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We all love our cats and want them to be happy and healthy. The best way to keep them healthy is to be aware of potential health risks and learn how you can help prevent them. While routine check ups are the best way to monitor your cat’s health, you can also be on the lookout for signs at home. Learning what causes potential diseases and what you can do to help prevent them can go a long way in helping your cat stay their best self. We’ve gathered up five of the most common diseases in cats, their symptoms, and ways to prevent them.
Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, or FLUTD, refers to a group of diseases involving the bladder or urethra in cats. FLUTD can have many causes but factors like environmental stress, eating only dry food, obesity, and changes in daily routines can increase the chances of your cat contracting FLUTD. The symptoms of FLUTD include: straining to urinate, painful urination, frequent urination, bloody urine, excessive licking of genital area, urinating outside the litter box, decreased appetite, vomiting, dehydration, or lethargy.
If you notice your cat is struggling to urinate, contact your veterinarian immediately.
You can lessen your cat’s chances of FLUTD by having clean, fresh water available at all times, giving your cat small frequent meals, reducing sources of stress, and making sure your cat has access to a clean litter box in a quiet area.
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, of FIV, is a disease that compromises a cat’s immune system and makes them highly susceptible to other infections or illnesses. FIV is passed from cat to cat through bite wounds and it can be passed from a FIV-infected mother to her kittens. The virus is slow acting but will severely weaken a cat’s immune system once it takes hold. There is no specific antiviral treatment for FIV, and cats can carry the virus for a long time before symptoms appear. Treatment typically focuses on extending the asymptomatic period or easing the secondary effects of the virus if the symptoms have already appeared. Potential symptoms can include: enlarges nymph nodes, fever, anemia, weight loss, disheveled coat, poor appetite, diarrhea, abnormal appearance or inflammation of the eye, inflammation of the gums or mouth, dental disease, skin redness, hair loss, wounds that don’t heal, sneezing, discharge from the eyes or nose, frequent urination or straining to urinate or urinating outside the litter box, behavior changes.
FIV is routinely diagnosed by blood testing, so it is important to have regular checkups for your cat to catch the virus before symptoms occur. If you notice any symptoms, contact your vet to have your cat examined immediately.
The best way to prevent your cat from contracting FIV is to keep them indoors. Avoiding chance of contact with infected cats is the best way to make sure the virus cannot be transferred to your cat. If you walk your cat, keep them on a leash. If your cat is going to be spending time with other cats, either in a cattery or in a home with other cats, make sure all cats have tested negative for FIV. If you adopt another cat, make sure they are FIV negative before bringing them home.
Feline Leukemia Virus, or FeLV, is a transmittable RNA retrovirus that can severely inhibit a cat’s immune system. It is one of the most commonly diagnosed causes of disease and death in domestic cats. FeLV weakens the cat’s immune system and predisposes cats to other infections and diseases including anemia, kidney disease, and lymphosarcoma. The virus is transmitted from cat to cat through bodily fluids including saliva, nasal secretions, urine, feces, and blood. FeLV is commonly transmitted through direct contact, bites, mutual grooming, and through sharing litter boxes, food and water bowls. FeLV positive mothers can transfer the virus to their kittens. While some cats may be infected and show no signs, some cats may show symptoms including: loss of appetite, weight loss, pale or inflamed gums, poor coat condition, abscesses, fever, upper respiratory infections, diarrhea, vomiting, seizures, changes in behavior, vision or eye problems, enlarged lymph nodes, reproductive problems, jaundice, chronic skin disease, respiratory distress, lethargy.
Your cat may not show symptoms right away, so it’s important to take your cat for checkups regularly and have any new cat entering your home tested for FeLV. If you notice your cat exhibiting any symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately.
There is a vaccine available for cats at risk of contracting FeLV. Like all vaccines, there are risks involved and it is not a 100% guarantee against infections. You can take to your veterinarian about whether the vaccine is right for your cat. The best way to prevent FeLV is to keep your cat away from potential sources of exposure. Routinely testing and keeping your cat indoors and away from potentially infected cats is the best way to prevent your cat from becoming infected.
Cancer in cats can come in many different forms. It is a class of diseases in which cells grow uncontrollably, invade surrounding tissue and may spread to other areas of the body. Lymphoma, skin cancer, and bone cancer are the most common forms of cancer in cats. There is no known single cause of cancer, but we do know there are both hereditary and environmental factors that can lead to the development of cancer in cats. Symptoms of cancer in cats may include: lumps, swelling, persistent sores or skin infections, abnormal discharge from any part of the body, bad breath, listlessness, lethargy, behavior changes, weight loss, sudden lameness, diarrhea or vomiting, scaly and/or red skin patches, decreased or loss of appetite, difficulty breathing, urinating or defecating, labored breathing.
If you notice any symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately. Routine checkups help to catch signs early and early diagnosis can help provide better treatment and make it easier to help your cat.
You can help to prevent certain types of cancer in your cat. Keeping your cat indoors will help them avoid repeated sun exposure and sunburn, which could cause certain skin cancers. Breast cancer is also a common cancer for cats, but it can be avoided if you have your cat spayed before her first heat cycle. Routine checkups are still the best way to prevent any cancer from spreading or becoming worse.
Cats can suffer from diabetes if they are unable to produce insulin or have an inadequate response to insulin. Like in people, cats can develop type I and type II diabetes. Type I is a decrease in insulin production that causes high blood sugar levels. Type II is when blood sugar levels become elevated due to a cat’s inability to respond to insulin. Type I can progress to type II and often is not diagnosed until it has become type I. While the exact cause of diabetes is unknown, genetics, pancreatic disease, and obesity can play a role in causing this disorder. Symptoms of diabetes can include: change in appetite (increased or decreased), weight loss, excessive thirst or an increase in water consumption, increased urination, urinating outside of the litter box, unusually sweet-smelling breath, lethargy, dehydration, unkempt hair coat, urinary tract infection.
If you notice any symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately. Diabetes is treatable. Catching it early will help you give the best treatment to your cat, so be sure to have regular checkups to monitor their health.
Proper diet and regular exercise can help to avoid the development of feline diabetes. Obesity is known to contribute to insulin resistance, so keeping your cat fit and healthy will help to prevent diabetes.
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