Have you noticed something strange going on with your kitty? It could mean many different things, ranging from an abscess to urinary problems. Has you cat swallowed a needle or fallen from a great height? Has your cat stopped eating? Can your cat walk normally? Does it hiss at you when you touch a certain place? You should probably take it to the vet.
It is not uncommon for a cat to swallow thread. Sometime they swallow thread when the needle is still attached. This happens when a cat starts to play with strings and attacks it, swallowing it, and not realizing that there is a sharp object on the end. The needle most commonly gets lodged in the pharynx, at the back of the throat. Some of the signs that your cat has eaten a needle are: your cat will stop eating, its breath smells very bad or there is a lump on its neck. The needles puncture will create an abscess and the cat will need to have an x-ray to see of there is a needle in the cat. The only way to remove a needle is to put the cat under surgery.
Has your cat eaten some poison left out for rodents or a poisonous plant? It is usually pretty hard to tell at first.Your cat may start to act sluggish and drink a lot of water. If you suspect your cat has eaten poison then you shouls take it to the vet.
Is your cat not urinating very much or leaving bloody urine? Your cat may have urine crystals especially if it is a male. A cat gets urine crystals eating dry food and not drinking enough water. A cat may start spraying or urinating in places it has not done this in before. It may start straining in the litter box or having bloody urine. The vet will have to flush out the cats bladder tubes
If you ever notice a cat straining while in the litter box, or having bloody urine, take it to the vet immediately because it is usually a serious condition.
If you know about illnesses in your cat's family such as getting tumors at a certain age, then your cat could have a similar problem. Do you have a pure breed cat? It is common for Siamese cats to develop a malignant ( a spreading cancer) breast tumor. Cats can develop many different types of cancers. You may be suspicious that a cat has cancer when it has an unexplained illness, a lump or weight loss. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery can all be used to help fight cancer. These treatments are all very expensive and may not cure the cancer. You should consult a vet to analyses and take test to see if the cat has cancer.
If you have an outdoor cat who has been into a big fight with the neighborhood tom or who typically gets into a lot of fights, then an abscess might be the culprit. You should inspect your cat for a painful lump. Abscesses are very painful hot swellings under the fur. Your cat may try and bite its examiner if the painful area is touched. The most common way for a cat to get an abscess is to get into a fight with another cat, where it is bitten or clawed. Bacteria from teeth or claws is introduced deep into the wound. The skin then heals over top of the wound leaving a pocket-like space for bacteria to grow. Over a short time a small pocket is created that becomes more infected and swollen. Abscesses need to be drained and treated with antibiotics, which means a trip to the vet. If you notice that you cat has been in a fight it is very important that you wash out its wounds and keep them open and even apply mild heat to them so that abscesses don't form.
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Bibliography
1. Understanding Cats Their History, Nature and Behavior. Robert Tabor. David and Charles Publishers 1997
2. 101 questions your cat would ask, What's bothering your cat and how to solve it. Honor Head. Quarto Publishing Place 1999
3. The book of the Cat. Editors Micheal Wright and Sally Walters. Pan Books 1980.
4. The Complete Cat Owner's Manual. Author Susie Page. Fog City Press 2004.
5. The Cat, Diseases and Clinical Management, 2nd edition. Robert G. Sherting. W. B. Saunders. 1994.
