Symptoms of cat rabies, symptoms of cat diseases

Symptoms of Cat Rabies

Rabies is a well-known virus which is in the saliva of an affected animal. It's passed to other animals by a bite.

Many animals can be carriers and are not affected at all, such as fox, skunks, jackals even some dogs and cats. Unfortunately, for most cats bitten, death is the final result.

Transmission:

The transmission of the disease almost always occurs as a result of an infected animal biting a non-infected animal. There have been a few reported cases of infection resulting from aerosolization occurring in caves where large quantities of infected bats reside. Rabies virus does not live very long outside the host and remains viable in the carcass of an infected animal for less than 24 hours. The rabies virus is shed at high levels in saliva. However, being bitten by a rabid animal does not necessarily mean that the bitten animal (or human) will become infected. It has been speculated, that only around 15% of exposed people will contract the disease. Humans, cats, and dogs are only mildly susceptible to the disease unlike skunks, raccoons, foxes, and bats that are much more susceptible to the virus.

With most animals, however, the virus will spread through the nerves of the bitten animal towards the brain. The virus is relatively slow moving and the average time of incubation from exposure to brain involvement is between 3 to 8 weeks in dogs, 2 to 6 weeks in cats, and 3 to 6 weeks in people. However, incubation periods as long as 6 months in dogs and 12 months in people have been reported. After the virus reaches the brain it then will move to the salivary glands where it can be spread through a bite. After the virus reaches the brain the animal will show one, two, or all of the three different phases.

There are three stages to rabies, but all three may not be evident in your cat...(or dog).

Prodromal Phase:

In the prodromal (earliest, non-specific symptoms) stage your cat may show apprehension, nervousness, anxiety, solitude, and a fever may be noted. Friendly animals may become shy or irritable and may snap, whereas, aggressive animals may become affectionate and docile. Cats in particular often develop more fever spikes and erratic behaviour than dogs. This lasts one or two days.

Furious Phase:

From the prodromal phase, animals may enter the furious stage; cats are particularly prone to developing this phase. The furious stage of the disease in dogs usually lasts for 1 to 7 days. Animals become restless and irritable and are hyperresponsive to auditory and visual stimuli. As they become more restless, they begin to roam and become more irritable and vicious. Animals progress to become disoriented and then have seizures and eventually die.

Paralytic or Dumb Stage:

Animals may develop the paralytic phase either after the prodromal or furious stage. The paralytic phase usually develops within 2 to 4 days after the first signs are noted. Nerves affecting the head and throat are the first to be involved and animals may begin to salivate as a result of their inability to swallow. Deep labored breathing and a dropped jaw may result as the diaphragm and face muscles become increasingly paralyzed. Animals may make a choking sound and many owners think that there is something lodged in the dog’s throat. The animal will get weaker and eventually go into respiratory failure and die.

Treatment and Prevention:

This is one vaccine which works..although I strongly recommend you make sure it is Thimerosal-free. That is the preservative which is abou 48% mercury and under a great deal of scrutiny for it's neurological negative effects.

For home care of a bite, I suggest the following:

1) First cleanse the wound with Clenzor - clean, soothe and heal the skin
2) Apply Wound Dr. to further soothe and speed healing
3) Vi-Pro Plus to reduce the possibility of viral infection.
4) Immunity and Liver Support to boost your pet's immune system. Something I use once per week as a general tonic.

Click on the Product Pictures Below for More Information

Symptoms of Cat Diseases:

General symptoms of cat diseases are really based on the look and behaviour of your pet. A cat that is normally playful and bouncy, all of a sudden laying around, sleeping all day, wanting to be alone is a strong indication of a sick cat.

Check for obvious changes in coat texture, sheen, fur falling out, mattedness, etc. Discharges from the eyes and nose are another clue. Sneezing or coughing can indicate viral or bacterial infection.

Changes such as this should be checked by your vet...but often once you know what is going one, there are natural remedies to bring them back to health without the use of toxic drugs.

Here's a collections of books and food I highly recommend for your own education and your precious cat's well being. Enjoy!

Remember for most symptoms of cat diseases (or dog's)...remedies can be found here:

For further pet information see my Homeopathy for Kennel Cough site.

Miracle Fruit:

Here's a story which some of you may be aware...but it's a fun tale anyway.

The New York Times published a piece on May 28 about a small red berry from West Africa called "Miracle Fruit" or "Miracle Berry" (Synsepalum dulcificum). Full article here

And just why is this little fruit so newsworthy? It has the bizarre ability to make lemons and limes taste like candy..stout beers taste like chocolate milkshakes, grapefruits taste like pixie sticks, cheeses taste like frosting, it will make even the crappiest tequila taste like lemonade and strangely enough, it will make all wine taste like Manischewitz.

miracle fruit Just how is this possible? How does it work? When the berry is chewed for a minute or two, the flesh releases a glycoprotein (made of a carbohydrate and a protein) called miraculin.

This molecule then binds to your taste buds perverting sour and bitter to sweet. The effects last anywhere from tweny minutes to a couple of hours.

"Flavour Tripping" parties are becoming popular as noted in the NY Times article above...but personally I can see a great advantage in using the science to help get nasty tasting herbal remedies into my patients..particularly children.

Warmly,
Dr. Deb