CATS HEALTH PROBLEMS
Below are some problems I have encountered over the years with my cats, however I am no expert. If you any problems with your pet it is always best to seek expert advice from a vet to get the correct diagnosis.
ROUNDUP POISONING
A Spanish gardener laced a tree stump I had with Roundup and the result was one cat drunk the Roundup ( apparently my vet told me cats like the taste) and another cat walked in it, burning her pads.
After numerous visits from and to the vet the cat that had drunk the Roundup died in my arms one night and the cat who had walked in the Roundup was left after the wounds had healed on her pads with swollen inflamed pads, which took about three years to subside. The poison had gone right into her pads and the only relief I could give her were some tablets to help with the inflammation. However eventually they went back to normal.
RAT POISONING
Came home one day to find blood all over the terrace in my garden. I soon found Mishka he had been sick and was in a pretty bad condition, so I rushed him off to the vet.
He had to stay at the vets for a few days and she wanted to keep in longer as he was not eating, but I insisted on bringing him home and sure enough as soon as he was home he started eating and made a full recovery.
Sometimes you have to weigh up the stress that is caused by keeping the cat confined at the vets. Obviously you should not bring home a really sick cat that needs treatment, but sometimes they just need to be home and have lots of TLC
FREQUENT URINATION
Dry biscuits can cause lots of problems with cats, although I think they are better than they used to be.
If your cat shows signs of repeatedly wanting to pass water there could be a problem. It is likely to be a stone blockage and you will need to take the cat to your vet immediately. DO NOT LEAVE THIS PROBLEM.
ROAD ACCIDENTS
Road accidents are particularly upsetting, because your cat would have been a healthy cat leading a normal life when suddenly he is either killed outright or severely injured.
I have had one cat killed outright and the other suffered horrific injuries - a broken jaw and I had to make the decision whether to put him through operations, months of pain, confinement and not being able to eat solids for months. I also did not know the extent of the injuries until they operated . He was a feral cat and administering tablets or the vet giving injections would have been extremely difficult and stressful for the cat. I therefore made the decision to have him put down.
Vets will always do everything they can to save an animal because it is their job and so it is up to you to make the decision. You must do whatever you think is best for the animal.
OLD AGE IN CATS- Tribute to Amber and Mickie
I have had two cats that have reached old age - Amber who I had had from a kitten and was 19 years old. She reached the end of her life some 20 years ago now. Thin and hardly eating I had to make the decision to let her go.
More recently was Mickie - who arrived at my door with Hanni ( possibly father and son) Mickie was in a terrible state, worms, fleas and his coat covered in mud. He was probably about 10 years old when he arrived and would not have seen out another winter I am sure.
Within weeks of feeding him he allowed me to groom the mud out of his coat and fuss over him. crooning his name and telling him how beautiful he was. He would look at me with such pleading and sadness in his eyes as if to say please look after me. The once thin mangy old cat that everyone shooed away slowly changed. With renewed strength and confidence he returned to his former glory. Strong and healthy with the large characteristic head of a tom cat and thick set neck. Boy did he strut his stuff!! He looked like a different animal, but he was a tom cat and I am afraid he had to have a visit to the vet to rectify the situation. Easier said than done as he was now as strong as an ox. I managed to lock him in the downstairs cloakroom and the vet arrived. After quite a time and a lot of noise the vet eventually emerged. However he did not fare so well with Hanni, even though the vet was a man with thick gloves on nearly up to his elbow, Hanni still managed to get a bite in!!!
Mickie was loved and pampered for about 5 years. Bed in front of the fire, hot water bottles, food on tap - the works. Then he started to decline bit by bit. Eventually he stopped eating completely and again I had to make the decision. I was not going to let him die in a cage in the vet or undergo any stressful tests. He was just old and I could either watch him die slowly, maybe another week or I could give him a little help.
After an anaesthetic injection at home he fell asleep in my arms and with tears streaming down my face, the vet administered the final injection, saying “Good-bye beautiful friend”
There is never a right way to end an animals life and you will always be filled with regrets and guilt, however hard you try to get it right. Should I have left Mickie to die naturally? I don’t think so but when you are upset your mind plays horrible tricks.
MICKIE AND HANNI
Mickie (on the left) and Hanni enjoying a siesta with a hot water bottle behind them on the chair. Can life get any better?? After starving on the street this must seem like heaven.
MICKIE - A MUCH LOVED VERY SPECIAL CAT.
CAT ABSCESS
These occur when cats fight with each other and it is caused by a cat bite. If one cat bites another cat you can be 99% sure it will get an abscess. If one cat scratches another cat chances are it will be fine. The bacteria in a cats mouth infects the wound when the cat is bitten and the best thing is to take your cat to the vet for antibiotic injections.
The most important thing is to keep the wound open to let the puss out, some antiseptic creams are good or iodine mixed with water will sometimes keep the wound open. If you can see a scab try to pick it off if there is a lump. Unfortunately the wound often heals over very quickly and then the puss cannot escape, hence the large lump that follows.
Archie had one once on his head and the wound healed over. He was on antibiotics but a lump still formed. He’s pretty laid back cat and let me pierce it with a very sharp needle and then about every 40 minutes I squeezed the wound to drain the puss off. I did this for one day and with the antibiotics he was as good as new, but most cats will not tolerate letting you do that to them.
I once had three cats all with abscesses it nearly drove me mad! but they all recovered.
MOUTH ULCERS IN CATS
Mouth Ulcers on the tongue normally heal up with antibiotics or so I have found.
Mouth Ulcers in the mouth or on the gums seem for me to pose a bigger problem. After a visit to the vet and three courses of antibiotics one of my cats still had this painful problem and she had to be put down.
Two more of my cats also had mouth ulcers in the mouth and on the gums, but they both had a course of STOMORGYL 2kgs and they have both recovered and so far the problem has not returned.
SYMPTOMS TO LOOK OUT FOR
1. Loss of weight 2. Wanting to eat, but refusing food. 3. Trying to swallow the food without chewing thus causing the cat to reach. 4. Chewing food and then suddenly crying in pain.
STOMORGYL 2kgs dosage - 1 tablet for each kilo of weight. I gave 1 tablet morning and 1 tablet in the evening for 10 days. There are 20 tablets in a packet. DO NOT break or the crush the tablet as the red outer coating on the tablet must be preserved.
CATS
Sleep well my special boy.
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