Cat Health Problems
Cat health issues can arise from various sources, but a proper diet and fresh water are crucial for cat health care. A nutritious, species-appropriate diet can help prevent many common health problems in cats.
Knowing this ahead of time can create a much happier life for you and your feline friend. Decreasing both human and cat stress that goes along with cat illnesses, as well as the unpleasant frequent and often costly trips to the vet.
If you distrust your furry companion isn’t thinking well and may be submitting from cat health problems you should discuss your vet directly away for proper cat health care information and therapy.
Give respects to your cat’s normal habits, and as unpleasant as it may sound their normal excrement. When you start noticing changes in these things it could be a sign of a common cat health problem.
Proper cat health care is key. Keeping a close eye on things and taking action early can help catch cat illnesses in early stages and help prevent more serious problems.
Hairballs
Part of sharing your home with feline friends means finding the occasional cat hairball. While grooming they inevitably ingest loose hair which sometimes collects to form a ball in their stomach.
Sometimes the hairball will start to make its way through the digestive system and cause constipation.
Vomiting in Cats
There are several things that can cause your cat to vomit, from the simple to the severe. If your cat is vomiting frequently, take it to the vet.
Vomiting with other illness symptoms may indicate serious health issues. Always monitor for behavioral changes in your kitty.
Feline Fleas
Fleas not only make your cat extremely uncomfortable, but flea infestation and flea bites can also cause allergic reactions, tapeworm or anemia.
Controlling fleas is important for you and your cat as they can cause other cat health problems as well as extreme irritation for both of you.
Learn more about: Flea Treatment for Cats Including Natural Flea Control.
Feline Worms
Worms are internal parasites that feed off of the host animal. The two common intestinal worms found in cats and kittens are roundworms and tapeworms. Heartworm and ringworm are two other worms that can affect cats; although ringworm isn’t actually a worm, it’s a fungus. Learn more about Feline Worms.
Ear Mites
Ear mites in cats is a common but serious problem. If not treated the ear mites can cause severe damage to the ear canals and eardrum that can result in the permanent hearing loss.
Ear mites can live anywhere on the body, but they cannot survive long off of your cat. Ear mites are easily spread to other pets in the household, so all pets should be checked and treated at the same time. Humans aren’t affected by ear mites.
You can find commercial ear preparations to kill ear mites. For proper cat health care be sure to get one for cats and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Dental Disease – Dental/tooth problems
Consistent, good dental care is an important part of cat health care… not just for your cat’s health but her comfort as well. The bacteria and toxins from an infection started in your cat’s mouth can circulate through the body and contribute to other cat health problems relating to the kidney, liver or heart. Dental disease can also be very painful for your cat, making it hard for her to eat.
Help prevent dental disease in your cat with:
- Regular brushing, with a cat toothbrush and cat toothpaste
- Regular check-ups
- Feeding dental treats, the best are dehydrated or freeze-dried
- Supplements or drops to add to your cat’s food and/or water
- A healthy diet, which helps maintain a stronger immune system
Conjunctivitis (cat eye infection)
Conjunctivitis is the inflammation or infection of the lining of the eyelid. It can be a result of allergies or an infection caused by a virus, bacteria or fungus.
Symptoms of conjunctivitis can include redness of the eye and/or discharge of the eye. Allergies typically cause a watery or clear discharge while infections generally cause a yellowish or greenish discharge.
This can be painful and in some cases cause vision impairment or blindness. It’s important to seek medical attention to treat your cat’s eye infection and to see if it may be a symptom of another cat illness.
Cat Stress
Cat stress is one of the cat health problems that aren’t always considered when thinking about cat health care. Cats like routine and changes to that routine can cause anxiety for them.
Things like moving, a pet or person joining or leaving the household, a fellow pet dying or changes in routine are a few things that can cause cat stress. Unfortunately, too much cat stress can also lead to cat behavior problems and other cat health problems.
Constipation in Cats
If your cat hasn’t had a bowel movement for several days she may be suffering from feline constipation and should receive treatment right away. Cat constipation can be uncomfortable and painful for your feline friend and may be a sign of another cat illness.
Feline Urinary Tract Infections
Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) refers to a number of urinary tract disorders in cats. FLUTD related cat health problems can be painful for your cat and if not treated can even cause death.
If you suspect your cat has a urinary tract infection seek medical treatment right away.
Learn more about Feline Urinary Tract Infection.
Diabetes in Cats
Feline diabetes is a cat illness that results when the body isn’t able to regulate blood sugar levels. Feline diabetes symptoms include excessive thirst, frequent urination, recurring urinary tract infections, urinating outside the litter box, changes in appetite, weight loss, and lethargy.
Kitties with diabetes can be sound, normal behaviors with proper treatment and cat health care. Part of the treatment process is feeding your diabetic cat a high quality, high protein, low carbohydrate diet with little or no grain.
Kidney Disease
The organs clean out vapors in the body and expel them through urine. When a cat has organ infection it means the kidneys are destroyed and no great ability to efficiently accumulate the toxins in the urine anymore.
Feline Leukemia
The feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is the cause of feline leukemia as well as other immunodeficiency disorders and other cancers.
The virus can be transmitted to other cats through bodily fluids like saliva, urine or feces, but it usually takes multiple exposures to infect an adult cat.
Hyperthyroidism in Cats
Feline hyperthyroidism is caused by an overactive thyroid gland that starts overproducing hormones. The hormones produced by the thyroid gland regulate the body’s growth, development, and metabolism.
Since the higher hormone levels increase the body’s metabolic rate, feline hyperthyroidism can impact other systems in the cat’s body.
A high-quality feline diet and good medical care are the best forms of cat health care to prevent and treat cat health problems and common cat illnesses.