Signs of plague in cats and treatment methods

Distemper is considered a very dangerous disease in cats. It has different forms, which determine the speed of progression and duration of the disease. Without appropriate treatment, the disease can lead to the death of the animal.

Symptoms of plague in a cat

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

• Little ones kittens up to two weeks of age suffer from a fulminant form of the disease. It most often affects medium-sized kittens. As a result of the disease, the kittens' health sharply deteriorates; they refuse to suckle milk, squeak and become lethargic when awake. The disease usually kills kittens, even if all treatment measures are taken. Kittens Older children do not sleep at night during illness, but during daylight hours they hide in the dark, squeaking loudly if they are frightened. The kitten may also have convulsions, vomit foam, paralysis, dirty fur, and diarrhea.

• The acute form occurs in adults cats. In this case, the cat becomes apathetic and lies all the time. The animal has heavy breathing, refuses to eat, vomits blood, has an upset stomach, and has a very high fever. The cat cannot drink, although she 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 an acute form of the disease, but not so pronounced. The duration of the disease also increases. Symptoms take 1 to 3 weeks to appear.

How to treat plague in cats

First of all, you cannot independently treat an animal. There is an opinion that distemper can be cured by forcing the animal to drink vodka. This absolutely cannot be done. Such treatment can simply kill the unfortunate animal. The use of vodka in this case is equivalent to treating a person with a stomach ulcer with alcohol.

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

• In case of vomiting and diarrhea, solutions are infused into the animal through a vein to eliminate dehydration. The same thing is prescribed when refusing food.
• Antiemetic medications are administered to control vomiting.
• Gastroprotectors will help protect the gastric mucosa.
• To activate immune defense, substances that stimulate metabolism are used.
• High fever is brought down with non-steroidal antiviral medications.

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

Prevention of distemper in cats

To prevent cats from getting distemper, you must follow some recommendations:

• To feed the animal you need to use complete and balanced feed.
• Take measures to ensure that your cat has good immunity.
• The best way to prevent the development of a dangerous disease is vaccination. It is done in accordance with the vaccination schedule. For this purpose, drugs such as Multifel, Nobivak or Quadricat are used. At the same time, before vaccination, anti-worm medications must be given. Vaccination protects the animal from distemper infection for a year.

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