Pneumonia is a serious condition that can end in fatality when humans are affected. Cats too are susceptible to pneumonia and can suffer serious complications. To prevent this from happening you should be able to detect the symptoms of pneumonia at the beginning stages. This will ensure timely medical care from the veterinarian which will help the cat to heal properly.
Pneumonia is basically an infection or inflammation affecting the lungs. The pneumonia may be caused due to bacteria, virus, fungal, parasitical and can also result from inhalation of foreign objects. Bacterial infection is the primary cause of pneumonia but this may be triggered by a virus infection like Para-influenza or calcivirus attack in cats. Pneumonia is more prone to occur when the immunity of cats is compromised by some debilitating condition.
Some of the symptoms of pneumonia in cats that you should look for are as follows:
Uneven breathing is an early sign which indicates that the lungs are not functioning properly. The breathing is labored and comes out in pants and you can see that the cat is not breathing normally. The fast paced breathing is done to improve oxygen inflow so that the cat can breathe properly.
Along with the rapid breaths there is an increase in the pulse rate also. This is because of the extra efforts of the heart to make up for the inefficient working capacity of the lungs. The stress and fear that occurs due to the insufficient inhalation of air will also reflect badly on the pulse and it increases greatly.
The irregular breathing and rapid pulse are usually accompanied by certain amount of cough in cats affected with this disease. There is the hacking cough typical to pneumonia but may be of a lighter intensity in some cases.
Fever is one of the pneumonia symptoms in cats. The cat will feel warm to touch and the fever is usually as a result of the attempts made by the body to fight the infection.
Tense muscles also termed as splinting is also found in the affected cats. The muscle spasms can be felt when you touch the cat and this spasm is due to the continuous coughing that is present in pneumonia.
If you happen to find your cat having bluish colored mucus, you should get medical help immediately. Contacting your cat’s veterinarian will help to get the needed treatment quickly. This is a symptom that is seen mostly in the younger cats and indicates that the body is not getting sufficient oxygen due to the inefficient functioning of the lungs.
Other than the above mentioned symptoms there will be a general listlessness or fatigue in your cat due to the energy drain he experiences as a result of the disease. Though pneumonia is a fatal condition in cats the infection and inflammation can be treated effectively by timely antibiotics administration. If you are able to detect the symptoms when the disease is at the early stage itself you can prevent the progress of the disease and protect your pet’s health.
