Answer: In human medicine the term symptoms is usually reserved for sensations apparent only to the patient (i.e. which are purely subjective) such as feeling dizzy or having painful knee; whereas signs are features which can be detected by an external observer, including the doctor. In veterinary medicine the inability of patients to communicate means that strictly speaking only signs are available for diagnosis; any sensation that are felt but produce no external manifestation remain hidden from us.
The following signs would indicate a real emergency that should receive immediate attention:
1 Sever bleeding.
2 Serious difficulty in breathing.
3 Collapse (i.e. being unable to stand).
4 Unconsciousness.
5 First (convulsions).
6 Shock (the signs of shock in the cat are essentially the same as in humans). There is rapid, shallow breathing (panting), the lips, gums and tongue appear pale grayish and cold, the paws feel cold even in warm surroundings, and the animal often shivers and may vomit.
Accidents often produce service injuries that should receive attention with the minimum of delay, for example:
1 Penetrating fractures (where the broken the bones have been force through the skin.)
2 Paralysis.
3 The protrusion of internal organs(either through the natural opening or through a wound).
4 Severe burns or scalds.
Swift action is necessary on the other occasion:
1 If you know or strongly suspect that that your cat may have eaten some poisonous substance.
2 if it has or might have been batten by a poisonous snake.
3 If it strains continuously (which includes a cat having difficulty giving birth).
4 If it is suffering from heat stroke (having been confined in an overheated area such as car parked in direct sunlight), or from hypothermia (i.e. exposure to extreme cold).
