Cat Illness

When you bring home a cat or kitten you expect a long and healthy life together. However, sometimes cat illnesses can strike your home and make your kitty ill.

With cats, illness symptoms are pretty straight forward and easy to recognize. Cat illness symptoms include: vomiting, not eating, drinking frequently, acting depressed, abnormal urination, loss of hair, diarrhea, sneezing, coughing, discharge from the eyes or ears, and/or a fever. Usually, with a cat sickness, symptoms will show up together. In order to check for a fever, you will need an anal thermometer. A cat’s normal body temperature is 38.6°C or 101.5°F, and anything above 39.2°C or 102.5°F is a fever. For a kitten, illnesses can be much more dangerous, and they need to be treated right away.

Your veterinarian has been trained in all issues of cat health and illnesses. If you cat should fall ill, you will need to take him or her to the vet for a cat illness diagnosis. If you have other cats in the household, try to keep them separated from the ill cat; sickness can spread rapidly from one cat to another. Only your veterinarian can make a cat illness diagnosis and prescribe the medicine that you will need.

In general, no cat is more susceptible to cat illness to another. However, there are several factors to consider. Some pure bred cats can have cat illnesses if they are improperly bred. For example, in Persian cats, illness often comes in the form of respiratory problems. Another source of cat illness is fleas, which can plague cats that go outdoors. Outdoor cats are also exposed to more cat illness than indoor cats since they are more likely to come in contact with stray cats and other animals.

Some common cat or kitten illnesses include: urinary tract infections, upper respiratory infections, feline panleukopenia (feline distemper), chronic kidney failure, and diabetes. With UTIs, some cats will have difficulty using the litter box, or you will see blood or notice accidents. Male cats should be seen immediately by a vet, because this can also be a sign of urine blockage, which is life threatening. Antibiotics and, in some cases, a change of diet, will usually solve the problem.

Upper respiratory infections are similar to colds, and are highly contagious from one cat to another. The cat will cough, sneeze, run a fever, and have a runny nose. These often run their own course, but if your cat stops eating and drinking or acts depressed you should take them to see a vet.Feline distemper is spread through litter boxes and shared food and water. It is very difficult to get rid of, but a simple vaccine can help prevent your cat from getting this disease.

Chronic kidney failure is a cat illness common in older cats. The cat will start to drink excess amounts of water, and may appear ill. Special diets and treatment for dehydration can enhance the quality of life, but there is no cure.

Diabetes happens in cats, particularly those that are overweight. You may see an increased appetite, frequent drinking and urination, and other symptoms of cat illness. Like humans, some cats can control their diabetes with a special diet, and others require insulin shots.