From jumping to and from the bed to smashing the wall
hangings on the floor, cats have done it all. They're the most happening
thing in your house, keeping you busy all the time.
If
you're a cat owner, you'll probably relate to what I just mentioned
about them, but what you're most like to ignore is a cat's sickness. I'm
not judgemental about your relation with the cat, but this is the most
common scenario. Since it is in the nature of a cat to hide pain, it
becomes difficult or impossible to understand when a cat needs
attention. However, before you start making conclusions about your cat,
you need to understand these points mentioned below.
#1. Why cats hide their pain
Cats
are hunters by nature, and their tendency to disguise discomfort is an
evolutionary holdover from their days in the wild where injury or
illness paints a target on their back to nearby predators. The
appearance of weakness would make a cat vulnerable or put her in danger
of being bullied or abandoned by her group. Even though domestic cats
have nothing to worry about becoming prey, they may still view other
pets in the house or even other people as their competition. Even if
you're extremely overprotective of them, there are chances you still
might not be able to spot when your kitty is masking her pain symptoms.
#2. Recognizing the symptoms of pain in cats
A
cat who's experiencing pain will often show changes in behaviour that
are accompanied with mood swings. As a cat parent, you need to spot when
you cat is not in a mood to mingle with anyone in the family and
doesn't show any signs of being right or wrong. Mentioned below are the
few behavioural changes among cats when they're in pain:
Hiding
Sitting still and hunched up
Loss of interest in people, other pets, or even activities
Neglecting to groom themselves, or even over-grooming in one spot
Purring, excessive meowing, or unusual vocalizations
Restlessness or aggression toward friendly surroundings
Other
than these behavioural changes, a cat in pain will lose appetite all of
a sudden. You might as well witness unusual vomiting. When cats suffer
chronic pain, such as arthritis they might stop using the litter box or
stop climbing objects in the house because it's too difficult for them
to climb.
#3. How your vet can help
Any
abnormal behaviour from a cat should mean an immediate visit to her
veterinarian. Instead experimenting with her supplements and medicines,
it is best that you take her to the vet, who can then determine whether
these changes are due to pain or illness. Depending on the reason for
the behavioural change your vet will then treat the underlying cause.
The vet will help with pain management - which includes the prescription
of pain medication, heat therapy, physical rehabilitation and even
massage. If the cat is suffering from chronic joint pain, the vet will
put her on weight management food and sometimes recommend changes in her
diet.
You might have to visit the veterinarian several
times a month until your cat shows normal behaviour once again. Do not
hesitate in taking some time off your busy schedule to take her to the
visit, remember each visit will help your cat live longer and healthier.
#4. How you can help
The
only things your vet can do is prescribing her right medication and
seeing her time to time, but you still have a bigger responsibility to
handle. Remember to spend a lot of time with her; she might not ask for
it, or sometimes even avoid the love you shower on her, but she needs it
the most. You can consider relocating her bed, food dishes, water bowls
and litter box, so they're easier for her to locate. Make sure the
litter box is simple enough for her to climb effortlessly. In case
you're living in a big family, remember to keep children away from her.
While she might escape it herself, you don't want her to lose trust in
people while she's recovering.
Your cat is certainly an
important part of your life and even if you're worried about her
health, remember she is a fighter. Just don't forget to give her all the
love and attention that she's been avoiding for a while. And once she's
okay she'll be the same little purr-ball that she always was, the one
who's smashed things on the floor and jumped from one corner of the
house to another.
Already waiting for her to be okay!
Owning
a cat is not the easiest thing you can do, but if you can take care of
the little thing it will definitely give you a lot of happiness. As the
author of the article, and being a cat owner it is my responsibility to
let other cat owners know the symptoms of pain in cats
[http://www.iloveyourcat.com/]. Through the years of being with my
little kitten, what I learned is a lot about the nature of cats and the
various things that make them happy and sad. Also while working with I
Love Your Cat [http://www.iloveyourcat.com/gallery], I understood that
cats are extremely adorable animals and you can never have enough of
them. To check out some extremely pawwdorable pictures and videos of
cats you can visit the website.
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