Common Cat Diseases and Other Problems

We all want our cats to stay alive and live a long happy life, since they’re lifespan is so short. Even if the saying says that cats have nine lives (BTW that is not true) we should still learn more about are fellow cats’ most common illnesses to possibly find the symptoms before it is too late.

 

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

Symptoms

 

• • Increased drinking (*Polydipsia)

• • Increased urination (*Polyuria)

• • Weight loss

• • Bad breath

• • Sudden blindness

• • Drooling

• • Lethargy

• • Vomiting

• • Anemia

• • Dehydration

• • Pale gums

• • Hiding

• • Seizures

(* From what we see we could infer that “poly” means increased. Polydipsia, Polyuria, and Polyphagia all start with “poly” and means that something is increased such as drinking, urination, or eating.)

 

A healthy kidney would maintain normal levels of hydration and remove toxins. But when it isn’t it may accidently remove fluids from the body instead of removing toxins. This is why one of the symptoms is increased drinking and urination. It also becomes much harder to remove toxins. 

 

The most common cat breeds to develop CKD include the Maine Coon, Siamese, Persian, and Abyssinian.

When CKD is diagnosed early your cat will be able to regain a healthy kidney by taking whatever medications prescribed by your veterinarian. An extra thing you can do at home is to switch to canned food. Not because it’s canned because most of the time most of it is made out of fluids. In a time like this when they are often dehydrated it is necessary to provide them as much water as possible.

 

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)

Symptoms

 

• • Fever

• • Depression

• • Diarrhea

• • Vomiting

• • Swollen lymph nodes

FIV is when this virus attacks the immune system. It is usually transmitted with deep gashes. And I mean DEEP!!! Throughout the whole journey of FIV there are three phases. The acute phase, the asymptomatic phase, and what they call the “AIDS” phase.

The Acute phase lasts a couple of days to a few weeks. This is when the cat will endure the nasty nasty symptoms that I have listed above.

 

The Asymptomatic phase has no symptoms. In Fact your cat will appear to be completely normal. This stage may last up to years. The cats may possibly remain in this stage for the rest of their life.

The “AIDS” phase, as they call it, is rare and most cats don’t reach this stage at all. Basically in this stage they are unable to recover from other illnesses and become terminally ill. Meaning that they are going to die.

 

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)

Symptoms

 

• • Appetite Loss

• • Short Breath

• • Weakness

• • Vomiting

• • Paralysis in Hind Legs

HCM is when muscular walls of the heart thickens putting stress on the heart. Blood begins to clot which may result in the paralysis of the hind legs. Congestive heart failure may also occur. Congestive heart failure is when fluids gather up and accumulate around or in the lungs that could cause sudden death or block major arteries. 

 

Some cats that are most likely to get HCM include Rag Dolls, Maine Coons, Burmese and Perisians, Sphinxes, and Domestic short hairs. When your vet hears heart murmurs, an extra heartbeat, or irregular breathing patterns you may want to consider bringing your cat to the Echocardiogram who will check on the cats heart to make sure that they do not have HCM. Treatment will cost about $600 and many clinics do not provide this care. 

 

Cats with HCM are expected to live about 4-6 years but some may live up to be much older. HCM is not curable but one remady is called the beta blocker. It helps slow down the heartbeat so that it pumps less blood. This way it puts less stress on the heart. The only problem is that it puts more stress on the kidney so provide the sorts of foods that will strengthen the kidney

Even though our cats don’t really have nine lives we can take care of them and spot diseases before they progress. Even if the myth is not true, our cats can still live a long and happy life!

 

(*The drawings in this article are all based on the kittens I have fostered recently.)