Cats are quite curious animals, which is why they are often injured and catch various infectious and non-infectious diseases. It is important for the owner to know which diseases are most common in cats, what are their symptoms and how to cure the cat.
Signs of Feeling Unwell
It is important to note the changes in the cat’s well-being in time, because only timely assistance can be most effective.
Signs that should alert the owner:
- Refusal of food or gluttony. It is worth noting that seasonal changes in the pet's appetite are possible. Usually, cats gain weight by winter, and therefore eat more, by summer, their appetite drops slightly and they lose weight. Nevertheless, a sharp refusal to eat may indicate a pet’s disease, as well as a sudden unreasonably awakened strong appetite.
- Apathy, lethargy. Cats are usually pretty lazy creatures. With age, they play less and sleep more. However, a healthy animal should still have periods of activity when it is worn around the house, sitting on a window and looking at birds, hunting. If the cat has become inactive, constantly sleeping, passive, not interested in the outside world, this is a reason to sound the alarm.
- Problems with urination, blood in the urine.
- Vomiting and diarrhea. Sometimes cats may have causeless vomiting - so they clean their stomach from swallowed hair. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to carefully monitor the pet. If vomiting does not stop, the animal has severe diarrhea, it is necessary to take the pet to the doctor.
- Discharge from the nose and eyes.
- Elevated body temperature. The normal body temperature in cats is 38-39 degrees.
- Shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing.
Street cats are often injured in fights with other cats or dogs. How to cure a cat in this case? If the wound is small, it can be treated with hydrogen peroxide. For more serious injuries - fractures, large lacerations, internal injuries - it is necessary to consult a veterinarian as soon as possible. The doctor must stop the blood, treat the wound, fix the broken limb. Usually the animal is injected with anesthetic. After it is advisable to leave the animal in a dark, quiet place where no one will bother him.
We list the main diseases of cats, their causes, symptoms and tell you how to cure a cat at home.
Parasite infection
A fairly common problem, especially for street cats, is infection with parasites. Cats can pick them up from other animals, through food, even from the owner's street clothes and shoes.
Very often cats, especially street cats, are sick with worms. The main symptoms: the animal eats a lot, but does not get fat, the cat's stomach swells, activity decreases, in the feces you can find long white worms that wriggle and move.
How to cure a cat? It is necessary to purchase anthelmintic drugs in a veterinary pharmacy, it is advisable to consult a veterinarian before buying. The medicine should be given in accordance with the weight of the animal. After the first dose, it is advisable to give the anthelmintic drugs again in a few days and see if the worms with feces come out. Treatment can be completed when no parasites are found in the feces. Anthelmintic drugs are preferably given prophylactically to animals in accordance with the instructions. And this applies to domestic cats as well.
Street cats are very easily infected by fleas. If the cat is constantly itching, his activity drops, he is constantly in tension, it is worth checking his coat for fleas. Fleas can be eliminated with the help of special shampoos, drops and collars. It must be remembered that fleas can lead an animal to anemia, infection, wounds on the skin from claws.
Digestion problems
Quite often, owners feed home cats from the table, that is, give them food that they eat themselves. This is an absolutely wrong approach. The organism of cats is fundamentally different from the human one, therefore their food must be different. As a result of improper feeding, cats can have problems with the stomach and intestines, kidneys, and urinary system. It is worth remembering that a cat can be fed with natural food, but only in accordance with a specially formulated diet, which should contain all the vitamins, minerals and minerals necessary for the animal.
Another common problem that can cause digestive problems is feeding poor-quality feed. Well-publicized low-cost feeds in the business segment can lead to problems with the liver, kidneys, stomach, and intestines. From cheap feed, cats often have diarrhea and vomiting.
Diarrhea and vomiting in a cat can also indicate poisoning of the animal. The reason may be: poor-quality, rotten food, eaten poisoned mouse or rat, poisoning with household chemicals. In this case, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences may be irreparable.
Disruption of the nervous system
The main symptoms of problems with the nervous system:
- sudden aggression;
- paralysis of limbs or the whole body;
- neurotic conditions: sudden tantrums, constant depression, a cardinal change in behavior;
- rachiocampsis.
Problems with the nervous system can occur as a result of injuries, congenital abnormalities, hormonal failure, or other diseases.
In the case of the first symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Urolithiasis disease
Urolithiasis is a very common and dangerous pathology in cats. Due to improper functioning of the kidneys, sand and stones form in them, which clog the urethra. Urine cannot go outside, which causes intoxication of the animal’s body. Especially often this problem occurs in castrated cats.
The main signs of urolithiasis:
- painful urination;
- the animal sits on the tray for a long time and cannot urinate;
- blood in the urine.
Causes of urolithiasis:
- Feeding low-quality dry feed and the lack of constant access to clean drinking water.
- Frequent feeding of fish.
- Overweight, which becomes the cause of disturbances in the work of internal organs.
Urolithiasis can cause rapid death of the animal. At the first symptoms, it is urgent to show the pet to the doctor.
How to cure a domestic cat? A cat may need surgery to remove stones from the urethra. After the doctor prescribes medication and a special diet. It is necessary to strictly adhere to all the recommendations of the veterinarian, since urolithiasis just does not go away and in case of violation of the treatment regimen and diet, it may aggravate.
Eye problems
During street fights, cats very often injure each other's eyes. The main symptoms: blood flows from the eye, the cat cannot open the eyelid, the animal screams in pain, damage to the eye is clearly visible. How to cure a cat? In this case, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. He will clear his eye, check his condition. If the eye does not have to be removed, the veterinarian will prescribe injections, and the affected organ of vision will need to be washed several times a day.
Swelling of the eye, clouding of the pupil, persistent tearfulness, or pus that is secreted can indicate many diseases. Most often, cats suffer from conjunctivitis, glaucoma, cataracts. Only a doctor can accurately diagnose, taking the necessary tests. How to cure a cat in this case? Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics and other medicines. The eye of the house will have to be washed out from pus, dripping eye drops or doing prescribed injections.
Infection
Another common problem in cats is lichen. The bald spot may appear in the animal, the cat is very itchy, red spots and scales appear on the skin. Lichen is an extremely contagious disease, including for humans. Molds provoke its appearance. Initially, the disease is localized on the tail, head and ears, and if untreated, it passes to the whole body.
How to cure lichen in a cat? It should be understood that all the symptoms indicating lichen do not yet guarantee that this is not any other disease. Therefore, at first, lichen must be correctly diagnosed. The veterinarian can take a scraping from the cat's skin and send it for analysis or use a Wood lamp. When making a diagnosis, the doctor should vaccinate the animal.
How to cure a cat versicolor at home? It is worth remembering that lichen is extremely contagious, and therefore it is better to touch the animal only with gloves. It is advisable to temporarily isolate the cat from people and other animals. For treatment, you can use antifungal ointments, baths with sulfur dioxide, tablets (Itraconazole, Terbinafine, Griseofulvin).
Infectious diseases, which cats often suffer from, can be distinguished: cat's plague, rabies, coronaviruses, calcivirosis. The main symptoms of an infectious disease are: fever, vomiting and diarrhea, apathy, drowsiness. Is it possible to cure a cat? It depends only on the accuracy of the diagnosis and how quickly the animal will receive medical care. In the case of infectious diseases, the count often goes for minutes.
Prevention
We outline the main methods of preventing diseases in cats:
- feeding only high-quality, balanced feed;
- food must be selected in accordance with the age and characteristics of the cat (for example, it is advisable to buy specialized food for castrated animals);
- constant availability of clean drinking water in the public domain;
- annual vaccinations even for cats that do not go outside;
- periodic examinations of the animal at the veterinarian.
Thus, often an animal that is kept in the right conditions and eats high-quality feed has a stronger and more resistant to disease immunity. It is worth remembering that self-medication in case of a disease can aggravate the situation even more, therefore, at the first opportunity it is advisable to show a sick pet to a specialist.