Gastritis in cats: causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention. How to feed a cat at home

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Gastritis in cats is quite common. The disease is associated with the inflammatory process of the walls of the stomach. Gastritis can be chronic or acute. Also, by origin, it can have a primary or secondary appearance.

The occurrence of disease

Why do cats get gastritis? First of all, the appearance of gastritis is associated with malnutrition of the pet. And it, in turn, is due to the following signs:

1. It happens that pet owners buy poor quality food for their pets. This is due to savings or the fact that the owner of the animal does not attach much importance to the quality of the products he buys. Some people have an opinion that a cat should eat anything.
2. Failure to comply with the feeding regimen. That is, the animal can be overfed or, conversely, not given food for a long time, and then abruptly give a large portion.
3. Feeding an animal with food that has an irritating effect on the walls of the stomach.
4. Use in feeding unacceptable products from the human table. Often the animals are begging, and their owners follow their lead and give themfoods that subsequently cause gastritis.

In addition to the above nutritional causes of gastritis in cats, there are other factors that can cause this disease. These include various stresses and allergic reactions of the pet.

If a cat has already had gastritis before, then its secondary appearance can cause other diseases. For example, toothaches, disruption of the liver and kidneys, as well as other ailments and malfunctions of the body. Various infections, fungi and viruses can contribute to the occurrence of gastritis.

Signs

By what signs can you determine that there is gastritis in cats? By certain symptoms, you can independently determine this disease. We'll take a look at them now.

1. As a rule, with gastritis, the condition of a cat becomes depressed.
2. The animal quickly gets tired, becomes inactive.
3. If you press on the stomach area, then the cat will experience pain.
4. Usually, gastritis is accompanied by abundant saliva.
5. Cat's stool becomes unstable. Diarrhea and constipation occur periodically. Pay attention to the appearance of the feces. It contains mucus. Also, waste products have an unpleasant odor.
6. The animal may begin to vomit immediately after eating. Vomit contains mucus.
7. During an exacerbation of the disease in a pet,rise in temperature (usually by half or one degree).
8. With gastritis, the animal's tongue is covered with a white coating.

What should the owner do

If the owner of the cat noticed these signs in his pet, then it is necessary to provide him with timely veterinary care. It will be better if the animal is examined by a veterinarian and prescribes the necessary treatment. In case of failure to provide assistance, gastritis in cats can give complications to other organs and body systems. For example, heart failure may develop. It is characterized by rapid pulse and shortness of breath.

It is not uncommon for an acute form of a disease to become chronic. Such a disease can be present in the body of a cat for several years. The chronic form of the disease has periods of exacerbation. A cat that is sick has a dull coat color, a bad smell from the mouth, dull eyes.

What to do if you find signs of gastritis

The presence of signs of illness should prompt the owner to go to a veterinary clinic for an accurate diagnosis. The veterinarian will ask the owner of the pet to describe the symptoms that they noticed before contacting a specialist. Next, he must examine the cat and take the necessary tests for examination. According to the results of research, examination and the story of the owner of the cat, an accurate diagnosis will be made and appropriate treatment will be prescribed. Analyzes are necessary in order to refute or confirm the presence of an infection in a pet.

Treatment of gastritis incats at home

First of all, you should identify the cause of the disease. Namely, you should understand what is the impetus for the appearance of gastritis. Perhaps this is a malnutrition or the cat has experienced some kind of stress.

You can consult with your veterinarian about which food is best for your pet. Also, the specialist should tell what is included in the diet of the animal at the present time. Once the cause of the disease is identified, it must be excluded. Thus, the source of new outbreaks of exacerbation will be removed, and the treatment will have a positive effect.

In any case, you should protect the cat from food during the first day after the diagnosis. Then gradually, in small doses, you can begin to feed your pet. But you must follow a strict diet. What to feed a cat at home and what to make a diet, the veterinarian will tell you.

Treatment is to remove inflammation from the walls of the stomach. To do this, the cat must be given special decoctions of rice or oatmeal. In addition to them, it is recommended to brew herbs that will remove the inflammatory process.

An excellent remedy for gastritis is activated charcoal. It is necessary to dissolve the tablet in boiled water and give it to the cat. If she herself does not want to drink this solution, then pour it into the animal's throat. It should be noted that during the entire treatment, the cat should be allowed to drink only boiled water. In no case canto give milk. It may cause vomiting. It is also necessary to follow the recommendations of the veterinarian regarding what to feed a cat with gastritis.

Dietary recommendations

As a dietary food, you can offer your cat vegetable broth or boiled beef (finely grated). Do not give fatty foods, which can aggravate the situation. If the animal fades, then you need to urgently show it to the veterinarian, he will tell you which therapeutic food for gastritis in cats will have a beneficial effect. There are cases of pet poisoning. For example, neighbors can throw something to the cat if she leaves the apartment. Also, the animal may accidentally get poisoned in the apartment with household chemicals or something else.

Treatment of acute and chronic disease

If a cat's uremic gastritis is acute and her temperature rises, antibiotics are prescribed. When contacting the clinic, physiotherapy may be prescribed. These procedures provide a positive trend in recovery and getting rid of this disease.

The treatment of chronic gastritis differs from the acute course of the disease in that it is mandatory to take the gastric mucosa to determine the composition of the microflora. Next, medications for gastritis in cats are prescribed. If there is increased acidity in the microflora of the stomach, then antibiotics are prescribed. Do not self-administer drugs to animals. Because it can cause harm. This drug group of drugs is prescribed by a veterinarian based on the results of the examination.

Prophylacticdisease prevention measures

If you follow the recommendations for prevention, you will be able to protect your pet from the occurrence of such a disease. The following are the main recommendations for pet owners:

1. First of all, you should decide what to feed the cat at home. There are two options. Namely: feed the animal with purchased food or natural products. If the first option is chosen, then you should choose a quality product that does not contain dyes, and its composition will be natural. You can consult with your veterinarian about which food is best for your pet. When food from natural products is given as feed, the animal should not eat from the common table. You need to cook food in a separate bowl and refuse to feed your pet with raw foods.
2. Don't give your cat hot food. Food for the animal should be at room temperature.
3. You need to monitor the condition of the cat. Eliminate the possibility of the appearance of parasites in her body. This must be done by giving the pet special preparations. It is also worth showing to the veterinarian and taking tests. It must be remembered that it is always better to prevent a disease than to get rid of an acquired disease later.
4. Vaccinations against viruses and infections should be given. If they are not in the body, then the likelihood of gastritis will decrease.
5. You need to make sure that the cat eats from its dishes.
6. It is necessary to comb the animal and give special means to remove hair from the stomach.

Conclusion

Now you know how gastritis manifests itself in cats, why it occurs. We also gave recommendations that will help you protect your pet from the appearance of such a disease.