Monday, October 27, 2008

Cat Care And The Common Disease Symptoms You Need To Look For

When people experience any pain in there bodies, they can just tell someone they are feeling ill or are in pain and the individual they tell, will either call a physician or take them to a infirmary, Cats plainly are not able to do this, but by keeping an eye on them you can tell you lots of things about there health. This is why pet owners should employ cat care and be alert of any symptoms that may develop.

Discussed below are a few diseases and their symptoms you should look out for.

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is the most feared disease and in fact is the leading cause of death among cats. It is caused by a coronavirus infection and the worse part is that the symptoms are very common with other ailments, so it is really hard to tell if your cat has this.

There is also Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) that is similar to HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). Just like the version in humans, it is a life long infection that advances slowly and kills the cat.

Cats can also be infected by Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV). It is a retrovirus that causes fatal cancerous and non-cancerous diseases. As Luck Would Have It, it can be treated using some household detergents and bleach as well as warmth and drying. It is carried through the saliva, tears, urine and feces of infected cats. Unlike the other two, it cannot survive that long in the environment so it is only transmissible when the infected cat stays with some other cat for a long period of time. 

Worms are also another threat to cats and this is caused by a fungal infection that is spread through spores. Since it is a self-limiting disease, you do not need to do anything to make it go away. It will in time clear up but it may just take a few months.

If your cat is obese, the chances are it already has feline diabetes. The symptoms of this disease include excessive urination and thirst as well as weight loss or gain. Vets are not yet sure what causes this, but there have been a few research studies that have shown that there is a link between pancreatic disease, hormonal imbalance and certain medications.

The symptoms of most of the diseases mentioned are very alike. These include diarrhea, vomiting, lameness lasting for more than 5 days in one leg, a decrease in sight, excessive panting, a seizure, blood in the stool or urine, hair loss, repeated coughing or gagging and breathing heavily or rapidly at rest. In order to find the answer, your cat will have to undergo some tests.

The veterinary will take some blood, urine and feces samples. Any input that you have observed and give will also be helpful. When the tests come out, only then will the proper treatment be administered to the cat as each case varies, so what worked for one cat may not have the identical positive result with yours.

Your cat will always be healthy if you give it constant attention. This is done by feeding it high quality natural food, giving it fresh water everyday, allowing it to exercise, proper grooming, making for sure it stays inside and taking it for regular visits to your veterinary.

If you miss any of these simple steps, then something wrong is bound to happen to your cat and you will soon detect a change in the behavior of your cat and if you do nothing about it, it is just going to make matters far worse. So you need to observe proper cat care and watch out for any symptoms.

For further Free information on Long Term Cat Care try visiting Caring For Your Cat Help.

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