Common Diseases of Cats
Common diseases of cats are upper respiratory infections (URIs), rabies, feline panleukopenia, feline leukemia, feline immunodeficiency disease, feline infectious peritonitis, etc.
Upper Respiratory Infections (URIs)
Upper Respiratory Infections (URIs) are similar to the common cold in humans. Symptoms include sneezing, running nose and eyes, reddened eyes, fever, and decreased appetite.
If left untreated URIs can be fatal. These airborne viruses are highly contagious; they can be transmitted to cats through human handling and through contact with other cats and with inanimate objects such as litter boxes, food bowls, and grooming tools.
Separate any new cat from your other cats for at least three weeks until you are sure that the newcomer doesn’t have any symptoms of a URI.
Prevention is the best approach to URIs. Get your cat vaccinated. But if your cat exhibits URI symptoms contact your veterinarian immediately.
The veterinarian will probably prescribe a dosage of antibiotics to prevent secondary infections and give you precise care instructions.
Follow them carefully and make sure your cat eats and drinks sufficiently.
Rabies
Rabies is a fatal and one of the more common cat diseases. It is a viral illness that is transmitted through bite wounds from infected animals and attacks the nervous system.
Prevent rabies through vaccination and by keeping your cat indoors.
Feline Panleukopenia
Feline Panleukopenia also known as feline distemper, this is a highly contagious viral disease that can be transmitted through contact with humans, infected cats, clothing, hair, paws, food bowls, and even cat carriers.
The disease comes on suddenly with vomiting, loss of appetite, and diarrhea.
Feline panleucopenia was the first feline disease to be shown it was caused by a virus.
It is a highly contagious disease that can affect any kind of cat including lions, tigers and leopards as well as other animals such as mink, ferrets and raccoons. This virus can exist in the environment for months and is resistant to many disinfectants and also heat.
Usually it is a disease of young kittens, but a cat of any age may be infected. Usually a cat becomes infected through direct contact with a cat that is infected or through exposure from contaminated objects or environments.
Infected cats usually pass the virus through their feces, but can also pass it through their saliva, urine, vomit, and blood.
A pregnant female can also pass it to her kittens. The incubation period is normally two to ten days and the first symptoms are fever, reduced appetite, vomiting, and lethargy.
If a cat survives this stage he may get a watery diarrhea within two to three days. Unborn kittens may develop brain damage such as a lack of coordination that shows up at a few weeks old.
There is no extensive treatment and infected cats must be isolated from any other cats and receive intensive nursing care.
Some cats survive infection, but their recovery usually takes several weeks and they are susceptible to other infections because their immune defenses are compromised. The prevention for this disease is to vaccinate against it.
Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)
FeLV is a fatal infectious virus that affects the immune system and can cause several forms of cancer and other associated diseases.
It is transmitted through the saliva, urine, and faeces of infected cats. Blood tests can diagnose this disease. The cat should be tested before being vaccinated.
Prevention is the only cure for this disease. Get your cat vaccinated and keep it indoors. Feline leukemia virus-seven out of ten cats are likely to come into contact with this disease at sometime in their life.
It is responsible for more deaths in cats than any other single cause. This is a highly infectious viral disease which is present in the saliva, urine, blood, milk, mucus and feces of permanently infected cats.
Saliva is the most common route of infection and can be passed on in regular close contact or bite wounds.
Kittens can pick up FeLV infections from their mothers either before they are born or from her milk.
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)
FIV is similar to human acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) but the disease causing virus is different.
This fatal virus attacks the immune system, causing a variety of symptoms.
General symptoms include chronic, non-responding infections; respiratory problems; appetite loss; persistent diarrhoea and severe oral infections.
FIV is passed from cat to cat primarily through bites. There is currently no vaccination or cure for FIV.
Feline immunodeficiency virus infection (FIV) belongs to a group of viruses called retroviruses. FIV is related to HIV, but appears to be able to infect only wild or pet cats.
The belief the disease is spread by the injection of FIV in saliva when a cat is bitten by another infected cat.
For the virus to be passed on substantial quantities of the virus need to be injected in this way.
Outside of the body, the virus is quickly destroyed. About 5 weeks after infection cats may have a raised temperature.
They develop swollen glands over their bodies. Sometimes this is all that occurs until several months or even years later.
When further symptoms develop, they are usually the result of other recurrent infections or diseases such as gingivitis-stomatitis or rhinitis that become permanent because FIV has suppressed the affected cat‘s normal immune response to them.
The individual cat‘s symptoms may vary to a degree, but usually these include: lethargy, weight loss, conjunctivitis, gingivitis-stomatitis, diarrhea, skin disorders and anemia.
These symptoms are more common in male, non-pedigree cats, those who roam freely outdoors and between 6 to 10 years old.
Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP)
FIP is deadly virus that is fatal to cats. This virus can take two forms, commonly referred to as wet (which involves fluid in the abdomen) and dry (which does not).
Both forms of FIP may cause fever, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhoea, and loss of appetite. There is no effective treatment for FIP.
The best way to prevent this disease is to keep your cat indoors away from strange animals and remain up-to-date on vaccines.
Feline infectious peritonitis is caused by a coronavirus. The disease is spread through the feces or saliva of an infected cat before it shows symptoms of the disease.
The outcome of the infection depends upon the cat‘s age, the precise strain and dose of the virus and the cat‘s immune system.
The strength of the cat‘s immune system response may determine whether he suffers from “wet” or “dry” FIP. A reduced appetite and lethargy are included in both as initial symptoms.
“Wet” FIP symptoms will include abdominal swelling, fever, depression, weight loss and anemia.
The chest may also fill with fluid making breathing difficult. These symptoms develop quickly over a few weeks.
“Dry” FIP symptoms take longer to develop and cause inflammatory growths in the liver, kidneys, brain and eyes.
They also include weight loss, depression and fever. Currently there is no specific treatment or vaccine. Most cats usually die as a result of infection.
Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis is caused by toxoplasma gondii a coccidian parasite. Pulmonary disease and coughing occur during the initial infection.
Clinical signs include anorexia, depression, enlarged lymph nodes, central nervous system involvement and anemia.
This disease is important because it can affect pregnant women. The symptoms are a slight fever, swollen lymph glands-like the flu.
The female passes it on during 5-6 months of pregnancy and it causes severe birth defects
Feline Chlamydiosis
Feline chlamydiosis disease is caused by the bacteria Chlamydia psittaci. This infection is common in kittens between five weeks and 9 months old.
Commonly a healthy cat will get the disease through direct contact with a discharge from the eyes or nose of the infected cat. Incubation period is 14 days.
The treatment for this disease is oral antibiotics and frequent use of antibiotic eye ointments. Vaccination against this disease is available.
