Diseases of cats | My cat is legend

The cat diseases are those infections or diseases that infect felines. Some of these cause symptoms, illness or death in the animal and may be symptomatic in one cat but not in other cats. Some diseases can be treated and the animal can make a full recovery, while others, such as viral diseases, cannot be treated with antibiotics. This is because antibiotics are not effective against viruses.

The diseases for which the cat is vaccinated are generally four:

• feline leukemia FeLV;
• feline panleukopenia;
• calicivirosis;
• feline viral rhinotracheitis.

There are also other diseases, which cannot always be vaccinated, which affect cats, such as FIV or FIP. The main symptoms, the most obvious ones are: vomiting, diarrhea and itching. Here is a quick guide to some of the most popular and common cat diseases:

• Cancer: Cancer is a class of diseases in which cells grow uncontrollably, invade surrounding tissue, and can spread to other areas of the body. As with people, cats can have various types of cancer. The disease can be localized (confined to one area, such as a tumor) or generalized (spread throughout the body)
• Diabetes: Diabetes in cats is a complex disease caused by a lack of the hormone insulin or an inadequate response to insulin. When a cat doesn’t produce insulin or can’t use it normally, their blood sugar levels rise. The result is hyperglycemia, which, if left untreated, can cause many complicated health problems for a cat
• Viral immunodeficiency syndrome or FIV: Cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV in cats) may not show symptoms until years after the initial infection. Although the virus is slow-acting, a cat’s immune system is severely weakened once the disease has taken hold. This makes the cat susceptible to various secondary infections. Infected cats receiving medical care and kept in a stress-free environment can live relatively comfortable lives for months to years before the disease reaches its chronic stages.
• Feline leukemia or FeLV: Feline leukemia virus is a transmissible RNA retrovirus that can severely inhibit a cat’s immune system. FeLV in cats can cause death
• Infectious peritonitis o FIP in cats: it is an infectious disease, a peritonitis that can lead to death, caused by a feline coronavirus, not transmissible to people or other pets. Symptoms can be confused with those of FiV or FeLV
• Feline panleukopenia: due to parvovirus, it causes initial symptoms such as vomiting, fever, anorexia, dehydration, mucosal congestion and dryness, abdominal pain, lymph node enlargement, up to leukopenia and diarrhea. To prevent panleukopenia in cats, they can be vaccinated
• Rabies in the catRabies is a viral disease affecting the brain and spinal cord, predictable by vaccine, but once symptoms appear, rabies is almost always fatal
• Ringworm in cats: also known as dermatophytosis, it is not caused by a worm, but a fungus that can infect the skin, hair and nails and which often spreads to other pets as well, infecting them
• Calicivirosis: it affects via the calicivirus and is contagious, but above all it can give serious consequences and symptoms such as ulcers on the hard palate (upper palate) and tongue and respiratory problems. It can be prevented
• Feline viral rhinotracheitis: Extremely contagious, it is produced by the herpesvirus and can cause death. Symptoms include: fever, slimy cough, ulcerative keratitis, excessive sneezing, and mucopurulent nasal discharge
• Toxoplasmosis: it is a parasitic disease caused by small parasites of the protozoan genus Toxoplasma gondii which is transmitted by ingesting infected mice or birds; for this reason, the most prone to contracting this disease are stray cats and those used to living outside. Toxoplasmosis is mainly asymptomatic and the symptoms can be confused with other pathologies (fever, inappetence, weight loss)
• intestinal worms: Cats can acquire a variety of intestinal parasites, including some that are commonly referred to as “worms.” Infestations can cause a variety of symptoms. Some cat worms can even be dangerous to human health.

We remind you not to administer antibiotics independently to the sick cat but to contact the vet and strictly follow his advice. Here are all the articles and insights on cat diseases one by one: