Diseases and Injuries

Cats living in the wild often fall as victims to a number of **diseases and injuries**. It is the job of the Clan's Medicine Cat to treat these conditions.

## **DISEASES AND CONDITIONS**

### **Chest Infections**

**Greencough** is the most common chest infections known to the Clan cats. Cats usually catch it during leaf-fall and leaf-bare, and sometimes it develops into large-scale epidemics. It can be fatal for Elders and kits, and it has claimed the lives of many cats. It spreads quickly and is highly contagious.

Medicine Cats treat it using catmint. One of the first Medicine Cats, Mapleleaf, found out that this was the best remedy. If fevers accompany the cough, tansy or borage is used as well.

Other chest infections include:

* **Whitecough**, a disease similar to Whitecough that more commonly affects kits and can easily be cured with a bit of catmint.

* **Deathcough**, a very severe illness similar to Greencough that can only be cured naturally without the use of herbs, though birch sap is known to slow down its fatal effects. Its side effects include coughing up blood, fever, difficulty breathing, delirium and sore throats. Its name comes from its fatality.

### **Poisoning**

Poisoning is the ingestion of a substance that causes harm to the body, such as:

* Eating or drinking poisonous substances or plants such as deathberries. Kits and young Apprentices are the ones who usually fall victim to this, being curious and unaware of the danger.
* Eating poisoned or rotten prey (known as crowfood) or drinking tainted water.
* Inhaling too much smoke from a fire.
* Being bitten by a venomous animal such as a snake.

If only a small quantity of poison is ingested, the cat usually just receives a bellyache, but larger amounts can cause death. Medicine Cats treat these bellyaches with yarrow or nettle leaves, while mild bellyaches can be treated with juniper or watermint. If a cat has been severely poisoned, they may become unconscious for a length of time.

### **Rat Borne Infections**

The cats sometimes fall victims to infections carried by rats. One of these infections is called **Carrion Disease**. The first FireClan Medicine Cat, Foxpounce, realized that rats were a source of disease. As Clan cats sometimes ate rats that came from the Twolegplace, they were prone to catch these diseases. Burdock root is used to stop infection from rat bites.

### **Loss Of Sensory Perception**

A cat may lose their eyesight or hearing due to old age, or from accidents, like Nettlefur, infections, like Redsight, or birth defects, like Mistyeyes. These conditions don't always end their career as a Warrior, but often, when the conditions don't come from birth defects, they cannot hunt or fight efficiently, and must retire as Elders. Kits born with defects usually die young, unless they have special skills compensating it. Kits that are white with blue eyes have a higher chance of being born deaf.

### **Joint Aches**

A condition usually associated with Elders, the joints gradually degenerating with age, causing pain and difficulty to move. Damp environments can cause the appearance of this condition, so Apprentices must make sure that the moss they gather for bedding is completely dry. It is usually treated using daisy or ragwort poultices.

### **Toothache**

A toothache is caused by a cracked tooth, cavities, or an infection in the mouth. Alder bark is used to soothe the pain.

### **Fever**

Fever is an abnormally high temperature of the body. It is not a disease in itself, but it usually signs the presence of an infection, such as Greencough or an infected wound. If needed, it can be treated with feverfew, borage or lavender.

### **Chills**

Chills are mostly associated with cold weather or being submerged in cold water for a long period of time. Although this condition is mild and is not a disease, it can worsen and claim the lives of cats like Specklekit and Tigerstripe. Kits and Elders are more at risk of dying when they get a chill. Licking a cat's fur the wrong way gets the blood flowing again. A poultice of lavender, catmint, and feverfew is also a good remedy.

## **INJURIES**

### **Wounds**

Wounds are injuries when the skin and the muscles beneath are torn, cut, or punctured. They may put a cat's life in danger due to blood loss, infections, or the damage of the organs. Wounds are the most common injuries, due to the nature of the cats often fighting rival Clans, or enemy animals such as badgers, foxes, or dogs.

Minor wounds heal on their own in no time, but severe wounds must be treated by a Medicine Cat. This treatment includes cleaning it thoroughly with the tongue, stopping the bleeding by pressing cobwebs or moss on it, and applying poultices to prevent infection and help it to heal. Herbs used in the poultices often include goldenrod, marigold, burdock root, or (in the case of rat bites) wild garlic. If the wound becomes infected, chervil or horsetail is used as well. The pain can be eased with poppy seeds or willow bark.

### **Sprains**

Sprains are injuries to ligaments of a joint, caused by being stretched beyond their normal capacity and possibly torn. It causes severe pain and decreased ability to move the joint. The cat must rest for several days.

### **Joint Dislocation**

Joint dislocation is the displacement of a bone from its normal joint. Medicine Cats treat this condition by first feeding the patient poppy seeds to make them sleepy so they don't feel it as much, and then forcing the limb back into the joint.

### **Cracked Pads**

The paw pads may crack while walking long distances on hard surfaces, or due to cold weather. Elders are especially prone to this condition. It is treated with a poultice of coltsfoot or yarrow. Dock leaf poultices are also used to cool cracked pads.

### **Broken Bones**

A broken bone is usually the result of an accident, such as falling down from a high place, or being hit by a monster. Cats most often break their legs, and while Medicine Cats try to bind the bone with cobwebs, the injury usually results in the cat remaining crippled for the rest of their life. Only a few of these crippled cats survived, like Willowbark, Flashfur and Beetlewing.

A more severe injury is when a cat breaks their backbone. This results in the cat being unable to feel or move parts of their body. If the break is bad enough the cat will be killed on or shortly after impact.

## **BOOK MENTIONS**

### **Chest Infections**

Chest infections mentioned in the Warriors of Elements books come in four stages; Kitten-cough, Whitecough, Greencough and Deathcough.

* In *Quickstar's Vow*, Quickstar loses her last life to Deathcough.
* In *Fallenstar's Prophecy*, it is revealed that Cloverleaf died from Greencough.

### **Poisoning**

* In *Lilyfur's Desire*, Lilyfur sneaks deathberries into Lilacpetal's share of fresh-kill to kill her.
* In *Patchcloud's Path*, Mapletrail reveals that Spottedheart gave Barlow a rabbit with deathberries in it, thinking he was on his last life, which caused him to lose his eighth life.
* In *Moonheart's Solitude*, Moonheart dies from smoke inhalation and severe burns after going back into the burning Nursery to save Graykit.
* In *Meaningful Fate*, it is revealed by Tigerstripe that Gorseflower also died from smoke inhalation in the same fire that killed Moonheart and Ashblaze.
* In *Sparkstar's Ambition*, Sparkstar dies from smoke inhalation in a fight, during which a fire started.
* In *Fallenstar's Prophecy*, Poppypaw and Fallenrain share a bad mouse and get sick. Earlier, when Fallenkit and Acornkit are in Mousestep's den, he mentions that Jupiter was bitten by an adder, but he would survive.

### **Loss of Sensory Perception**

* In *Redsight's Secret*, Cinderkit becomes blind after a fox scratches her eyes and infects them, getting renamed Redkit after her infected, reddish-colored eyes.
* In *Soulstar's Quest*, Nettlefur is blinded after a rabbit scratches his eyes and has to give up his Deputy position.

### **Cracked Pads**

* In *Soulstar's Quest*, Soulstar and Flameleap get sore pads after walking on rocks.

### **Wounds**

* In *Twigheart's Devotion*, Twigheart dies from infected wounds by a badger.
* In *Sparkstar's Ambition*, Rockshard dies from wounds caused by an attack.

### **Broken Bones**

* In *Hawkstar's Promise*, Hawkkit bends his front paw after falling off a rock.

## **TRIVIA**

### **Interesting Facts**

* Whitecough and Greencough are like a cough and pneumonia, respectively.