Cats are ideal pets. They will curl up beside you and
have fun playing with you. The best way to spend many memorable years
with your cat is by being aware of the various diseases that may put
its life in danger such as those that may affect its pulmonary system.
One
of the most common, especially when your cat has just been brought home
from the pet store or given by a friend, is called URI or upper
respiratory disease. A symptom is if the cat sneezes frequently, has
teary eyes and a crusty nose.Several organisms have been known to cause
this. The first is called a Rhinotracheitis which is a virus associated
with herpes. It is also possible that this came from the Chlamydia
psittaci and the Calicivirus.
There are other threats aside from
those mentioned. The good news is that this illness cannot be
contracted by humans and is not that serious because it will go away in
a few weeks after the cat has adjusted to the new environment. Despite
that, you should still be concerned because you do not know yet the
type of virus that is causing the symptoms. Bordetella or mycoplasma
could be the culprit and this may spread to those who have dogs at home
too so caution must be exercised.
The new addition to the family
should be given plenty of fluids. Although cats in general love milk,
they should be given water instead. Some vets also recommend giving it
some multivitamins. Eye ointment can help clear the eyes and mouth
enabling it to see and breathe properly.
A small number of cats
that have this type of pulmonary disease will lapse into a chronic
state. This means it could happen again the future since this will stay
for the remainder of the cat's life. The cat owner should be ready when
this happens. The use of anti-viral drugs like those that have
acyclovir, lysine, tetracycline and Vitamin A are proven to be
effective.
Veterinarians at one point recommended that cats
should be vaccinated annually to prevent this disease from occurring.
Recent studies have shown that it is safe to be give this every two or
three years instead.
The cat may also suffer from asthma. This
can happen if the kitten is sensitive to its surroundings like those
coming from pollen, dust, molds and other pollutants. Vets will be able
to confirm this through a blood test and a chest radiograph. The chest
radiograph is like an x-ray because it gives a picture of how the lungs
are doing.
There was a time that antihistamines and
bronchodilators were used to treat this problem. But the best way is to
give the cat some steroids orally or injecting this into the feline's
bloodstream.
The pulmonary diseases mentioned are irreversible.
This will continue as long as the cat lives so pet owners have to do
what is necessary to catch it before things get worse.
