Cat Health Guide

When we talk about fungus infections in cats, we are basically talking about fungus in the skin of the cat and deep infections, examples include ringworm and histoplasmosis. The time I takes to fully eliminate the infection and get rid the cat of fungus will depend on the type of infection, the treatment received, and the severity of the fungal infection.

As you can see, it would be easy to just throw a number here, but there are many factors that come into play. Know though, that some infections can take very months to fully subside, and treatment must be followed religiously, as every day skipped is a day we give the chance for the infection to spread and thrive again.

Dealing with cat stomach pain might prove to be somewhat tricky. The first “obstacle” is determining if your cat is indeed feeling stomach ache. You can look for related symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation and vomiting. Let’s take a look at these cases that can cause pain:

Diarrhea can be caused by many things, including diet changes, infections and even stress. When talking to your vet about this problem you should also recall what food has your cat eaten in the last few days.

Constipation, just like in us humans, can cause acute stomach pain in cats. To avoid cat constipation problems, a good idea is to always give your cat plenty of water and fiber in the diet.

Hairballs are also a quite common problem in cats that can cause stomach ache as they build up in the stomach. Hairball problems will also cause vomiting. There are products in the market that can minimize greatly the appearance of such hair balls.

Other conditions and problems that can bring cat stomach pain are:

• Bloating
• Arsenic Poisoning
• Lead Poisoning
• Salmonella
• Feline Panleukopenia
• Ascites

As you can see, stomach pain can be the symptoms of more serious conditions. In the common cases of diarrhea, constipations and hairballs, prevention is key on dealing with cat stomach pain. In the rest of cases and conditions listed. The best way to deal with the pain must be directed by the vet, who will take into account the underlying problem.

Can Cats Eat Chocolate? When cats eat chocolate, is not as same as when we humans eat chocolate.  For cats this delicious food is toxic, and chocolate poisoning must be treated immediately by calling emergency. The main treatment will include inducing vomit, charcoal for toxin absorption and anti-seizure medications.

How serious cat chocolate poisoning can be? Extremely serious. In most cases, cats get very ill from this intoxication, and in some cases chocolate for cats can lead to death.  The thing is that chocolate contains a component called theobromine, which affects our cat’s central nervous system.  This component is like caffeine, and although we don’t notice it, it can be fatal for a cat.

Determining the grade of toxicity is important to assess the threat for a cat.  As you may know, there are different types of chocolate bad for cats in the market, and it is our duty as owners to keep it away from the cat’s reach, in a secured area.  Personally, whenever I get chocolate, I put it inside a metal container on my closet; it would be a good idea to find a similar place in your home.  Let’s take a look at the amount of theobromine (and threat) on the different types of chocolate:

Milk chocolate contains 45mg of theobromine per ounce, and is the chocolate with less amount of this substance.

Semi-sweet chocolate contains 150 – 250mg of thebromine per ounce

Cocoa beans contain the highest amount of this component: 450 – 1000mg per ounce!  Definitely deadly for any cat!

Cat Chocolate Poisoning Symptoms

The initial symptoms that take place once your cat has ingested chocolate can appear after a few moments or up to a day later, they include mainly diarrhea and vomiting, signals of a digestive issue.  These symptoms may go away if your cat has ingested a small amount of chocolate, but when the amount is elevated, severe and toxic symptoms will be evident.

With higher levels of theobromine, the cat will be irritable and his heart rate will be significantly increased, at this stage, tremors and seizures will appear; however you shouldn’t wait for these symptoms to develop.  Immediate action is essential to treat this cat chocolate problem.  When toxic levels get too high, it will lead to the death of your cat.

How to Treat Cat Chocolate Poisoning?

Swift action is a must to avoid cat’s health threats. Inducing vomit must be done quickly, before two hours have passed since your cat’s chocolate ingestion.  Past that time, this simple treatment will have no effect.

When toxicity gets severe, the cat will need to be hospitalized and observed by a qualified veterinarian.  The vet will give supportive treatment to your cat depending on the severity of the intoxication and will have to wait until theobromine has been eliminated from the system.

The problem of cat diarrhea can be caused by a set of factors, and a doctor is needed to asses what is the cause behind this common cat health problem. It will depend on the smell and consistency of the stool.  This is a health problem that is important to treat, because it can easily lead to dehydration and loss of blood pressure.

If you notice that diarrhea is lasting more than 24 hours go see the vet immediately, it would also be a good idea to take a sample of the cat’s stool to let the doctor give you the proper diagnosis. It is important to determine when did the diarrhea started and if there was any changes in the cat’s normal diet.  Knowing this, and by examination of the stool, the veterinarian can determine if certain food was the cause of the problem.

How is Cat Diarrhea Treated?

To successfully treat diarrhea, any veterinarian will tell you that the most important factor is getting to know the cause. A good diet plays an important role, after talking with my veterinarian once, he told me that if your cat has had diarrhea for less than a day, it is necessary to stop feeding the cat for approximately 24 hours.

Another important factor in treating diarrhea is water.  If we don’t give enough water to our cats, they will easily suffer of dehydration. In cases where cat’s diarrhea lasts more than a day, we should take our cat to the veterinarian to get the necessary medication.

What Are The Common Causes of Diarrhea?

Stress. This happens for different circumstances, for example something as insignificant as a change in environment. When moving a cat might feel tense on this new environment, or even in the presence of someone new in the house. Diarrhea often goes as the cat adapts.

Eating things they should not eat. A very common cause of diarrhea, sometimes our cat’s eat things from the floor that cause this cat health problem.

Eating too much food. Over eating is not only a problem of humans.  Cats can over eat for a variety of reasons, and we as owners play an important role at establishing good dieting habits for our cats.  Experts say that it is good to feed a cat with several meals, small meals.

Certain brands of cat food. You have to feed your cat with quality food, just because your cat is an animal this doesn’t mean that he can eat whatever there is for cats. I prefer to feed my cats with natural food that I prefer.  It is more work, but cat food is often full of chemicals made to preserve and give flavor.

There may be other factors causing the diarrhea for example irritating substances, eating foreign objects or food that your cat doesn’t process well.  Given the variety of causes we see why it is very important to take our cats to the veterinarian.

Cat mange appear as a result of mites, unlike other cat health problems, cat mites is not very common, but can happen, since mites can be living on the cat’s skin and ear canal.

In order to diagnose cat mange, he veterinarian will need to scrape the cat’s skin to get a sample and then run it through a series of tests and microscope examination. According to the shape of the mites, the diagnosis will be given taking into account the type of mange your cat is suffering from. Domestic cat mange is a treatable condition once the doctor is able to detrmine appropiate treatment. As you will see below, the most common type of domestic cat mange are of the notoedric type but there are other.

It is important to say that results of testing are only half accurate, as mites could have been removed by the cat, only leaving a trail of toxins.

Types of Cat Mange

Ear Mites
Notoedric Mange
Demodectic cat mange
Cheyletiella mange
Chiggers
Sarcoptic Mange Read more…

Cat eye infection problems are for the most part a result of an infection by the Feline Herpes Virus or an infection called Chlamydiosis.  You know your cat has an eye infection when you notice symptoms such as discharge in the eye and redness.  In the case of a cat eye infection caused by bacteria, the first line of treatment is the use of special eye drops and antibiotics, however you need to get proper prescription from your veterinary.

Cat Eye Infection Caused by Bacteria

We are talking here mostly about Chlamydiosis and is one of the common causes of conjunctivitis.  You can recognize this type of cat eye infection by noticing fever, irritation in the nose, conjunctivitis, nasal discharge and glossal ulcerations.

Viral Cat Eye Infection

Feline Herpesvirus 1. The number one cause of conjunctivitis, this is a virus that is only present among cats. To treat it, doctors use medicated drops. If the virus is not treated early, other problems can arise, such as sore on the cornea, dry eye problems, inflamed cornea, segment of dead bone, and eyeballs stuck on the eyelid. Read more…

Allergy in cats is a rather common cat health problem, according to statistic studies, up to 15% suffer of some form of allergy. They way allergies present in cats is different than the way they present among us, in cats allergies are known for affecting the skin, causing terrible itching.

What Are the Causes of Cat Allergy?

The most common causes of cat allergy are airborne allergens, food, medications and insects.

Among the common insects causing allergies we find fleas (flea allergy dermatitis). This is caused in turn by the saliva in the fleas’ mouth.  If your cat has this problem, he will be itching eve days after the flea attack is gone.  In the case of airborne allergens, we can mention the pollen, grass and mold.

Symptoms of Cat Allergy

The symptoms of feline allergy appear in some cases after immediate exposure to the allergen, but in other cases they appear minutes or hours after the incident.

If you notice that your cat is licking his paws at all times, this could be a starting sign of cat allergy. Other feline allergy symptoms include:

• Ear infections
• Belly licking
• Face-rubbing
• Sneezing and coughing
• Trouble breathing normally
• Nasal discharge
• Feline hives

Feline hives is a common symptom in the case of an immediate reaction to allergens. Hives appear on the skin with a circular shape, “bumpiness” and itch; if you notice hives on your cat’s skin don’t be too worried about them as they go away usually within 24 hours.

Treatment of Cat Hives in Cases of Allergy

In order to let hives disappear, you need to cut contact between your cat and the allergens. If you don’t know what is triggering this allergic reaction, try to recall if your cat has eaten new food, or if he has been exposed to new materials and liquids.

If you find that the hives are triggered by some food, you can use Milk of Magnesia to help clean-up the stomach of our cat. For a proper dosage info you should consult your veterinarian.  If the cause is external (such exposure to liquids and substances) a bath is the working option to say goodbye to hives.

Don’t try any medication without first talking to your doctor, she/he might also help you determining the cause of the allergy if you still don’t have a clue.

Cats are animals that like to chew on green foliage, and this for most cats means chewing on indoor plants that can have serious effects to their health. Poisonous plants for cats are common in many houses and can lead to even the death of your pet.

As cat owners, we must learn more about cat health and the plants toxic to cats and ensure that we have a safe environment for our cat or kitten.  If you currently have plants inside and don’t know if they are poisonous, better take them all out of the house until you talk with your veterinarian.

IMPORTANT: Before going on with the article, let me tell you that if you have any suspicion that your cat may be poisoned, you should take him to the veterinarian immediately.  It’s better if you can bring along a sample of the object causing the symptoms.

If you can’t get emergency help for any reason, don’t doubt to call ASPCA’s Poisoning Call Center at 1-888-4ANIHELP. They will charge you$55 to keep on running this non-profit organization. Be sure to check their complete list of plants poisonous for cats.

We must avoid poisonous plants for cats

Insecticides as Poison to Cats

Sometimes the problem is not the plant itself, but the insecticide sprayed on it.  Did you know that plants you buy at common places are often sprayed with insecticides? Be very careful if you have a cat.  These insecticides can cause the plants to be poisonous, causing serious health damage.  And it doesn’t require a big amount of chemicals to become this dangerous.

How to avoid it? Well, the key is information.  If you want to buy a safe plant, be sure to know where it’s coming from and ask the vendor about their use of insecticides and the effect on cats. If they can’t give you a clear answer, better buy the plant at another place.

Keeping Your Cat From Chewing on Plants

The best step to ensure that your cat is free of intoxication risks is learning how to stop your cat from chewing on plants.  Training them to avoid this behavior can significantly lower future risks. One way to do it is using lemon juice.

Dilute lemon juice and regularly spray it on the leaves.  This juice is not well tolerated by cats and kittens so they will quit chewing the leaves after feeling the taste. However don’t do it on poisonous plants, these plants must be taken out completely, only use this method on safe plants as a form to condition your cat without running any risk.

Catnip - preferred by cats

Another Solution: Their Own Plant to Chew

Your cat can also have available their own greenery to chew whenever they like.  Cats need the plants to help them keep a good digestion and to help them eliminate hairballs. Nowadays you can find in pet supply stores special cat grass. For this purposes plants such as catnip, sage, parsley and thyme are used to chew in moderate amounts.

Giving them to chew common lawn grass is not a good idea, since it’s spines can harm your cat’s mouth and digestive tract.

Growing a Plant for Your Cat

If you really want to pamper your cat – who doesn’t? – you can grow a special plant just for him to chew. We’ve already mentioned the plants chewable by your cat above, but when planting them you’ll have to use sterilized soil and untreated seeds.  Obviously, you should stay away from insecticides.

Instead of having the plant available, keep it out of reach and give your cat dry leaves every week to chew. A great option would be to grow catnip as cats naturally love this plant.

A common – and regular – cat health problem we must have to deal with as cat owners is the appearance of cat hairballs, also called furballs and hair-balls. Many people at first don’t know about this regular problem and they end up disgusted but what appears to be a ball of wet poop. The sole act of expulsing the cat hairball can bring concern as you see your cat hacking and vomiting.

What is a Hairball and Why do Cats Cough Hairballs?

Cat hairballs are big balls made of fur that are formed in the stomach of your cat or kitty. This is caused because cats are always grooming themselves, and well, this means a lot of licking, and although their tongues are their effective tools to groom, a lot of fur ends up getting stuck on them. If you have a cat with long hair, the chances of a hairball forming multiply by the way.

This is a cat hairball

Normally, when a cat swallows hair, it can go through the digestive system without noticing it, you’ll only know your cat has a hairball when it is expelled. A cat hairball looks like a wet sausage-like form on the floor.

Preventing Cat Hairballs

You can help your kitty or cat reduce hairball problems by brushing your cat regularly – thus helping to remove the excess fur he might swallow. In the case of a kitten, it is preferably to brush daily, so you’ll build the habit of brushing your cat, making things easier in the long run. You have to know also when it is shedding season in your zone, because it is critical to brush your cats at this stage t avoid furballs.

A good diet will also help preventing cat hairball problems, as it will help keeping the coat in good shape, preventing excessive shedding.  Keep also in mind that shedding increases when your cat feels stressed.

How Cats Deal With Hairballs?

When a cat licks off their hair, it goes through their digestive system to then be eliminated. There are times, though when the amount of fur in the cat’s belly becomes to big to be eliminated in their stool, so the cat vomits the hairball.

Cats also have an instinct to know what helps them, so in this case, they sometimes eat grass outdoors to help passing the hairball.

Complications of a Cat Hairball

Hairballs in cats - Prevention is key

There are cases where a cat or kitten is unable to eliminate the hairball through the stool or vomiting, in these cases a blockage in the intestine can form, producing constipation.  You should seek a veterinary immediately because sometimes the only way to get rid of the hairball is through surgery.

When you own a cat, you have to be prepared for any health problems that may arise.  Among the common cat health problems, we can find from minor inconveniences to dangerous (even life-threatening) accidents and conditions. It is our responsibility as cat owners to always check if our cat is healthy, so if we notice a lack of appetite, constipation, or strange behavior, we need to take our cat to the veterinary.

How To Recognize a Sick Cat?

As a cat owner you can certainly differentiate a behavior different than normal in your cat.  Common sign of a sick cat are: lethargy, lack of appetite, excessive itching, a dull coat, not grooming after a meal, diarrhea, vomiting, hiding, trouble with the litter box, unusual locations for elimination, and increased need of water and noticing a third eyelid from the corner of the eye of your cat while h is awake.

Cat health problems can be prevented

Of course, this is not a thorough checklist, and in all particular case you may notice different strange behavior, because all cats are different, however it is a good starting point to discard cat health problems. If you are a new cat owner, it would be the best idea to get more educated in the World of basic cat health, not only will it help you act quick in case of illness, but will also improve the quality of your cat’s life.

If you feel that something is not right with your cat, a visit to the veterinary is a must. A doctor will help you not only properly diagnose what your cat is suffering from, but will also know how sever is a certain illness or condition.  Acting quickly is very important, as there are some illnesses that quickly evolve and become serious.

List of Common Cat Health Problems

Here you can find a short list of common cat health problems you might encounter along your life with your beloved pet.  Use it as a quick reference guide to talk with your veterinary.

Fleas

Fleas are very common in some places, and these parasites can produce further cat health problems such as tapeworm problems and anemia. Flea control is very important to minimize the chances of an infection.

Cat Hairballs

This problem is even more common than flea attacks.  All cats store hair in the stomach, but they usually get them out of their system through feces or vomiting. Know that you can prevent hairball problems and successfully treat them. You can find more about cat hairballs.

Plant Poisoning

Plants love to chew, especially plants! As an owner you must know which plants are poisonous to your pet, but also beware of plant insecticides that can have the same adverse effect. Most problems of this kind start out of ignorance by the owner.Learn more about poisonous plants for cats.

Cat Infections and Viruses

Serious diseases can be a product of infections and viruses, among the common problems affecting our cat’s health we have: rabies, cat flu, infectious enteritis, feline leukemia virus (FeLV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline infectious peritonitis (FIP).

Worm Problems in Cats

Your cat may be suffering from a parasite attack.  There are different types of worms that can affect our kitty or cat’s health: tapeworms, ringworms, roundworms, hookworms and lungworms.  In each case, a cat must follow a proper treatment to eliminate completely the parasites off the body.

Various Cat Health Issues

Besides the problems listed above, our cat may also be the victim of other health issues, just like other animals and even us.  They can have indigestion problems, urinary infections, skin conditions, vitamin deficiencies, etc. Accidents are also common in many places, so we must ensure we have a proper cat health first aid kit in case of emergency.  Remember than in health, prevention is a key component so also have the veterinary’s number at hand.

DISCLAIMER

We hp the article has served you, but keep in mind that its purposes are only of information.  We are not health professionals and our aim is to give you a quick reference to possible problems with your cat’s health. In the case of health issues, visiting a veterinary is the best thing to do and you must not avoid it.

Anemia is a cat health problem that many cat owners have to deal with, most people notice at first a pale skin tone when the cat yawn, however there are other symptoms such as a pale tongue and gums.  If you notice both of these signs you are likely to have a case of anemia in cats.

Other way to quickly assess if your cat is suffering from anemia is to check the conjunctivae, the membranes surrounding the eye.  If they appear light or with a transparent tone instead of a light pink tone, you might be dealing with anemia.  If after checking these ways you think your cat is not healthy, you should go to the veterinary for a proper diagnosis.  Anemia affects the mood of cats making them feel weak and lethargic, sleeping more than usual. Other symptoms include shallow breathing, fever and discolored urine.

Diagnosing Anemia in Cats

Veterinarians can help determine anemia problems with a blood count sample, this will check the amount of red blood cells along with other data.  To better discard this problem, some veterinarians opt for more tests such as the Feline Leukemia Virus/Feline Immunodeficiency virus test,

If there are abnormal readings with the test, this will be an indicator of anemia.  Keep in mind that sometimes the cat looks healthy to you, but the fact is that it is suffering from anemia.

Anemia appears with different severity. The cases of extreme anemia in cats are life threatening and must be treated immediately. To avoid having worst anemia scenarios you should take care of your cat’s health by taking your cat to a routine check up by your veterinary.  Prevention and early detection are key factors to deal with anemia.

What Causes Anemia in Cats

Anemia is commonly caused by a reduction of red blood cell production by the bne marrow, or the loss of functioning cells. If the anemia is not showing a regenerative response, this means that the bone marrow is not acting well.

Treatment of Cat Anemia

In the cases where anemia is severe, the cat may need a blood transfusion.  Your cat’s blood should be properly determined to avoid a case of incompatible blood.

In light cases of anemia, medicine and care is needed.  Erythropoietin replacement is used by vets for cats with chronic kidney failure. Other types of anemia, such as the ones caused by cancers or terminal infections are not yet effectively treated.