Cat Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Exhaust fumes contain carbon monoxide. If your cat is put in the trunk of the car with the motor running or in a car with a poor exhaust system, carbon monoxide poisoning can occur.

Carbon monoxide blocks the transportation of life giving oxygen to the body cells. If oxygen cannot get to the cells, death will occur. The signs of carbon monoxide poisoning are weakness, cherry red gums, twitching muscles, and an elevated temperature.

Cat Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Home Remedies

Get your cat into fresh air. If breathing has stopped, give artificial respiration. See veterinary assistance at once.

Cat Cancer

The improvements in the prevention and treatment of infections, parasites, andnutritional diseases have lengthened the life span of our pets. Consequently, a catliving into its middle and later years will develop other health problems. Probablythe most dreaded disease of mid- and later life is cancer (although there are somecancers, such as lymphosarcoma [leukemia] that affect primarily younger cats).Yearly. there are almost 160 new cases of cancer per 100,000 cats.

Cancer begins as a biologically abnormal change in a single cell in one ofyour pet's organs. This cell divides repeatedly, producing more abnormal cells.These new cells also divide at an extremely rapid rate and cannot be stopped byyour cat's normal internal monitoring system, which makes normal cells behave.These abnormal cells are biologically destructive: they form solid tumors and in-vade and destroy surrounding tissue. Malignant tumors produce chemical sub-stances that aid the cellular destruction and help stimulate a blood supply (toobtain oxygen and nutrition) for the tumors. Malignant cells frequently spreadthroughout the body by way of veins or lymph vessels and thus bring their destruc-tive ways to other organs in your cat's body. This process is called metastasis.

Cat Ultrasound

Ultrasound, which does not use radiation to show the internal organs, is very safe. The equipment is very expensive; however, how it sounds when we heard ultrasound & a cat. In ultrasound examination of a cat, a doctor must be specially trained to interpret the pictures. This specialist might be a radiologist or cardiologist (for ultrasound of the heart). Many times these specialists work at large referral centers or veterinary schools. Cat ultrasound is useful to examine reproductive organs, eyes, heart, abdominal organs, kidneys etc.

Whenever you find your love one pet cat is very ill and is seriously injured, you can rush to near by veterinarian. There, if your veterinarian is not exactly knowing what is the cause of all this. Then he must go for cat’s ultrasound.

In ultrasound for cats your veterinarian can perform ultrasound on various parts of the body. For example in the ultrasound of abdominal the organs which are traced are liver, intestines, stomach, spleen, kidneys etc. With the help of ultrasound in kidneys we can examine the size of kidney, shape of the kidney and even he can view it internally to find some injury.

Cat Temperature

Temperature is the degree of hotness or coldness of any body that we can measure with the help of thermometer. Same is with the body of a cat. Normally the body temperature of a cat lies in between 101 °F to 102 °F or cat temperature lies between 38 °C to 39 °C. Generally the cat loves sunny day and like to sleep or to roam outside in the warm day. It shows excitement to warmness as the cat is very closely related to desert area. Due to this reason they do not feel uneasy, uncomfortable and can survive easily up to 52 °C temperature.

Cat can belong to any type of breed, it can relate to Norwegian Forest or it can relate to Maine Coon. These cats develop heavy hair, coats of fur in comparison to other cats in cold season. They fight to maintain a temperature of 39 °C (102°F) when there body is wet. But some breeds are very fond of water like Turkish Van, Abyssinians and Bengal’s.

If your cat is ill or sick firstly you have to check the causes of her illness. There might be possibility that she is not physically fit and in this case you have to check her from outside. If you find her completely all right than you should check for her fever. Fever you can check with the help of thermometer, there are different types of thermometer available to take cat temperature. We can check cat temperature either with the help of rectal thermometer or with the help of mercury thermometer. There is one more thermometer available to take cat’s body temperature that is ear thermometer.

Cat Spray

Cats have been a favorite companion of humankind for about five thousand years. Their grace, beauty, and regal bearing have charmed royalty and common folk alike. During this time, the cat was quite independent. It did not live in close quarters, did not share the social pressures common to modern times,and was not bred selectively. These factors singly or in combination are thought to contribute to an increase in behavior problems.

Both intact and neutered male cats (and to a lesser extent, females) may back up to vertical objects, such as furniture and drapes,raise and quiver the tail, and squirt a small amount of urine on the object. This is called spraying. This is not to be confused integralities or cystitis. Spraying apparently makes the surroundings more familiar and comfortable to the cat by giving them theca's own smell, and it lets others know that Morris, Jaws, or Ralph "was here." If the cat perceives a threat to its environment, such asa new addition to the household (another pet,a baby), a furniture change, or a new cat in the neighborhood, spraying may occur. In these cases. however, it will probably be temporary.

Eliminating Smell of Cat Spray

Castrating the male cat before sexual gratuity solves the spraying problem before it be-gins. but castration after maturity is still highly effective. If castration doesn't appeal. try placing mothballs or the cat's food bowl in the -spray zone." Cats don't go to the bathroom where they eat, and they detest the smell of mothballs. ( Do not use moth-balls if small children are in the household.Also, some mothballs contain naphthalene,which causes a hemolytic anemia if the cat licks or chews them.) Hormones or a new home for the cat may be needed if the behavior persists.

Cat Skeleton System

Without the support and protection of bones, your cat would collapse into fur and skin. Most of the two essential minerals, calcium and phosphorus are needed by the bones. Without your cat's skeleton system its heart could not beat, nor could the nerves conduct messages. If your cat is pregnant or nursing, the need for both these minerals is at a peak, will bob up when that leg touches the ground; the head will bob down when a sore rear leg touches the ground. A shorter stride and lighter touch are usually seen in the sore leg.

If you notice a lame leg, its wrong structure if a cat than you should take the cat's temperature first, because in cats the cause is often a bite wound that has formed an abscess. In that case a fever of 104° to 105°F may be seen. If suppose the temperature is normal, start the exam. You will be looking for swelling or pain by gently pressing on the bones with your finger or moving a joint. Your pet will exhibit pain by crying or pulling the leg away. If you think you've found a painful area, in that particular body part or in some other body parts of a cat, repeat that part of the exam to see if you get the same reaction.

Cat Nursing Problems

There are some serious problems during nursing that require immediate cooperation between you and your doctor. Since pregnancy and milk production may demand more calcium than the mother can spare, clamps (low blood calcium)max be seen during nursing. The signs are nervousness, crying, stiffness, staggeration. fever (as high as 107°F), muscle spasms, and convulsions. Eclampsia usually develops within the first three weeks of the nursing period and is a life threatening medical emergency. Fortunately, it is rare in cats. See the veterinarian immediately.If the rectal temperature is 106°F or over, place ice packs between the cat's thighs to lower the fever during the ride to the doctor's office.

Intravenous calcium solutions will usually stop the signs. As the solution is injected, the convulsions cease, the muscles stop twitching, and the cat stops panting. The mother cat will not have to be hospitalized unless it does not respond to treatment (this is rare). Upon returning home. nursing should be stopped or at least restricted. If the kittens are older than three weeks, start them on solid food. Younger kittens will have to be hand fed to prevent a recurrence of the disease.Your doctor may also prescribe a calcium supplement for the next few weeks.

A malfunction in the organ that controls calcium metabolism (the parathyroid gland) is thought to cause eclampsia. To prevent it, consult your doctor before you breed your cat. He or she will advise you on the proper calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D supplements. Eclampsia can occur again in a female who has had it once and is re bred. To prevent its recurrence, have your cat spayed.

A bacterial infection of the uterus called acute metritis is another emergency .A physical exam, blood tests, and possibly X-rays may be necessary for diagnosis.If retained fetuses are seen on the X-rays, an immediate various is the best treatment. If you want to breed again, a less acceptable and risky choice is to do culture and sensitivity tests and use the specific antibiotic to treat the infection .Flushing the vagina with general antibiotics may also be tried. An injection boomtown within twenty-four hours after delivery may prevent uterine infections.Good hygiene and appropriate care are also important.

Cat Illness Symptoms

Cats are calm pets by nature. The owner has to be really close to the cat to know that it is sick. To analyze your cat’s illness symptoms you must observe the pet very closely and should try to make out any change in its behavior, eating pattern, sleep pattern, and general mood.

Like other species on this earth cats fall sick too, but they are gentle and quite bearable in nature. A dog might bark and bark till the owner knows that it is in trouble, but cat takes a peaceful path and makes itself sit silently in a corner. Thus the owner has to be really agile to know about cat illness symptoms.

To make out whether your cat is actually sick or not and whether it needs medical attention you should not go by only one symptom. For example, if your cat vomits once does not necessarily mean that it is suffering from something serious. However if it vomits a couple of times during the day and continues doing the same other day also, then you must take it to vet.

Here are some common cat illnesses symptoms and the possible causes associated with them:

Vomiting :Swallowing their hairball is a very common cause of vomiting among cats. Vomiting once in a while is okay for cats but if the cat vomits more than twice in a day, traces of blood is found in the vomit, worms come out in the vomit, then the cat must be taken to the vet. Then the cat might be suffering from feline kidney diseases or over fatty liver.

Cat Abscess

An abscess is a walled-off collection of pus caused by a bacterial infection. Pus is a collection of live and dead bacteria, dead tissue, white blood cells, and other cells called on to defend your pet's body. Any damage to the skin, especially lacerations or puncture wounds, can admit bacteria into the underlying tissue. Cats may form abscesses if their immune system is "sick" (i.e., feline leukemia virus or my infection). If the cat's body cannot fight the bacteria, tissue will be damaged and an abscess will form. An abscess is potentially dangerous: if prompt medical andior surgical attention is not provided, the infection can spread to the chest, brain, heart, kidneys, or liver via the bloodstream.

An abscess is characterized by a warm swelling that is painful to the touch. Your cat may also be lethargic and have a fever. A common occurrence is having a cat brought to the office with a lameness and lethargy that have become worse over a few days. Pressing on each area of the limb, hip, or shoulder may elicit pain. The owner thinks the cat's leg is broken but a swelling and a scab over a healed bite wound can be felt. The cat's rectal temperature can be 104°F to 105°F.

Cat Abscess Home Remedies

A cat that has an abscess should be seen by your doctor, because the potential for tissue damage or death from bacterial toxins is high unless proper wound cleaning and/or surgery and antibiotic treatment are done.

If it is impossible for you to see a veterinarian, you will have to treat the abscess at home. Wear disposable gloves for this task. If the abscess is open and draining, probe and clean the wound with a cotton-tipped applicator. Remove any hair, wood slivers, or other matter that may be in the wound. Pour a small amount of hydrogen peroxide (3 percent) into the wound, three times daily, or use an eyedropper or turkey baster. Press on the swelling to help the hydrogen peroxide flush thewound.

If the abscess has not burst, apply hot towels to the area to help bring it to a head. When you can feel a soft spot in the swelling, use a clean razor blade to nick the swelling.The pus should drain out easily. Probe and flush the wound as just explained. Try to get your cat on antibiotics as soon as possible.

Cuterebra in cats

Cats are often infected with the larvae of large flies known as cuterebra. Other animals infected with the same parasite are squirrels, rabbits, dogs and rodents. Cats can acquire cuterbra larva after probably they have investigated a rodent or rabbit den. After such an act the cat may come in contact with the cuterebra eggs or larvae.

Usually it is the female fly that performs the action. It deposits eggs at the vicinity of the cats. After the eggs are hatched, the larvae migrate through the nose mouth or skin of the cat. A cuterebra larva can grow up to one inch long.

Cuterebra larva is usually found on the head and neck of cats. Sometimes they travel to the brain as well causing fatal injuries to the brain. This leads to severe nervous abnormalities such as seizures.

In case of cats infected with cuterebra, two things are to be watched out for, Formation of lump or mass under the skin often found on the head or neck and lesion with an open area.

A physical examination can be carried out to detect the existence of larvae in cats.

Once affected with cuterebra, the cat needs to be treated. However removal of the cuterebra larva can be a tedious process and it can have serious side effects. So it always advisable that consult a veterinarian. A qualified veterinarian will be able to carry out the process properly. Make sure that the larvae is removed in one go and in one piece. If the larvae are not taken out at one go then it might lead to complications such as severe allergy in the cat’s body. Because of this, the breathing hole is typically enlarged and the larvae are removed with forceps. Antibiotics may also be used.

Home remedies for cuterebra is not a good option. Removal of the same at home can lead to serious infection. However even if it is carried out, make sure to keep the wound clean so that it gets healed in time.

Spread of cuterebra in cats can be prevented by limiting their access to dens of rodents and rabbits. Prferebly keep your cat indoors most of the time. If this is not possible then keep a regular check on your cat’s skin, so as to avoid cuterebra infection.

Cat Ears

Not long ago, we came home to a very strange sight. All our cats had gathered around the refrigerator and were completely entranced by its bottom. On moving the refrigerator, we found cockroaches! The high-pitched communication of bugs or rodents that falls on our"deaf" ears is music to a cat ears.



A cat's superb hearing ability begins with the sound-gathering flap called the pinna. The inner surface of the pinna and the beginning of the ear canal (which you can see) should be a light pink.

The cats ear canal is L-shaped, going down (vertical canal) and then in (horizontal canal). The eardrum is at the end of the horizontal canal. Sound waves (the cock-roach talk, for example) travel down the canal and beat against the eardrum like stick beating a drum. The cockroach-talk vibrations are amplified in the middle by three small bones called the auditory ossicles, which pass the sound on to the inner ear's snail-shaped and fluid-filled cochlea via the oval window (a vibrating membrane). The waves produced in the cochlea are converted to electrical sages that travel to your pet's brain via the auditory nerve. Your cat ears interprets message as cockroach talk and sits in front of the refrigerator, patiently waiting for a roach snack.

Above the cochlea are three small, fluid-filled semicircular canals. These loops of tubing contribute to your cat's remarkable sense of balance. If your cat starts to fall, fluid in one of the canals is displaced. Hair cells in the canals detect be change and immediately inform the cat's brain, which orders muscles to tighten and keep your cat upright.

Cat ears Infection

The ear canal is L-shaped, going down (vertical canal) and then in (horizontal canal). The cat's ear canal (which you can see) should be a light pink. You may see a small amount of yellow wax and a few hairs at the canal opening. These act like flypaper, trapping dust, insects, or other potential irritants and guarding against infection. If this area is reddened, foul-smelling, or has pus like or brown, waxy discharge, an ear infection may be present.

Symptoms

1. If you see your cat shaking her head most of the time, there might be infection in her ears.


2. There may be black discharge in the ears cat which may led to even bleeding.


3. If the cat scratches at their ears again and again, this indicates that she is uncomfortable. There may be detritus's, trashes in your pet cat ears.

This all may lead to a serious disease called ear mites. Ear mite may cause serious damage to the ears of cat if they remain for a long time.

How can you cure them?

Taking care of ears of a cat is very necessary as this is one of the utmost important organs of your pet. If you find any of the symptoms mentioned above in your cat ears it's better to consult to near by veterinarian. The veterinarian can check the rest of the ear with anotoscope, a special instrument equipped with a light source and magnifying lens. He can remove the waste from cat ears by some other methods also which he finds appropriate.

Cat Abdominal Pain Symtoms

Acute abdominal pain is characterized by a hunched back and a tense, tender abdomen. It is often accompanied by bloody vomit or stools, unproductive vomiting, painful attempts to urinate or defecate, bloody urine, or weakness in the legs. If one or more of these signs appears, see the veterinarian immediately.

Cat Abdominal Pain Treatment

The best home treatment is no treatment at all. Watch your cat closely. A phone call or visit to your veterinarian may be necessary.

The suddenness and severity of the signs, coupled with a pet in pain (which makes the physical exam difficult) calls for patience, gentleness, and thoroughness to determine if your pet needs to be treated medically or surgically. The history, physical exam, lab tests, ultrasound, and X-rays are important keys to a correct diagnosis.

Shortness of Breath at Cat pet

Cats pant in hot weather to regulate their body temperature. They also pant when they are frightened or nervous. These are normal body reactions and are not shortness of breath. If your cat is truly having trouble breathing minor breathing out and is gasping for breath, there is probably a serious obstruction in the chest or breathing tubes.

Cat Shortness of Breath Home Remedies

During an emergency, give artificial respiration and see your veterinarian immediately.

Cat Shortness of Breath Treatment

Your veterinarian will perform a careful examination of all systems. Your pet may need oxygen at this time. If there has been evidence of trauma (such as an auto accident), X-ray swill be taken when your cat is stabilized. An outdoor pet that has no fever and sudden breathing problems may have a chest injury from being in a fight or being hit by a car.

An old cat with a history of coughing and heart disease develops sudden shortness of breath may have a failing heart. Acrimony (a sudden degeneration of the heart muscle of a cat at any age) can also cause the heart to fail. Oxygen and drugs are necessary to strengthen the heart. Blood tests, electro-cardiograms, echocardiograms, hoarseness and X-rays are indicated.

There are other common diseases that your doctor will consider if your cat has short-ness of breath: clamps in nursing cats, anemia, internal hemorrhage from bleed-in disorders or trauma, fever from infection or heatstroke, tumors, or feline infectious peritonitis. Hospitalization is almost always necessary for a pet that has shortness of breath.

When Should I Spay/Neuter My Cat?

An estimated 5 million to 8 million animals are euthanized in shelters across this country every year. Many organizations are trying to decrease that number by opening low-cost spay/neuter clinics that will prevent more litters of cats that need homes.

One such organization is LifeLine Animal Project, an Atlanta-based nonprofit shelter and clinic where more than 25,000 spay/neuters have been performed since 2005. WebMD talked to executive director Rebecca Guinn to find out about some spay-neuter myths and facts.

A: Yes, as long as she’s at least eight weeks of age and weighs at least eight pounds. Pediatric spay/neuter is widely accepted. Those ideas about needing to wait are really antiquated and the evidence is to the contrary. Even the American Veterinary Medical Association supports early spay/neuter.

And cats can go into heat very early. They can have a litter at six months of age, and they can have three litters a year. Also, if you’ve ever been around a cat in heat, you know it’s miserable for people. They yowl loudly and continuously. They want to get out. It really alters their behavior. And every unneutered male cat in the neighborhood will be at your house spraying the outside of your house, spraying your front door, spraying under your crawlspace. Your whole house will reek of cat spray. It is a really, really regrettable experience.

Q: It can cost more than a $100 to get a cat spayed or neutered. I can’t afford that. What can I do?

A: There are a lot of low-cost options all over the country. The ASPCA keeps a database of low-cost options on its web site, where you can put in your zip code and it will give you all your options within a certain radius of your zip code. It’s at aspca.org. Click on the “pet care” tab and look for the low-cost and free spay/neuter database.

here usually are more low-cost options for cats than there are for dogs. That’s because it’s a much easier procedure in cats than in dogs. At our clinic, we neuter cats for $35 and spay cats for $45. There are some clinics that do nothing but cats. So there are a lot of options available for cats.

Q: Don’t cats get fat once you spay or neuter them?

A: It goes back to portion control and exercise. I recommend cats be kept indoors, and you have to have enough environmental enrichment to keep your cat happy. So have vertical spaces, climbing trees, things like that. Have places where they can hide, places where they can play, places where they can just be cats. But portion control is the main thing. If you have a cat that won’t stop eating, don’t free feed your cat. That’s something you can control and have a responsibility to control.

Q: There’s a statistic that says one unspayed female cat can lead to 420,000 cats. Is that true?

A: Stray cats are a huge problem. But it’s not close to half a million cats per female. If it were, we’d be hip deep in cats.

Q: Why should I have my cat spayed or neutered?

A: Shelter euthanasia is the number one killer of companion animals, and spaying and neutering is the only way to reduce or eliminate that. It’s also better for your pet’s health. And it’s better for you because it will make your life easier if your pet is spayed or neutered.

There’s also a financial side. It varies by community, but it’s about $100 for animal control to impound and euthanize a cat. Just in the Atlanta area alone, more than $15 million in tax dollars is spent annually dealing with stray and unwanted pets.

Q: Shouldn’t I let my cat have a litter before I spay her?

A: No. You shouldn’t for several reasons. It greatly reduces the risk of certain cancers if you have her spayed before the first heat and certainly before she has a litter.

And most places are overrun with kittens, particularly in the south. Overrun. And there is simply no excuse whatsoever to allow your cat to have kittens. There are millions of cats and kittens out there that need homes and millions more that are abandoned or handed out at places like Wal-Mart. There’s simply no good argument to have a litter of kittens.

There are shelters in the Atlanta area that can have 40 to 50 moms with litters in their shelters on any given day during the spring and summer. There simply aren’t enough homes for all the cats that get born every kitten season. And in the south, kitten season is almost year round. And there’s a kitten season everywhere.

Q: Should I let my cat have a heat before I spay her?

A: There’s no reason to do that. It’s a myth that animals should have a litter first or a heat before they are spayed. There are no health benefits to that at all, and it’s a much easier medical procedure if you spay before the first heat. All the benefits you get from spaying or neutering your pet are magnified by spaying or neutering before the animal reaches puberty.

Q: Is it OK to spay my cat when she’s just a kitten?

Technically, I suppose it’s possible. But it assumes that the cats are having the largest possible litters, that all the kittens survive, and that everything goes along just fine and none of the cats ever die or are altered. But that’s just not the reality.

Obviously, many cats are spayed or neutered. And stray or feral cats, free roaming cats, don’t have that kind of survival rate for kittens. It’s more like 25% to 40% survive. Those figures have been examined and they just don’t hold up. It’s more like an unspayed female can lead to 100 more cats out there, which is still too many. But it’s not that crazy number. That’s not realistic.

Q: Will my tomcat stop running away from home if I neuter him?

A: We don’t recommend having free-roaming cats. And if you have an unaltered male cat, you’re probably not seeing much of him anyway.

Usually, neutering a tom will curb its desire to roam, although cats are a little different than dogs and wander for reasons other than reproducing, such as hunting. So neutering will reduce the instinct to roam, but it won’t eliminate it.

Unaltered males also are more at risk for feline leukemia [FeLV] and FIV [feline immunodeficiency virus]. That’s because they fight, and deep bite wounds are the leading factor in the transmission of those diseases.

Q: My cat sprays all over my house. If I neuter him, will that stop?

A: More than likely it will. It will certainly take away that hormonal urge to spray. Neutering early is your best bet to avoid that urge altogether. If you have a neutered cat that is still spraying, you should see your veterinarian. It could be a behavioral issue, or it could be a health problem. But the first step in controlling spraying or marking territory is neutering.

Q: Will spaying or neutering my cat prevent future illnesses?

A: You’ll have a lower incidence of mammary tumors. We see a lot of unspayed cats come into our clinic with pyometra (an infection of the uterus), which can be a life-threatening disease for them.

For male cats, you eliminate testicular diseases, and for females, you eliminate the risk of uterine diseases. Generally, spayed and neutered pets live longer, happier lives.