Cats

 Cat🙀🐈

The cat, also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat,
is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the domestication of the cat occurred in the Near East around 7500 BC. It is commonly kept as a pet and working cat, but it also ranges freely as a feral cat, avoiding human contact. It is valued by humans for companionship and its ability to kill vermin. Its retractable claws are adapted to killing small prey species such as mice and rats. It has a strong, flexible body, quick reflexes, and sharp teeth, and its night vision and sense of smell are well developed. It is a social species, but a solitary hunter and a crepuscular predator.

Common Cat Diseases.

1. Cancer

    Cancer is a class of diseases in which cells grow uncontrollably, invade surrounding tissue and may spread to other areas of the body. As with people, cats can get various kinds of cancer. The disease can be localized (confined to one area, like a tumor) or generalized (spread throughout the body).

Cancer Symptoms

Symptoms of cancer in cats may include:

• Lumps (which are not always malignant, but are always worth having a veterinarian examine)
• Swelling
• Persistent sores or skin infections
• Abnormal discharge from any part of the body
• Bad breath
• Listlessness, lethargy or other marked change in behavior
• Weight loss
• Sudden lameness

Diagnosing Cancer in Cats

• If a lump is present, the first step is typically a needle biopsy, which removes a very small tissue sample for microscopic examination of cells. Alternately, surgery may be performed to remove all or part of the lump for diagnosis by a pathologist.

• Radiographs, ultrasound, blood evaluation and other diagnostic tests may also be helpful in determining if cancer is present or if it has spread.

    2. Diabetes

Diabetes in cats is a complex disease caused by either a lack of the hormone insulin or an inadequate response to insulin. After a cat eats, her digestive system breaks food into various components, including glucose—which is carried into her cells by insulin. When a cat does not produce insulin or cannot utilize it normally, her blood sugar levels elevate. The result is hyperglycemia, which, if left untreated, can cause many complicated health problems for a cat.

Diabetes Symptoms in Cats

• Change in appetite (either increased or decreased)
• Weight loss
• Excessive thirst/increase in water consumption
• Increased urination
• Urinating in areas other than litter box
• Unusually sweet-smelling breath
• Lethargy

Diagnosing Diabetes

To properly diagnose diabetes, your veterinarian will collect information about clinical signs, perform a physical examination and check blood work and urinalysis.

   3.Rabies

Rabies is a viral disease that affects the brain and spinal cord of all mammals, including cats, dogs and humans. This preventable disease has been reported in every state except Hawaii. There’s good reason that the very word “rabies” evokes fear in people once symptoms appear, rabies is close to 100% fatal.

Symptoms of Rabies

• Changes in behavior (including aggression, restlessness and lethargy),
• Increased vocalization
• Loss of appetite
• Weakness
• Disorientation
• Paralysis
• Seizures
• Sudden death

Diagnosing Rabies

• There is no accurate test to diagnose rabies in live animals.
• There is no treatment or cure for rabies once symptoms appear. The disease results in fatality.