Cat Diseases: Cat Scratch Fever

Cat Scratch Fever

I didn’t know if cat scratch fever was a real disease that people got from being scratched by a cat, whether it was a disease cats got by being scratched by other cats, or if it was just a song by Ted Nugent, so I decided to look it up, having been scratched by my cat plenty of times while playing with her in the 9 years I’ve owned her.

Yes, there really is a disease called cat scratch fever, and you can get it by being bitten or scratched by a cat. Apparently, about 40% of cats carry the bacteria that causes it, Bartonella bacteria. You can be infected if an infected cat scratches or bites you, or even if you just pet an infected cat and then rub your eye! Kittens are more prone to have it than older cats, but infected cats don’t show any symptoms.

You can even get it if a cat licks an open wound on your skin, so be careful about those kitty kisses, too!

What are the symptoms:

The first symptoms may show up in a week after infection or even 2 months later. At first you will get a bump or blister at the site of the injury.
Fatigue
Fever (in some patients)
Headache
Lymph node swelling around the site or in your neck (like mumps) or in your armpits.
Overall discomfort

Other symptoms that may develop may include loss of appetite, sore throat, weight loss, and then the list gets even worse.

If you have been bitten or scratched by a cat or are just around a cat and start to develop these symptoms, go to a doctor. Cat scratch fever can be hard to diagnose, because it is not really seen that often, but an IFA test can detect the Bartonella bacteria.

Cat scratch fever is not usually a serious disease. Most healthy children will recover without treatment. Your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic, such as azithromycin.

If you have a compromised immune system, it can develop serious consequences, so be sure to see a doctor.

I know I always wash my hands after cleaning out the litter box (naturally), but I never knew it was a good idea to wash my hands after petting my cat or letting my cat lick my skin.

My friend told me a joke once: “Cats aren’t clean, they’re covered with kitty spit!” I laughed at the time. I’ve been scratched by more than one cat and lived to tell the tale, and I’ve never felt it necessary to wash my hands after petting my cat, although if I do get scratched, I will wash the scratch thoroughly with soap and water and put on an antibacterial ointment just in case.

Anyway, here’s a quick video about cat scratch fever. I found it very educational. I still refuse to get scared of playing or petting my cat, though.

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Cat Health: Feline Diarrhea

Cat Health: Diarrhea

Okay, I know, diarrhea is not a subject we want to talk or think about, but when your cat gets diarrhea, like mine has, it can become a problem, maybe a very bad problem, within a few days, so it is something we cat owners need to pay attention to.
Early last year, my cat got very, very sick. Mostly, she was throwing up, and I took her to the vet. She ended up having to go to a specialist vet, who thought it might be pancreatitis, even maybe cancer. It turned out she had developed a sensitivity to her food (she had been eating a name-brand chicken-flavored food all of her life). The doctor had me switch her to a limited ingredient food that was NOT chicken, and she got all better quite quickly.

Now, we have moved to the Southwest, and she no longer has the green grass around her to chew on. Plus, the move was very stressful. So, now, she has developed loose stools. Is it something that I should take her to the vet for (with the cost involved) or just watch. I checked with Yahoo Answers about this, and here was the best chosen answer:

Question: It seems that our cat has diarrhea. Should I take it to the vet?

Answer: Diarrhea in cats can cause severe dehydration if it goes on more than a couple days. It be caused by multiple things:

Diary products: cats do not have the proper enzymes to properly break down the sugar in milk which is called ‘lactose.’ You may have heard of people who are lactose-intolerant (I am — I am so glad they invented LactAid, so that I can have cafe mocha in the morning). They are also missing these digestive enzymes. If the proper enzymes are not present, the lactose remains undigested and tends to ferment in the intestine and cause diarrhea.
For More on Milk and cats: http://www.cat-world.com.au/can-cats-drink-milk

The other culprit that could contribute to the diarrhoea may be various parasites/worms (coccidia, giardia, roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, etc). There are different types of dewormers for each of the types of parasites. Therefore consider a vet visit to have her dewormed since some of the over the counter treatments do not eliminate all the types of parasites. For more on feline parasites.

For more on causes of Feline Diarrhea

Contrary to what people believe canned food is helpful for cats with diarrhea as this is a symptomatic of dehydration. Canned diets can supplement the intake of moisture so having both dry and canned are helpful. Any vet can confirm this fact.

Canned pumpkin (without spices) will also help firm up the loose stool symptoms.

Please keep in mind that also sudden changes in food brands, types will also contribute to diarrhea symptoms as well. So as soon as your new kitty starts on the cat food she may have lingering symptoms. Again any vet can confirm this fact. Switching foods should be done gradually over a course of several weeks. For example the first week would consist of 3/4 of old food mixed to 1/4 of new food then the next week 1/2 to 1/2 then the following week at 1/4 old to 3/4 new before completing the switch.

The above are just only a few causes as there are many more that can also cause diarrhea such as diseases, illnesses, etc. Therefore, it is always recommended to consider contacting a vet and discussing if a visit is necessary for treatment.

Source(s):

Animal Trainer to domestic and exotic cats
27 year friendship with a veterinarian

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Cat Health: Cats with Matted Fur

Cats with Matted Fur

My cat Michie

I have a long-haired cat, a Maine Coon. My best friend also has a long-haired cat, possibly a Maine Coon, who was found on the road outside of their house years ago as an abandoned kitten. When they realized that Molly was deaf, they kept her as an indoor cat.

My cat has developed mats in her fur a couple of times over the years. I used to brush her every night, but the vet had me bring the brush in, and he told me that it was too hard on her skin, and sold me a fine-tooth comb instead, so now I comb her every night.

With her being a long-haired cat, and not wanting to clean up hairballs very much (Yuck), I still comb her every night and take off a handful of fur each time. I also feed her hairball medicine, so, fortunately, she will only upchuck a hairball about 2-3 times a year.

My friend’s cat Molly, unfortunately, is covered with mats and will not allow my friend to groom her. She has not been brushed much and won’t tolerate it for more than a minute.

When my cat first got mats, I was very surprised, as she had not had them the first 7 years I owned her. I did not know what to do about it, so I just kept combing her every night and trying to pull them apart by hand (that would only last for about 10 seconds and then she was off). Eventually, her mats disappeared.

Molly with fur mats

When my friend asked me what to do about Molly, I suggested combing her or possibly taking her to the groomer and having the mats shaved off. The coat will grow back.

I also checked on the Internet for expert advice about fur matting. There were several suggestions — some saying cut them off with scissors and others saying NEVER cut them off with scissors. The best advice I found was an article on Darlene Arden’s website about cat grooming.

I hope this can be a help for others who have difficulty with long-haired cats who develop mats in their fur.

Cat Health: Feline IBD

Feline Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Did you know that cats can develop inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) just like humans?

Cat at Vet

Apparently, my cat has developed it, so I’ve been learning a lot about it these last few months.

There can be three different kinds, depending on where your cat’s digestive tract is inflamed:

Gastritis – in the stomach.
Enteritis – in the small intestine.
Colitis – in the large intestine.

My cat first started throwing up several months ago. Taking her to the regular vet did not help. Her exams came out okay, and all he could find was a slightly higher white blood cell count.

Then, we were referred to a specialist veterinary service. They took her in and did an abdominal ultrasound along with a lot of tests and treatment with pain medication. The tests were contradictory — one said she had lymphoma (CANCER – AAGH!) and one said she had pancreatitis. She was sent home on prednisone and she got better and better until she was off the medication and back to being her old self. I was so happy.

Then a few months later, she began throwing up again — every day. I called the special vet and asked what I should do now.

She explained that my cat probably had IBD. It is apparently becoming more and more common. She explained that part of her digestive tract had become inflamed and that there is no cure, just treatment. Since my cat throws up a lot, it looks like gastritis – inflammation of her stomach. Cats with IBD in the intestines can both vomit and have diarrhea or just have diarrhea.

One of the two main treatments is to change her diet — she is apparently having an immune response to something in her diet. She has always favored chicken — she only wanted to eat cat food or cat treats with chicken — not fish. One of the ways to treat IBD is to put the cat on a special diet recommended by the veterinarian and to make sure that it is a food with only a single protein source, and not one they have been used to. My vet recommended several different foods, but I found Natural Health Diet with Duck and Green Peas. Since she has been on it, she has not thrown up once.

Another treatment is to put the cat on a corticosteroid — the most likely one is prednisone, which my kitty is now on. It works as an anti-inflammatory for her painful inflamed stomach and as an immunosuppressive — meaning that it cuts back her sensitivity reaction to whatever ingredient in her food was making her sick.

Unlike the earlier, more dire, diagnoses, Inflammatory Bowel Disease can be treated with a change of diet and careful use of medication. She is back to being her old self again, which is such a relief.

Cat Health: Special Diets

Hungry Cat

We love our cats. We even think of them as part of the family and call them our “fur-babies” and “fur-kids”. And, like our children, we will do what it takes to make sure they live happy, healthy lives.

I got my fur-baby from the Humane Society, and for the first 6 years everything was fine. Then, she came down very sick and had to have a lot of veterinary care. It turned out she had struvite crystals and had to have them removed from her little bladder. Poor thing!

The veterinarian suggested several different brands and types of foods that she would need to stay healthy. Unfortunately, as lovely as she is, she is one of the pickiest eaters in cat-dom.

Doing research on the Web, I found a special struvite diet sold by Wysong. I put her on that, and she has been doing well with no recurrence of those glass-like shard crystals in her poor little bladder.

When I find a really good product, I want to share it. That is one of the reasons I started this website in the first place. I have found the Wysong foods to be great for my cat. They even make vitamins and supplements for people, and I have found those to be great for me, too!

Right now, Wysong is having a special sale for 15% off. This is a great opportunity and I wanted to let you know. Even if you are not looking for a special diet for your pet — even if you are looking for diet bars for yourself — you can get great ones from Wysong!

Take 10% OFF All orders at Wysong.net with code AFFLOVE10! Valid through 5/31/2011.