Category: Cat

All cat head injuries are potentially life-threatening, even if there is no outward sign of cat head injury. The skull is a bony casing, and the brain bounces against the skull when there is a blow on the head. This can cause bleeding to occur within and around the brain, and the accumulation of blood can compress the brain. Cat head injury symptoms If your pet is or becomes unconscious, immediate veterinary attention is necessary. Other signs of cat head injury that the brain has been affected are-:   img src-: animalfriends.co.uk Uneven pupil size (caused by pressure on the brain from bleeding) Pale gums A slow pulse (less than 60) Limb paralysis or stiffness  Conclusion If your cat is unconscious, extend its head and neck and pull the tongue forward. Clean the blood and fluids from the mouth, and transport the animal on a flat, hard surface to the veterinarian or veterinary hospital. The most frequent cause of serious head injury is being hit by a car.

Information about Cat Leukemia Since the early 1900s, viruses have been known to cause cancer in animals. In 1964, a virus called the feline leukemia virus (FLV) was found in a household of cats with a high percentage of cat leukemia cases. Since 1964, major development shaves been made in understanding the nature and transmission of this virus, detecting it in the cat population, and studying leukemia and other disease states attributed to the virus. At this writing, there is no evidence that the feline leukemia virus can infect humans or other animals. A vaccine that protects cats against the virus is available. Lymphoma is a cancer of the blood-forming cells more specifically, the lymphoid tissue (such as the lymph nodes). The virus FLV is spread by the saliva and urine of infected cats, and it can also be transmitted in the uterus to unborn kittens and in the milk to nursing kittens. Since it is found in the blood,

Cat Cancer The improvements in the prevention and treatment of infections, parasites, and nutritional diseases have lengthened the life span of our pets. Consequently, a cat living into its middle and later years will develop other health problems. Probably the most dreaded disease of mid- and later life is cancer (although there are some cancers, such as lymph sarcoma [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 of your 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 by your cat’s normal internal monitoring system, which makes normal cells behave. These abnormal cells are biologically destructive: they form solid tumors and invade and destroy surrounding tissue. Malignant tumors produce chemical substances that aid the cellular destruction and help stimulate a blood supply (to obtain oxygen and nutrition) for the tumors.

Cardiomyopathy in Cats There are two forms of cardiomyopathy in cats : Dilated (the heart wall becomes thin) and hypertrophic (the heart wall thickens). The former has recently been linked to some cats’ need for larger amounts of taurine (an amino acid) or inefficient way of absorbing this nutrient from the gastrointestinal tract. The heart-muscle changes have been reversed by twice-daily giving 250 milligrams of taurine, which is available in health-food stores. The clinical signs of dilated cardiomyopathy in cats are lethargy, decreased appetite, and breathing difficulties. The cat with the hypertrophic form may display fainting, seizures, coughing, breathing difficulties, lethargy, or stroke-like signs – the inability to move the back legs, for example. An echocardiogram (ultrasound) is the best procedure for diagnosing and differentiating the cardiomyopathies, because an electrocardiogram may appear normal. All cats over seven years of age should be checked for hyperthyroidism. To help prevent the dilated form always use a well-known cat food that is supplemented with taurine.