Cats
often become reclusive and hide when they are not feeling well, which makes
knowing when they need to be seen by your veterinarian a challenge. They have
unique signs of emergency conditions that often go unrecognized by owners. Some
injuries are obvious, such as a cat with an open wound, while others have more
subtle signs that can be equally dangerous if left untreated. Knowing signs of
illness is crucial in determining when to seek emergency care for your cat.
Below is a list of some of the most common cat emergencies and their signs.
Urethral
Obstruction
This is a condition in which a cat,
usually male, is unable to urinate due to a blockage in the urethra (the tube
leading from the urinary bladder to the outside environment).
Cats will show a sudden onset of
restless behavior, which includes frequent trips in and out of the litter box.
They will often attempt to urinate in unusual places such as in a bath tub or
on a plastic bag. You may notice a very small stream of urine that contains
blood. More often than not, despite a cat’s straining, there may be no urine or
even just a drop produced. In later stages of the obstruction, cats may cry
loudly, vomit, and become lethargic.
You should consider these signs a
serious emergency and seek veterinary care immediately. There are reports of
cats developing kidney failure and dying within 12 hours after the onset of
signs. Expect your cat to be hospitalized at least 36 hours for treatment of
this condition. Veterinary treatments may include a urinary catheter,
intravenous fluids, and pain management. Female cats are less likely to become
obstructed due to their wider urinary tract.
Toxicities
(Poisoning)
The combination of their curious nature
and unique metabolism (the way their body breaks down chemicals) makes cats
vulnerable to toxins. Owners are often unaware that their home contains
multiple products that are poisonous to felines. The most common cat toxins
include antifreeze, Tylenol, and rat or mouse poison.
The signs your cat displays depends on the
type of poison he or she has encountered. Antifreeze will often cause
wobbliness or a drunken appearance first, then progresses to vomiting/weakness
as the kidneys fail. Tylenol may cause an unusual swelling of the head and
changes the cat’s blood color from red to chocolate brown. Rat or mouse poison
interferes with blood clotting so you may see weakness from internal blood loss
or visible blood in the urine or stool.
Breathing
Problems
Often, cats hide the signs of breathing
problems by simply decreasing their activity. By the time an owner notices
changes in the cat’s breathing, it may be late in the progression of the cat’s
lung disease. There are several causes of breathing changes, but the most
common are feline asthma, heart disease, or lung disease.
Foreign
Object Ingestion
Many cats love to play with strings or
string-like objects (such as dental floss, holiday tinsel, or ribbon), but
those strings can be dangerous for your cat. When a string is ingested by a cat,
one end may become lodged or “fixed” in place, often under the cat’s tongue,
while the rest of the string passes further into the intestine. With each
intestinal contraction, the string see-saws back and forth actually cutting
into the intestine and damaging the blood supply.
Signs that your cat has eaten a foreign
object may include vomiting, lack of appetite, diarrhea, and weakness.
Occasionally owners will actually see part of a string coming from the mouth or
anal area. You should never pull on any part of the string that is visible;
instead, call your veterinary health care team immediately.
Surgery is usually necessary to remove
the foreign object and any damaged sections of intestine.
Bite
Wounds
Cats are notorious for both inflicting
and suffering bite wounds during encounters with other cats. Because the tips
of their canine, or “fang,” teeth are so small and pointed, bites are often not
noticed until infection sets in, which is usually several days after the
initial injury.
Cats may develop a fever and become
lethargic 48 to 72 hours after experiencing a penetrating bite wound. They may
be tender or painful at the site. If the wound becomes infected or abscessed,
swelling and foul-smelling drainage may develop.
You should seek emergency care for bite
wounds so your veterinarian can thoroughly clean the area and prescribe appropriate
antibiotics. Occasionally, the wounds can develop large pockets called
abscesses under the skin that require surgical placement of a drain to aid in
healing.
Hit
By Car
Cats that spend time outdoors are at a
much greater risk for ending up in the emergency room. Being hit by a car is
one of the most common causes of traumatic injuries, such as broken bones, lung
injuries, and head trauma. You should always seek emergency care if your cat
has been hit by a vehicle, even if he or she appears normal, because many
injuries can develop or worsen over the following few hours.
Increased
Thirst and Urination
Sudden changes in your cat’s thirst and
urine volume are important clues to underlying disease. The two most common
causes of these changes are kidney disease and diabetes mellitus.
Your veterinarian will need to check
blood and urine samples to determine the cause of your cat’s change in thirst
and urine. Having your pet seen on an emergency basis for these signs is
important because prompt treatment increases chances for recovery. Exposure to
certain toxins, such as antifreeze or lilies, will show similar signs, and
delaying veterinary care can be fatal.
Sudden
Inability to Use the Hind Legs
Cats with some forms of heart disease
are at risk for developing blood clots. These clots can sometimes lodge in a
large blood vessel—the aorta—where they can prevent normal blood flow to the
hind legs. If your cat experiences such a blood clotting episode (often called
a saddle thrombus or thromboembolic episode), you will likely see a sudden loss
of the use of his or her hind legs, painful crying, and breathing changes.
On arrival at the emergency room, your cat
will receive pain management and oxygen support. Tests will be done to evaluate
the cat’s heart and determine if there is any heart failure (fluid accumulation
in the lungs). Sadly, such an episode is often the first clue for an owner that
his or her cat has severe heart disease. In most cases, with time and support,
the blood clot can resolve, but the cat’s heart disease will require lifelong
treatment.
Upper
Respiratory Infections
Cats and kittens can experience a
variety of upper respiratory diseases caused by a combination of bacteria or
viruses. An upper respiratory infections, or URI, can cause sneezing, runny
nose, runny eyes, lack of appetite, and fever. In severe cases, it can cause
ulcers in the mouth, on the tongue, and on the eyes. More often than not,
severe cases are seen in cats that have recently been in multiple-cat
environments, such as shelters. Small kittens, or kittens struggling to thrive,
are also easily infected and may develop more severe complications, such as low
blood sugar.
Sudden
Blindness
A sudden loss of vision is most likely
to occur in an older cat. The most common cause is increased blood pressure
(hypertension), which may be due to changes in thyroid function
(hyperthyroidism) or kidney disease. There are some cats that appear to have
hypertension with no other underlying disease.
Sudden blindness should be treated as
an emergency and your veterinarian will measure your cat’s blood pressure,
check blood tests, and start medications to lower the pressure and restore
vision.
If you notice a change in your cat’s
eyes, whether he or she loses vision or not, you should consider this an emergency
have your pet seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Disclaimer: This website is not
intended to replace professional consultation, diagnosis, or treatment by a
licensed veterinarian. If you require any veterinary-related advice, contact
your veterinarian promptly. Information at cathealth.com is exclusively of a
general reference nature. Do not disregard veterinary advice or delay treatment
as a result of accessing information at this site.
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