Caring for a sick pet can be incredibly stressful, especially if you can’t figure out what they’re suffering from. For less severe health issues like general slowness and weakness, you can rely on pet supplements to ease your cat’s discomfort and ensure a speedy recovery. Wapiti Labs offers herbal formulas that support normal recovery time while maintaining healthy cartilage and joint function in your feline. However, if your pet’s condition is more severe, you’ll need to take additional steps to ensure its safety.
First and foremost, you need to determine whether your pet is seriously ill. This is especially problematic for cat owners since our lovable felines don’t express pain and discomfort like we do. In fact, their survival instincts push them to hide weaknesses and injuries to avoid appearing vulnerable, which makes it difficult for us to diagnose their problems and assess their wellbeing. They do have a few tells that can clue you in though.
Fortunately, most common illnesses in cats have symptoms that are fairly easy to spot. Be on the lookout for crusty eyes, vomiting, drastic changes in eating habits, and diarrhea. Even something more subtle like an ungroomed coat or changes in their sleep schedule can tell you that your cat isn’t feeling well. It might be a little unpleasant (for both of you), but try to smell your cat’s breath too. Stinky breath is a telltale sign of gum disease and tooth decay.
Alright, so you’ve identified a troubling symptom and your pet definitely needs assistance. Take a deep breath, stay calm, and read on. In this post, we’ll provide a short and simple guide for providing proper treatment for your cat.
Step 1: Find a safe space for your cat.
The most important step in caring for your sick cat is ensuring that it stays in a safe indoor area while you seek help. You don’t want your cat running off or being exposed to whatever made it ill in the first place. Set up a comfy and heated room with a litter box if you don’t have one already. From there, you can reach out to your vet to learn more about what you can do for them. If you can’t get in immediate contact with your vet and your cat isn’t badly hurt, feel free to explore trusted sources online for potential treatment options while you wait for a response.
Note: Never give your own medication to your cat. It can be tempting, especially when they seem to be in pain, but most human medication is actually poisonous to pets!
Step 2: Create a treatment plan with your vet.
Arrange a visit to your local vet as soon as possible if your cat’s medical issues persist past the 24-hour mark. These experts will be your first and best source of counsel when arranging medical care or a supplement regimen for your pet. Every cat is unique, so you’ll want to do thorough research on which supplements will be most beneficial for treating your animal’s issues. Wapiti Labs offers supplements for a variety of health issues in cats, including blood stagnation, digestive problems, and tissue damage. Always be sure to check in with your vet first before starting your cat on any new medication or supplements.
Note: Always report your cat’s medical issues to your vet, even if the condition abates before you can come in for a visit. This keeps them in the loop and will help them to provide the best care possible for your pet.
Step 3: Follow through with the plan, even if your cat dislikes it
Once you’ve had an appointment with your vet and devised a plan to solve your cat’s ailment, it falls on you to follow through with it. More often than not, that means feeding pills to a cat that isn’t hungry… no easy feat for even the most experienced owners.
Luckily, there are a few tricks you can use to convince your kitty to down that pill or supplement. First of all, you need to determine whether the substance needs to be taken on an empty stomach or not. If you can hide it in your cat’s food, use a treat that they love, especially if it has a strong and tasty smell. Remember, we’re trying to get a cat to do something it doesn’t want to do, so don’t be discouraged (or surprised) if they ignore the bait a few times. Eventually, their stomachs should win out and convince them to eat it. Things become markedly more difficult if you can’t plop the medication or supplement into something delicious, but there are techniques for getting cats to ingest dry pills and liquid medication, too. If all else fails, contact your vet for advice.
Once you’ve learned how to medicate your cat, you’ll need to keep track of its recovery. As we’ve discussed, this can be difficult since cats tend to hide certain symptoms like pain. Make a mental note if your cat is biting or scratching excessively, less active, or if its breathing is fast and shallow (those are three big hints that your cat’s hurting). Just stay on top of administering those pills, keep your vet informed on how things are progressing, and your cat will be back to its old self in no time.
Step 4: Consider giving your cat supplements to prevent future health problems.
OK, so your cat is happy and in good health again. That’s great! Now we just need to focus on avoiding future health issues. Supplements are a fantastic way to keep your pet in good condition as it grows older and issues like joint damage and thyroid disorders start to rear their ugly heads. In fact, Wapiti Labs offers a unique formula for senior cats that encourages long-term health, helps maintain joint flexibility, and supports normal thyroid function.
Call or message us today to ensure that your feline friend stays strong and healthy for many years to come.
