Common cat health problems and detailed discussion about two of the most common cat diseases pet owners might run into.
I have been very fortunate in that few of my own cats have experienced these next two all to common cat diseases.
Nobody I know of likes to talk about sad subjects such as the serious illness or cat health problems of the pets we consider family.
However, we’ve designed this website to try and share important cat health and cat behavior problems with our visitors from around the world.
Fortunately, the more you know about these ailments the better equipped you’ll be to protect your pet.
Common Cat Diseases
The first common cat disease to speak about is FeLV. This stands for the feline leukemia virus. This is a highly infectious and incurable disease, which is almost always fatal.
This common cat disease is transmitted by body fluids such as blood and saliva. Therefore, it’s most common in outside cats that fight. It can also be transmitted at poorly run feline boarding facilities.
This can also be an issue in households with large numbers of cats and kittens which can be particularly vulnerable. Before a vaccine was developed in the 1980s it was something the cat breeders Association’s where terrified of.
A vaccine with a yearly booster is available, although this is no help if the cat has already contracted the FelV disease. If a particular cat already has this disease and the vaccine is administered it might even worsen the condition. A simple blood test is available to prevent the vaccination of already infected but not diagnosed cats.
Symptoms of FELV in Felines
The symptoms of this disease include vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty in breathing, fever, and anemia, these symptoms are sometimes slow to develop and can last for years before pinpoint diagnosis of this disease. Cats can live for many years with this disease occurring in their bodies.
The big problem is this virus is contagious to other animals. If your cat is a solitary pet with no interaction with others, then the disease will not pose a danger to other animals.
Here is an important point to make about this condition, it is not transferable to humans. Diagnosis of this common cat disease is accomplished by a blood test. Cats can live for years with feline leukemia. Again the key is to make sure that they are isolated from other animals.
Two Additional Cat Health Issues
Two other incurable cat viruses that we hope you never encounter are FIP and FIV. The first one is feline infectious peritonitis (FIP).
The second one stands feline immune deficiency virus. This is actually similar to HIV in humans. Detection is not expensive, but requires a blood draw and Lab analysis.
Both of these diseases are non curable at this time, and also provide no vaccine to prevent the disease. Fortunately, at this time these diseases are not as common as the feline leukemia virus.
Again, these issues mentioned are not transferable to humans. These diseases are spread by blood and saliva often found in animals that are engaged in territorial fighting. If you spay or neuter the cat and or keep them indoors the chances of contracting this virus are greatly reduced.
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