Sick cat care is not much different than looking after a sick child. A sick cat should be kept warm and comfortable and in a quiet part of the house.
The patient should be allowed to sleep as much as they want. If possible set up a sick room so you can control the environment.
This should be arranged so it will keep all of the cats necessities within easy reach.
If at all possible this room should be within earshot of family activities. This will give the under the weather cat some reassurance and avoid isolation depression that could hinder recovery.
Children and other pets should be kept out of the way. My cats seem to like the sound of a television set turned on low. Even a radio can provide good company and make the kitty feel they are not all alone.
To avoid allowing the cat to slip into depression provide as much time and attention to them as you can.
Make sure to include frequent visits, conversations, petting and if the cat is up to it some gentle play time.
Engaging the pet by making them interested in something else can snap them out of the blues. Removing a new cat toy from its package is a good example of this.
The cats bedding food and water dishes and the general surroundings should be kept very clean. But if disinfectants are used they must be kitty cat safe.
Remember in the case of a serious illness to seek your vet’s advice on what kind of food to provide.
If the illness is not intense you can monitor the situation for a day and provide small quantities of the cats known favorite foods and water.
Again make sure the feline won’t have to go far to drink, eat or use the litter box. Sick cats may be susceptible to depression. If this happens the cat can lose the ability to recover fast.
When in doubt be sure to hose it out. Many common household disinfectants and antiseptics contain harsh chemicals that can be made from coal or wood tar products.
Even the ones that are all natural can be poisonous to cats and other small animals. You should only use disinfectants that are known to be pet friendly. This should always be clearly stated on the container.
If you would like to run your pets symptoms past someone who works in the animal health care field or have any questions about what else may be poisonous or unhealthy for felines please ask a professional.
The Eco Orange cleaner, claims to be residue free and safe for pets. Don’t get sticker shock, because this is a concentrated product that mixes up into four gallons of cleaning solution. That should last you a long time.
Medication for Sick Cats
Never give medication to a sick cat without consulting your veterinarian first. In particular never give a cat aspirin.
A regular dosage of aspirin may be lethal or cause a sick cat to feel even worse. It may be necessary to pass this warning on to children and family members so that this fatal mistake is not made.
If a sick cat has suffered from an infectious disease or from external parasites it may be necessary to dispose of all bedding that has been used during illness.
It is not worth risking re-infection by only washing the bedding. It may be necessary to throw away any cat toys that were used before and during the cats illness. Hard pet toys like my cat’s favorite turbo toy can be disinfected but be sure that it’s rinsed before giving it back to your pets.
I asked my vet Questions about sick cats. He basically said if you can afford it start over.
Throw everything away and replace it with new items. After my cat recovered from a mild sickness I took several of the hard toys and disinfected them.
Next I ran all of them through the dishwasher on the hot setting with no detergent. I threw out soft toys that could not be cleaned this way this seemed to work well.
If your cat seems a little under the weather it is okay to monitor the cat for 24 hours or so. Remember, it’s better to be safe than sorry and seek out professional cat care help.
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