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| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Sep 25 2007 at 10:32 AM |
Cold
If your cat has the symptoms of a cold - sneezing and nasal discharge - it is likely to have cat flu - see Flu.
Collapse
For a cat to collapse it must be seriously ill. It should be taken to your vet as soon as possible.
If you find a young cat collapsed, or unable to move, one of the first things to consider is that it has been hit by a car. Check the claws as they will be scuffed if this is the case. Any serious disease can cause collapse if the cat becomes weak.
In older cats the most important cause of a sudden collapse is heart disease, although young cats can also get heart problems. Heart disease is often without symptoms in cats as a reduced ability to exercise is often not noticed – cats sleep much of the time anyway. With heart disease in cats to is common for the left atrium (one of the heart chambers) to swell and form a pocket of still blood. This blood can clot. If a bit of this clot breaks off it can block a blood vessel somewhere in the body (known as an ‘embolism’). The commonest site for this to block is the arteries into the legs, causing the hindlimbs to stop working with cold feet. Other sites include the lungs or brain, but if these are affected the result is often fatal either immediately or soon afterwards.
These blood clots are serious. If the cat lives, they may be left paralysed. There is some hope for a return to function as the clot will eventually be cleared by the body, but this takes a long time and is not certain.
Heart disease can also cause temporary collapse should the heart stop pumping properly for a brief time, but this is rare.
Constipation
Constipation is the inability to pass faeces. This can be partial, causing a difficulty in completely emptying the bowel, or may be complete. A badly constipated cat will become depressed, of their food and may vomit. Your vet will be able to determine if your cat is constipated - it is easy to feel through the body wall.
As with humans, a lack of dietary fibre may predispose to constipation. Many cat foods are low in fibre. In the wild feather, hair, skin and bone of their prey fulfils this role.
Some cats have a particular problem with constipation. When faeces are normally passed, muscle in the wall of the colon and rectum contract to force it down. In some cats these muscles weaken with time and the colon can become quite distended with faeces. It is uncertain whether the weakness comes first, or it is caused by the colon being over-stretched by faeces.
Constipation can be a problem following fractures of the pelvis - usually after being hit by a car. If the size of the pelvic canal is reduced it may interfere with the normal passage of faeces.
Treatment of constipation in cats usually requires an enema. A minor enema can be given by your vet with the cat conscious, but any severe blockage will require an anaesthetic to clear. Once the blockage is clear some change will be requires to keep them passing faeces. A high fibre diet may help. Other medications may include liquid paraffin, lactulose and/or a dietary fibre supplement.
In some cases, no medication will help, or over time the problem may deteriorate. In these cats it is possible to remove the colon to correct the problem, but this procedure is not without risks or side effects.
Coughing
A number of cats may cough occasionally. This is likely to be due to hair irritating the back of the throat when grooming. However, if coughing is frequent and persistent you should get it checked by your vet.
Coughing can be caused by a foreign body at the back of the nose or throat. This is surprisingly common. Many cats chew grass, and when they are doing this it possible for them to cough a blade of grass up the back of the nose. At first just coughing and sneezing may be seen, but with time there may be a discharge from the nose and the cat will often stop eating.
Cats can get asthma from allergies. This often appears as coughing and can be hard to control. Your vet may have to resort to long term anti-inflammatory drugs.
Cats can also get a lungworm that causes coughing. This is probably more common than is generally appreciated, but regular worming helps prevent it.