Welcome to our “Ask Dr. Paola” sequence, the place each Monday we deliver skilled recommendation straight from Dr. Paola Cuevas (MVZ) to assist our readers higher perceive their cat’s well being and well-being.
Whether or not you’re a brand new pet guardian or a seasoned cat lover, Dr. Paola is right here to offer solutions to your most urgent questions. From vitamin ideas and preventive care to troubleshooting frequent behavioral points, Dr. Paola is able to supply insights that may maintain your kitty glad, wholesome, and feline high-quality. Keep tuned for skilled steering on a variety of subjects that matter most to you and your cat, so you may make knowledgeable choices and supply the very best care on your furry companion.
Have a query? Ship it in right here!
Assist! How Do I Preserve My Blind Cat Comfy?
“Expensive Dr. Paola,
My cat Linden is 17 years outdated and has gone blind over the previous couple of weeks. His pupils are large open on a regular basis now. I’m guessing it’s cataracts. How can I assist him? I can’t afford the price of a vet and I don’t need to put him to sleep. How can I assist him to not less than be snug? Thank You” – Hollger
I’m sorry to listen to about Linden’s imaginative and prescient loss, Hollger. It’s clear how a lot you take care of him, and I need to reassure you that blind cats can nonetheless reside snug, glad lives with some changes. Whereas cataracts are one attainable reason for his blindness, different circumstances similar to hypertension resulting in retinal detachment, glaucoma, or different age-related points is also in charge. Despite the fact that you’re unable to take him to the vet, it’s essential to notice that these underlying circumstances could cause ache or discomfort if left untreated. In actual fact, dilated pupils could be an indication of the ache itself.
Monitor him intently for any indicators of discomfort, similar to pawing at his face, vocalizing greater than standard, or modifications in urge for food. If at any level you’re involved about his high quality of life, I counsel you discover low-cost veterinary clinics or animal welfare organizations which will supply help. We additionally supply a veterinary telehealth service, PangoVet, the place you’ll be able to have a face-to-face name with one in every of our veterinarians from the consolation of your property. Whereas they don’t seem to be a substitute for in-person veterinarians, they might help reply all your questions and offer you and Linden a tailor-made motion plan for an inexpensive worth level.
To assist Linden adapt to his blindness, you need to create a protected and predictable setting. Cats rely closely on their sense of odor and listening to, so sustaining consistency in your house is crucial. Keep away from including new, unknown scents or candles that moreover being a menace to their respiratory well being, may confuse him. Keep away from shifting furnishings or leaving obstacles in his standard paths. Tender mats or rugs positioned close to essential spots may also function tactile landmarks.
Encourage Linden to keep energetic with toys that make noise, like crinkle balls or feather wands with bells, to stimulate his play instincts via his listening to. Chatting with him regularly in a peaceful, reassuring tone might help him really feel safer.
Cats are extremely resilient and may adapt to imaginative and prescient loss when supported by a loving proprietor such as you. You’re doing all your greatest for Linden, and with these changes, he can proceed to get pleasure from his golden years in consolation and security.
Finest needs!
Dr. Paola
💛 😺 Converse To a Vet On-line From the Consolation of Your Sofa!
If you’ll want to converse with a vet however can’t get to 1, head over to PangoVet. It’s a web based service the place you’ll be able to discuss to a vet on-line and get the customized recommendation you want on your pet — all at an inexpensive worth!
Assist! My Cats Will get Getting a Clogged Nostril!
“Expensive Dr. Paola,
My 9-year-old male Cornish Rex, Ringer, has suffered from a clogged nostril within the wintertime when the warmth is on, each single 12 months. One nostril will get crusty, I’ve to select off the dry bit to ensure that him to breath & the opposite nostril will get clogged inside. His temperature is regular, and he eats and drinks high-quality. Any solutions for the best way to assist and ideas on why this occurs?” – Paulina
Hello Paulina,
Ringer’s recurring nasal congestion in winter sounds uncomfortable for him and difficult for you. Since this sample aligns with when the warmth is on, it’s very seemingly associated to the dry air in your house. Cats, particularly these with finer coats like Cornish Rexes, might be additional delicate to environmental modifications, together with lowered humidity, which might dry out the mucous membranes of their nasal passages and result in crusting or clogging.
You possibly can assist Ringer by growing the humidity in your house. A humidifier positioned close to his favourite spots could make a giant distinction by including moisture to the air. When you don’t have a humidifier, you may place bowls of water close to warmth sources, because the evaporating water will assist improve humidity. And even bringing him inside the lavatory whilst you have a steamy bathe. Frequently cleansing his nostril with a humid, comfortable material or a saline nasal spray designed for cats (seek the advice of with a veterinarian or an on-line pet telehealth service to verify the most secure choice) might help maintain his nostrils clear and forestall crusts from forming.
It’s at all times essential to make sure his hydration ranges keep optimum, nearly as good hydration helps wholesome mucous membranes. Providing him moisture-rich meals, or including a little bit of water to his meals might help. Many cats are drawn to shifting water so including in a water fountain can also be really helpful.
Since you’ve clearly recognized that it is a yearly concern, it’s value observing if different irritants, like mud or allergens from heating methods, is also affecting him. Cleansing air vents and utilizing hypoallergenic HEPA filters may additionally assist reduce irritants within the air.
When you discover any modifications, similar to nasal discharge turning yellow or inexperienced, or sneezing, these are indicators of an infection or one other underlying concern, and it’s one thing that deems a vet go to. I hope this helps him!
Sincerely,
Dr. Paola
Assist! My Cat is Spastic within the Solar!
“Expensive Dr. Paola,
I’ve obtained an actual thriller right here: I’ve a silver/grey American shorthair cat Sabi. He’s very wholesome other than a bit of little bit of a weepy eye, which is type of customary for that breed. His coat is wholesome. His pores and skin is wholesome. He likes to be brushed and petted, and is mostly glad and wholesome. Nevertheless, each time he goes outdoors within the sunshine, he will get type of spastic, like somethings biting him and itchy, and he runs again inside. It’s not fleas, and at this level, as I’m asking this query it will possibly’t actually be any bugs in any respect as a result of we’re in the midst of winter within the Pacific Northwest. It’s the primary solar we’ve seen in a month. Poor man simply desires to take a seat out and revel in it, however he retains getting attacked by one thing itchy. – Jamie
Hello Jaime,
Sabi’s response to daylight is definitely a curious thriller, nevertheless it feels like he could have a sensitivity or irritation triggered by direct publicity to the solar. Whereas uncommon, cats can have a type of photo voltaic dermatitis or heightened pores and skin sensitivity resulting from UV rays, even in cooler months when the solar is much less intense. One other risk is that the solar’s warmth is amplifying a light pores and skin irritation or nerve sensitivity he already has, making him really feel uncomfortable or “itchy” outside.
Since Sabi is in any other case wholesome and his pores and skin seems regular, I’d first counsel inspecting his coat for something that could be heating up within the solar, similar to small bits of particles, mud, and even oils from his setting. Generally warmth could cause these particles to annoy the pores and skin or hair follicles. Brushing him earlier than and after his outside excursions could assist rule this out.
One other potential issue is photodermatitis, which might typically have an effect on lighter-colored cats or these with much less pigmented areas. Even when his coat seems to be wholesome, the pores and skin beneath could also be reacting to UV publicity, particularly if it’s thinner in some areas like his stomach or round his ears. Medicine, crops, home chemical compounds, and even liver illness can contribute to this situation. Protecting him indoors throughout peak daylight hours or offering shaded areas or a UV-blocking window with a cat hammock for him to lounge in may alleviate his discomfort. When you’d like him to get pleasure from extra time within the solar, contemplate making use of a cat-safe sunscreen to uncovered areas of his pores and skin, particularly when you discover redness or irritation afterward (be certain the sunscreen is particularly formulated for pets, as human sunscreen might be poisonous).
It is usually value contemplating whether or not the change in conduct may relate to sensory overstimulation. Brilliant gentle reflecting off his environment or the heat of the solar might be triggering a nerve response, making him really feel agitated. Cats are very delicate creatures, and even small environmental elements can create vital reactions.
If Sabi’s indicators persist or worsen, I’d suggest consulting one in every of our veterinarians at PangoVet, our pet telehealth service. They might help slender down the chances and make clear whether or not there’s an underlying situation similar to an allergy, nerve irritation, or pores and skin sensitivity contributing to this, and allow you to know if a visit to the vet clinic is important or really helpful. With a bit of detective work, it’s attainable to discover a resolution that lets him benefit from the solar comfortably!
This text is part of our weekly Ask Dr. Paola sequence
