Signs of plague in cats and treatments

Distemper is considered a very dangerous disease in cats. It has different forms, on which the rate and duration of the disease depends. Without proper treatment, the disease can lead to the death of the animal.

Symptoms of plague in cats

The disease is also known as viral enteritis or panleukopenia. It can be of three types.

• Small kittens up to two weeks of age suffer from a fulminant form of the disease. Most often, kittens of medium-sized breeds suffer from it. As a result of the disease, the kittens' health sharply worsens, they refuse to suck milk, squeak and become lethargic during wakefulness. The disease usually kills kittens, even if every precaution is taken. Kittens older people during illness do not sleep at night, and in the daytime they hide in the dark, squeak loudly if they are frightened. Also, the kitten may have cramps, vomiting of foam, paralysis, dirty hair, diarrhea.

• The acute form occurs in adults cats... In this case, the cat becomes apathetic and lies down all the time. The animal has heavy breathing, it refuses to eat, there is vomiting with blood, abdominal upset occurs, the temperature rises greatly. The cat cannot drink, although it is thirsty. Red spots appear on the body, which then rot. All these signs appear within 5 days.
• The subacute form occurs in animals in old age, as well as in adults with strong immunity and previously vaccinated. In this case, the animal has all the signs of the acute form of the disease, but not so pronounced. The duration of the illness also increases. Symptoms last 1 to 3 weeks.

How plague in cats is treated

First of all, you can not engage in independent treatment of the animal. There is an opinion that the plague can be cured by making the animal drink vodka. This absolutely must not be done. Such treatment can simply kill the unfortunate animal. The use of vodka in this case is tantamount to treating a person with a stomach ulcer with alcohol.

At the first doubts and signs of illness, you must definitely go to the veterinarian. Only a specialist will be able to correctly prescribe the treatment, because there are no specific drugs for this disease, and the treatment is symptomatic.

• In case of vomiting and diarrhea, the animal is injected with solutions through a vein to eliminate dehydration. The same is prescribed for refusal to eat.
• Antiemetic medications are administered to cope with vomiting.
• Gastroprotectors will help protect the gastric mucosa.
• To activate the immune defense, substances that stimulate metabolism are used.
• The high temperature is brought down with non-steroidal antiviral medicines.

Animals in serious condition are placed in a hospital in order to constantly monitor the condition and assess the development of the disease. In this case, the drugs are administered drip, if necessary, adjusting the appointment.

Prevention of plague in cats

To prevent the disease of cats with distemper, it is necessary to adhere to some recommendations:

• To feed the animal, you need to use complete and balanced feed.
• Take measures for the cat to have good immunity.
• The best way to prevent the development of a dangerous disease is by vaccination. It is given according to the vaccination schedule. For this purpose, drugs such as Multifel, Nobivac or Quadricat are used. In this case, before the vaccination, be sure to give drugs against worms. Vaccination protects the animal from infection with distemper for a year.

With timely treatment, the cat can successfully transfer the disease. But even in case of recovery, the consequences will remind of the previous illness for a long time. It especially affects the health of small kittens and older animals. They suffer from breathing disorders, malfunctions of the cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract.