National Cat Health Month – February

February 2022

February is National Cat Health Month

National Health Month for your Cat

Before the spring arrives, is a great opportunity to turn attention to our four-legged family members.

Has your pet slowed down? Remember the age equivalent. (link here) As each year ticks by, our cats will become less energetic. Toys, once entertained, are off the radar.

Are they no longer amused? Is life just sapped out of them?

Are they sleeping more than usual?

If nothing sparks their interest, it might be time to schedule a wellness checkup asap.

You know your cat’s behavior better than anyone and if assessing their abrupt changes is alarming, then you’re probably correct.

Young cats should be bouncing off the walls. Sure, not the entire day… that would drive us insane. Even a child on a sugar high crashes after high energy explosions.

If your young cat is lethargic, a visit to the vet should be top priority. Cats can get dehydrated very quickly and this can become an extreme emergency. The smaller the cat, the bigger the risk for dehydration.

How sick is your cat?

Warning sign your cat might need emergency medical treatment:

    • Vomit that is bright yellow. (This could mean bile blockage. My cat had to have surgery from blocked intestines.) link

    • Constant visits to the litter box (This could be a UTI. One of our cats ended up with kidney failure and died.) link

    • UTI’s in male cats can be extremely serious.

    • Bloody urine (This might be a UTI. Can be painful if stones.)

    • Excessive diarrhea. (Cats can have occasional loose bowels.)

    • Excessive vomiting.

    • Difficulty breathing (This could be pneumonia or even heart congestion.)

    • Seizures (Finding the cause is imperative to recovery or managed care.)

    • Ingesting something that is toxic.

    • Fall that causes injury (link here)

    • Major injuries

    • Sudden paralysis

    • Stops eating or drinking (Can become dehydrated, if left untreated.)

Unfortunately, cats can’t tell us how they feel or where it hurts.

They can have adverse reactions.

Most recent cat named Molly was highly allergic to dairy products.

She would take a few licks of whip cream. Within seconds, she was on the floor foaming up pink milk. A few licks from a piece of cheddar cheese. She was crying on the floor in pain. Vomiting and pooping up blood in a matter of minutes. The last episode was of me helping her. Wiping her mouth and bottom for half an hour and her sleeping it off for over an hour.

Not normal, but neither are people. Think people with peanut allergies.

How to decide on the ER

Lucy in front and Lily in the background

You need to be vigilant for your cat’s sake. Only you can recognize they need help. Only you can pick up the phone and call the vet.

As a cat parent we have to understand their needs, even when they are doing their utmost not to show weakness. The nature of survival in the wild, that feature is in their DNA.

February is National Cat Health month and an ongoing concern throughout the year. We owe our littlest family members to have the best life possible. Not always easy to analyze the severity of our pet’s health. Many are great at hiding pain. Makes it difficult to figure something is amiss.

Knowing what is normal for your feline and what might have happened prior to them showing signs of distress will help you understand the severity. Is it serious enough to drop everything and hit the after-hours clinic or can it wait until morning?

Have you had an after-hours emergency? Were you able to get help right away?