Contact Your Veterinarian When Your Cat Shows These Symptoms
No pulse, or heart beat, no breathing, or severe difficulty, breathing, bluish or white gums or tongue, a near drowning. Has been exposed to a toxin for poison or has had trauma including, broken bone, heavy bleeding that cannot be stopped, an eye injury, the eye is out of the socket, or appears enlarged or protruding. a fight, especially if it was with another cat or a wild or unvaccinated animal. A wound from a bullet or arrow, being hit by a vehicle or other large or fast-moving object. Puncture wounds to the abdomen or chest any trauma to the head, a bite f from a snake, scorpion, or poisonous spider, or has bitten a toad, porcupine quills imbedded in the mouth, face, or body, a broken tooth, or the loss of a healthy tooth, including the root ( (keep the tooth in a small jar of milk). A severe laceration, or an incision that has opened and the skin is gaping, falling or jumping from an open window, balcony, etc. Swelling of the face and or hives, has had heat or cold related injuries including: chewing on an electrical cord and receiving a shock or burn, burns or inhaled smoke, heat stroke or a fever over 105 F (normal is less than 102.5), frostbite or hypothermia. Has signs of gastrointestinal distress including: straining continually, but unable to produce feces, choking, vomiting blood or uncontrolled vomiting, swallowing a foreign body. Diarrhea with blood, a foul smell, or or that is uncontrolled, black, tarry stool a protruded rectum or bleeding from the rectum. An overdose of medication or suspected poisoning. Has signs of system or muscular disease including, extreme lethargy or depression, unconsciousness, collapsing, or coma, seizures, a head tilt,staggering, walking in circles, unable to use hind legs or other limbs. Has signs of urinary or reproductive problems including: difficulty giving birth, no kitten after 24 hours of beginning labor, no kitten after 30-60 minutes of active straining, weak or infrequent contractions once labor has started, crying or licking the vulva area, excessively abnormal bleeding or vaginal discharge, weakness. A male who is continually licking his genital area (a sign of urinary obstruction) crying while trying to urinate, bleeding from the urinary or genital area, retained after birth for over 8 hours, developing a red or swollen or painful breast. males with swollen testicles or scrotum. Call your veterinarian the same day if your cat shows signs, of shallow breathing, breathing at a faster rate continuous sneezing or coughing. Not eating or drinking for over 24 hours or drinking water excessively, sudden change in behavior,crying when touched or picked up.cloudy eyes sudden lameness, a rash, excessive shedding, excessive head shaking, a persistent scratching or chewing at spots on the body,not eating, foul breath, sudden weight gain or loss, drooling, lethargy, depression, sleeping more that usual, unwillingness to play or exercise.
EYE CARE FOR CATS
Health eyes of cats are moist and clear. It there is redness or swelling, or if your cat squints or you see a discharge of mucus, these may be indications of an eye infection. Monitor your cat's eyes closely and do not hesitate to contact your veterinarian if you suspect something is wrong, your cat's eyes are too valuable to take any chances. To properly care for your cat's eyes, be sure to: Keep eyes clear of mucus at all times. Infections are often caused by bacteria that overgrow on mucus. Use sterile eyewash and/or eye wipes to keep the eye area clean. This is especially important in young kittens who may have consider eye discharge resulting from upper "respitory infections". apply a protective ophthalmic ointment under the top lid to protect the eyes before bathing facial cleaning, and insecticide treatment. Even "tearless" shampoos can irritate if too much gets in the eyes or if it is not rinsed out soon enough. Keep all hair out of your cat's eyes since scratches to the cornea (the clear membrane across the surface of the eye) can result from contact with hair. In long-haired cats, when it is necessary, trim the hair using only blunt-nosed scissors, cutting parallel to the edge of the eyelid. This is especially important where the skin folds near the eyes in breeds like Persians. "Tear staining" is a common problem with particular breeds of cats, especially Persians, and can get unsightly if not taken care of. Tears are bactericidal, which means they kill the bacteria that can cause infections of the eye. Normally tears flow across the surface of the eye and quickly drain through the tear duct. This discoloration at the corners of the eyes is caused by normal tears that spill out and lay on the surrounding hair. For breeds that tend to ha tear stains, you could clean hair in affected areas at least weekly with a tear stain remover product.
HERPIES VIRUS INFECTION OF THE EYE IN CATS
herpes virus (FHV-1)is the virus that causesrhinotracheitis in cats. FHV-1 usually infects young cats, but can remain dormant for years, and reappear if the cat is stressed, is on high doses of corticosteroids, has a feline leukemia virus (felV) or feline immunodeficiency virus infection (FIV), or there is local irritation or bacterial infection of the eye. the most common eye conditions caused by FHV-1 areconjunctivitis and keratitis (inflammation of the cornea).
FHV-1 is one of the most common causes of conjunctivitis in cats. young kittens are most commonly affected, with both eyes having considerable clear or cloudy discharge. Oral users area commonly present, In adult cats, only one eye is affected, and there respiratory signs are often absent. For treatment, antibiotic ointmneeeets are often used to prevent secondary bacterial infections, If the infection is severe, especially in a kitten, antiviral drugs are used.
FHV-1 is the most common cause of corneal ulcers in cats. Any cat with a corneal ulcer should be considered to have a FHV-1 infection until proven otherwise, and antiviral medication should begin immediately. Ulcers resulting from FHV-1 are generally deep unless they become secondarily infected with bacteria, so antibiotics are generally included in the treatment. Ulcers of the eye are very painful, so affected cats are often treated with oral injectable pain relievers, and atropine ointment, which dilates the eye and reduces pain.
Idocuridine is a common antiviral agent used in cats. L-lysine, which is an amino acid, has been found to interfere with the replication of FHV-1. L-lysine is administered orally and its use in combination, with idoxuridine is recommended as the first choice of therapies. If this combination is not effective, other drugs, alone or in ccombination, may be used. Some of these are very expensive, but may be necessary to save the cat's sight.
EAR INFECTIONS IN CATS
Signs of ear disease odor discharge in the ear redness or swelling of the ear canal shaking of the head pain around the ears changes in behavior such as depression or irritability Ear disease is one of the most common conditions seen in cats. The medical name for it is inflammation of the outer ear canal.
Causes of ear disease allergiesparasites-ear mites microorganisms-bacteria and yeast trama ear environment, e,g, excess moisture and ear anatomy hereditary or immune conditions, and tumors The treatment is going to depend on what caused the ear problem and what secondary conditions are there as a result. Antibiotics are used for bacterial infections and antifungalsfor yeast infections. Glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone are often included in these preparations to reduce the amount of inflammation in the ear. Ear problems caused by a systemic disease such as hormone abnormality or allergy must include a therapy that treats the whole cat, such as hormonal replacement or allergy testing and hypo sensitization (immunochemistry). Allergies: Cats with allergies, either to food or something they inhale, may have ear problems. As a matter of fact, the ear problem may be the first sign of the allergy. Since the allergy changes the environment within the ear, we sometimes see secondary infections withbacteria or yeast. If we just treat the infection, we are not getting to the root of the problem. We need to treat the allergies too. Allergy treatment is commonly treated with regular ear cleaning with an ear cleaning solution, antihistamine and fatty acid supplements. Sometimes Corticosteroids are needed. These may be given in an oral or inject able form, or they can be applied topically. Allergy testing is recommended. Parasites: The ear mite, is a common cause of ear problems especially in kittens. Ear mites can cause a dry, dark, crumbly debris in the ear that resembles coffee grounds. ear mites are more common in cats than dogs. For this condition, ear cleansing followed by and ear medication to kill mites, this will eliminate the problem. although the treatment may need to be continued over several weeks depending upon the product used. Bacteriaand yeastcause infections. The normal, healthy ear has a good defense against these organism, but if the ear environment changes due to allergies, hormone abnormalities, or moisture, the canal bacteria and yeast can greatly multiply and break down these defenses. Yeast can cause severe ear problems, observe a brown waxy exudates and a bad odor. Daily cleaning of the ears will help, but often these infections are difficult to treat, and special medications need to be given since antibiotics do not kill yeast infection in your cat's ears, consult your veterinarian. Bacterial infections can also have a bad odor and often have a more yellowish exudates. If it is a severe or chronic condition . antibiotics are always necessary if not treated the infection can spread to the middle and inner ear. When cleaning the ear use a slightly acidic solution, that does not sting. massage the base of the ear for 20-30 seconds to soften and release the debris. Wipe out the loose debris and excess fluid with a cotton ball. Repeat this procedure until you see no more debris. cotton applicator swabs can be used to clean the inside of the earflap and the part of the ear canal you can see. They should not be used farther down in the ear canal. after the ear canal is clean, let the cat shake her head and allow some time for the ears to dry. Then you can apply the medication that was prescribed. Preventing disease. The key to healthy ears is to keep them clean. Check your cat's ears weekly. Remember, if your cat is showing severe discomfort, the ears have a bad smell, or the ear canals look very abnormal, do not delay in contacting your veterinarian.