Cat Diseases

Heart disease in your cat is one problem. Some forms of heart disease used to be more common, but improvements in commercial foods have stopped this. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is the most common form of heart disease in cats, and is characterized by lack of appetite, increased weariness and lethargy, less activity, difficulty in breathing, gagging, weight loss, and coughing. Early diagnosis and treatment result in the best prognosis.

Another common cat disease is dental disease. For cats, mouth diseases can lead to other problems, so it is important to have regular dental checkups. The most common problems involve tartar buildup, which can lead to tooth decay, gingivitis, and other mouth problems. Another cat disease is chronic renal failure, or kidney disease in cats. Symptoms include: weight loss, excessive thirst and urination, loss of appetite, vomiting, obvious difficulty in urinating, and a dull or ill-kept coat. Depending on the severity, there are several different options, including change in diet and fluid supplementation.
Cat eye disease is also another health problem for cats. The most common cat disease of the eye is uveitis. Uveitis is an inflammation of the colored part of the eye. Many times, the cause cannot be identified, but common causes do include trauma, infections, and cancer. This is an ongoing disease that the cat will have for its lifetime.
Liver disease in cats is another common cat disease. One form of cat liver disease is Feline Hepatic Lipidosis. What happens is an overweight cat stops eating, either as a symptom of another disease or on its own. Without food, the body sends fat cells to the liver to be processed as fuel. The liver is unable to process it, and the fat gets stored until the liver eventually fails. The cat may salivate or throw up, and can also become lethargic and jaundiced. If caught early enough, treatment is usually successful.
Lyme disease in cats happens when cats go outdoors and become exposed to ticks. Lyme disease in a cat can cause several symptoms, including: painful or stiff muscles and joints, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, and possibly sudden collapse. There is no vaccine for cats, so the best cure is prevention. Put your cat on tick prevention if he goes outside, and check him regularly for ticks.
Cat Lyme disease cannot be transmitted to humans – only the infected ticks can do this. Cat’s claw is an herb for Lyme disease that has been shown to be effective in human cases, but no research has been done on using it for cats.Cat scratch disease, or cat claw disease, affects humans. Bacteria in the cat’s nails can infect the person if they are scratched. Cats carrying the bacteria do not show symptoms, so have all cat scratches and bites looked at by a doctor.