Many doctors in pet hospitals will tell cat owners that cats rarely get sick, but as long as they get sick, their disease will be very serious. Because cats can’t speak and have a very strong ability to endure, when the owner finds that the cat is sick, the condition is usually very serious. Not only the treatment cost is very high, but it will also cause great pain to the cat.
Hidden illness is not the cat’s fault. Cats are solitary animals. Before being tamed, even if they are sick, they still need to pretend that everything is normal. In this way, they can protect themselves from being harmed by similar or threatening predators.Even if cats are tamed, they still retain this lifestyle.
However, if a cat is sick, there will be corresponding symptoms. As long as you notice that the cat has similar symptoms, you can determine whether the cat is sick and determine the specific symptoms. This article will introduce you to ten diseases that cats are prone to suffer from, as well as the corresponding clinical symptoms, causes and treatment methods.
Symptom 1: Cat plague (feline leukopenia)
5 clinical symptoms of cat plague
- fever
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting (yellow-green)
- Mouth, eyes, and nose secrete a sticky substance
- Anorexia
Causes and course of cat plague
Cat plague is a very fast-onset and highly contagious infectious disease that can only be spread in cats. Under normal circumstances, the incubation period of this disease is 2-9 days, and kittens are more likely to be infected than adult cats. Common routes of transmission are virus-carrying excrement, the saliva of sick cats, insects and fleas that have sucked the blood of sick cats
The early symptoms of the onset are lack of energy, and in the middle stage, there will be phenomena such as refusal to eat and vomiting. In the late stage, the cat’s mouth, nose and eyes will secrete viscous secretions, accompanied by diarrhea, dehydration and other phenomena.
Ways to check cats with cat plague
- Use cat plague test paper to detect feces
- Take blood to check the cat’s blood cell index
1.Use cat plague test paper to detect feces
The test strip can detect whether the cat’s feces contain the virus. If not, you can insert a cotton swab into the cat’s anus and collect the stool from the rectum for testing. Two bars indicate positive and one bar indicates negative.
2.Take blood to check the cat’s blood cell index
When the cat’s symptoms are in line with the clinical symptoms of cat plague, then only a blood test is needed to further determine whether the cat has the disease. The blood test will detect the content of each type of cell in the cat’s blood, and the white blood cell of the sick cat will be lower than the normal value or even unable to be detected by the machine.
3 ways to treat cat plague
- Subcutaneous rehydration and intravenous infusion
- Hospital medication and nutritional supplements
- Disinfect and keep warm at home and encourage cats
1. Subcutaneous rehydration and intravenous infusion
Because cat plague causes diarrhea in cats, and diarrhea can cause cats to become dehydrated, doctors will recommend that cats be hydrated in time. Under normal circumstances, there are two ways to replenish water, namely intravenous infusion and subcutaneous rehydration, which can help cats to replenish enough water.
2.Take medication or supplement nutrition
Cats should be treated in hospitals if they are sick. The hospital’s facilities are fully equipped to better treat cats. The doctor will give the cat the corresponding medicine according to the cat’s condition, such as antibody medicine, antiemetic medicine, antidiarrheal medicine, etc.
3. Disinfect and keep warm at home and encourage cats
If the cat’s condition becomes better, you can take it home for care, but before the cat goes home, you have to disinfect the house completely, to avoid other diseases caused by poor resistance, and take measures to keep the cat warm. It can make the cat recover faster. You can also encourage cats to increase their desire to survive.
Symptom 2: Cat Stomatitis
Cat Stomatitis Clinical Symptoms
- Bad breath and drooling
- Red, swollen and bleeding gums
- Yelling when refusal to eat or eating
- Mouth ulcer
4 causes of cat stomatitis
- Oral injuries such as fishbone stabbing, burns, etc.
- Drug adjuvant will corrode the mouth
- Lack of vitamin B family
- Dental disease or calculus, etc.
1. Oral injuries such as fish bones, burns, etc.
When a cat’s healthy oral cavity is damaged (such as fishbone stabbing the mouth, burns, broken teeth, etc.), it is very easy to be infected by bacteria and viruses, and bacterial infections can cause inflammation, and finally become stomatitis.
2.Drug adjuvant will corrode the mouth
The chemical components of some drugs will adhere to the teeth and between the teeth. In the long term, it may induce oral diseases in cats.
3.Lack of vitamin B group
Vitamins are an important trace element for maintaining good health. If cats lack different types of vitamins, they may have different symptoms. Lack of vitamin B group may cause cat stomatitis.
4.Dental disease or calculus, etc.
Although the cat does not have tooth decay, it does not mean that there is no dental disease. Dental damage or long-term dental calculus can also cause stomatitis.
Precautions for cat stomatitis
When a cat suffers from stomatitis, you need to clean the food bowl and other daily necessities frequently and disinfect the living environment. If there are multiple cats in the house, then the cat with stomatitis should be isolated, because of this Diseases can be transmitted through the food bowl, so you need to isolate your cat and observe whether other cats have similar symptoms.
4 ways to treat stomatitis
- Remove the factors that cause illness and damaged teeth
- Spray the mouth with a drug solution
- Injection of antibiotics and other drugs
- Feed liquids and other easily chewable foods
1.Remove the factors that cause illness and damaged teeth
Eliminates disease-causing factors such as fish bones, dental calculus, etc, and pulls out the teeth that have been damaged. Pull out all the teeth in the mouth if necessary. Don’t worry if the cat has no teeth and cannot eat, it can swallow cat food.
2.Spray the mouth with a drug solution
During the treatment, you have to spray the cat’s mouth one or more times a day with a drug solution. Although the cat will resist when spraying, you still need to spray the cat.
3.Injection of antibiotics and other drugs
Stomatitis is mainly a problem caused by harmful bacteria, and antibiotics can inhibit the growth of bacteria or kill bacteria. It is the main method to treat bacterial infections.
4.Feed liquids and other easily chewable foods
When the cat is sick, you can give it easy-to-chew food to relieve or avoid the gum pain caused by the cat’s chewing, reduce the cat’s pain, increase the desire to eat, and help recovery.
Symptom 3: Cat cold (feline flu virus)
Clinical symptoms of a cat cold
- Cats often sneeze
- There is nasal mucus in the nose
- Cats with a dry nose
- Reduced appetite and exercise
- Cats often cough
Causes of cat colds
You will find that every time the temperature drops in spring and autumn, the temperature will suddenly drop, and some people will catch a cold and sneeze. Cats are no exception. Sudden cooling may reduce the cat’s immunity and cause a cold. Except for catching a cold because of being cold, another reason is that they are infected by cats who have already caught a cold. The droplets from the sneeze enter the nasal cavity of healthy cats and cause a cold.
Cat cold treatment and care methods
- Keep the air at home moist
- Feed cat cold medicine and anti-inflammatory medicine
- Encourage cats to eat more
- Keep your cat warm
1.Keep the air at home moist
You can use a humidifier or put a basin of water in the living room to increase the humidity in the air, so that the cat’s nasal cavity and bronchi are not so dry, and alleviate the cat’s cough symptoms.
2.Feed cat cold medicine and anti-inflammatory medicine
After the doctor diagnoses the cat with a cold, you can buy cat-specific cold medicine and anti-inflammatory drugs from the pet hospital to treat cat flu and complications (diseases such as bronchitis)
3.Encourage cats to eat more
Because a cat’s cold may make her appetite less good, you should encourage your cat to eat so that you can ensure that their body has enough energy to fight the virus and speed up the body’s recovery.
4.Keep your cat warm
A cold may cause a cat to have a fever (body temperature greater than 40 degrees Celsius). You can prevent the cat from getting a fever and speed up the cat’s body recovery by taking warm measures.
Symptom 4: FIP (feline infectious peritonitis)
4 clinical symptoms of FIP
- Cats gradually lose weight
- Vision disorders such as cloudy eyes
- Partial body numbness and cramps
- Intermittent fever
Clinical symptoms of wet cat abdominal transmission
- Painless and heavy abdomen
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Intermittent fever
- Wheezing or difficulty breathing
FIP Introduction
Feline Infectious Peritonitis is an infectious disease caused by a coronavirus. Coronavirus mutations can invade other organs of the body and become inflamed. FIP is contagious, and the way of transmission can be through food bowls, water basins, litter boxes, etc. If there are multiple cats in the house, and one of them is diagnosed with this disease, then it should be separated from other animals. Observe and control the spread of the virus.
3 treatment method of FIP
- Antibiotic medication
- Encourage or compulsory eating
- Inhibitors and anti-inflammatory drugs
1.Antibiotic medication
Feline Infectious Peritonitis in cats is a very serious disease among the cats’ many diseases. The treatment is mainly based on drug therapy, and the use of antibiotics is to target the side effects of other drugs. The specific situation should be based on the judgment of the doctor.
2.Encourage or compulsory eating
Because the cat’s appetite will become very poor during FIP infection, you should encourage the cat to eat. If the cat does not eat, You may need to force food to the cat. A common method is that you can insert a gastric tube into the cat, so that the food will go directly to the cat’s stomach, ensuring that the cat receives normal nutrition.
3.Inhibitors and anti-inflammatory drugs
The main treatment for Feline Infectious Peritonitis is to suppress the aggravation of the disease and to reduce inflammation, so FIP-inhibiting drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs are the most commonly used drugs. If the cat’s condition is under control and has improved, the treatment plan will be successful.
3 ways to prevent FIP
- Vaccinate cats regularly
- Control the density of cats
- Regular disinfection and cleaning
1.Vaccinate cats regularly
Injecting FIP vaccine can make cats have antibodies against the virus in their bodies. Antibodies can eliminate or inhibit the virus before the disease breaks out and achieve a preventive effect. Generally, the vaccine needs to be injected once a year, and the price is about 100, which is relatively cheap.
2.Control the number of cats
For families with many cats, it is necessary to control the number of cats to reduce the possibility of infection and the speed of transmission.
3.Regular disinfection and cleaning
Common disinfection water can kill most bacteria and viruses, and regular disinfection of the living environment can effectively prevent the possibility of cats from infecting viruses.
Symptom 5: Cat gastroenteritis
3 clinical symptoms of gastroenteritis in cats
- Cats have soft stools or diarrhea
- Loss of appetite and vomiting
- Cat has a stomachache
3 causes of cat gastroenteritis
- Bacterial infection caused by eating and drinking
- Organ diseases cause gastroenteritis
- Other diseases induce gastroenteritis
1.Bacterial infection caused by eating and drinking
If the cat drinks water with a lot of bacteria, eating spoiled meat or canned cat food will cause harmful bacteria in the stomach to increase and multiply, eventually leading to cat gastroenteritis.
2.Organ diseases cause gastroenteritis
If the cat has pancreatitis, it may cause inflammation of the stomach, which is also one of the digestive system organs, and cause gastroenteritis.
3.Other diseases induce gastroenteritis
The above-mentioned FIP can induce this disease. The virus invades the cat’s stomach, destroys the immune cells in the stomach, and eventually causes gastroenteritis.
Gastroenteritis treatment and nursing methods
- Treat with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs
- Probiotics regulate intestinal flora
- Ensure adequate drinking water and easy-to-digest food
1.Treat with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs
If the bacteria in the intestinal tract exceeds the normal value, then the doctor will consider using antibiotics for bacteriostasis or sterilization. Anti-inflammatory drugs are used to treat cats’ gastrointestinal inflammation.
2.Probiotics regulate intestinal flora
Probiotics have a large number of beneficial flora, which Can be used to balance the number of intestinal flora, and ultimately achieve the role of adjuvant therapy. When you feed probiotics for the first time, it is recommended to feed a quarter of the normal amount to see if the cat has adverse reactions. If it has adverse reactions, then you should give up feeding probiotics.
3.Ensure adequate drinking water and easy-to-digest food
Maintaining adequate drinking water can help cats avoid dehydration, feeding easy-to-digest foods can reduce the burden on the cat’s stomach and intestines.
Symptom 6: Cat kidney failure
3 clinical symptoms of cat kidney failure
- Dehydration
- Loss of appetite and weight
- Phenomenon of vomiting or retching
3 causes of cat kidney failure
- Eat foods with salt for a long time
- Severe diarrhea and vomiting
- Accidentally ate refrigerants, pesticides, etc.
1.Eat foods with salt for a long time
Eating too much salt will bring great pressure to cats. Cats have very low salt intake requirements. If cats eat food with salt for a long time, there is a high chance that they will suffer from kidney failure.
2.Severe diarrhea and vomiting
Diarrhea and vomiting will cause a large loss of water in the cat’s body, causing dehydration, and insufficient water in the body will cause the kidneys to shrink and cause kidney failure.
3.Accidentally ate refrigerants, pesticides, etc.
Strongly toxic chemicals such as refrigerants and pesticides can poison cats and easily cause acute kidney failure. Acute kidney failure will make the cat weak quickly, and it will have a great impact on the body if it is not treated in time. It should be noted that if it eats insects or mice that have been poisoned by insecticides, the poison will enter the cat’s body, and finally cause the cat to be poisoned.
Kidney failure care and treatment methods
- Encourage cats to drink water and eat low-phosphorus food
- Regularly feed phosphorus-lowering drugs and blood tonics
- Subcutaneous hydration and intravenous injection
1.Encourage cats to drink water and eat low-phosphorus food
Cats with chronic kidney failure usually have higher levels of phosphorus in their bodies, so you should feed them low-phosphorus foods and take care of them. Because of the decline in kidney function, the body’s water is easily lost, so you should encourage your cat to drink more water to reduce the possibility of dehydration.
2.Feed phosphorus-lowering drugs and blood tonics regularly
As mentioned above, phosphorus in cats with kidney failure exceeds the standard, so phosphorus-lowering drugs are needed to regulate it. At the same time, kidney failure may affect the production of red blood cells in the body and easily lead to anemia in cats. Therefore, it is very important to regularly feed phosphorus-lowering drugs and blood tonics.
3.Subcutaneous hydration and intravenous injection
Acute kidney failure makes cats dehydrated quickly, and treatment of acute kidney failure requires cats to get out of dehydration, so subcutaneous rehydration and intravenous injection are used to improve cat dehydration. If it is chronic kidney failure, the cat may also be dehydrated when nursing at home. Subcutaneous hydration is a solution that can be operated at home.
Symptom 7: Cat Pancreatitis
5 clinical symptoms of cat pancreatitis
- Drowsiness
- Dehydration
- Frequent urination due to thirst
- Poor appetite or eating
- Weight loss
May cause cats to get pancreatitis
- Eating toxic things or side effects of medications
- Infection with parasites leads to blockage and infection of the pancreatic duct
- Frequent eating of greasy food leads to obesity
1.Eating toxic things or side effects of medications
Toxic food or meat can cause various organ diseases and cause great pain to cats. Pancreatitis is one type. The side effects of some drugs can also load the cat’s pancreas and eventually cause inflammation.
2.Infection with parasites leads to blockage and infection of the pancreatic duct
Parasites usually live around the organs of the cat’s digestive system, and some parasites such as roundworms can block the cat’s pancreatic ducts and cause pancreatitis.
3.Frequent eating of greasy food leads to obesity
The function of the pancreas is to regulate the balance of blood sugar, and the excessive obesity of the cat will put huge pressure on the pancreas, and the pancreas that is under long-term load may become pancreatitis.
3 treatment and nursing methods of cat pancreatitis
- Acute pancreatitis requires hospitalization
- Chronic pancreatitis is prescribed according to the severity
- The nursing method of cat pancreatitis during the recovery period
1.Acute pancreatitis requires hospitalization
If it is acute pancreatitis, the situation is very dangerous, and it needs to be taken to the hospital for treatment in time, and the consequences of not being treated in time are very serious.
2.Chronic pancreatitis is prescribed according to the severity
The hospital will diagnose the severity of chronic pancreatitis, and then prescribe a prescription for the cat based on its judgment, and then take it home for care and treatment.
3.The nursing method of cat pancreatitis during the recovery period
During the recovery period, it can increase the amount of exercise of the cat, and the cat food can be replaced with the prescription food for pancreatitis, which can reduce the burden on the pancreas and help recovery.
3 ways to prevent cats from getting pancreatitis
- Maintain a balanced nutritional intake
- Increase your cat’s exercise
- Avoid cats overeating
1.Maintain a balanced nutritional intake
Allowing cats to eat healthily can ensure that the load on the pancreas will not be very large. It not only allows the cats to maintain their daily energy intake but also avoids pancreatitis, which is a better feeding method.
2.Increase your cat’s exercise
Appropriately increasing the amount of cat’s exercise can effectively control the cat’s weight, reduce the possibility of pancreatitis caused by obesity, and play with the cat can increase the relationship between the cat and the owner.
3.Avoid cats overeating
Overeating will bring a certain burden to the cat’s digestive system and is not friendly to the stomach. It is recommended to use small and frequent meals when feeding the cat so that the cat will eat full without burdening the cat’s stomach.
Symptom 8: Cat diabetes
5 symptoms of cat diabetes
- Cats lose weight
- Increased urination frequency and urine output
- Increased water and food intake
- The cat’s hair is dry and disheveled
- Abnormal walking posture
Introduction to Cat Diabetes & Diagnosis Method
Diabetes is not terrible. What is terrible is other diseases induced by diabetes, such as chronic pancreatitis, peripheral neuropathy, and bacterial infections of the urinary tract.
Insufficient insulin secretion or poor insulin response leads to elevated blood glucose levels, and cats with long-term hyperglycemia will have diabetes. The cat’s normal blood glucose value is 4.5-14mmol/L (80-252mg/dl) after multiple measurements higher than this value can be diagnosed with diabetes.
4 factors that may make cats diabetic
- Obesity
- Older
- Side effects of long-term medication
- Induced by other diseases
1.Obesity
Obesity is very scary. Obesity will increase the risk of organ diseases, and it will also cause cats to decrease their insulin sensitivity, leading to increased blood sugar. Long-term high blood sugar leads to diabetes.
2.Older
Cats over 10 years old enter the category of old age, and older age will gradually reduce the ability to use insulin, leading to cats suffering from diabetes.
3.Side effects of long-term medication
A large number of glucocorticoid drugs will reduce the amount of insulin secretion, and blood sugar cannot be effectively controlled, thus causing diabetes.
4.Induced by other diseases
Diseases such as pancreatitis, Cushing’s syndrome, and acromegaly can affect the normal work of the pancreas and reduce the secretion of insulin, which will lead to diabetes in the long term.
4 ways to care for diabetic cats
- Keep cats active
- Replace the cat food with diabetes prescription food
- Regular physical examination and weight monitoring
- Take the medication according to the doctor’s advice
1.Keep cats active
For cats suffering from diabetes due to obesity, it is necessary to appropriately increase the amount of exercise of the cat and to interact with the cat more to help the cat lose weight and control the weight.
2.Replace the cat food with diabetes prescription food
Diabetes prescription food is a food made for cats with diabetes. The carbohydrate content is low and the high-quality protein content is high, which is helpful for the care and treatment of the disease.
3.Regular physical examination and weight monitoring
Regular visits to the hospital to check blood sugar and monitor weight can be seen to simply judge the treatment of diabetes. Different cats have different standard weights, so you can find them on the Internet for comparison.
4.Take the medication according to the doctor’s advice
The treatment of diabetes requires blood sugar control, and the hospital doctor will determine whether it is necessary to feed or inject drugs for treatment based on the severity of the condition.
Symptom 9: Cat Urethritis
4 symptoms of feline urethritis
- Frequent urination
- Often barking around the litter box
- Occasionally the cat will have hematuria
- Cats often lick their urethral opening
4 reasons cats get urethritis
- Cats drink less water and cause urethral stones
- Dirty litter box makes cats reluctant to urinate
- The cat is under stress because of something
- Cats eat a lot of foods with calcium oxalate
1.Cats drink less water and cause urethral stones
Drinking less water will increase the content of calcium oxalate in the cat’s bladder and easily lead to urinary stones. The urinary stones will get stuck in the cat’s urethra during urination, causing the cat to fail to urinate normally. Over time, it will lead to urethritis and cystitis.
2.Dirty litter box makes cats reluctant to urinate
Cats are very clean animals. If their toilets are not cleaned, the cat’s desire to urinate will be reduced. Long-term non-urination will cause cat urethritis.
3.The cat is under stress because of something
Cats are very timid and maybe overstressed due to various things, such as changes in the environment, changes in members, etc. High pressure may cause the cat to be unwilling to urinate, and the urine cannot be discharged into the bladder, which can cause urinary stones, cystitis, and urethritis.
4.Cats eat a lot of foods with calcium oxalate
Calcium oxalate is the main substance that forms urinary stones. Calcium oxalate is difficult to dissolve in water. If it accumulates in a large amount in the cat’s bladder, it will form urinary stones and cause cystitis, urethritis, and other diseases. Foods rich in calcium oxalate include spinach, etc, remember not to let your cat eat them in large quantities.
2 precautions for cat urethritis
- Urethritis may cause other diseases
- Male cats are more likely to get urethritis than female cats
1.Urethritis may cause other diseases
Urethritis is one of the many diseases of cats with lower urinary tract syndrome. One of these diseases may induce other diseases, such as urinary system diseases such as cystitis and urinary stones. The more the disease is in the later stage, the greater the risk it will bring to the cat, so be sure to detect it early and treat it early.
2.Male cats are more likely to get urethritis than female cats
Because the urethra of a male cat is narrower than that of a female cat, and the urethra will become swollen during estrus, it will be more difficult to urinate and the possibility of urethritis will be higher. Owners of male cats need extra attention.
What to do if cats have urethritis
The symptoms of urethritis are very easy to see. If the cat has symptoms such as blood in the urine, it can be basically confirmed that the cat has a disease in the lower urinary tract. You need to go to the hospital for further examination. The doctor will test the cat’s kidney, bladder, urinary tract, and other urinary tracts through b-ultrasound System, and they will help cats to expel the urine accumulated in the body, and then prescribe cat urethritis drugs to the cats, which can be fed to the cats every day.
How to care for cats during urethritis
- Change the cat food to urinary system prescription food or wet food
- Feed cat daily urethritis medicine
- Urge cats to drink more water
- Observe the cat’s urination
1.Change the staple food to urinary system prescription food or wet food
Changing cat food is one of the best ways to treat urethritis. The urinary system prescription food is food for the treatment of urinary tract diseases. Compared with ordinary dry food, it will promote the cat’s desire to drink water. Feeding wet food can also achieve the effect of drinking more water.
2.Feed cats daily urethritis medicine
The hospital will give supplementary treatments to cats with urethritis or cystitis to relieve inflammation. The price of the medicine is more expensive, it takes a period of time to take it, and the total cost is about 1,000 yuan. Generally, this medicine is fed once a day, and the method of administration will be written on the packaging bag of the medicine, and the medicine can be fed according to the method on the packaging bag.
3.Urge cats to drink more water
Drinking more water can be an effective adjuvant treatment, and it can dilute the concentration of calcium oxalate in the bladder and reduce the production of stones. It is one of the effective ways to treat cat urethritis.
4.Observe the cat’s urination
The purpose of observing the cat’s urination is to confirm whether the treatment of urethritis is successful. If the treatment does not work, you need to return to the hospital for further examination and treatment.
Symptom 10: Feline lymphoma
4 symptoms of Feline lymphoma
- Unknown subcutaneous protrusion and swelling
- Start to have skin problems
- rapid weight loss
- Unusual breathing difficulties
Introduction to Feline Lymphoma
Feline lymphoma is a type of cancer. It is a common symptom of the cat’s lymphatic system. It is also the most likely cancer for cats. The location of the disease is often in the intestines and thoracic cavity. If it is not treated in time, it will spread rapidly and worsen the condition.
2 treatment methods of Lymphoid tumor
- Most lymphoma cancers only require chemotherapy
- Digestive tract type lymphoma requires surgery
1. Most lymphoma cancers only require chemotherapy
Most cats with lymphoid tumors can be treated with chemotherapy. The treatment has certain side effects and needs to be relieved by other drugs. The treatment time is determined by the diffusion area
2.Gastrointestinal lymphoma requires surgery
For the treatment of gastrointestinal lymphoma, surgical resection is required. Before treatment, X-ray and b-ultrasound should be taken to check the tumor distribution and tumor size, and then discuss the surgical procedure, and finally perform surgical resection.