Continuing on now with a couple of last health issues, I’d like to briefly mention the topic of diseases. Us cats can suffer from all kinds of problems just like you humans, such as infections, parasites in the stomach or on the skin, heart defects, liver failures, lung weaknesses, and general aches and pains in any part of our bodies. And we do suffer the same as you do. This affects us on a physical level, obviously, but can also be accompanied by emotional overtones that can change our moods and behavior because of our discomforts.
Luckily, medical help is available in the form of veterinarians, although as you might have noticed, some of us are rather distrustful and scared of those humans who often want to stick us with sharp needles or put bad-tasting medicines in our mouths. But deep inside, we do respect and appreciate very much their assistance when we are feeling a little under the weather or have more serious issues that need to be dealt with.
Also, vaccinations for many different diseases can be used as preventative measures and thus we, as well as you, can perhaps avoid some future suffering by taking these early precautions.
Hey, that means more needles stuck in my hind leg! I’ll try to stay as calm as I can though and not put up too much resistance or display overly exaggerated defensive postures with my claws out in full force when the moment comes to get poked. Ouch! But it does hurt, right?
I think our desire, like all creatures, is to feel good all the time and to never have to put up with bothersome and debilitating physical problems. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like this is the scenario that we are born with, so we have to do our best when the undesirable things appear.
For reasons unknown to me, I’ve noticed that some members of my species seem to be naturally more healthy and experience fewer problems than others. For those who are so lucky, we should be happy for their good fortune. For those who are not, I believe our responsibility is to help them all we are able to and try to relieve or diminish their suffering as soon as we can.
On a personal level, my caretakers are really good in that regard, and I’m thankful for that. They care about me a lot and make every effort to lend me a hand when I’m not feeling good. I hope all of my fellow kitties have the same kind of loving humans to share their lives with. Wouldn’t that be great!