ANXIETY/PANIC ATTACKS.
Description: Anxiety can be caused by stressful conditions, uncomfortable crowds, or upsetting situations. A panic attack is a sudden, unexpected intense fear that causes severe physical reactions when there is no actual danger or cause. The medicine cat must figure out what the triggers are of the anxiety, and make sure to help the patient provoke the causes.
Symptoms: Struggle to breathe, muscle spasms, crying, sometimes a slew of words, begging, inability to keep themself safe, etc.
Treatment:
Ingestible herbs;
Chamomile.
Coltsfoot.
Poppy seeds should they have injured themself.
Comfort cats, and assure them. Try to calm them enough that you don't have to use authority to decide something for their health.
Recovery time varies from severity and the cat.
ALLERGIES.
Seasonal Allergies:
Description: when one's immune system is not built up against certain things.
Symptoms: sneezing, itchy eyes, congested, itchy skin.
Treatment: there is no cure for allergies but herbs that help breathing, rashes, etc. can help cats deal with them. For breathing: coltsfoot, ginger. For rashes: the inner gel of aloe vera can be applied to the rashes, be mindful not to consume the aloe vera or let it near your eyes, or mouth. Tansy for sore throat.
Food Allergies.
Description: when one's immune system is not built up against certain things.
Symptoms: skin inflammation, increased scratching or biting of skin, diarrhea, vomiting, difficult bowel movements, fur loss or dullness, brittle fur, skin and ear infections, discharge from the eyes and/or nose, sneezing, wheezing, or coughing.
Treatment: there is no cure for allergies but herbs that help breathing, rashes, etc. can help cats deal with them. For breathing: coltsfoot, ginger. For rashes: the inner gel of aloe vera can be applied to the rashes, be mindful not to consume the aloe vera or let it near your eyes, or mouth. And then to help if their stomach is hurting, chervil and juniper berries. Tansy for sore throat. If whatever food that causes an allergic reaction is still in the stomach, use yarrow to have the cat throw it up.
APPLE SEED/LEAVES/ETC POISONING.
Description: Consuming an apple's seeds, leaves, or stems results in a form of poisoning. (Due to the cyanide in it, though cats most likely don't know that.
Symptoms: when small amounts are consumed, it will cause stomachache; when large amounts are consumed, it will cause dilated pupils; trouble with breathing; vomiting; shock; and death.
Treatment: The mild one can most likely be treated with yarrow and such. The extreme one is not possible to treat and will result in death. Please ask the cat, or the leader if they're in too much pain/too far gone, if they would like to be administered death berries.
ASTHMA.
Description: a chronic lung disease that affects cats of all moons.
Symptoms: wheezing, rapid or difficulty breathing, or increased effort to breathe, persistent cough and gagging, frothy mucus while coughing, keeping the mouth open while breathing, the neck extending upwards, and gasping for breath.
Treatment: coltsfoot, ginger, honey.
BEE STINGS.
Description: Instant, sharp burning pain at the sting site. A red welt at the sting area. Slight swelling around the sting area.
Symptoms: A red welt at the sting area. Slight swelling around the sting area.
Treatment: chew blackberry leaves into a poultice and apply to the stung area, use poppy seeds if needed.
BLOOD LOSS.
Description: Bleeding is the loss of blood. It can be external, or outside the body, like when you get a cut or wound. It can also be internal, or inside the body, like when you have an injury to an internal organ.
Symptoms: tiredness, weakness, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, dizziness or lightheadedness, chest pain, cold paws.
Treatment: press cobweb against wound to stop bleeding, then put a poultice of comfrey, goldenrod, horsetail, etc. dribble marigold juice on to prevent, or stop infection, To help with strength have the cat eat burnet leaves, lambs ear, or ragweed or any herb that helps with strength. Use poppy seeds to help with pain. Oak leaves and goosegrass both stop bleeding as well.
CHILLS.
Description: a feeling of being cold without an apparent cause.
Symptoms: shivering, trembling, shaking, chattering teeth.
Treatment: warm the cat slowly and keep it in a medicine den or nursery to help keep it warm. You can have water brought to the cat through moss, and sweeten prey so it's easier to eat with honey or mouse blood.
CONSUMED CROWFOOD (oops).
Description: consuming anything you shouldn't be eating.
Symptoms: extreme belly pain, curled position, hunched when walking, moaning/whimpering, reports of eating anything you shouldn't.
Treatment: take the cat to dirtplace, feed yarrow, and wait for vomit (if kit/in extreme pain set dock leaves in front of the cat) once vomited give the cat water and send them back to their den for rest, let them start warrior duties later in day.
FLEAS.
Description: a type of wingless parasite found worldwide.
Symptoms: frequent scratching, licking, chewing, or excessive grooming, fur loss or bald spots, skin redness, rashes, scabs, wounds, cat feeling lethargic.
Treatment: fetch the stick with mousebile on it and press against fleas, will hopefully come off on its own.
LOSS OF APPETITE.
Description: when one doesn't feel hungry.
Symptoms: not feeling hungry.
Treatment: feed the cat small amounts of sorrel.
NAUSEA.
Description: Vomiting may begin with a stage of nausea, in which the cat appears restless, and possibly anxious. The cat may lick its lips, salivate, and repeatedly swallow.
Symptoms: drooling, not eating much or not eating at all, licking or smacking lips, retching without throwing up, lethargic.
Treatment: keep outside in fresh air on firm ground, and give the cat some prey.
NETTLE STINGS.
Description: A stinging nettle sting can feel like a bee sting: sharp, sudden, and very painful. It's almost an instinct to look for a bee or stinging ant as the culprit rather than the tall straggly plants along a trail or weeds in a garden. Even a small nettle plant only a few inches tall can deliver a nasty sting.
Symptoms: burning, itching, redness, occasionally small blisters will form, and numbness.
Treatment: Dock leaf pulp, wrap in leaves or cobwebs. Give poppy seeds for pain, continue these as needed.
SHOCK.
Emotional:
Description: This can sometimes happen when great trauma has just occurred to an individual.
Symptoms: Characterized by a lack of emotion or empathy, denial, ceasing to communicate, rocking back and forth, crying, stillness, as if the cat themself are no longer present in their physical body.
Treatment:
Ingestible herbs.
Poppy seeds.
Chamomile.
Thyme.
In extreme cases, valerian.
Comfort them, assurance, and slowly try to get them to do things that will tie them to the physical aspects of the world.
Physical:
Description: Occurs due to blood loss and/or extreme pain. It can be deadly as poor blood supply and poor breathing can lead to cardiac arrest or cellular damage (cats wouldn't know that but they can know it can and will kill untreated).
Symptoms: chills, numbness, rapid heartbeat, low blood pressure (not that cats can really check that), shaking/spasming, unfocused eyes, and weakness
Treatment:
Ingestible herbs.
Honey.
Thyme.
Small amounts of DRY yarrow.
Administer as much water as you think is needed or as much as you can give. If need be, force them to drink by soaking moss in water before shoving it to the back of their mouth, keep a grip and squeeze. Stroke their neck to simulate swallowing and they should follow. Of course, treat what caused this, wounds/broken bones.
SORE THROAT.
Description: Occurs with sickness, straining their voice/throat, or just not taking care of oneself.
Symptoms: pain when trying to speak, aching/itchiness/pain/sometimes numbness in the neck/throat area.
Treatment:
Ingestible herbs.
Honey.
Poppy seeds if the pain is bad enough.
Have them rest their voice, and if it is causing breathing problems then take them off warrior duty until it clears up enough. Lots of water and honey.
Recovery time varies.
STIFFNESS.
Description: When a joint/area is used enough it can get worn out/down, resulting in problems. This is often seen in aging elders.
Symptoms: slow movement, struggle to move, aching joints, tiredness, soreness.
Treatment:
Poultice.
Crush poppy seeds, and mix with marigold and comfrey. Apply on stiff joints/areas.
Ingestible herbs.
Poppy seeds.
Advise them to rest when possible and show them how to do easy exercises to flex and move the stiff joints/areas.
Recovery time varies.
TOOTHACHE(S).
Description: an infection, breakage, injury to the tooth in the mouth, or even just worn down from use.
Symptoms: pain varies from a dull ache to a splitting pain in the jaw or skull, struggle to speak, pain, aching, headaches.
Treatment:
Have the cat chew on alder bark as needed, one to two times a day. Lots of water and rest, and a poppy seed here and there as advised.
Should recover in less than one moon.
WEAKNESS.
Description: a feeling as if you cannot do anything (whether mentally or physically) tightness or soreness, exhaustion, as if you can't do anything.
Symptoms: exhaustion, crying, tiredness, lack of movement, burning out, sometimes it will bring out a lack of will to live, etc.
Treatment:
Ingestible herbs.
Burnet leaves.
Goatweed.
Juniper berries.
Lamb's ear.
Ragweed.
Ragwort.
Sorrel.
Take them off whatever duties they might have, and have them rest in the medicine den with yourself and your apprentice to care for them. If they feel the need to speak about something, let them, otherwise carry light conversation. You can choose simple exercises for them to do, or even have them go and gather herbs with you.
They're hurting, and they need you to ease them back up, and let the process work. Should they have a mate, friend, or kin who would be with them while you cannot, encourage that.
Recovery time varies.