In almost every family, people try to get a pet, and of course, dogs and cats are greatly preferred. Cats, like humans, are not immune to disease. One of these diseases is the plague. Although there is a saying among the people that a cat has 9 lives, this circumstance in no way can help the animal avoid the sad outcome of this disease. It is necessary to understand what kind of disease it is, what are the signs of a plague disease, how to protect your pets from such misfortune.
What is the plague of cats?
Panleukopenia (“cat distemper”) is a viral disease of cats that is very difficult to treat. Even with proper care, in most cases it turns out that the veterinarian simply can relieve the pain of the animal. In 90% of cases, this disease leads to the death of the pet in the absence of proper treatment. Nobody can simply give guarantees of a successful outcome.
This virus carries a huge danger to the cat's body. It affects the cells of the brain, blood and gastrointestinal tract, as well as stem cells. If the cat is pregnant at the time of infection with the plague, then the disease will easily penetrate the developing organism of kittens. The kittens and lactating animals are most affected by the disease, their immunity is greatly weakened, and the body is simply not able to fight the pathology on its own.
Ways to infect a cat
Cats living in the house and not going outside are completely immune from infection with this disease. This, of course, reduces the risks of developing the disease, but cannot reduce them to zero. The virus itself is very tenacious and can roam on its owner’s clothing if it was in contact with an infected animal or its secretions somewhere on the street.
This virus is mainly transmitted:
- Upon contact of the animal with fluids infected with the virus. It can be drooling, discharge of animals, blood, urine, etc.
- It is also possible infection from fleas, ticks, mosquitoes.
- In utero. If at the time of pregnancy the mother was sick with a plague, the virus will pass to the kittens too. The consequences will be noticeable. Kittens can be born underdeveloped.
- By contact, when the owner brought the virus on clothes.
A complete and quick recovery does not immediately happen. The virus remains in the body of an adult animal for 2-3 months, and in kittens - up to 1 year. The immunity of the animal suffers for life, it remains weak.
Main symptoms
Let's look at the main symptoms of distemper in cats and the signs of this disease. They usually develop rapidly. After infection with the virus, after about 2 days, the first signs of plague on the cat begin to appear. They will indicate an ailment to the animal.
These days, it is important that the owners notice these first signs of plague in cats for timely treatment of the animal. After all, a positive result of therapy directly depends on the timely initiation of treatment of the animal. Consider the first signs of plague in cats:
- The passivity of a cat.
- The temperature rises to 41 degrees.
- Nausea.
- Lack of appetite.
- Cats stop caring for themselves.
An elevated temperature lasts about 2-3 days, after which it can fall. And this is extremely dangerous, since it means that the animal’s body has stopped fighting the virus on its own. After that, the animal begins profuse diarrhea, in appearance which resembles water. With diarrhea, dehydration only increases, all mucous membranes become dry.
If you did not notice the first symptoms and signs of plague in cats in time, then the complication of the disease and the manifestation of new symptoms are not far off:
- Diarrhea.
- An unpleasant odor from the feces of the animal appears.
- It becomes harder for cats to breathe due to pulmonary edema.
- Bloody discharge appears.
Such symptoms are hard not to notice in an animal living with you in the house. Therefore, most often people go to the veterinary clinic precisely after the appearance of these signs of a plague in a cat.
How is the development of the disease in cats?
Panleukopenia, or "cat's distemper," is somewhat similar to a dog. These viruses come from the same family, but have different subspecies. In dogs, in most cases, the nervous system suffers, and in cats, the intestines are affected.
First, the virus itself enters the body. He can get in two ways:
- Orally - through food or drink
- Respiratory when the animal inhales the virus
The virus eventually enters the circulatory system of the animal, spreads throughout the body. First of all, bone marrow cells and lymphoid tissue are affected. With a strong infection of the body with the virus, the production of leukocytes stops, as a result of which the body does not have the ability to deal with pathology on its own.
After that, nothing prevents the virus from multiplying inside the animal’s body and capturing more and more territories, affecting and killing more cells. This process lasts from the first to the third day of the disease. At this moment, you can notice the first signs of a plague. After the leukocytes cease to be produced in the body, the virus calmly keeps its way to the intestines of the cat, as a result of which the cat begins to have intestinal inflammation - enteritis.
Stages of plague development
When the virus enters the body, signs of plague in cats begin to appear, symptoms develop one after another. As with many diseases, the stages and rate of development of pathology may vary. Cat plague has three stages of development:
- Subacute stage. This stage can develop in animals that have been vaccinated, but the risk of getting sick is very small. Affected diseases are mainly adult cats with good immunity. In the subacute stage of development, the same set of symptoms appears as in the acute stage, they only occur in a form that is easier for the animal. Such animals can count on a positive treatment outcome in most cases.
- The acute stage. This stage is found in adult cats. Redness of the eyes, strong wheezing and coughing are added to the main signs of the disease. Cats have a constant desire to drink, but because of the pain when swallowing and getting something into the body, they simply can not quench this thirst. Damage to heart tissue is possible, this can lead to the development of heart failure. It is almost impossible to cure a disease without medical intervention. But there are miracles. If an adult animal has managed to recover from the disease, then it acquires immunity. In the case when you contacted the third day after the infection of the cat, you can count on a positive treatment result.
- Super sharp stage. This stage is most often found in small kittens, as their body has not yet matured. When a virus is infected, the kitten’s body becomes weakened, and with every minute and hour its condition worsens greatly. At this stage, kittens can suffer the nervous system. They become more timid, afraid of the light, begin to run from side to side. In addition, infected kittens quickly become dirty, they stick together in different places. Also, the appearance of vomiting in the form of yellow foam is not excluded. At this stage, it is necessary to consult a doctor in the first hours, as sometimes kittens and days cannot live with this pathology.
Absolutely at any stage the cat needs urgent treatment. Therefore, without slowing down, if you see signs of cat distemper in your pet, go to the veterinary clinic. There are cases when the disease does not manifest itself and flows in a closed form. Then abruptly the cat becomes ill, she dies within 24 hours. Such cases are rare, but they cannot be ruled out.
Prevention
The best prophylaxis for such diseases is pet vaccination. The first vaccination occurs at about eight weeks of age, the next vaccination is done after 4 weeks. In the future, vaccination should be carried out once a year. Modern vaccination, of course, protects the animal for much longer than one year, but doctors are reinsured and recommend that they still be vaccinated every year.
By vaccinating your pet as expected, you will certainly save your money and time for its treatment in case of illness. This is a very painful disease, therefore it is better not to risk the health of your pet, but to carry out all preventive measures on time.
The cost of vaccination depends on which medicine you plan to inject. Imported vaccine will cost a little more than domestic. Also, the price varies from where you live. We can say for sure that it is cheaper to vaccinate in a clinic than to call a doctor at home.
Diagnostics
If you observe that your pet has begun to behave somehow strangely, has become less active and refuses to eat, this can sometimes indicate the first signs of a plague in cats. First of all, you can measure your pet’s temperature at home. To do this, you must have a thermometer and an ordinary glove. In order not to dirty the thermometer, cut off one finger from the glove and put it on the head of the thermometer. The thermometer itself is inserted into the anus of the cat. If the temperature is 40-41 degrees, this means that you should consult a doctor.
You can also try to independently check the cat’s stomach. If you start to lightly press it, then this will cause discomfort and pain in the pet. This is because the intestine is infected and all the tissues inside are inflamed.
Each doctor at the first visit to the veterinary clinic collects a history of your pet: what vaccinations he has, whether the animal has an allergy to drugs. During a visual examination, if the doctor suspects the cat has signs of plague, he needs to find out who the cat was in contact with.
In the veterinary clinic, the doctor must conduct a comprehensive examination of the pet, be sure to take blood for tests to determine what kind of problem your pet is having. Even if you are contacted at the first sign of cat distemper, you still need to be tested. Blood will show a low white blood cell count. This means that the blood is infected with the virus. It will also be necessary to pass a stool test. Such an analysis shows the maximum amount of the causative agent of infection on the third day.
Plague treatment
To date, there is no specific and standard treatment for cat plague. Therefore, treating a sick cat at home is highly discouraged. As soon as you notice signs of a cat's plague, go to the veterinarian. The doctor, having examined, will orient in the treatment of the animal. This is mainly support and assistance to the body in the fight against the virus. Therefore, the first thing the doctor prescribes is a broad-spectrum antibiotic course. Further, it is imperative and important to give serum to stimulate immunity.
If the animal has experienced severe dehydration, it will be necessary to put a dropper. It is also recommended to use products with a high content of glucose and vitamins, this will perfectly help strengthen the animal's immunity. Depending on the situation, some doctors prescribe antibiotics and antiviral drugs.
All treatment should be strictly supervised by a doctor so that when new signs of plague disease appear, the doctor can adjust the therapy. Such treatment can last from 5 days to 3 weeks, it all depends on the condition of the cat in which she was taken to the hospital. It is difficult to cure an animal from cat plague, but this is possible with the timely response of the owner and the good work of a veterinarian. In no case should you treat the animal yourself. If you do not have a medical education, you can only aggravate the disease.
Host actions for pet disease
The very first and most important thing is, of course, in time to recognize the signs of plague in cats. If you notice that the cat refuses food, you do not need to force it into it by force, you need to immediately measure the temperature. At temperatures above 40 degrees it is necessary to lead the animal to the doctor.
The doctor will begin treating your pet. But you also need to know the simple rules by which your pet will certainly seek recovery:
- Obligatory ventilation of the room where your pet is located. At the time of airing the room, the cat must be moved to another place so as not to aggravate the disease.
- Immediately dispose of all cat stool. It should not be near them, as they contain an infection.
- Since a cat's eyes can leak a little and a foam forms in the mouth, it is necessary to wipe these secretions so that they do not cause uncomfortable discomfort to the sick animal.
- Proper nutrition. This is an important point on the path to the recovery of your pet. Nutrition needs to be adjusted according to the state of the cat. Fruits, vegetables, greens are forbidden to give during the illness. They are also not recommended to be given after an illness for 3 months. Food should be served to the animal in a puree form, it should be warm and easily digestible. It is also not recommended to lay large portions, the cat at the time of illness will not eat much. Therefore, serve food in small portions, you can increase the number of feedings up to five times.
- It is necessary to carry out wet cleaning every day. And it is advisable to maintain the average temperature in the room.
Effects of treatment
With a positive treatment, the disease, of course, leaves its mark in the later life of the cat. The main consequences:
- Violations of the proper functioning of the animal.
- Immunity undermined.
- Perhaps in an animal the disease will turn into a chronic disease.
To summarize all of the above, it will become clear that your pet will undoubtedly need the help of an experienced veterinarian, whatever signs of a plague he would have had. The most important thing you can do to protect your pet from such a disaster is to vaccinate on time. This will help your cat stay healthy.
Remember that if your animal is at home, it is not safe from plague disease. You may not see signs of a cat’s plague on the street, stroking it and returning to your pet with the virus. Take care of your pets and timely respond to changes in the behavior of the animal. Do not miss the symptoms and signs of distemper in cats.
Reviews
Such a terrible disease claimed many lives of tetrapods, until there is a specific treatment, it will take pets. But after some time, doctors should find a cure for cat plague.
Many people are faced with such a disaster as the distemper in cats. They say that the animal stopped eating, became lethargic. In the veterinary clinic, the doctor examined the cat, took tests. Since the owners reacted on time, the treatment helped - the animal was saved.
Other people treated the cat for almost 2.5 weeks. But most importantly, the doctor chose the right treatment and was able to help the cat. They claim that the cat caught the virus while walking on the street.