Posts Tagged ‘cat diseases’

Despite the abundance of cases of ear mites, lice and fleas taking up residence on our cats; the most common parasite seen in adult cats is actually the tapeworm, which attaches itself to the wall of the intestine by hooks and suckers on its head! 

The body of a tapeworm is made up of quarter-inch long segments, each of which contains eggs.  Over the course of the tapeworm’s life, these segments break off and are passed out of the anus in the faeces for other organisms to pick up.  These organisms are normally lice and fleas which, having picked up the tapeworm segment, are commonly ingested by another animal – continuing the tapeworm’s life in a new intestine.  Hence, if your cat has a tapeworm, the chances are that it has lice or fleas as well!

Tapeworms are easily treated by either a deworming pill or injection.  Signs that your cat has tapeworms include dry segments found in the hair around the anus or in the bedding.  On rare occasions or when they are present in large numbers, tapeworms can cause weight loss and debilitation in cats, though a more reliable sign may be “scooting” – where the cat drags his behind across the ground to soothe anal irritation.  This sign is far more common in dogs that cats, however.   

Luckily tapeworms aren’t that bad for you cat’s health so don’t worry yourself too much about seeking out the signs.

Pyelonephritis is an inflammation of the kidney, commonly caused by a urinary tract infection that has travelled up to the kidney. It is a serious disease that can lead to kidney failure, sepsis and death, but although acute infections can cause bloody urine, vomiting and fever, the signs can be so subtle that they can easily go unnoticed. There are more obvious signs of the disease, like hunched posture, listlessness and weight loss; but often these do not come about until kidney failure has already occurred.

For this reason, pyelonephritis must be diagnosed early to be successfully treated. Diagnosis normally takes the form of a through physical examination and complete history and description of clinical signs, as well as the following baseline tests: a urinalysis to detect the presence of protein, bacteria or white blood cells in the urine; a complete blood count to detect elevated numbers of white blood cells; biochemical profiling to detected elevations in kidney enzymes.

Treatment normally involves dietary modification, fluid therapy and courses of antibiotics over at least four to six weeks. Surgery is sometimes necessary when pyelonephritis is associated with urinary calculi, though this can be expensive for owners without pet insurance.

Signs of Pyelonephritis Include:

• Painful, bloody and malodorous urinationE
• Excessive drinking but loss of appetite
• Abdominal or back pain
• Vomiting and diarrhea
• Lethargy