When you have a feline family member, it’s natural to want to do everything you can to look after them well and keep them safe and healthy. Unfortunately, the chances are high that you will face a situation that could be an emergency at some point in your cat’s life. Knowing how to distinguish true, time-dependent emergencies from milder illnesses and injuries is very important to ensure that you seek veterinary help in an appropriate timeframe.
If you think your cat is suffering from any of these symptoms, it’s essential to contact a veterinarian immediately so that they can be examined and treated promptly.
1. Straining to urinate
If you have a male cat straining to pass urine but not managing to pass, this could indicate a blocked urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the body from the bladder). If grit, mucus, or a painful spasm causes a blockage to the urethra the bladder becomes more and more full. Eventually, it can burst (rupture) or cause permanent kidney damage. This condition can become life-threatening very quickly.
2. Bleeding
Severe blood loss is always an emergency – whether from a wound, from the mouth, or within vomit or diarrhoea. When faced with a bleeding cat, it is easy to panic, and it can look like there is more blood than there is.
Take a breath and try to quantify the amount of blood calmly – would it fill a coffee cup? Being able to explain to your veterinarian a rough estimate of how much blood there is will help decide whether it is an emergency and assist the veterinarian in beginning preparation for treatment like a blood transfusion if required.
3. Straining during labor
If your cat is having kittens and labor has started, but she has been straining continuously for thirty minutes or more with no kitten produced, this is an emergency. It could mean that a kitten has become lodged on the way out of the womb, forming an obstruction. If left without veterinary intervention, one or more of the kittens could die, and the womb could rupture, causing life-threatening risks to the mother’s health.
4. Collapse
If your cat collapses and cannot stand, you must contact a veterinarian immediately as it could mean a problem with their heart, lungs, brain, or blood circulation.
5. Struggling to breathe
Oddly, cats don’t tend to make a big fuss when they are in breathing distress. They are unlikely to make any noise and often hide. Signs that your cat is struggling to breathe include:
• An elongated neck.
• Laying on their front with their elbows out.
• Increased movement of their chest.
• Breathing through an open mouth (panting).
• You may also notice blue-tinged gums.
6. Vomiting
Severe vomiting (multiple times in an hour) could leave your cat dehydrated, as well as suggesting a gut blockage or other serious health condition. Therefore, if your cat suddenly starts vomiting excessively or they cannot keep any food or water down, you should contact your veterinary clinic promptly.
7. Pain
Severe pain is an emergency as, of course, every cat should be protected from unnecessary suffering. However, as hard as it is to see our furry friends in any discomfort, it is crucial to use veterinary services appropriately so that they are available for life-threatening emergencies.
8. Walking on three legs
If your cat has an injury preventing them from weight-bearing on one or more of their legs, this could indicate a fracture. This is an emergency due to the pain and because assessment and possible realignment of any fracture need to happen promptly to ensure the best healing. Therefore, if you suspect a fracture or other severe trauma to your cat’s body, you should contact a veterinarian without delay.
9. Dragging back legs
If your cat suddenly starts dragging their hind legs and crying loudly, this could suggest that a blood clot has lodged within a vessel, blocking the blood supply to the legs. In this situation, veterinary intervention should be sought as soon as possible to try to prevent irreversible damage or blood clots elsewhere.
10. Neurological signs
Any head trauma, sudden change in coordination or responsiveness, or repeated seizures is a veterinary emergency. Seizures lasting longer than five minutes are also an emergency.
However, just one seizure is not an emergency as long as your cat stops within a couple of minutes and recovers fully afterward.
Hope this info helps
Till next week
Dr Ruan
by Dr Ruan Du Toit Bester
Royal Veterinary Centre
Tel: +853 28501099
Emergency: +853 66776611
Email: info@rvcmacau.com
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