100 DISEASES OF CATS 



Cats showing no symptoms of the disease 

 and in perfect health may be carriers of the 

 infection. This is especially true of the female, 

 who may infect litter after litter of kittens, al- 

 though apparently in every way normal her- 

 self. 



Symptoms. — The symptoms are complex 

 and varying both in individual outbreaks and 

 also in the individual. The disease may attack 

 the respiratory, digestive, or cerebral systems, 

 either singly, consecutively, or simultaneously, 

 and with varying intensity. Thus in some cases 

 the purely catarrhal form, unaccompanied by 

 any other manifestations, may occur ; in others, 

 the symptom complex may occur, or rarely, 

 the digestive tract may be the seat of the main 

 invasion. 



Cerebral symptoms are rarer than in the dog, 

 and seldom appear as primary, but generally 

 appear in the later stages of the disease, if at 

 all. The following is a description of a typical 

 case, but it must be remembered that all of 

 these symptoms may be modified or intensified 

 according to the virulence of the infection and 

 the resistance of the patient. 



The onset of the disease is usually ushered 

 in with rigors, but these are^aften unnoticed, as 

 the patient generally seeks to hide at the first 

 feeling of malaise. The animal is dull, fever- 

 ish, and seeks the warmth of the stove or fire. 



