2. Progressive loss of weight, mainly due to the disappearance of all fat, subcutaneous, kidney, mesenteric, etc., with associated anæmia, and the curious sunken and pinched faces commonly associated with saturnine cachexia.
3. Paresis of various types.
In the cat the muscles first affected are those of the back and the quadriceps extensor of the hind-limbs. The onset of the paralysis is slow and insidious, but may be acute; as a rule weakness in the muscles of the lumbar region and the spine are the first symptoms; secondly, inability to jump, owing to the weakness of the quadriceps extensor, while the animal tends to fall over when turning round quickly. Encephalitis occurs, and is frequently fatal. As a rule the affection is unilateral; complete loss of consciousness may occur, followed by slow but complete recovery. The animals gave no evidence of suffering pain, and, when recovered from an attack of encephalopathy, would at once take milk, but seemed dazed and uncertain in their movements. When the animals reached the stage of paralysis, they were destroyed under anæsthetics, and subjected to post-mortem examination. The post-mortem findings of a typical case were as follows:
The animal was emaciated, the fur easily pulled out, and the muscles were exceedingly flaccid.
Rigor mortis was slow in making its appearance; the blood remained fluid for a considerable time.
Practically no fat was to be found in the whole of the mesentery, and the omentum was devoid of fat and shrivelled. The fat around the kidneys had entirely disappeared. There was little orbital fat.
The peritoneum was thin and glistening, and very frail.
The whole of the mesenteric vessels, particularly in the region of the large intestine and the ileo-cæcal valve, were engorged with blood; whilst in the lower part of the small intestine, and often in the duodenum, occasionally in the whole of the jejunum and ileum, traces of minute hæmorrhages were found along the intestinal wall.
The liver was engorged with blood, as was the spleen.
The kidney capsule stripped easily, but was occasionally adherent here and there. The whole of the cortical vessels were injected with blood, the branching showing most distinctly.