Welcome to our “Ask Dr. Paola” sequence, the place each Monday we deliver skilled recommendation straight from Dr. Paola Cuevas (MVZ) to assist our readers higher perceive their cat’s well being and well-being.
Whether or not you’re a brand new pet father or mother or a seasoned cat lover, Dr. Paola is right here to offer solutions to your most urgent questions. From vitamin ideas and preventive care to troubleshooting frequent behavioral points, Dr. Paola is able to provide insights that can maintain your kitty completely satisfied, wholesome, and feline nice. Keep tuned for skilled steerage on a spread of matters that matter most to you and your cat, so you can also make knowledgeable selections and supply the absolute best care on your furry companion.
Have a query? Ship it in right here!
Assist! How Do I Hold My Blind Cat Comfy?
“Pricey Dr. Paola,
My cat Linden is 17 years previous and has gone blind over the previous few weeks. His pupils are huge open on a regular basis now. I’m guessing it’s cataracts. How can I assist him? I can’t afford the price of a vet and I don’t wish to put him to sleep. How can I assist him to no less than be snug? Thank You” – Hollger
I’m sorry to listen to about Linden’s imaginative and prescient loss, Hollger. It’s clear how a lot you take care of him, and I wish to reassure you that blind cats can nonetheless stay snug, completely satisfied lives with some changes. Whereas cataracts are one potential explanation for his blindness, different circumstances corresponding to hypertension resulting in retinal detachment, glaucoma, or different age-related points is also guilty. Despite the fact that you’re unable to take him to the vet, it’s essential to notice that these underlying circumstances may cause ache or discomfort if left untreated. In reality, dilated pupils is perhaps an indication of the ache itself.
Monitor him intently for any indicators of discomfort, corresponding to pawing at his face, vocalizing greater than common, or adjustments in urge for food. If at any level you’re involved about his high quality of life, I counsel you discover low-cost veterinary clinics or animal welfare organizations which will provide help. We additionally provide a veterinary telehealth service, PangoVet, the place you’ll be able to have a face-to-face name with one among our veterinarians from the consolation of your property. Whereas they aren’t a alternative for in-person veterinarians, they can assist reply your entire questions and offer you and Linden a tailor-made motion plan for an reasonably priced worth level.
To assist Linden adapt to his blindness, it is best to create a protected and predictable atmosphere. Cats rely closely on their sense of odor and listening to, so sustaining consistency in your house is crucial. Keep away from including new, unknown scents or candles that apart from being a risk to their respiratory well being, would possibly confuse him. Keep away from shifting furnishings or leaving obstacles in his common paths. Mushy mats or rugs positioned close to essential spots can even function tactile landmarks.
Encourage Linden to keep lively with toys that make noise, like crinkle balls or feather wands with bells, to stimulate his play instincts by his listening to. Chatting with him regularly in a relaxed, reassuring tone can assist him really feel safer.
Cats are extremely resilient and might adapt to imaginative and prescient loss when supported by a loving proprietor such as you. You’re doing all your greatest for Linden, and with these changes, he can proceed to take pleasure in his golden years in consolation and security.
Finest needs!
Dr. Paola
Communicate To a Vet On-line From the Consolation of Your Sofa!
If you want to communicate with a vet however can’t get to at least one, head over to PangoVet. It’s an internet service the place you’ll be able to speak to a vet on-line and get the personalised recommendation you want on your pet — all at an reasonably priced worth!
Assist! My Cats Will get Getting a Clogged Nostril!
“Pricey Dr. Paola,
My 9-year-old male Cornish Rex, Ringer, has suffered from a clogged nostril within the wintertime when the warmth is on, each single yr. One nostril will get crusty, I’ve to choose off the dry bit to ensure that him to breath & the opposite nostril will get clogged inside. His temperature is regular, and he eats and drinks nice. Any strategies for the right way to assist and ideas on why this occurs?” – Paulina
Hello Paulina,
Ringer’s recurring nasal congestion in winter sounds uncomfortable for him and difficult for you. Since this sample aligns with when the warmth is on, it’s very probably associated to the dry air in your house. Cats, particularly these with finer coats like Cornish Rexes, could be additional delicate to environmental adjustments, together with lowered humidity, which may dry out the mucous membranes of their nasal passages and result in crusting or clogging.
You may assist Ringer by growing the humidity in your house. A humidifier positioned close to his favourite spots could make a giant distinction by including moisture to the air. For those who don’t have a humidifier, you possibly can place bowls of water close to warmth sources, because the evaporating water will assist improve humidity. And even bringing him inside the lavatory when you have a steamy bathe. Commonly cleansing his nostril with a humid, delicate fabric or a saline nasal spray designed for cats (seek the advice of with a veterinarian or an on-line pet telehealth service to substantiate the most secure possibility) can assist maintain his nostrils clear and forestall crusts from forming.
It’s at all times essential to make sure his hydration ranges keep optimum, nearly as good hydration helps wholesome mucous membranes. Providing him moisture-rich meals, or including a little bit of water to his meals can assist. Many cats are interested in shifting water so including in a water fountain can also be really helpful.
Since you’ve clearly recognized that it is a yearly situation, it’s price observing if different irritants, like mud or allergens from heating techniques, is also affecting him. Cleansing air vents and utilizing hypoallergenic HEPA filters may assist reduce irritants within the air.
For those who discover any adjustments, corresponding to nasal discharge turning yellow or inexperienced, or sneezing, these are indicators of an infection or one other underlying situation, and it’s one thing that deems a vet go to. I hope this helps him!
Sincerely,
Dr. Paola
Assist! My Cat is Spastic within the Solar!
“Pricey Dr. Paola,
I’ve obtained an actual thriller right here: I’ve a silver/grey American shorthair cat Sabi. He’s very wholesome except for a bit of little bit of a weepy eye, which is form of commonplace for that breed. His coat is wholesome. His pores and skin is wholesome. He likes to be brushed and petted, and is mostly completely satisfied and wholesome. Nonetheless, each time he goes outdoors within the sunshine, he will get form of spastic, like somethings biting him and itchy, and he runs again inside. It’s not fleas, and at this level, as I’m asking this query it could’t actually be any bugs in any respect as a result of we’re in the course of winter within the Pacific Northwest. It’s the primary solar we’ve seen in a month. Poor man simply needs to take a seat out and revel in it, however he retains getting attacked by one thing itchy. – Jamie
Hello Jaime,
Sabi’s response to daylight is actually a curious thriller, however it seems like he might have a sensitivity or irritation triggered by direct publicity to the solar. Whereas uncommon, cats can have a type of photo voltaic dermatitis or heightened pores and skin sensitivity because of UV rays, even in cooler months when the solar is much less intense. One other chance is that the solar’s warmth is amplifying a gentle pores and skin irritation or nerve sensitivity he already has, making him really feel uncomfortable or “itchy” outside.
Since Sabi is in any other case wholesome and his pores and skin seems regular, I’d first counsel inspecting his coat for something that is perhaps heating up within the solar, corresponding to small bits of particles, mud, and even oils from his atmosphere. Typically warmth may cause these particles to annoy the pores and skin or hair follicles. Brushing him earlier than and after his outside excursions might assist rule this out.
One other potential issue is photodermatitis, which may typically have an effect on lighter-colored cats or these with much less pigmented areas. Even when his coat appears to be like wholesome, the pores and skin beneath could also be reacting to UV publicity, particularly if it’s thinner in some areas like his stomach or round his ears. Medicine, vegetation, home chemical substances, and even liver illness can contribute to this situation. Protecting him indoors throughout peak daylight hours or offering shaded areas or a UV-blocking window with a cat hammock for him to lounge in would possibly alleviate his discomfort. For those who’d like him to take pleasure in extra time within the solar, take into account making use of a cat-safe sunscreen to uncovered areas of his pores and skin, particularly in the event you discover redness or irritation afterward (make sure the sunscreen is particularly formulated for pets, as human sunscreen could be poisonous).
Additionally it is price contemplating whether or not the change in conduct would possibly relate to sensory overstimulation. Vivid gentle reflecting off his environment or the heat of the solar may very well be triggering a nerve response, making him really feel agitated. Cats are very delicate creatures, and even small environmental elements can create important reactions.
If Sabi’s indicators persist or worsen, I’d advocate consulting one among our veterinarians at PangoVet, our pet telehealth service. They can assist slender down the chances and make clear whether or not there’s an underlying situation corresponding to an allergy, nerve irritation, or pores and skin sensitivity contributing to this, and allow you to know if a visit to the vet clinic is important or really helpful. With a bit of detective work, it’s potential to discover a answer that lets him benefit from the solar comfortably!
This text is part of our weekly Ask Dr. Paola sequence
