Just a couple of weeks ago, I woke up and discovered that my 14-year-old kitty was limp and struggling to breathe. I jumped in the car, still in my pajamas, and rushed her to the emergency vet office. They struggled to save her, but her lungs had filled with fluid from a burst blood vessel. She didn’t survive.
The night before, I knew something was “off.” She was moving slower and meowing a lot, but not letting me comfort her much. She barely touched her food. I was puzzled by her behavior, and planned to call the vet in the morning anyway. Turns out that nothing would have saved my old cat—she had an undetected condition that showed no previous symptoms, and it was just too late. Even if I had gotten her to the vet hours earlier, she wouldn’t have survived—there was simply nothing they could do.
But I now know that cats behave “differently” when they don’t feel well—and most of the time, you can save a beloved pet’s life if you know ahead what to do and what is “normal.” Since this the time of year when pets might jump or fall from open windows, and risk getting hit by vehicles, or end up eating hazardous plants, it is a good time to learn a few basics about pet health.
April is Pet First Aid Awareness Month. You can see our free Pets and Disaster Safety Checklist here: http://www.redcross.org/www-files/Documents/pdf/Preparedness/checklists/PetSafety.pdf. And check the American Red Cross website to get many more tips about pet safety and first aid!
(DLR)