The plague of the cat - the first signs and treatment

Feline distemper is a deadly disease of viral nature, which is expressed by an extensive complex of symptoms. Cats suffer from this disease in three forms: sub-acute, acute and fulminant. These forms determine the speed and duration of the disease. Panleukopenia or viral enteritis is considered the medical name for plague. The virus that causes the disease is highly resistant to extremely low and high temperatures. In addition, standard disinfectants do not destroy it. Once in an environment that is unfavorable, the virus can function for about a year.

It is the high level of viability and resistance of the virus that determines its widespread prevalence. Despite the fact that humans and other animals cannot get sick with viral enteritis, it is very dangerous for cats.

Symptoms and manifestations of distemper in cats

Feline distemper can be of three forms that determine the duration and speed of the disease, and, thereby, the symptoms. The following forms are distinguished:

Lightning fast
This kind of disease is sometimes called over-acute, most often it is manifested in kittens whose age is at least a couple of weeks. Not large cat breeds, such as British cats, or large Maine Coon kittens can get sick.

The sick animal experiences a deteriorating state of health, the kitten stops sucking milk from the mother, squeals plaintively and persistently, and in the process of wakefulness shows lethargy, apathy. Even with the timely start of therapy, death is likely to occur within two days.

As soon as possible, the virus begins to infect kittens whose body was weakened due to various reasons. The kitten may die from panleukopenia, which did not even have time to manifest characteristic symptoms.

In cats aged 3 to 7 months, the disease can have a serious effect on the central nervous system. The first manifestations of the disease are expressed in the fact that at night the kitten does not sleep, but in the daytime it hides in the dark, is afraid of noises and loudly beeps if it turns out to be scared by something.

Sometimes viral enteritis of this form is combined with the following manifestations:

• tremor of the limbs;
• bloody vomiting or vomiting unnatural foam;
• diarrhea, accompanied by an unpleasant pungent odor;
• lack of appetite;
• low water consumption;
• convulsions;
• shaggy and stained wool;
• paralysis.

Acute form
Most often, this option can be found in adults. In this case, the symptoms are different from the previous version:

1. The animal becomes less active, often apathetic lies, practically does not respond to the master's voice and actions.
2. A cat can hardly breathe.
3. Loses appetite, indifferent even to your favorite food.
4. Manifested vomiting.
5. Light-colored diarrhea, rumbling is heard in the stomach.
6. The cat's body temperature rises to 40 degrees, after which it either becomes normal (this indicates the likelihood that the animal will recover), or drops to 37 degrees, in which case the risk of cat death becomes high.
7. Vomiting is combined with mucus, its buoyancy increases.
8. The pet almost stops drinking water, despite the strong feeling of thirst.
9. The skin in some places covered with red spots that fester.

When the virus reaches the respiratory system,The overall picture of symptoms is diluted below:

• the cat often tries to cough;
• discharge from the corners of the eyes or nostrils appears;
• nose becomes hot, loses moisture, crust;
• in the process of breathing, wheezing in the lungs;
• the larynx inflames and swells.

In addition, the manifestations described may indicate that the animal was exposed to secondary infection, which adversely affects the cat's condition and aggravates the course of the disease.

In cases where the plague affects the heart of the animal, the pet breathes without closing its mouth, tachycardia, as well as heart failure, appear. The clinical picture lasts about 2-5 days. If you do not prescribe the right therapy in a timely manner, the cat will soon die. In the reverse situation, if the treatment has an effective effect, and the animal has not been subjected to secondary infection, it can recover within a week.

It should be realized that a cat that has suffered such a serious disease will release the virus along with stools, urine, and other fluids into the environment for a long time, so other cats that may be nearby can also become infected.

If a pet has had viral enteritis, then for many years its immunity becomes resistant to the virus.

Sub-acute form
The plague in this case usually affects adult or mature cats that have a strong immune system, as well as animals that have been vaccinated.

This form has less danger, its symptoms resemble a set of manifestations in acute form. However, they are not so pronounced. The development of the disease is also slightly slower, the disease can last 1-3 weeks. Most often, cats that have been infected with a subacute form of enteritis are successfully recovering.

How does a virus work?

The virus, which is the causative agent of distemper, is in an environment that is associated with animals that are sick with viral enteritis at a given point in time or who have been ill with them not long ago. This environment includes drool, urine, stools and nasal mucus.

Infection can affect almost every cat breed, even including exotic animals.

Ways of infection may be as follows:

1. Contact. In this case, the cat becomes infected by entering into direct contact with the carrier of the virus or the body fluids containing the pathogen.
2. Intrauterine. Infection can occur in kittens from a sick mother.
3. Through the people. This includes those situations where the pet owner can bring a virus to the apartment, which is contained on shoes or garments. Infections may be those cats who never leave the house.
4. Airborne. If the pet is near an infected animal, there is a chance of being infected through the air.
5. Parasitic. Lice, ticks or fleas can parasitize on diseased cats, which will then transmit the virus to a healthy individual.

Initially, the negative functioning of the virus spreads to the blood. When the distemper enters the cat's body, there is a pronounced fall in white blood cells, intoxication and acute damage to the internal organs or tissues occurs:

• intestinal mucosa;
• pulmonary system;
• the cardiovascular system;
• Bone marrow;
• lymphoid tissue.

When some systems of the cat's body become affected by the virus, it is manifested by severe dehydration, dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, heart failure.

The younger the cat, the lower the chance that it will recover successfully. The kitten's body is practically not resistant to the effects of the distemper - about ten percent of the kittens will be able to recover from the entire litter that has become infected.In adults, the mortality rate is relatively lower, but still reaches unpleasant limits - the survival rate is at the level of 35-60 percent.

The death of the animal occurs due to several reasons:

• Acute loss of water in the body, lack of fluid.
• Exposure to additional infections.
• Heart failure.

With regards to risk groups, the minimum probability of contracting viral enteritis in those cats whose age is less than 6 years. Over time, when the animal is aging, its immunity becomes less robust, the body’s resistance to diseases decreases, and therefore cats whose age is more than 7 years old become ill with enteritis relatively often.

The maximum risk of infection is present in kittens, whose age ranges from a couple of months to a year. When the cat, bearing the offspring, falls ill, then kittens that are not adapted to life can be born. Often there are miscarriages, sucking of the fetus.

Disease therapy

The plague is a deadly disease. Home treatment is available only under the strict control of the doctor of veterinary medicine, it is necessary to follow all the advice and recommendations clearly and rigorously.So that the course of the disease is not complicated, the owner of the sick pet should not offer her “any” medications to receive.

Note! Along with other popular methods of treating chumka, treatment with vodka is extremely unacceptable. The virus, which is the causative agent of the disease, is considered extremely specific, and currently there is no effective treatment against it.

The veterinarian does all he can to help the pet's body fight the disease, but the cat's immune system will somehow do the main work. Therefore, all therapy is purely symptomatic. Drugs are used that help the cat to restore water balance in the body, relieve pain and counteract the development of secondary infection.

The doctor of veterinary medicine uses antibacterial drugs and immune system stimulants, in some cases it is required to wash the cat's stomach and give an enema. A course of therapeutic action can last from 7 to 14 days, determined by the severity of the disease, the age of the animal and its well-being.

The owner is obliged to exactly follow the appointed course, even if it may seem that the cat has already gone on the mend or recovered. There are a number of recommendations and rules that must be followed by the host:

1. It is important to keep the animal in a warm room, which is periodically ventilated. The light in the room should be muffled. When the room is ventilated, the animal should be moved to another room.
2. Any discharge, stools and urine should be immediately eliminated, eyes cleaned using gauze tampons.
3. The room in which the sick cat is located will need to be periodically disinfected.
4. Do not forcefully attempt to feed the animal. When the appetite for the cat begins to return, initially it is worth to treat him with meat broth, cottage cheese. After a couple of days, you can gradually supplement the diet, including in it lean meat products and sea fish. Food can be offered up to five times a day in small portions.
5. Do not include in the diet porridge, herbs or various vegetables. They should be excluded from the diet for the next couple of months after the animal recovers.

Diagnostic procedures

As soon as the owner had the first suspicions that the pet fell ill, the cat urgently needed to see a doctor at the veterinary medicine. Also, you will need to have a cat passport, where all vaccinations are marked.

The diagnosis of the disease is made on the basis of a survey, tests and anamnesis. Initially, a specialist examines feces, which may contain particles of the virus. As a method of research using the method of PCR. However, it is important to understand that a positive outcome can be achieved if the animal has recently been given an injection.

A blood test will be necessary to detect a sharp drop in white blood cells. Also, the veterinarian will be obliged to distinguish this disease from others that are clinically similar to it: pancreatitis, leukemia, intoxication, intestinal perforation, and so on.

It is necessary to realize that it is an emergency appeal to a veterinary clinic that increases the chances of a pet to recover successfully.

How to prevent pet infection

Any owner of the sick cat, who is not without responsibility, must understand that if there are other cats in the apartment, they will need to be urgently transferred to someone for the period of therapy.In cases where during the incubation time, which is three weeks, the disease has not manifested itself, all cats will need to be vaccinated, as the virus in a room with an infected animal can persist for a year.

It is advisable to vaccinate the cat at a young age, when she is about a couple of months, and after 3 weeks additional revaccination is required. Cats that have already reached mature age need annual revaccination. The most commonly used common medicines from the following manufacturers:

• Felocel;
• Nobivac;
• Quadricat.

However, it should be remembered that only individuals that are not yet infected with viral enteritis should be vaccinated. It is important that they do not have blood-sucking parasites and worms. Also, you should avoid vaccinating excessively small animals that have not changed teeth, as well as cats that bear offspring.

Video: Cat Virus Infection