“You have so many cats! How do you manage to keep them healthy?” Such questions are often asked to employees of a nursery. Of course, when keeping a large number of animals, the difficulties in caring for them all is much greater than for one or three cats in an ordinary apartment. Here, the important role is played by coherence and professionalism of the team, knowledge of some subtleties and impressive experience of each employee. But in any average family where there are pets, following the same principles helps to avoid many unpleasant and sometimes fatal issues.
At an intuitive level, many are aware that certain signs can determine when your pet’s health is deteriorating. But, without knowing the specifics, it is quite easy to miss these alarm signs. Animals cannot tell you when they feel discomfort, pain or are not feeling well, and, therefore, the task of any owner is to track the obvious symptoms when your pet feels sick.
However, to understand what to pay attention to, it would be a good start to determine what a healthy animal looks like and how they behave.
External signs of a healthy cat:
- vigor and mobility
- excellent appetite
- smooth and shiny coat
- cold and wet nose (during sleep, it can be dry and warm)
- mucous membranes are pink and moderately moist
Also, important vital signs are:
- pulse 110-150 (for kittens up to 200) beats per minute
- temperature – 38-39°C (kittens – up to 39.6°C)
- respiratory rate – 20-30 (kittens can have it higher) breaths per minute
Record the above indicators of a healthy Sphynx cat in a calm environment. This will allow you to notice deviations over time in the state of your pet and possibly save its life.
It is worth paying attention to the signs below and seek advice from a veterinarian.
- Fatigue, loss of appetite, insomnia or vice versa – increased drowsiness.
- The cat is too excited, constantly moves around the apartment, meows plaintively or shows aggression.
- The cat shakes its head or tilts it, moves unsteadily and uncertainly.
- The cat rests its head against a wall and does not respond to a call.
- Increased thirst and appetite.
- Vomiting, diarrhea, constipation.
- The cat has stopped washing itself or, on the contrary – does it too often.
- Increased urination, urinary incontinence, lack of urination, pain during urination, discoloration (normal urine is yellow) and amount of urine, unwillingness to go into the tray (when you have already ruled out the behavioral factor).
- Increased shedding of hair, change of color (yellowness) or the elasticity of the skin.
- The nose is dry, constantly warm, with cracks and dry crusts or whitened.
- The mucous membranes of the mouth and eyelids are pale, cyanotic or icteric.
- In the inner corners of both eyes, a white membrane appears, partially covering the eyeball.
- Dilated, shifty pupils or different sizes in each eye.
- Discharge from their eyes, nose, mouth and other organs.
- Obviously unpleasant or even putrid odor from its mouth.
- Breathing is frequent or rare and cautious (with pain), sounds of wheezing, snuffling, coughing, shortness of breath.
- Temperature rises above 40°C.
- The heart rate is below or above the norm in a calm state.
Attention! The following situations require immediate treatment in a veterinary clinic:
- Blueness of mucous membranes and tongue.
- Shortness of breath, breathing with open mouth or wheezing.
- Injuries, poisoning, electric shock and other accidents.
- Foreign objects in the cat’s body.
- Overheating or frostbite.
- Persistent vomiting, vomiting or diarrhea with blood, black feces and other obvious signs of abnormalities.
It is important to note that even if the symptoms are not included in the emergency group, a visit to the vet mustn’t be postponed. Any disease is easier to cure in the early stages, and delay greatly complicates this task and sometimes, leads to sad consequences.
Each owner needs to learn to distinguish a sick cat from a healthy Sphynx cat so that you can provide her with timely assistance and can tell your vet what symptoms your cat has. This will allow the specialist to correctly assess the situation and prescribe the right therapy.
Remember that you need to carry out treatment against worms every six months and be sure to vaccinate your cat once a year during a routine examination by a veterinarian. Any problem is always easier to prevent than to solve.
