Content
- What is gastroenteritis?
- Causes of gastroenteritis in cats
- Symptoms of Gastroenteritis in Cats
- Treatment of gastroenteritis in cats
Although the cat is characterized by its genuine independent character, it also needs our attention, care and affection, since as owners we are responsible for ensuring a complete state of health and well-being. For this reason it is important that we know how those most common diseases in cats, in order to be able to identify them and act appropriately in order to preserve the health of our pet.
In this PeritoAnimal article we tell you everything you need to know about cat gastroenteritis, keep reading!
What is gastroenteritis?
Gastroenteritis is a inflammation affecting the gastric mucosa and intestinal mucosa, causing an alteration in the functioning of the digestive system.
Its severity depends on its etiology, since, as we will see later, it can have multiple causes. However, those that are light and are related to the ingestion of a food in bad condition or with a digestive difficulty, usually remit sporadically within an approximate period of 48 hours.
Causes of gastroenteritis in cats
The causes of gastroenteritis can be very diverse and will largely determine the course and severity of symptomatology. Let's see what they are:
- Food poisoning
- Presence of intestinal parasites
- Bacterial infection
- viral infection
- Foreign bodies in the digestive tract
- tumors
- Antibiotic treatment
Symptoms of Gastroenteritis in Cats
If our cat suffers from gastroenteritis we can see the following symptoms in him:
- vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Signs of abdominal pain
- Lethargy
- Fever
As mentioned above, if we observe these signs we should suspect gastroenteritis and see the veterinarian urgently, this is because despite being a common disease, sometimes it can involve a great deal of gravity.
Treatment of gastroenteritis in cats
Treatment of gastroenteritis in cats will depend on the underlying cause, but we must mention the following therapeutic strategies:
- If the appearance of vomiting and diarrhea does not show warning signs and the cat does not have a fever, treatment will be done mainly through oral rehydration serums and food changes, expecting a complete recovery within 48 hours.
- If the cat has a fever we should suspect a bacterial or viral infection. In this case, it is normal for the veterinarian to prescribe antibiotics or, if he suspects a certain virus, use a test to check for its presence and study the possibility of prescribing an antiviral. We must bear in mind that not all viruses respond to pharmacological treatment and in this case a rehydration treatment will also be carried out.
- If in previous cases the disease does not improve within a period of approximately 2 days, the veterinarian will perform blood, feces and urine tests, which may also include radiographs to rule out the presence of foreign bodies or tumors in the chest cavity.
The prognosis of gastroenteritis in cats will also vary greatly depending on the underlying cause, being excellent in case of indigestion and severe in case of intestinal tumors or obstructions.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.