Some emergencies in our cats are sudden and immediately apparent, but others start with uncertainty. Learn how to recognize an emergency so you can get your cat to the vet in time.
Surely in your life there have been different situations related to the health of cats.
And perhaps some of you have even felt very guilty in some cases.
After all, maybe their cats wouldn’t have gotten sicker if their owners had recognized the problem earlier.
Although some urgent conditions in cats are quite subtle, many of them start out as vague symptoms.
It’s certainly true that early recognition of low-profile cat emergencies will increase the chances of a positive resolution.
However, pet owners should not feel guilty if they fail to recognize these subtleties of feline health. After all, a cat won’t be able to tell us in words what hurts.
That’s what we’re going to talk about today – how to identify a cat’s health problem at an early stage.
We would like to present a vital list to help you recognize your cat’s emergency situations. These will certainly require an immediate visit to the veterinarian.
Of course, the list is not exhaustive and you may find yourself in an ambiguous situation – after all, it is impossible to predict everything.
However, we hope that it will be useful for many pet owners and will help them to make the right and timely decision.
1. Feline gums as an indicator of cat health
One useful indicator of a cat’s health is the color of their gums. Lift your cat’s lip and look at their gums. They should be pink and moist.
Check them regularly and you’ll realize what they usually look like. If you suspect your cat is sick and their gums are already pale, gray, blue, or bright red, your cat probably has a health problem.
2. Shortness of breath in cats
It is the most urgent and emergency situation one can face – whether it is a cat, dog or human.
Without breathing, death occurs in three minutes. So difficulty breathing in a cat means that the cat is on the verge of life and death.
And the problem here is that such a moment of difficult breathing is very hard to catch. After all, your pet is not always in your line of sight.
If your cat has been stung by a wasp, bee or other insect, it could be a sign of a severe allergic reaction.
Symptoms to look out for in terms of breathing are:
- abdominal distension,
- open-mouth breathing,
- cough,
- wheezing,
- abnormal breath sounds,
- any weird breathing.
3. Abnormal urination in male cats
This sign could be a possible symptom of one of the most serious emergencies in cats: urinary tract obstruction.
This condition, which is fatal if untreated, occurs when cats are unable to urinate. For anatomical reasons, it occurs almost exclusively in male cats.
Cats with this condition suffer excruciating pain and then rapidly progress to kidney failure, possible bladder rupture, and high levels of potassium in the blood causing cardiac arrest.
Initial symptoms may be quite subtle: sick animals may urinate outside the litter box, strain but excrete only a small amount of urine, make noises, or groom their genitals excessively.
Murmeo’s Comment! This is exactly the case that happened with our beloved kitty. Actually, one fine day (or rather, not very fine) we paid attention to the strange behavior of our cat. He began to meow pitifully and go one drop to the toilet throughout the apartment. Although previously there were never any problems with the litter box – the cat always went only to his litter box.
We immediately took him to our vet and it turned out that his entire duct was clogged with struvite. The diagnosis was not encouraging – urolithiasis. The doctors put a catheter, flushed the ducts and he seemed to feel better.
For ourselves we realized that the main cause of urolithiasis disease was dry food. And we had to switch to natural raw food. After that, everything normalized. And by the way, it turned out to be not the most expensive option compared to dry food.
We will definitely write a big separate article about it!
Therefore, any male cat showing signs of irregular urination should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.
Female cats are unlikely to die from this disease, but they are also most likely to suffer from discomfort and require treatment.
4. Signs of severe pain or obvious distress
If you notice signs of severe pain or distress in your pet, run to the veterinarian immediately.
Pain on its own always requires treatment, but it can also be a sign of more serious problems such as urinary tract obstruction (see above) or aortic thromboembolism (see below).
Symptoms of pain include howling (strange heavy sounds), heavy breathing, attempts to hide, and overreaction to contact with the painful area.
5. Sudden paralysis of the hind legs
As far as pain goes, one of the most painful emergencies in cats is arterial thromboembolism or ATE.
ATE is a complication of heart disease in cats in which a blood clot gets stuck in the hind (usually) paws. Such a disease causes sudden paralysis of the hind limbs (paws).
Sick cats usually breathe heavily, make strange noises, and show other signs of restlessness. Immediate veterinary attention is required for these symptoms.
6. Refusal to eat and/or drink
A cat that won’t eat anything. This can often be a sign of serious trouble.
It is not normal for any living creature to go without food for a whole day or more when food is available. Refusal to eat can be a symptom of diseases such as:
- kidney failure,
- diabetes complications,
- intestinal obstruction,
- oral disease.
7. Prolonged vomiting and/or diarrhea
This is one of the cat emergencies that require immediate veterinary attention, especially if blood is present.
Of course, almost all cats occasionally burp or have soft stools, and these cases are usually not emergencies. But cats that are constantly vomiting or have diarrhea should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.
Murmeo’s Comment! Our cat Malva periodically vomits small pieces of hair – this is how she cleans her stomach. She is very fluffy.
8. Use of toxins and poisonous substances
One certain thing is that any ingestion of inedible or even poisonous substances can cause your cat’s health to deteriorate.
For example, flower poisoning can cause:
- irritation of the mouth and mucosa;
- excessive salivating;
- vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- sometimes a high fever.
Murmeo’s Comment! Did you know that lilies are considered one of the most dangerous flowers for cats? So think a hundred times before bringing a bouquet of lilies home.
We have a huge list of specifically poisonous plants for cats that should be avoided. Be sure to check it out!
It would help if you also were mindful of dangerous foods for your pet. Consumption of the same onions, chocolates, alcohol, and other things is very likely to cause poisoning.
9. Severe listlessness or lethargy
We all know that our beloved pets are very fond of sleeping.
It is known that cats can sleep for about 16 hours daily. And some individuals can even sleep up to 20 hours out of 24.
However, a very lethargic cat may indicate that something is wrong.
Lethargy can signal a serious cause for concern.
This is one of those cat emergencies that should trigger an emergency trip to the veterinarian.
Signs of profound lethargy may include:
- immobility,
- being in the same room for a long time,
- lack of normal reaction to stimuli (loud noises or dog barking).
11. Attacks or seizures
While a single seizure is unlikely to be life-threatening, owners should be aware that seizures often occur in chains that intensify over several hours.
They can also be a symptom of exposure to toxins such as mold or poor-quality flea products. Cats that have had a seizure should be taken to a veterinarian immediately.
11. Serious injury
Undoubtedly, the presence of serious injuries should always trigger a veterinary visit. And of course, if a cat has a gaping wound or massive hemorrhage, we usually know intuitively – we need to go to the vet.
However, sometimes cats that have fallen from heights, been hit by cars, or attacked by large dogs can have serious internal injuries. The danger lies in the fact that the animals appear to be unharmed after the incident.
If you know of or have witnessed a similar incident, your cat should always be seen by a veterinarian.
And more! Fighting with other cats
Cats that have fought with other fellow cats should be examined by a veterinarian as early as possible.
Wounds from cat fights are relatively easy to treat with antibiotics if detected early. If the moment is missed, an abscess can develop, requiring anesthesia and surgery.
A list of cat health danger signs – recap
Let’s summarize and list the potentially dangerous signs for cat health:
- A cat’s gums are an indicator of health.
- Shortness of breath.
- Abnormal urination in cats (males).
- Signs of severe pain or obvious distress.
- Sudden paralysis of the hind limbs.
- Refusal to eat and drink.
- Prolonged vomiting and diarrhea.
- Ingestion of toxins or poisonous substances.
- Severe lethargy or lethargy.
- Seizures or fits.
- Serious trauma.
- Fights with other cats.
Cat owners should keep in mind that the above list is not exhaustive; it is impossible to list (or even imagine) all cat emergencies.
We would like to reiterate that if you are in doubt about anything, it would not be unreasonable to consult a veterinarian.
A physical examination, which even if it doesn’t reveal anything serious, will obviously not harm your cat. However, doing nothing in a critical situation can lead to the most unfortunate outcome.
And that’s all for today. And health and long life to all, of course.
Bye!
Murmeo link to the article: https://murmeo.com/en/11-cat-emergencies/
