Cat and Diseases, this is a huge topic to talk about! So today I will walk you through with these annoying small organisms that cause such diseases for our fluffy cats and kitties.
Not only that!
As a cat parent or even a cat lover, we should know some details and information about the most common diseases or different health problems our cat might have and all our other pets as well. As they say ” Knowledge is power” in this case you will use this knowledge to protect your pet and prevent serious complication and health problems, as I mentioned that in common diseases in dogs (Read Here).
These Fluffy cuties can get sick easily, and sadly there are so many diseases and problems they might face throughout their life. Some Cat diseases can be serious and deadly. It is important to understand these diseases and learn some basics about them not only to protect your cat but also to protect yourself too from getting infected.
As I said in my previous article, it is important to take care of your cat healthcare to have a healthy life yourself (Read Here). Do not forget that your cat is an important member of your family now, it is like a kid for you.
You need to understand that the best treatment is to prevent the diseases, by simply knowing these diseases and trying to prevent them from happening to at least cure them before causing bigger problems and complications.
Table of Contents
Cat and Diseases – 7 diseases that are preventable with vaccines
There are so many diseases out there that can affect your cat and cause troubles. In this section, I want to write about a few common diseases that might affect your cat.
I want here to talk about 7 diseases that are preventable with vaccines such as Feline Infectious Enteritis, Feline Herpes Virus, Feline Calicivirus, Feline Leukemia Virus. And it is great to understand these diseases to protect your cat from them.
7- Leukemia Virus (Feline Leukemia Virus (FLV))
The most common causes of death in domestic cats are old age, traffic accidents, kidney failure and Leukemia virus. As we notice FLV is one of the common causes of death and here I want to write briefly about it. FLV can be prevented by a vaccine which will protect your cat if it’s allowed to go outdoors. FLV can cause a type of cancer which got the name Leukemia, that’s why it is important to get the vaccination, note that if the cat stays indoors and never go outside it is unlikely to come in contact with this virus.
The virus as we said is more common with cats that allowed to go outside and it can be transmitted via body fluids from blood or faeces. The good news about this disease it only affects cats, a big Sigh for us, so there is no risk to be infected from infected cats.
The virus will cause a huge problem to the cat as it affects the immune system and reduces its function in the body, that means this virus will just invite more organisms to hit your cat with different diseases. There are some symptoms you can notice on your cat such as Fever, Weight loss, diarrhoea, etc. *More details in another post*
It is always the best to prevent the diseases from happening which is the best treatment. But as for the treatment, if you suspect that your cat is infected with this virus you should take it to your vet, they will prescribe immunomodulators to improve the immune system.
6- Feline Bordetellosis
The cause of this disease is from a bacterium, it mostly affects the upper respiratory tract and they call it “kennel cough”, the same disease can affect dogs too. The good news is that the treatment is easier for infected cats with an antibiotic, the vaccine in this disease is not recommended but they might give it to your cat.
The infection can be transmitted from another infected cat or dogs, it can be from infected air with those bacteria through sneezes or coughs.
The symptoms mainly related to the respiratory system which includes coughing and sneezing, it can come with fever, breathing difficulties and discharge from the nose.
The treatment will include antibiotics from your vet, note that there is a vaccination for Bordetella but it’s not routinely given to cats.
5- Chlamydophilosis (Feline Chlamydophilosis)
This another bacteria related cause disease, it infects the upper respiratory tract as well. However, this disease can be passed on to us and cause an eye infection called Chlamydia.
The bacteria passed on via discharge from nose, eyes or mouth. As for us, we can get the infection from the contaminated furniture or anything touched body fluids from an infected cat.
The symptoms for this disease will commonly be related to the eyes, swelling and redness of the eyes. Other symptoms might be noticed like runny nose, coughing and loss of appetite.
The treatment for Chlamydophilosis is easy by giving the infected cat by your vet antibiotic which will kill the bacteria.
4- Calicivirus (Feline Calicivirus (FCV))
Another infection that affects the upper respiratory tract, FCV considered the second most common virus to affect the upper respiratory tract. The problem is, this virus is very adaptable which makes it so difficult to treat.
The virus can change very quickly and become resistant to the treatment and might produce resistance to the immune system as well. Unfortunately, the vaccination against FCV do not always prevent the disease, but it is still highly recommended using it, it is believed by the healthcare professionals that the vaccination can help the cat body to fight against the disease and make the symptoms milder.
FCV is like the disease we mentioned up, it is transmitted through body fluids, it can simply from sharing food, cats fight or bedding. Luckily this infection can’t be passed on to humans.
The symptoms are from acute infection mainly. These symptoms include eye and nose discharge with fever and might notice ulcers in the face or around the mouth and in advanced cases the cat might suffer from arthritis and multi-organ failure.
As for the treatment, it is mandatory to take your cat to the vet even if it’s vaccinated before. The vet will give your cat antibiotics, immunomodulators, corticosteroids and rehydration therapy and that depends on the symptoms of the disease.
3- Herpes Virus (Feline Herpes Virus (FHV))
Now, this is the most common virus that affects the upper respiratory tract of cats. FHV is highly contagious. Fortunately, it is rare for latently infected cats to pass on the virus. Mainly the virus ( we can say is sleeping inside the body), when the cat’s body suffers from stress or health problem that leads to a weak immune system the virus will resurface.
The virus is spread from direct contact with body fluids too. As before, sharing food, bedding or sharing bowls can cause the infection.
The symptoms are mainly from acute infection and you might notice your cat suffer from sneezing, fever, coughing, conjunctivitis, lethargy, nasal discharge and salivation. In FHV the symptoms can last anywhere between few days to a few weeks, but you need to know that your cat will still be infectious for around 3 weeks.
Here, the best treatment as I always say is to prevent the disease from occurring by giving your cat a vaccine. However, if you think or suspect that your cat suffering from FHV you should take it to the vet immediately. Your vet will probably give it antibiotics as prevention therapy to secondary infection from bacteria, The vet will probably give it antiviral therapy to fight FHV as well.
2- Infectious Enteritis (Feline Infectious Enteritis (FIE))
Infectious Enteritis or FIE is a disease caused by a virus called Parvovirus. This disease is highly contagious and can be very dangerous and fatal in cats.
The virus can be spread by fleas as well as through direct contact with body fluids from bedding, sharing food or any other items. The symptoms will be related to the intestinal problems as the virus affect it and cause ulceration. Your cat will probably suffer from bloody diarrhoea, dehydration, anaemia, malnutrition and in worst-case scenario Death.
The treatment for this disease will be aggressive antiviral therapy because this one can kill the cat within 24 hours. Your vet will give it antibiotics and rehydration therapy as well.
1- Rabies
Rabies is a virus that causes infection of the brain, it commonly affects dogs but it can affect cats and other animals they call them ( warm-blooded) Yes, we are one of them.
The virus -as I mentioned before in details about Rabies in dogs- (Read Here) is spread by a bite or in some rare cases scratch from infected animal to the healthy one.
The symptoms will the classical ones for Rabies, from the frothy mouth, increase aggressiveness, seizures, inability to swallow, lack of coordination and paralysis.
Conclusion
Cat and Diseases, it is the same for every animal and pet out there. There are so many diseases that our pets can face in their life and it is our duty to prevent that. Again, the best treatment is the prevention of giving your cat vaccine to stop and make the infection weak against the immune system. However, in some countries that are free of Rabies, vaccines are not routinely administered like the UK. If the cat is infected you have to take it to the vet immediately, your vet will quarantine the cat and do the necessary tests and treatment for it. Unfortunately, Rabies considered a dangerous infection and fatal for cats.
Today’s Quote: Dogs come when they’re called; cats take a message and get back to you later. Mary Bly
Mohammad
Founder of Fluffy Health & Life
“Cats take a message and get back to you later.” That’s a good one, lol
I have three cats, and one of them has feline leukemia. He lives in a separate area which I built for him. He has a tree he can climb, shade, plants, and enough space to play. Sometimes little frogs and ghekkos pay him a visit. He was diagnosed with feline leukemia about 5 years ago, and at first it was hard to decide how to take care of him and the others who are healthy. At that time I didn’t know about the vaccine, and what I also didn’t know was that feline leukemia was rampant among street cats in Los Cabos, Mexico (where I live) … Someone dumped a sick cat with me and did’t tell me it was sick. I found out later when I noticed several health issues. My other two cats tested negative and they are vaccinated. Sascha, however, tested positive, and he has to live in a separate area where he has no contact at all with my other cats. He likes his area, it is spacious, and he seems happy. He is actually in great shape, despite being thin from the disease. He is active and interacts with me a lot. I am building my house and when the house is built, I will add some tunnels to his area which will connect to one of the rooms in the house where the other cats cannot go.
Since I have dedicated many years to animal rescue, I have several special cases like this ;-), a dog with celular brain damage for example, and also Sascha who has feline leukemia. Both animals are very happy, despite their circumstances. I do what I can for them.
I can tell you that Sascha is a lucky cat to be with you, I thank you for taking care of it and other cats. it is difficult to take care of a sick cat it is almost the same as taking care of a sick kid, I know how you feeling and I really feel happy that Sacha found the best mom out there!
Thank you for this informative post. It was just what I was looking for. I was unaware that so many diseases can be prevented with vaccines. Especially serious diseases as a Leukemia.
I think I just might go to the vet and get more info on this vaccines.
Regards.
I am glad that you found this information helpful for you, it is always good to ask professional healthcare about anything and take their advice too.
Wonderful article! The only disease here that I had ever heard of is rabies. I have learned a lot more, and how to prevent these diseases if I ever get a cat.
Yes, before getting a new cat, you need to know how to protect it from these diseases. I am glad the info was helpful to you.
This is such an informative article, it’s an eye-opener for me.
I have never vaccinated my cats, because they are strays that I pick up, and they leave me to continue with their adventures after a few weeks or at most a couple of months. So they just zip in and out of my life like that.
I do intend to get a cat after my kids are bigger, as now two of them have very bad eczema. Will definitely keep this info in mind, and remember to vaccinate when I do get one.
We need to take care of our health and the health and vaccination of our pets can be the key to protect both animals and humans from many diseases and problems. I am glad that this information was helpful to you.
Oh,man who knew my cat could catch all these diseases…
my cat has been sneezing a lot lately. At first, I didn’t think it was anything but I’ll be sure to take him to the vet and get him checked out.
thanks for the info.
It is amazing how much we can learn from reading, with the knowledge we can protect our precious pets. I hope your cat gets better soon.
Thanks for sharing this list of cat diseases. Actually I do not own a cat but many of my family members do. I was quite surprised at some of the diseases that are possible for cats to endure.
It is so important to ensure we are taking our animals to the vet often and just to generally know our animals so we are aware of changes in their outward behavior, which will give us the ability to ensure our cats get the treatment they need in a timely manner.
Wonderful tips.
Sometimes people miss such diseases simply because they didn’t know. That’s why it is always our duty to show pet owners that there are far more important than just providing food and water. understanding the diseases to prevent it from happening is one of the most important parts in a pet’s life and cat’s life. I am glad it was helpful.
Oh the cat image is soooo adorable!!
I had a female cat whom had a litter of kittens she was nursing, get
very ill and could not walk without collapsing.
Took her to the vet and unfortunately found out she had Feline Leukemia.
She passed away before her babies were weaned. It was a very, very
sad time for me. If I had been more informed this situation for me might
have been avoided.
Thanks for sharing this info with the world so people won’t have to go
through what I did .
Oh, I am sorry to hear that, I agree with you knowledge is power. We should all learn about our pet to be able to protect them from harmful problems, some of these problems are preventable.