My cat is unwell.
What should I do?
It is never a nice feeling when your cat/kitten is unwell. Here is a list of some basic treatments for cats that you can administer at home.
diarrhoea
If your cat develops diarrhoea it is important to understand why and treat it quickly (especially with young kittens as it can be life threatening).
-
Are you giving them fresh drinking water?
-
Do you regularly clean their litter box, food and water bowls?
-
Have you changed their food?
-
Could they be stressed for any reason?
-
Has your cat eaten anything that they shouldn't have? (e.g. milk)
The first medication that we give is Protogyl (with the yellow label). It is available in human pharmacies and you can administer the medicine using a syringe. The dosage is dependent on the size of the cat/kitten. We are happy to advice on this. All we require you to do is to send us a picture of your cat if you're unsure of its size.
We have also found that this medicine with probiotics, Enterogermina is excellent when the cat/kitten has very watery diarrhoea.
To keep the cat/kitten hydrated you can feed them coconut water, glucose water and even diluted rehydration salts. Feeding them pumpkin purée with minced chicken can also help. If they lose a lot of weight, boiled egg white is easily absorbed protein that will help them gain back their weight.
Diarrhoea, particularly in young kittens can be life threatening. If neither of medication mentioned above works in a couple of days, please take your cat/kitten to the vet immediately.
WATERY
EYES
Watery or runny eyes can often easily be treated with eye drops. It is important that you clean the eyes regularly with baby wipes to remove any muck.
After cleaning, you can apply a few drops of Ciflox eyedrops. If the eyes are both swollen and runny, use Pyrimon eyedrops. Both eyedrops are available at any (human) pharmacy.
RUNNY
NOSE
To treat your cat's runny nose, you will also need to clean their nose and give them Clavam Bid Dry Syrup antibiotics with a syringe. It is also available in human pharmacies. The dosage is dependent on the size of the cat/kitten. We are happy to advice on this. All we require is a picture of your cat if you're unsure of its size.
BLOODY
STOOLS
Blood in the stools can happen for many reasons. It can be from straining to go to the toilet, your cat having worms or potentially something more serious. We recommend that you deworm your cat/kitten and ensure that it has a nutritious diet. If the blood in the stools remain then you will need to take your cat to the vet.
Swollen
belly
Again this could be for many reasons — if it is an unsterilised female cat and the teats are also swollen, it could be pregnant. It could also be that your cat has worms. There could be other more serious reasons to its cause so you would need to take it to the vet.
OPEN CUT/
WOUND
Unless it is a deep cut or one that will not stop bleeding (in this case you would need to go to a vet), you can clean it with Betadine solution twice a day and apply Nebanol powder to the wound.
If it is in a place that the cat can easily reach you will also need to put a cone on them. We would also give them Clavam Bid Dry Syrup antibiotics to prevent the cut from getting infected. It is available in human pharmacies and can be administered using a syringe. The dosage is dependent on the size of the cat/kitten. We are happy to advice on this. All we require is a picture of your cat if you're unsure of its size.
mange
Mange or scabies can come in many different forms but all of the types are due to an infestation of mites. It is a highly contagious skin disease of otherwise healthy cats. Mange is readily transmitted between cats by contact. It can cause severe itching, skin crusts and hair loss. This normally first appears on the ears, head, and neck, but can spread over the entire body. With the correct treatment before it gets too severe, cats/kittens can make full recoveries.
It is important to take the cat to the vet and get an Ivermectin injection. The cat will require one injection a week for three weeks — this will kill off the mites. It is also best to keep the cat/kitten in isolation until it has had its second bath
You then need to regularly bath the cat/kitten (starting on the day of the injection, then every three days depending on how bad the mange is) using a medicated shampoo. Really soak and rub the affected areas using a fine toothed comb to remove all of the dead infected skin. Wash the towel and the clothes that you were wearing after each bath.
We then gently rub in coconut oil to the affected areas to sooth the skin and help it to heal. If you are too far from a vet, even just bathing and the coconut oil will help a lot.
Remember to also clean the ears (with cotton buds in the inside) and between their toes — mites love live in warm places.
If it is anything more serious, you should bring your cat to the vet. For simple treatments, we recommend Patan Veterinary Clinic in Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur. For anything more serious, we recommend going to Animal Medical Centre in Chuchepati to seek a consultation with Dr. Sushil who has incredible experience with cats. Dr Sushil trained in Malaysia for four years with a focus on cats.
Please be aware that many people working in vet pharmacies ARE NOT qualified vets. Most local vets HAVE NOT been trained to treat cats as their training focuses on livestock animals. It is advisable to check ahead before visiting and consulting at any vet practices.
RECOMMENDED VETS
