Diseases of a cat

Minor ailments

Most illnesses afflicting cats are relatively minor in nature.
Catarrh is similar to the common cold in humans, with running eyes and nose, wheezing, coughing, sneezing, and snoring in sleep. It can be treated in the same way as a human cold. Running eyes and nose, however, are more likely caused by worms.
Eczema is of two types, “dry” and “weeping.” The dry form is a scaly, scabby condition in patches, usually limited to the back, shoulders, and crown. The weeping variety shows red, raw, gooey spots in the same area. Eliminating all starch from the diet for a week or two and feeding chiefly raw meat will bring about a complete cure. If not , see your veterinarian.
Diarrhea is usually caused by worms, but may come from such other causes as allergenic foods, acute or chronic colitis, coccidiosis, or infectious enteritis. If altering the diet does not correct the condition within a few days, see your veterinarian.
Coccidiosis is an infectious condition caused by a microscopic intestinal parasite. It is not common. It should be considered as a possibility when diarrhea persists without apparent cause and the cat is not very sick otherwise, merely having “off days, when he eats poorly or not at all, and seems logy and a little feverish. The veterinarian can very quickly identify this condition and prescribe treatment.

MAJOR AILMENTS

Contagious Enteritis (Feline Distemper) is about the worst thing that can happen to a kitten or a young cat. It is enzootic and becoming more prevalent and dangerous each year. It is highly contagious. If one cat on the place gets it, every other cat or kitten is almost certain to contract it also. It is practically always fatal to kittens under six month old; from six months to a year, the chance of  survival is 50-50 or less; after age two, a cat has probably either had it or is naturally immune. The “incubation period” is from ten days to two weeks.

If  you have the smallest suspicion that your kitten has been exposed, have it given a temporary shot of vaccine immediately-don’t even wait overnight. Exposure may be direct, from cat to cat, or indirect, as when you or any member of you household has been near a sick cat or in a house where there is one. It can be carried on clothing or shoes of human beings, on the hair or fur of other animals, even in the air. Immune animals from an infected home can spread it all over the neighborhood, and often do. As soon as a kitten reaches four months, have “permanent” shots given regularly.
The symptoms of the disease are tragically uniform. The onset is sudden and violent with high fever, complete loss of appetite, extreme prostration and a thin watery diarrhea. The body substance literally melts away by the hour, leaving the victim a “bag-of-bones” in a day or two. A kitten that was perfectly well and lively in the morning may be at death’s door by evening. This stage usually lasts from twenty-four to thirty-six hours, but may drag out for three to six days. In the second stage, the diarrhea may disappear, but the prostration and the complete refusal of food continue. Death follows within twelve hours or less. Several other conditions begin in a similar, though less dramatic manner; again, if you have the slightest suspicion that this may be distemper, call the veterinarian immediately. Don’t take the cat to him. This is definitely nothing to be fooled with by amateurs.
 If there has been a case of enteritis in your house within six months, to bring in an unvaccinated kitten is virtually to sentence it to death. Even with shots, you can’t be definitely certain that your kitten will be entirely safe.

When an adult cat contracts enteritis, the course of the disease is similar, but not quite so violent. The cat will be more or less acutely ill for three or four days to a week, will lose considerable weight, but will usually pull through, especially if given shots early. Other treatment is about the same as for a kitten. All survivors of the infection are permanently immune.

Virus pneumonia in cats is similar to that in human beings. Fortunately it is uncommon, for the mortality rate is rather high. Here again, prevention is best. A cat that has a dry, draft-free place to sleep, plenty of fresh air, good wholesome food, and is dried off quickly and thoroughly when it becomes wet is unlikely to contract the disease.

Urinary disorders apparently are becoming increasingly prevalent in cats. Watch for two symptoms: if your cat sits in a squatting position frequently and for prolonged periods, suspect bladder stones, and rush him to a veterinarian for pills that can forestall a painful and often fatal operation. Every hour counts. If the urine is deep yellow or has a reddish spot in it, suspect kidney infection, and seek expert veterinary help at once. Both these ailments end very quickly in uremic poisoning and death. Both can be cured, however, by new medicines, if they are found in time.