exercise , tend to come into contact with paraffin (kerosene), turpentine and sump oil in garages and outhouses, and seem particularly attracted to car antifreeze, all of which are potentially dangerous. Such materials should never be left around, and should be hosed away with a detergent if spilled accidentally. Also, a wide range of chemicals such as coal-tar derivatives (wood preservatives, disinfectants) can be hazardous, as can household disinfectants, fly sprays and mouse and rat poisons. Again, where urgent treatment is necessary, a sample of the material or an, exact description of the contents of suspect packets is of great assistance to the treating veterinarian.

Signs and symptoms:

1. Salivation
2. Convulsions
3. Tremors or fits
4. Vomiting
5. Pain
6. Weakness or dullness Excitability
7. Death

What to do:

Cats may be made to vomit, providing this is done within minutes of swallowing the suspect substance. After, say, 30 minutes, there is little point, for the toxin will have been absorbed. The best emetic is a crystal of washing soda pushed straight down the cats throat, which will be effective within seconds. Alternatively, a strong salt-and-water or mustard-and-water solution may be given by the method described for administering liquid medicines.

Parasites
Various small organisms live on or in cats. Where large numbers occur in a cat they may impair the animal's health. Most spread from one cat to another via faeces or fur; a few may pass into kittens through the mother's milk.

Internal parasites

Roundworms Ascarid roundworms found in cats are thread-like, off-white creatures 5-13cm (2-5in) long. They live in the gut of the cat and may be coughed up or passed in faeces.

1. Signs and symptoms: Severe coughing
2. Distended stomach (particularly in kittens)
3. Diarrhoea
4. Dull coat and eyes Ravenous appetite
5. Haws up (third eyelid visible)

What to do:
The veterinarian will almost certainly prescribe a piperazine compound, the dose depending on the size, age and weight of the cat. It is advisable to dose kittens and cats every year, giving a second dose two weeks after the first, but a sick cat should never be wormed, as this could be fatal. Also you should worm queens before they go to stud and not after, when pregnant. Studs should be wormed regularly. Cattery hygiene is very important in the control of worms.

Hookworms These have particular significance because they suck the cats blood fromtheir position anchored inside the intestines. Anaemia can therefore be a symptom of this parasite, which is much more common in the United States than elsewhere.

Tapeworms
T hese are segmented flatworms. A tapeworm lives in the gut with its head attached to the cat's intestine. From the tail end of the tapeworm segments full of eggs drop off and are passed out from the cat with its faeces.

Signs and symptoms:
Small rice-like segments, sometimes still moving, appear on the fur around the anus. They show up better on dark-coloured cats than on light-coloured ones.

What to do:
Fleas are the intermediate hosts in the tapeworm cycle, so that flea eradication must go hand-in-hand with oral dosing against tapeworms. Other tapeworms are transmitted by mice, voles and rabbits which may have been eaten by free-ranging cats. Therefore hunters should be wormed regularly. There are various drugs which will rid the cat of tapeworms easily and with the minimum of side effects, but these tend to have to be repeated because of the animal becoming re-infested. It is recommended to seek advice from your veterinarian on the best dose.

Coccidia
These are microscopic unicellular organisms that inhabit the intestine and to which a variety of symptoms are attributed. They are rarely a major problem except in certain localized catteries in various parts of the world.

Signs and symptoms:

1. Persistent intermittent diarrhoea Loss of weight and condition Blood in faeces
2. What to do:
3. Scrupulous attention to hygiene is essential and particularly safe disposal, such as incineration, of soiled litter. Drugs are available from veterinarians to eradicate the coccidia.

A unicellular organism called Toxoplasma, considered to be a natural parasite of the cat, is thought to be particularly hazardous to pregnant women.

External parasites

Fleas
These are hard-backed, brown, wingless insects, flattened from side to side. Cat fleas live in a cats fur and feed off their host's blood. They occur only in temperate and tropical climates and are virtually unknown in northern regions such as much of Scandinavia. Cat fleas will bite a dog or a human but will seldom stay on either, much preferring a cat host. They are mostly found round the back and bib. Heavy flea infestation can lead to anaemia, eczema and other troubles.

Signs and symptoms:

1. Dermatitis (eczema)
2. Scratching
3. Restlessness
4. Skin feels gritty
5. Visible manifestation: fleas run and jump

What to do:
There is a wide range of insecticides effective against fleas. They are ideally used in powder or aerosol spray form, and may be supplemented by use of an impregnated flea collar, though feelings about the safety of these are very mixed. Cats can be bathed in cases of most severe infestation, although cats are especially susceptible to insecticides in shampoo form. Therefore it is essential to rinse thoroughly.

leas breed off the host, and scrupulous attention to de-fleaing bedding and furnishings with which the cat comes regularly into contact should be given. Ordinary household insecticides are satisfactory for this purpose, but should not be applied with the cat in the room, nor without advice from your veterinarian regarding safety factors.

Lice These are pale grey, wingless insect parasites, flattened from top to bottom. Lice attach themselves by their mouths to the skin of the cat. They lay eggs which they glue to the hairs of the cat, and spend their entire life-cycle on one host.

Signs and symptoms:

1. Scratching
2. Visible evidence: you may see lice on the cat's head, and their nits (eggs) attached to some of its hairs.

What to do:
Give the same treatment as for fleas (above), but repeat weekly because lice are very difficult to eradicate. Take care to comb out all visible nits. You can also pick off lice with eyebrow tweezers and drop them into disinfectant.

Mange mites These can be conveniently lumped together, and there are three main offenders:

1. Cheyletiella  - which affects all parts of the body and readily transmits to human beings;
2. Notoedres -head mange, which causes scabs and hair loss and intense irritation to the cat around the head;
3. Trombicula (harvest mite or chiggers) - usually found on the lower parts of the body, particularly the legs and feet, in certain areas, usually agricultural. 

Signs and symptoms:

Vary from nil to extreme irritation Signs of hair loss Secondary scabs It is not usually possible to see mites without a microscope, except for Trombicula, which are just visible to the naked eye.

What to do: Exactly as for fleas.

Ear mites (Otodectes cynotis) These mites live in the ear canals of dogs and cats and can be transmitted from one to the other.

Signs and symptoms:

1. Vigorous scratching
2. Head shaking
3. Ears twitching or at odd angles Head held on one side
4. Brown or reddish blobs of wax on insides of ears

What to do:

It is possible to detect ear mites by probing the outer ear (only the visible part) with a cotton wool bud and examining the debris under a magnifying glass. The mites themselves show up as tiny, moving white objects, while their excreta appear as a reddish brown debris. If a severe condition exists, the veterinarian may completely wash out the ear, then prescribe drops for you to administer daily. The cat should object only mildly provided you make sure that the drops are at room temperature. Massage the liquid into the lower ear before releasing the head; otherwise the cat will shake its head and eject the liquid before it can do its job.

Treatment must continue for several weeks and the ears need regular inspection thereafter if you are to guard against a recurrence of trouble. In an emergency, warm liquid paraffin can be administered to each ear. This will soften ear wax and thus help in its removal from the ear. If one cat or dog in the household has ear mites, it is likely that any others will have to be treated.

Ticks These usually only affect cats that roam in rural areas. A tick fastens on to a cat's skin with its mouth and feeds by sucking blood. Cats are seldom aware they have ticks.

Signs and symptoms:
You can see ticks hanging from the body of the cat. They may be white and flattish when first attached, or grey, fat and pea-sized when engorged with blood.

In some parts of the world, notably the scrubby East coast of Australia , ticks can infect cats with a fever that causes partial paralysis of the hind legs and eventual death if not treated. The disease is transmitted by a toxin secreted by the salivary glands of the tick.

What to do:
Avoid pulling off ticks without preparation -the head tends to remain embedded, producing a septic lesion. Dab the tick with a small amount of chloroform, alcohol or surgical spirit. Then remove the tick carefully with tweezers. Match or cigarette-lighter flames should not be used to remove ticks as these could burn the cat's fur.

Infections

Ringworm This is a fungus infection spread by spores and disfiguring the coat by producing bald patches that are more obvious in shorthairs than in longhairs. It is highly contagious and can be contracted from and by cats, dogs, rodents or people.

Signs and symptoms:

1. Bald, scaly patches
2. Scurf in the fur

What to do:
The veterinarian may be able to confirm the presence of ringworm by using ultraviolet light, in which the lesions glow green, or by microscopic examination of the scales. Treatment may involve bathing, or administering lotions and tablets. If you have to let liquids soak into the skin, first clip the hair for maximum penetration. It is essential to isolate the animal from cats, dogs and people. Handle the cat with protective rubber gloves and other clothing and meticulously wash or replace the cats bedding and other items with which it often comes into contact.

Rabies This is invariably fatal to mammals and man. This disease must be reported to the health authorities. It is caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system, and it spreads by bites or saliva from infected animals. The incubation period is highly variable, but rabies usually manifests itself in the cat within two months of contact. Cats can contract it from each other, from dogs or from wild animals such as foxes, skunks and raccoons. Geographical isolation and strict quarantine laws have protected the UK , Australia , New Zealand and Hawaii from outbreaks, but rabies is widespread in much of the world.

Signs and symptoms:

1. Behavioural change, eg ferocity Salivation
2. Dilated pupils
3. Incoordination
4. Convulsions
5. Paralysis
6. Death

What to do:
Outside the rabies-free areas of the world, any bites from wild animals should be suspect and the cat rushed to the veterinarian to be checked. Cats allowed to run free where rabies occurs should be given a vaccine at 3-4 months old, with boosts every year or two years.

Feline viral rhino-tracheitis (F.V.R.) This disease is also called cat' flu and pneumonitis. It involves severe congestion of the nasal passages and is highly contagious, especially to kittens. Preventive vaccines are available.

Signs and symptoms:

1. Sudden onset
2. Coughing
3. Sneezing
4. High temperature
5. Conjunctivitis (red, sore eyes) Discharge from nose and eyes Lack of appetite
6. Lethargy

What to do:
It is not necessary to rush to the veterinarian every time your cat sneezes, but if some of the other symptoms are present, no time must be lost. Waiting a week could be fatal. If only one cat in the household shows the symptoms, it must be isolated from the others; even if the cat is cured, it could become a carrier to infect any other cat. After veterinary treatment, the cat should be kept at an even temperature to avoid chills; even then permanent damage may have been done and the cat could suffer nasal congestion or 'snuffles' for the rest of its years.

Feline infectious enteritis (Known, too, as feline panleukopaenia, cat plague and distemper) This is the chief killer disease of cats. Early inoculations are almost 100% effective and all cats and kittens should be done.

Signs and symptoms:

1. Listlessness
2. Pain
3. Subnormal temperature Loss of appetite
4. Diarrhoea
5. Vomiting
6. Collapse
7. Severe dehydration
8. Sudden death

What to do:
It is best to send immediately for the veterinarian. If he is delayed, try to introduce a little water and glucose into the cat's mouth without a struggle, and keep in a dark, quiet place. Without the specific preventive antiserum, death could follow within 24 hours. Kittens are naturally immune for the first few weeks, through their mother. The veterinarian will advise type of vaccine and age for vaccination. If death ensues, it is wise to wait for six months before introducing a new kitten to the household, unless previously vaccinated.

Feline leukaemia Feline leukaemia or lymphosarcoma is a fatal cancerous condition of the blood, caused by a virus. It occurs in epidemic proportions in some breeds, so it is wisest to buy kittens from leukaemia-free catteries.

Signs and symptoms:

1. Wasting away Lack of appetite Collapse
2. Sudden death

What to do:
There is currently no cure, and euthanasia (painless killing) is advised for pet cats and essential for breeding establishments as they could be a health hazard to other cats. There is currently no evidence that this virus is a risk to humans, as was once thought.

Kidney disease Kidney disease is particularly likely to occur in old cats.

Signs and symptoms:

1. Excessive water intake
2. Excessive urination
3. Bad breath
4. Listlessness
5. Repeated vomiting
6. Lack of appetite
7. Weight loss

What to do:
Conditions affecting the kidneys tend to be irreversible. Once the kidneys have started to degenerate, they need more and more water to flush out the same amount of body waste. Hence there may be accidents around the house. The cat should not be blamed for being dirty: it can no longer hold its water. Drugs may prolong life, but kidney disease is progressive and finally fatal, so it is possibly kinder to have the cat put to sleep painlessly before it loses all its dignity.

Bladder troubles Two fairly common conditions are cystitis (involving an inflamed bladder) and urolithiasis (urinary obstruction). The first is usually due to infection; the second to crystals in urine blocking a male cat's narrow urethral canal. Cystitis causes pain and frequent urination. In urolithiasis blood may appear in urine as the cat strains to pass urine through a blocked canal, and back pressure from a distended bladder may damage the kidneys.

Signs and symptoms:

1. Small quantities of cloudy urine passed
2. Urine may be bloodstained Obvious pain
3. Possible inability to urinate Weakness
4. Loss of condition
5. Total collapse

What to do:
Urgently get in touch with your veterinarian. He will probably give an antibiotic injection for cystitis, and surgically or manually try to remove any obstruction blocking a male cat's urethral passage. If left unattended, such obstruction could be fatal. At home the cat should be encouraged to drink plenty of fluids, with barley water instead of tap water. To prevent urolithiasis in male cats, avoid giving diets that produce crystals in the urine. Dry food should only be fed to cats which normally drink a lot of water. Keeping the litter tray clean will encourage a cat to use it more often, thus helping to prevent the build-up of crystals in the bladder.

Temperature-induced illnesses - Heatstroke This affects cats of all ages when they are subjected to extreme heat without sufficient ventilation. This may happen at cat shows, in a closed car, or if the cat is moved to a tropical climate. During heatstroke, the cat's temperature may rise to 41?C (106?F).

Signs and symptoms:

1. Vacant expression Prostrate posture
2. Heavy panting
3. Increased pulse rate Vomiting
4. Unconsciousness

What to do:
Ideally the cat should be immersed in cold water to reduce body temperature. If this is not possible, lots of fresh air, perhaps with a fan, or an ice-pack or cold water face wash and body massage will suffice. Then take the cat to a veterinarian.

To prevent heatstroke in a car, have drinking water always available and fit ventilators to all windows, particularly if animals are to be left in the car unattended on a sunny day.

Hypothermia This is a drop in body temperature, perhaps fatal.

1. Signs and symptoms:
2. Decreased pulse rate
3. The cat seems cold to the touch

What to do:
If kittens seem cold to the touch, they are in danger of dying of hypothermia. Hold in your hand until they warm up, then place on an electric or other warming pad. An infrared lamp may be used; hot water bottles tend to cool too quickly but may be used in an emergency. Hypothermia is a particular problem when the queen has died during kittening, and her kittens are no longer warmed by her body. In such cases provide artificial heat for the first few days of life. Old cats, like old people, may be subject to hypothermia. Their age reduces the efficiency of their body temperature control mechanism, keeping their body temperature low, especially when their surroundings are cold. Artificial heat is required to reduce the risk of chilling and death.

Psychological disorders Some cats object to being left alone a great deal, or to a new cat in the family, or a new human addition to the family. These cats may express their feelings by odd behavioural patterns.

Signs and symptoms:

1. Spraying in unusual places
2. Spraying on owner's possessions.
3. Defecating in the house
4. Aggressive behaviour

What to do:
The important thing is to find out what the cat is objecting to. Like many a disturbed child, a disturbed cat is seeking attention because it thinks it is being neglected or displaced in your affections by someone else. This is quite natural and once you renew your attention and show of affection the problem will usually clear up. If the cat is objecting to being left all day without human companionship, the best thing is to provide it with a dog or cat as a faithful companion.