Spotted Cat Designs

Not in any particular order, these are some of the web sites that have helped us recognize, understand, and cope with a variety of medical situations and conditions. See also my blog entry on feline asthma, and my older article on cats with allergies. I also wrote a more exhaustive article covering online feline medical and health resources.

These are some of the first places we turn to:

The Pet Web Library by the Mar Vista Medical Center of Los Angeles offers a free alphabetical listing of many diseases and disorders with information to help you understand the condition and what can be done about it. It was one of the first places we found when our beloved Glory was diagnosed with pancreatitus.

American Veterinary Medical Assoc. and their Animal Health section for pet owners

NetVet and the Electronic Zoo Created by Dr. Ken Boschert DVM. While not recently updated, still a great place to browse for information

The British Small Animal Veterinary Assoc.

Canadian Veterinary Medical Assoc has Animal Health Care Information and Advice

Whenever I see or hear one of our cats having hairball coughing, I immediately get the Laxatone or Petromalt and give them about 1 inch (2.5 cm) every other day for a week and then weekly. Then I get my family to increase brushing and combing our cats. For more on this subject see Hairball Express or the Fur is Flying.

The problem is that not all coughing means a hairball. Sometimes it can be far more serious. Asthma attacks are an emergency. Asthma can kill. I recommend you watch these videos (links below) so you can recognize the symptoms, and can take appropriate emergency measures. Know where the nearest emergency vet clinic is located. If you think you have seen these symptoms in you cat, talk to your vet ASAP.

As someone who has asthma, I know how scary a sudden onset attack can be. Seeing it in a cat was heartrending. There are medications such as albuterol inhalers, Flovent and steroids to cut inflammation — how familiar I have used them, too… They even have the aerokat pet inhaler designed as a feline friendly device for using MDI’s (metered dose inhalers). This video shows it being used.

Each of the people who took these videos did so in order to educate others.

I found Dave’s Feline Asthma attack video while browsing. That is what got me started on this blog entry. The coughing is not like hairball coughs I have heard. Much more labored and tiring for the poor kitty.

This video gives a medical explanation of symptoms associated with feline asthma.

Another video of a cat with labored breathing. As the person who posted this wrote: “The purpose of this video is to give an example of what labored or abdominal breathing looks like. This video was made in order to show our vet what we were seeing. Needless to say, Stinky [their cat] was brought in to the emergency room after capturing this footage. Note: Normal respiration should be between 20-30 [per minute].“

Cats can also have food or environmental allergies, as we found out when Glory repeatedly started scratching the side of her neck until she was bloody. For a more detailed discussion of what we learned, see my article “When Cats Have Allergies“.

I had an earlier post on some Online Feline Medical and Health Resources to find reliable medical information regarding feline health issues. Looking it over, I think I will add others in a future blog entry when I can.

While browsing the Internet I came across some useful freebies and important safety and emergency information. While some focus on dogs, the basic information is applicable to all pets.

There is no substitute for being prepared for an emergency. A basic first aid kit for humans and pets seems a sensible thing to have. So does making sure that everyone old enough for the responsibility of caring for a pet, knows the basic signs of a medical problem, what to do and who to call. Talk with your vet, your family so you know what to do before something goes terribly wrong.

We have our veterinarian’s phone number in the kitchen and on all our cell phones.

Cornell University’s Feline Health Center “Max’s House” covers detailed instructions on what to do in a given medical emergency, including recommended components for a first aid kit, normal respiration counts, how to restrain a frightened cat, and immediate first aid for breathing difficulties, bleeding, bone or soft tissue injuries and shock.

The same site offers the most detailed list of cat-toxic plants that I have found (by Common Plant Name), including the ASPCA toxic plant list. Cornell also lists the plants by the Latin Genus/Species. This second listing provides poisoning symptoms and treatment.

The ASPCA has a number of useful articles:

Non-Toxic plants

What to do if your pet ate or drank something that may be poisonous

The phone number for Animal Poison Control Center of the for ASPCA is (888) 426-4435. FYI they state “There is a $55 consultation fee for this service“.

Be ready with the following information:
- the species, breed, age, sex, weight and number of animals involved
- the animal’s symptoms
- information regarding the exposure, including the agent (if known), the amount of the agent involved and the time elapsed since the time of exposure.

Have the product container/packaging available for reference.”

Pedigree has a free first aid guide for pet owners. Go to the page and click on “downloadable” by the upper right icon. Their disaster preparedness brochure has very useful tips for evacuting your pets — in part based on lessons learned from the Hurricane Katrina devastation.
Other canine related safety information can be found on their “First Aid and Safety” web page.

Other useful links:

Contents of a Feline first aid kit

Another list for a feline first aid kit If you scroll down, you will also find information on giving your cat pill or liquid medication, some poisonous houseplants, and some basic warning signs of illness.

Cat Channel discusses what to do for burns, broken bones, electric shock and insect stings. Good to know before anything goes wrong.