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The Comprehensive Cat Care Guide, Ed. II
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Welcome to the second edition of The Comprehensive Cat Care Guide. In this edition, we will begin to cover illnesses your cat can contract, symptoms, what you should do and we will begin to list highly qualified, local animal hospitals for emergency care.
Before we start our own reporting of potential cat illnesses, we would like to make you aware of a very important article written by our own St. Louis Pet’s Examiner, Mary Bushnell. Mary reports on the first known case of the H1N1 virus transmission from a human to a cat. Please read Mary’s article and then do not forget to come back to read more on the topic of cat care and illnesses here.
We will begin with viral and infectious diseases your cat could contract, one thought to keep in mind on this subject is that some of these illnesses can be transmitted to humans and a few of those are a concern to humans and local health departments as they can be transmitted from a cat to a human.
The first disease we will discuss is Feline viral rhinotracheitis (FVR). FVR is an infectious upper respiratory disease, which can become serious. FVR is responsible for fifty-percent of all respiratory diseases in cats. Kittens and young cats are more susceptible to FVR and the best medicine for this disease is preventative, through vaccination.
Symptoms of Feline viral rhinotracheitis or FVR:
1. Nasal discharge
2. Discharge from the eyes
3. Fever
4. Sneezing
5. Redness and swelling of the eyes (conjunctivitis)
6. Ulcers on the tongue
Note that pregnant cats may miscarry with this infection. Pneumonia can become a secondary infection, which accounts for a high mortality rate in kittens and elderly cats; Siamese kittens have the highest mortality rate of all breeds if pneumonia is contracted. Your cat may also develop ulcerations of the cornea (ulcerative keratitis), which, if not treated can lead to loss of sight.
If you notice your cat sneezing, coughing or exhibiting any of the other symptoms listed above, contact your veterinarian immediately or take your cat to your local animal hospital emergency center. Your cat, depending on how far the disease has progressed, may be admitted to the hospital where he or she will receive supportive care along with antibiotics, reducing the potential for secondary infections and increasing the probability of recovery.
There are several animal hospitals in St. Louis where you might consider taking your cat if they are exhibiting severe symptoms:
• Cat Clinic
• Webster Groves Animal Hospital
• Jewell Animal Hospital
• Fenton Animal Hospital
We believe in being able to make an informed choice for the care of your cat, therefore, we have added links to each hospital for your convenience. We look forward to you reading the next edition of our guide where we will discuss more cat illnesses and offer a list of reputable hospitals and veterinarian’s.
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