When Cats Are Sick

Cats are famous for its toughness, and its resistance to diseases. If you feed them well and treat them with love they can get to live up to fourteen or fifteen years of age, some up to twenty years even. I am sure there are many cat owners that do not know of a sick cat. A healthy cat is always:

• Alert, curious, playful and when not a kitten anymore it cleans itself regularly and thoroughly. Besides it also has.

• A thick and shining fur
• Clear eyes
• Clean ears on the outside and in the inside
• Complete denture without crusts
• Pink gums and without bad breath
• Soft and dark depositions
• Clear and yellow urine

Important: For a good health it is necessary to take some preventive measures. A sick cat goes from one place to another sitting down with apathy. It does not eat and often scratches itself without stopping.

Vaccines: This is the most important and efficient preventive measure for one's cat, even if it does not go out from the house nor have any contact with other non vaccinated cats. If not vaccinated, cats can catch infectious and deadly diseases. Vaccination is necessary for the animal to be healthy and without parasites. One has to previously take a sample of its feces to the veterinary. Vaccines always have to be applied by a veterinary, are necessary against:

• Feline plague
• Feline cold. Vaccine only immunizes against some determined microbes and not against other.
• Rabies. it can be transmitted to men. Cats with free access to the exterior require of this vaccine. For trips to abroad and exhibitions vaccination is required.
• Feline leukemia. A disease disseminated throughout the five continents. It is transmitted from one animal to another through saliva or urine, for example. One can diagnose this disease by applying the ELISA test. Breeders demand it.

Important: Veterinarians keep a record of the cat's vaccines and knows when the cat needs the next vaccine. It is of most importance to follow this chart!

My advice: Against some diseases, such as the Aujeszky disease or pseudo-rabies, FIV (cats aids), FIP (peritonitis) for their disgrace there is no vaccine for this disease. The outcome is usually deadly. They are not contagious to men!

Worming: Young cats usually do not have worms if mother does not have them either. But one can only prove this by taking a fecal sample to the veterinary. If vets consider it necessary they will start with the treatment to cure them. Cats that do their activities outdoors get infected a lot with worms, be it through other cats, fleas or louses, of ground or water, veal meat, pork meat or raw fish. These cats must be wormed every 3 or 6 months. It is important to follow veterinarians instructions.