The health of the own four-legged friend should be probably at the heart of every cat owner. But unfortunately there are a number of cat diseases, some of which can cause serious damage and in the worst case can even be fatal.
We would like to help you with the health care for your cat. For this reason, in this article we present 10 common cat diseases in more detail, along with their symptoms.
Cat cold
Cat cold is undoubtedly one of those cat diseases that probably every owner is familiar with. In contrast to a harmless cold in humans, this infectious disease can have serious consequences for your cat.
Typical symptoms of feline cold include fever, coughing and sneezing, difficulty breathing and swallowing, as well as lassitude, lack of appetite and mucous discharge from the nose and eyes.
In severe cases, untreated feline rhinitis can even lead to blindness, mucosal ulcers and bone loss in your cat's nasal concha. Therefore, take this feline disease seriously despite its supposedly harmless name.
Cat sickness
Cat epidemic (panleukopenia) is one of the most dangerous cat diseases. It is caused by the feline panleukopenia virus and is transmitted through contact with infected urine, feces or nasal secretions.
Symptoms of feline renal disease include bloody diarrhea, vomiting, fever, dehydration and food refusal. Many affected cats also suffer from conjunctivitis. Feline epidemic is treated by interferons. Serum antibodies treated. Antibiotics are also used to prevent additional bacterial infection. Even if sick animals can often be saved by prompt treatment, feline infectious disease is often fatal. In some animals this happens even without any symptoms appearing in advance. You should therefore have your cat vaccinated.
Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP)
Feline panleukopenia virus (FIP) is caused by mutated feline coronaviruses. The infectious disease exclusively affects cats. Is mainly transmitted through contact with the feces of infected conspecifics.
Depending on which organs are affected by the disease, the symptoms caused by FIP vary greatly. The infection can affect, for example, the central nervous system, eyes, pancreas, intestines, kidneys and liver. As a result, inflammation occurs, which can lead to massive organ damage.
The symptoms of this cat disease range from loss of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting to fever and respiratory distress or jaundice. Despite all efforts, it is not yet possible to treat FIP in cats. For animals once infected, the infection is always fatal.
Chronic renal failure in cats
Kidney problems are among the feline diseases that are most common in older animals. If your cat suffers from chronic renal insufficiency, it means that its kidneys can no longer adequately rid the body of harmful substances.
As a result, there is an increasing buildup of harmful substances in the body, which can be seen in skin and coat problems, loss of appetite, fatigue, increased fluid intake and frequent urination, as well as an increased susceptibility to infections.
In the worst case, the cat's condition can deteriorate so much that it eventually leads to fatal kidney failure. Chronic renal failure is not curable. Animals affected by this cat disease require lifelong treatment, which mainly involves switching to a suitable diet food.
Hyperthyroidism in cats
It is amed that about every 10. Cat over the age of eight years suffering from hyperthyroidism. The cat disease is thus widespread. Should be taken seriously especially by owners of older animals.
cats with hyperthyroidism often suffer from diarrhea and vomiting. They also drink significantly more than healthy animals. In addition, they often hardly eat or are regularly prone to ravenous appetite attacks. Other typical symptoms of this cat disease are skin-. Coat problems as well as various behavioral abnormalities.
Untreated hyperthyroidism can lead to severe organ damage. If you suspect that your pet is affected, we recommend a prompt visit to the vet. The doctor can advise you on the medication to be used. Surgical treatment options clarify.
Diabetes in cats
Diabetes is one of the cat diseases that are becoming more common in recent years. The metabolic disease is characterized by disturbances in insulin production. This leads to the fact that the organism of the cat can regulate the blood sugar level no longer. In many cases, obesity. Errors in nutrition responsible for diabetes in cats. However, there are several other causes that can play a role in the development of the cat disease.
Typical symptoms include increased food intake with simultaneous weight loss, frequent urination, increased drinking and increasing muscle weakness. Treatment of affected animals usually requires daily administration of insulin in combination with an adjusted diet.
Feline aids (FIV)
Infection with the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) causes cats to contract feline immunodeficiency syndrome, colloquially known as feline aids.
According to estimates, about 11 percent of all cats worldwide carry the pathogen, although it is probably transmitted primarily through bites from conspecifics. Once infected animals often show no symptoms for years.
At some point, the immunodeficiency manifests itself in an increased susceptibility to disease, which continues to grow. Eventually, the immune system in cats with FIV breaks down completely and the animals die. A complete cure is not possible so far, so the treatment is mainly focused on the secondary diseases.
Toxoplasmosis in cats
Toxoplasmosis is a cat disease caused by the unicellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The transmission of the pathogens occurs primarily through the infected feces of conspecifics or raw meat, which the cat receives when barfing.
In adult animals with a functioning immune system toxoplasmosis usually does not cause any significant symptoms. However, young and weakened cats often have a hard time with the infection. Possible symptoms include, for example, fever, bloody diarrhea and breathing difficulties.
In some animals, the cat disease can also lead to inflammation of the heart muscle or the cerebral membrane. With cat puppies the infection ends partly even fatally. If your cat shows possible symptoms of toxoplasmosis, we recommend that you contact a veterinarian immediately.
Ear mites in cats
Ear mites are one of the cat diseases caused by cat parasites. Since they are extremely contagious and occur very often in cats, they may not be missing in this list of course. After all, it is estimated that about half of all ear infections in cats are caused by ear mites.
The typical symptoms of ear mange include, above all, severe itching, reddened ear canals, and excessive formation of dark brown earwax and encrustations on the ears. However, the severity of the infestation and associated symptoms can vary significantly from animal to animal.
Treatment is usually with locally applied drops or ointments. In some cases, however, the administration of systemic preparations may be necessary. In addition, it is important to clean the ears of the quadruped daily. Particularly gently you succeed for example with ear care drops of I love my cat.
Cat fleas
Fleas are also common in cats. The annoying ectoparasites are highly contagious. Can often only be gotten rid of again with great effort. In addition, many cats are allergic to the saliva of fleas and therefore suffer particularly badly from a possible infestation.
The typical symptoms of fleas in cats include a strong itching with correspondingly frequent scratching. In addition, the small parasites are usually visible with the naked eye, even if this is not always easy because of the fur.
In order to effectively combat fleas on cats, it is necessary, on the one hand, to eliminate the parasites on the four-legged friend itself, and on the other hand, to conscientiously clean the entire area around it.
Prevent cat diseases
Of course, it is hardly possible to prevent all cat diseases with absolute certainty. Nevertheless, there are some things you can do to support the health of your four-legged friend and prevent possible diseases.
With the following preventive measures you can reduce the risk of cat diseases:
– Make sure you eat a species-appropriate diet with high-quality cat food. – Avoid excessive stress for your pussycat. – Vaccinate your cat against particularly dangerous cat diseases. – Go especially with older quadrupeds regularly to preventive medical checkups. – Contact a veterinarian promptly if you notice any symptoms of feline illness.
In addition, in many cases it is useful to strengthen the immune system of the cat. For this purpose, it is best to use our natural dietary supplements I love my cat Immune or Shiimun Immune.