In Spain, according to ANFAAC (National Association of Pet Food Manufacturers), there are more than 29 million pets. And according to these data, prepared from the 2021 ANFAAC and Veterindustry Census Study, of them more than 9.31 million are dogs and nearly 5.86 million are cats. And despite these high figures, the countries of the European Union around us still exceed Spain in number of pets.
And even though the cat population is still not as numerous as the dog in Spain, the International Cat Daywhich is celebrated this Monday, is an event marked in more and more Spanish homes, since the number of felines has increased in recent years 38%.
August 8: International Cat Day
It is a day to recognize and defend the rights of these animals before the abuse and neglect who suffer daily, as well as to make the world population aware of the importance of care and maintenance.
“The first thing to keep in mind is that cats are animals that can live 10, 15 and even 18 years” on average, he says Alex Salvadorcoordinator of El Jardinet dels gats, a non-profit organization in Barcelona dedicated to the care and protection of stray and abandoned cats.
It is basic, therefore, “reflect and be responsiblebearing in mind that our lives can change a lot in all those years”, adds Salvador. We must also be aware that although they are animals that can stay home alone for a couple of days -always well supplied food and waterOf course, it is not convenient to leave them unattended for much longer, so you have to take them on vacation or leave them in the care of a caregiver, whether professional or a friend or family member.
more memory than dogs
Cats are fascinating beings. Very few people know they have more long-term memory than dogsso they would be more easily tameable… if they were left, since it is not easy adopt a cat.
But despite their docility -or lack of it-, the truth is that cats are autonomous and loving beings at the same time.
His behavior, however, can sometimes be a mystery for many of those who live with them. That is why it is necessary get to know them better in order to guarantee their well-being, contribute to their health and achieve a better coexistence.
human-like brain
Not many people know that cats share 90% of the human brain. And it is perhaps this fact that makes the neurological diseases that affect the brain of felines are more frequent than we think: they have vascular diseases, stroke-like, brain malformations, skull fractures… And Alzheimer’s.
“Brain diseases are very scary, but caregivers should know that they can rely on veterinary neurology specialists who will know what is happening to pets and will tell them the next steps and the most appropriate forms of treatment,” he explains. Anna Sunolhead of the Neurology and Neurosurgery service at AniCura Ars Veterinaria Hospital Veterinari.
“The diseases of this type that we see most frequently in our center are idiopathic epilepsy, meningitis (inflammatory or infectious) and intracranial tumors,” says this expert. The causes are multiple and depend on many factors. For example, many of them depend on the country in which the pet lives. However, it is important to keep in mind that this type of disorder can affect animals of any type, breed or age.
How do I know if my cat is sick?
The symptoms of neurological diseases that affect the brain depend on the area that is affected. Some of the most frequent signs that can help us identify a disorder of this type in our pet are: sudden behavior changescompulsive running, circling while walking, tilting the head or having a lack of coordination -which translates into trips or falls-, that can’t leave a room and/or suffer epileptic attacks.
If the cat suffers Alzheimer’s -a disease that cats can suffer from the age of 11 and that they usually have half of the cats that have turned 15 – it is likely that they relieve themselves outside the sand and that they suffer sudden changes in behavior, such as being more aggressive or surly or trying to attract too much attention. In fact, it is quite likely that he will be disoriented, especially at night, and will dedicate himself to meowing vigorously, although he barely did so before.
Alzheimer’s or senile dementia?
However, cat Alzheimer’s can be confused with senile dementia-as happens with humans-: in these cases, the cat also suffers from sleep disturbances -sleeping more during the day than at night- and becoming disoriented inside the house in which it has always lived, exercising less and moving less, wandering listlessly and getting stuck behind an object not knowing how to get around it.
It is also common for the affected cat to have difficulty assimilating changes and learning new things or show little interest in food, grooming (stops grooming and washing as often as it used to), is more aggressive and/or anxious than usual or, conversely, more apathetic: responds reluctantly to external stimuli.
How to act
When identifying any of these signs, experts recommend going immediately to a specialized veterinarian to examine the animal. If the veterinarian refers us to a neurologist or a center that is not the usual one, it is convenient to take the cat medical history.
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As in the case of humans, in the medical center they will do a complete physical and neurological examinationas well as the necessary diagnostic tests (the most common, the magnetic resonance of the head and, in many cases, the cerebrospinal fluid extraction).
After these tests, you will have a diagnosis and you will be assigned a proper treatment for the disease in question. “In the case of epilepsy, the treatment is antiepileptic drugs. In some cases, adjuvant treatment such as diet changes is valued. As for meningitis, it depends on whether it is inflammatory or infectious and anti-inflammatories are generally recommended and in some cases antibiotics. In tumors, it totally depends: surgery, radiotherapy, medical treatment, support…”, concludes Dr. Suñol.
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