Cat Diseases and Symptoms

Though cats belong to the scientific family 'Felidae', they are considered as our own loving family members, since time immemorial. Cats are well-known for a very keen sense of hearing and night vision. These small, agile and elusive felines are equipped with excellent memory and these carnivores learn by observation and experience. Slight change in cat behavior, indicating cat illness, can be noticed immediately, if you really love your pet. Like human beings, cats face various problems like heart diseases, kidney diseases, skin problems, hormonal disorders, digestive system diseases, kidney dysfunction, mental stress, eye problems, etc. Along with proper medication, after consultation with the vet, if you offer lots of love and affection, the diseases can be cured fast. A normal healthy cat can live for about 15 years. Pet care plays an important role in pet health.

List of Common Cat Diseases and Symptoms

Disease Type	Name of The Disease	Symptoms	Treatment
Eye Disease	Cat eye discharge	Pus like sticky mucus or clear watery discharge, reddened eye	Allergy treated with hydrocotisone medications, bacterial infection treated with antibiotic medications and ointments, fungus treated with antifungal medications.
Eye Disease	Glaucoma	Squinting, redness of the pupil or one pupil appearing larger than the other	Proper medication
Eye Disease	Cataracts	Opaque eye lens, light does not reach retina	Lens transplant surgery
Eye Disease	Neonatal Conjunctivitis	Formation of crust sealing the eyelids of kitten, bulging eyes	Boric acid eyewash
Eye Disease	Iris melanoma	Changed iris color, black spot in the eye, thickening of iris.	Medication, or removal of the eye
Eye Disease	Blindness in cats	Stress and hypertension, dilated pupils, bloody eye chambers	Proper medication, stress removal therapy, lots of love and attention
Viral Disease	Feline herpes	Reddened eye, eye discharge, running nose, fever, drooling, loss of appetite	Proper medication, herpes vaccination
Heart Disease	Heart murmur in cats	Vet can detect other abnormal sounds apart from the normal pumping of the hear, replacing the normal 'lub-dub' sound with a 'whosh' sound, sudden weight loss, lethargy, pale gums, improper growth in kitten, loss of appetite, abnormal breathing	Proper medication, care
Heart Disease	Cardiomyopathy in cats	Inactive cat, poor appetite, bony back, enlarged liver, panting	Proper medications to alleviate the thyroid, radioactive iodine therapy or thyroid surgery, ACE inhibitors to improve cardiac function
Body Disease	Parasites in cats	Weight loss, diarrhea, and bloody, tarry stools, unhealthy fur coat, pot bellied appearance, vomiting, loss of appetite, spaghetti like worms observed when vomited or in feces and bacterial pneumonia.	Oral de-worming medication, proper food
Body Disease	Arthritis	Limping, stiffness in limb, reluctance to walk or jump, swollen or enlarged joints, visible pain and discomfort	Anti-inflammatory drugs and pain killers, glucosamine and chondroitin, providing heating pad on the affected joint
Body Disease	Cat sores in neck, mouth, chin, lips, legs.	Scratching of skin leading to bald patches and reddened skin, increased irritability, acnes on chin, an ulcerated appearance of the sore	Application of antibiotic ointment and oral medication, proper attention to cat health
Body Disease	Paralysis in cats	Paralyzed limbs or laryngeal muscles collapse leading to change in voice, difficulty in breathing while eating	Proper medication according to the causes of paralysis
Body Disease	Feline diabetes	Sudden weight loss or gain, excessive thirst and urination, weakness, dehydration, loss of appetite or increased appetite and breathing problems	Change in diet, high fiber diet and proper medication
Skin Disease	Hair loss in cats	Excessive hair loss causing bald patches on the skin, skin may appear red with small bumps and blisters.	Proper medication according to the underlying disease, providing balanced diet, controlling stress and anxiety.
Skin Disease	Cat dandruff	Dry, flaky skin, hair loss, most of the time scratching of skin by the cat	Proper medication, providing nutritious cat food, maintaining humidity at home.
Hormonal Disorder	Cushings disease in cats	Excessive thirst and eating, frequent urination, panting, muscle weakness, enlarged liver	After detecting the causes, the veterinarian will prescribe the best medicine that would give desired results, herbal medicines to maintain cortisol levels

I hope the cat diseases and symptoms, mentioned above, are helpful in diagnosing common cat illnesses. Take care of your cat very well, so that it can lead a healthy and stress free life.