Caring for a Sick Cat
When a cat is sick or recovering from an operation, good care can influence their recovery and will be very gratifying for you. What a sick cat needs the most is peace and quiet.
- Remain next to it, but tell the children to not be continuously around.
- Find a quiet corner in a warm and ventilated room, and prepare a clean and welcoming bed for it.
- Place food and water close to the bed, and the litter box a little further away.
- If it is very sick and can’t turn around by itself, do so softly every couple of hours, to avoid liquid gathering in the lungs.
- Consult your veterinarian over any special food or care.
- Make sure you administer the medication exactly as indicated by your veterinarian and always complete the treatment, specially with antibiotics; don’t stop administering them as soon as the cat shows signs of recovery.
- If you cat refuses to drink it will dehydrate, specially if it is vomiting or has diarrhea. Give it a spoonful of cold boiled water, with a drop of glucose or honey, every hour or so. Administer it slowly, using a dropper placed in the side of the mouth, let it swallow after a few drops.
- If it refuses to eat, tempt it with warm nutritious food, like chicken, fish, sardines, fish or meat based baby food, or liquid for handicapped people. Catnip or catnip flavored candy crumbled on the food will make a sick cat eat. If it doesn’t eat from the bowl, hand feed it.
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