Cats are not small dogs: assessment and stabilisation of emergency presentation

Abstract

Cats are a common emergency presentation in practice, with a wide range of presenting conditions ranging from trauma caused by road traffic accidents or falling from height, to acute medical conditions or ingestion of toxins. When dealing with feline patients, it is important to remember that cats are not small dogs and therefore, the approach to their assessment and stabilisation must take this into account. Cats have unique behaviour and physiology. They are great pretenders and will often mask clinical signs until they are near-critical. As their response to disease differs to that of dogs, when they are presented to a veterinary clinic they often show non-textbook clinical signs. This, in conjunction with the fact their response to medical therapy can also differ from canine patients, can make them particularly challenging to manage in an emergency. The assessment process should be holistic, and all physical examination findings should be viewed in association with each other.