Cat Care

SIX... Most common ailments to watch for in your cat.

    1. Fleas   Although cats and dogs can live with fleas, flea infestations should be controlled for several reasons. The most common flea, the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) may carry the Dipylidium caninum tapeworm larvae. If cats eat fleas during grooming, they may become infested with these tapeworms.
Fleas also could transmit other infectious agents. If kittens are exposed to fleas, they may become anemic. Cats can also develop an allergy to flea bites, resulting in excessive scratchig or possibly skin disease. Finally, humans are also susceptive to itchy flea bites, usually on the ankles.
You may suspect your cat has fleas if he seems particularly itchy or you see bites on human members of the household. To check if your cat has fleas, groom him over a sheet of white paper. Look for a few fleas caught in the comb’s teeth or flea dirt on the paper. Flea dirt is actually excrement of undigested cat blood, and appears black and comma shaped. If you place it on damp cotton wool, the flea dirt dissolves into bloody streaks.
To control fleas, all mature fleas must be killed and reinfestation prevented. Many commercial products are available both to kill adult fleas and remove fleas from the environment. Ask your vet for specific recommendations.
 
2. Hairballs
When cats cannot digest hair and food debris, they regurgitate hairballs. Hairballs are formed either at the back of the throat or in the small intestines. Hairballs not only sound disgusting while your cat is producing them, but they also make an unsightly mess on your carpets and floors.
The simplest method of hairball prevention is grooming your cat to remove excess hair. The next step involves many products already on the market to prevent hairball build-up such as oils, treats, and diets. If your cat vomits frequently and the problem isn’t resolved with regular brushings, you should consult with the veterinarian to be certain that a more serious problem is not the cause.
 
3. Overactive thyroid
Overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroidism, is a condition where the thyroid gland becomes enlarged and produces excess amount of thyroid hormone. The condition is often provoked by a benign tumor on one or both lobes of the thyroid gland. The good news is that thyroid tumors have only a 2-5% chance of malignancy.
Symptoms of an overactive thyroid include: increased appetite or thirst, unexplained weight loss (particularly muscle mass), nervousness or irritability, frequent vomiting, lethargy and weakness, diarrhea, or a coat that looked ungroomed. A cat with the condition may not present every symptom, but the presence of two or more should prompt a visit to the veterinarian’s office.
At the vet’s, your cat will be given a physical exam. If she notices enlarged glands, a CBC (blood panel) and a thyroid-specific test can make the diagnosis more conclusive. There are three treatments that offer a good chance for your cat’s full recovery: anti-thyroid medication, surgery, and radioiodine treatment. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you should learn more about the disease and its treatments and discuss your options with the veterinarian before making a decision.
 
4. Diabetes
Feline Diabetes can affect cats of any age, but is most common in older, obese cats—typically males. There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 is caused by insufficient insulin production while Type 2 results from a body’s inability to handle insulin effectively. Another type of diabetes, secondary diabetes, occurs as a side effect of drugs or diseases that impair the natural secretion of insulin or its effects in the body.
The symptoms of feline diabetes include vomiting, dehydration, weakness and loss of appetite, increased thirst and urination, weight loss, breathing abnormalities, and an unkempt-looking coat. If your cat has any or several of these symptoms, take him to the vet. The vet will test for blood sugar levels and sugar levels in the urine. Doing both tests rules out an increased blood sugar level due to the stress of the office visit.
If your cat is diagnosed with diabetes, it is usually treated through one or a combination of five methods: diet and weight control, insulin injections, oral medications, monitoring glucose and insulin levels, and nutrient and botanical supplements. Each method of treatments has unique benefits and drawbacks, so be sure to decide on a treatment plan with your veterinarian.
 
5. Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD)
This disease is a painful inflammation of the lower urinary tract that has the potential to be fatal. Feline lower urinary tract disease has a number of causes from decreased water intake and urine retention to viruses, bacteria, or diet. Symptoms that your cat may have FLUTD include inappropriate or difficult and frequent urination, appetite loss, listlessness, blood in the urine, or frequent licking of the genitals.
Vet treatment for FLUTD can include catheterization, fluid therapy, antibiotics, or even (rarely) surgery. At home, cat owners are often encouraged to change their pet’s diet and style of feeding (more frequent, smaller meals). It is also important for your cat to drink plenty of water.
 
6.Cat flue
 
Cat flu is like a human cold – it can cause a runny nose and eyes, and a sore throat. Other symptoms include aches and pains in the muscles and joints, mouth ulcers, dribbling, sneezing, loss of voice and fever. Cat flu is not usually serious in adult cats, although they can be quite ill. All cats with symptoms of cat flu should see the vet.

However it can be serious, even fatal, in kittens, and in adult cats with other serious underlying illnesses. There are occasional occurrences of a severe form, especially in the US, but thankfully this remains rare.

The usual concern is the risk of lasting damage to the eye, even in animals which otherwise seem mildly affected. Eye ulcers are often found and, particularly in kittens, can progress to cause serious damage
and even lead to the loss of an eye. If your cat or kitten has a sore looking or partially closed eye seek immediate veterinary attention.

What causes it?
It is usually caused by one of two types of virus, or sometimes by certain types of bacteria. Once infected, cats shed virus particles in nasal and eye discharges and in saliva. Although ill cats are the biggest source of infection, some healthy cats are carriers of the viruses. Carriers do not suffer from the disease but they too can shed virus particles and infect other cats. Particles can survive for up to a week in the environment, so a cat does not even need to meet another to catch the illness. It can easily be spread by contact with infected feed bowls or toys, or on people's clothing after touching an infected cat.

Diagnosis of cat flu may be made by taking swabs and looking for the virus but, in most pet cats, this is not necessary as there is no specific treatment. It may be helpful in catteries or if a cat is suffering from one of the long-term complications of infection.

How is cat flu treated?
There are no effective antiviral drugs in common use. Antibiotics may help because, just as in human flu, once the virus has damaged the delicate lining of the nose and airways, bacterial infections can enter and cause complications, such as pneumonia.

Nursing care at home is important. A blocked nose and mouth ulcers may stop a cat eating and drinking, leading to dehydration, which can be particularly dangerous in kittens. Because your cat may have lost its sense of smell and have a sore throat, sloppy, strong-smelling foods should be offered. Suggestions include sardines, pilchards, roast chicken, or one of the invalid diets available from vets. Cream or ice cream may be taken if your cat has mouth ulcers. Cats that cannot eat may need to be hospitalised for treatment.

Encourage your cat to drink, as fluids help to loosen thick catarrhal secretions. Wipe away discharges from the nose and eyes regularly using salt water (a teaspoonful of salt to a pint of water). Steam inhalations help to loosen catarrh, so let the cat in the bathroom when you have a bath or shower, or offer inhalations of Olbas Oil by putting a few drops of oil in a container of warm water. Place this in the room with the cat, but not where the cat might drink it!

Alternatively, put a few drops of Olbas Oil or eucalyptus oil on some cotton wool, and place in the room with the cat. Avoid direct contact, as it may be an irritant. A small amount of Vicks VapoRub can be applied to the chin. Do not give any other human medicines to your cat – cats are not small humans and many of our home remedies are toxic to them.

Are there long-term consequences?
Following infection, many cats are left as carriers, which means they do not have any symptoms but are potentially infectious to others. The existence of carriers can be the reason why a kitten develops flu when introduced to a household of apparently healthy cats.

Some carrier cats occasionally have a runny eye or nose for a few days. Recurrences of flu can follow stressful events, such as a visit to the vet or the arrival of a new cat in the house. Others are more unlucky and are left with a permanent, lifelong, thick, runny nose, or “chronic rhinitis”. This happens because the delicate nasal lining has been damaged, allowing repeated bacterial infections for which antibiotics may
provide only temporary relief.

It is thought that flu viruses, especially calicivirus, may contribute to long-term inflammation and soreness of the mouth, or gingivitis. However, this is a complicated condition, which is often difficult to cure, and calicivirus may not be the only cause. Long-term drug treatment is often needed for control, and in some cases extraction of the teeth may be needed.

Can it be prevented?
There are lots of different strains of virus, and, just as with human flu, the vaccine is not effective against them all. Two doses of vaccine are needed initially, followed by regular boosters. You should consult your vet for details. It is particularly important to remember that your cat will need to be fully up to date with vaccinations if they will be going to a boarding cattery when you are on holiday.

The vaccines routinely used in the UK are only active against viruses. Vaccines are also available for the bacterial forms of cat flu. If you are breeding or showing cats, you should discuss whether these are necessary with your vet.

Even vaccinated cats can become carriers without showing any symptoms and can infect other cats. Kittens initially get some immunity from their mothers but, as they get older, this fades and they become susceptible to the infection. Infected mothers can infect their kittens without showing illness themselves. The kittens either get flu or become symptom-free carriers. It can take as long as two weeks for signs of flu to appear, so one reason for apparent vaccine “failures”, especially in kittens, may be that they are already infected at the time of vaccination. The vaccine, as with all vaccines, cannot prevent symptoms from occurring if the animal already has the infection at the time of vaccination.

Rescue catteries
Cat flu can be a real problem in any situation where a group of cats is kept, particularly if new cats are often introduced. Preventing the entry of cat flu into a group of cats is a complex issue and full discussion with your vet is essential.

At the very least, all new cats – even if they seem healthy – should be kept separate from the rest for at least two weeks, and they should be vaccinated before they mix with the others. Bear in mind that droplets from a sneeze can transmit infection over a distance of many metres. It is best to keep mothers with litters of kittens in isolation until the kittens are ready to go to new homes. If you have a problem with cat flu within a group of cats, it is best to stop introducing further cats to the household or cattery.

Know your enemy – further information about the bugs behind cat flu
There are two main viruses. One is a type called a calicivirus, and the other is a feline herpes virus. The calicivirus exists in lots of slightly different forms, called strains. Vaccination against calicivirus is difficult, as it is with the human flu viruses, because the vaccine cannot cover all the strains, so it is not fully protective. Fortunately, the herpes virus has only one strain, so vaccination against this works better.

The actual symptoms caused by the two viruses are slightly different. Calicivirus is usually milder and characteristically causes mouth ulcers. In young kittens, it can cause lameness. Herpes virus is often more severe and is more likely to produce eye ulcers.

The situation with carriers is also different between the two. Following infection with the herpes virus, it is thought that all cats become carriers, but they produce the virus in tears, saliva and nasal secretions only intermittently. This means swabs taken from these cats will not always detect the virus. Cats that are carriers remain so for life.

With calicivirus, carrier cats shed virus particles continuously, so they are easier to identify on swabs taken by the vet. Many cats are able to completely rid their bodies of the virus after one to two years, so that they are no longer carriers.

There are also several types of bacteria that may cause flu. One of these – bordetella bronchiseptica – is the agent that causes kennel cough in dogs and it is thought that it may be possible for cats to catch “flu” from dogs. This bacterium often seems to affect the lungs as well. It can usually be successfully treated with antibiotics. A vaccine is available, but is not usually given routinely, although it is sometimes used in breeding catteries.

The other bacterium sometimes encountered is chlamydophila felis. This mainly produces sore, red, runny eyes, sometimes with a mild “cold”. Some types of antibiotics are effective and a vaccination is available, although it is not fully protective. It can be difficult to get rid of this infection completely from a group of cats.