Warriors: A Guide For The Ultimate Fan

Diseases And Infections

Chest Infections:

Whitecough and greencough are the most common chest infections known to the Clan cats. Whitecough is the milder form, but if untreated, it can develop into the much more severe greencough. 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 several cats. It spreads quickly and is highly contagious.

Medicine cats treat it using catmint. The first ThunderClan medicine cat, Cloudspots, found out that this was the best remedy. If fevers accompany the cough, tansy or borage is used as well.

In Into the Wild, a disease named kitten-cough is mentioned. Runningnose tells about an herb used to cure it, though it has disappeared since Twolegs came to the forest.

In Moonrise, Mothwing mentions blackcough as a form of chest infection.

In Moth Flight's Vision, Micah mentions that redcough was an illness in the farm where a cat coughed up blood. This happened to Rocky, a tom in WindClan. Micah mentioned that the only herb that can cure it is bark from a tree in SkyClan territory.

In Thunder and Shadow, a disease by the name of yellowcough infects and kills several cats in ShadowClan, and is curable only by a plant named lungwort. It causes a loss of appetite, fever, difficulty breathing, delirium, and sore throats.

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 are the ones who usually fall victim to this, being curious and unaware of the danger.

•Eating poisoned or rotten prey (known as crow-food) 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 (as in eating deathberries, as Sorrelkit does in The Darkest Hour) 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 Carrionplace Disease. The first ShadowClan medicine cat, Pebble Heart, realized that rats were a source of disease. As ShadowClan cats sometimes ate the rats from the Carrionplace in The Forest, they were prone to catch these diseases.

This happens in Rising Storm, when two ShadowClan cats, Littlecloud and Whitethroat, come to ThunderClan for help because their Clan is in chaos from the deadly and contagious disease. Yellowfang sends them away because she doesn't want ThunderClan to become infected, but Cinderpelt wants to help them and comes up with a cure.

Nightstar dies from Carrionplace disease during this time, which is why the Clan was in chaos (they thought it had ripped all nine lives from him when in fact he only had one life because Brokenstar was still alive). 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 as One-eye of ThunderClan did before her death, or from accidents and infections, or birth defects. These conditions usually end their career as a warrior, as they cannot hunt or fight efficiently, and must retire as elders, such as Longtail. Kits born with defects usually die young, unless they have special skills compensating it, like in Jayfeather's case. Kits that are white with blue eyes have a higher chance of being born deaf, like Snowkit.

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 has claimed the lives of Mosskit and Hollykit. 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.

Leopardstar's Disease:

A un-named disease that Leopardstar is shown to have in The Fourth Apprentice. This disease causes a cat to become weak, frail, and extremely thin. This disease currently can't be cured.

Painful Lump In Stomach:

Another un-named disease shown to be the cause of death of multiple cats such as Shellheart, Pebblefur, and Ravenpaw. This disease currently can't be cured.

Tawnyspot's Disease:

A disease that currently doesn't have a name that Tawnyspots, Sunstar's deputy in Bluestar's Prophecy, was shown to have. This disease causes a cat to become very sick, weak, and not hungry at all. This disease currently has no cure.

Epilepsy:

This disease was shown to be present in a SkyClan elder named Petalfall in Cloudstar's Journey. This disease causes cats to have multiple seizures. This disease currently can't be cured.