Upper Respiratory Infection
Symptoms:
- Sneezing
- Yellow gooey eye discharge
- Runny nose
- Trouble breathing (extreme case)
- Not eating (extreme case)
Treatment:
If your cat is having trouble breathing, bring him or her to the vet ASAP. If your vet isn’t available go to the Animal ER in you’re area. Recovery time is usually 5-7 days, the virus can linger longer in some kittens or stay dormant and resurface at some point.
Feline Distemper
This is a very rare condition but can be lethal. Feline Distemper attacks your kitten immune system, depleting it to nothing. In some cases the virus is untreatable but there are vaccines that are routinely given. This virus is transmitted through a fecal-oral route.
Symptoms:
- Deathly ill
- Vomiting
- Little to no appetite
- White diarrhea with mucus
Treatment:
Kitties suffering with this virus need to be hospitalized and isolated so the virus can’t be spread. Your vet will give your cat medication and lots of fluid.
Intestinal Worms
These worms can show up in your cat in different unpleasant forms such as, Hook, Round, or Whip worm. Cats get worms from eating worm eggs found in another animal’s fecal matter. The eggs then hatch and burrow into your cat’s intestine causing health problems.
Symptoms:
- Weight loss
- Diarrhea (sometimes w/ blood)
Treatment:
When your cat is about 8 weeks old, your vet will have FIfi on a routine deworming treatment, Your vet should examine your cat’s stool to determine which kind of worm it is to better treat it. Recovery time is about two weeks.
Coccidia
Intestinal parasite that is transmitted when your kitten eats poop. At this time there isn’t a vaccine to protect against this condition. But the good news is Coccidia doesn’t occur often.
Symptoms:
- Diarrhea
- Dehydration
- Loss of appetite
Treatment:
Your vet will prescribe medication. If your not sure if your kitten have this illness, have your vet perform a stool exam. Recovery time is about 1 week after therapy.
Fleas:
Common and not that hard to treat, fleas look like grains of black pepper and usually hang around the butt area.
Symptoms:
- Itching
- Hair loss
Treatment:
You can purchase over the counter flea medications or have your vet take care of it. If you decide to take care of it your self, make sure to read the label to ensure you are doing it properly. Buy the one that matches your cat’s weight. After use, it should take at least 24hrs to kill the fleas and eggs. Keep in mind that the treatment can have harmful side affects, so be careful.
Ear mites
Are transmitted the same way as fleas. Mites look white and are smaller than a grain of salt.
Symptoms:
- Shaking of head excessively (too much shaking can bust blood vessel, which is very painful)
- Excessively scratching ears
Treatment:
Your vet will prescribe ear drops for your kitten. You may need to administer again 2 weeks later. Recovering time is 2-3 weeks.