Vet nurse gives cat owners health warning that could 'save pet's life'
It's important for cat owners to understand how to take care of their pets and spot signs of illnesses so a vet nurse has shared some vital information.
A vet nurse has shared some vital information for all cat owners.
Before getting a pet it’s important to do your research and understand what the animal will need to live a happy and healthy life. Cats are one of the most popular pets in the US and there are various breeds.
These animals are known for their independent but affectionate nature, playful behaviour and grooming habits, as well as their ability to live indoors or outdoors. They also have sharp senses, hunting skills and are recognized for their purring and other vocalisations.
Cats are more prone to certain health conditions than other animals and they are ‘obligate carnivores’ so they need to have meat in their diet. These are some things feline owners will likely be aware of but Eve Moorhouse, a veterinary nurse and dog mum of four, has shared some important information those with cats might not know about.
Speaking in a video on TikTok she said: “If you own a cat I need you to stop what you’re doing and just watch this video. The information I’m gonna tell you could potentially save your cat’s life.
“I’m a vet nurse and on my vet nurse night shifts these are the things I see most regular[ly] and a lot of the time owners didn’t know this information. Now, this is not your fault so I am here to educate you.”
Eve firstly urged cat owners to never have lilies in their home. She explained that lilies are toxic to cats and can be fatal or lead to a “very expensive vet bill” in the best case scenario.
The vet nurse advised that if you do have lilies in your home and they have got onto your cat’s body you should “wash it off instantly and go straight to the vet’s.” PDSA, the UK’s leading veterinary charity, confirms that lilies are extremely poisonous to cats and all parts of a lily plant are dangerous, including the leaves, flowers and pollen.
Lily poisoning can occur when a cat brushes past a lily, causing pollen to fall onto their fur, which they later lick off and ingest. Eve continued: “The second thing that I was going to tell you about is blocked bladders.
“If you own a male cat they are more prone to getting blocked bladders.You might hear ‘blocked bladder’ and think that doesn’t sound that bad. It can be fatal and it’s more common than you think.”
Cats urinate through a tube called the urethra and Eve claims that male cats are more prone to getting a blocked bladder because their urethra is longer and very narrow. She noted that the bladder can become blocked for many reasons, such as bladder stones, inflammation or muscle spasms.
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The vet nurse elaborated: “Why is this an emergency? Well, the bladder will continue to fill. Now this either backs up into the kidneys and causes kidney damage and then also because the bladder is still not emptying the bladder can burst, it can rupture.”
She mentioned that the most important thing for cat owners is to know how to spot this. One sign Eve gave of a blocked bladder is if a cat is going to the toilet frequently but is straining to urinate and nothing is coming out.
Another sign she mentioned is behavioural changes as a cat suffering from a blocked bladder “can become very aggressive”, start “crying, yowling, walking around really low to the floor and just looking painful.”
She also said a cat might stay in its bed and not move and you might notice it laying in its bed and “tensing” as if it is trying to pass urine. Eve highlighted that it is harder to spot a blocked bladder in an outdoor cat as you don’t see it going to the toilet but she advised to look out for any behavioural changes.
The vet nurse stressed to “never wait” if you spot symptoms of a blocked bladder in your cat and ring your vet straight away to ask for advice and tell them the symptoms you have spotted. She added that if you mention anything about a male cat having problems urinating, the vet will most likely advise you to bring your pet straight to the clinic.
Eve continued: “What we do then is we have a little feel of the bladder and normally if they are blocked it will feel like a hard rock in their belly and then we unblock it. This is one of the reasons why I tell people with indoor cats to still get their cats insured because blocked bladders can [affect] outdoor cats or indoors and it can result in a very expensive vet bill.”
