Cat Health Problems: Symptoms

One of the most important aspects about pet care is to get yourself acquainted with all possible diseases and their symptoms that might affect your adorable pets. The medical conditions which commonly affect cats, are just 'more than many'! There are some illnesses which can be a source of mere inconveniences and some which may be life-threatening for cats. You can get your answer to many of your cat health questions from some of the most common cat health problems and symptoms that have been described below.

Common Health Issues and their Symptoms in Cats
Know the cat health problems and symptoms given below, for they will help you in the early identification of your cat's health problem.

Nasty Hairballs
One of the most commonly asked cat health questions is 'Why do my cats cough hairballs?' Well, most cat owners are aware of this condition. Cats have a habit of grooming themselves by licking their bodies. In this process, they tend to swallow some loose hair which gets accumulated inside the stomach into forms that are known as hairballs. Symptoms of hairballs are continuous coughing, vomiting, gagging or hacking. Loss of appetite is also one of the symptoms of cat hairballs.

Feline Leukemia
This illness signifies the cancer of white blood cells in cats and it is also communicable. Chest, abdominal and multicentric are the three types of feline leukemia. Enlarged chest lymph nodes, breathing difficulties, coughing, and gagging are the common chest symptoms. Depression, weight loss, dehydration, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, anemia, jaundice and loss of appetite are all signs of abdominal leukemia. In case of multicentric leukemia, symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes under the skin and tumor formations in many organs.

Worms
Roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms and in rare cases, heartworms are also responsible for cat health problems. Symptoms of worms are weight loss, a pot bellied appearance, poor coat appearance and vomiting.

Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)
Here the lower urinary tract in cats is affected by the infection and it is also one of the common cat health problems. Symptoms in this case are abnormal grooming of genitals, crying while urinating due to the pain and blood in the urine. Frequent urination and less or no urine at all are also some of the urinary tract infections in cats symptoms.

Fleas
Anemia and tapeworm are sometimes caused due to fleas, which are external parasites. Prominent symptoms are scratching and itching. Flea allergy dermatitis is also a symptom which is caused due to an allergic reaction from the flea's saliva on the skin of the cat. Feline health is affected by anemia which occurs when there is a heavy flea infestation and in some cases it may also lead to death.

Plant Poisoning
Chewing on certain green plants may lead to poisoning in felines and many other cat health problems. Symptoms to watch out for are mouth irritation, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, hallucinations, seizures, coma and skin rash.

Kidney Disease
Most older cats are often diagnosed with kidney failure which commonly occurs due to feeding of dry food diet. Symptoms of feline kidney disease to look for are increased thirst for water, scratching, mangy coat, fatigue and frequent urination.

Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivas or commonly known as pink eye is basically the inflammation of the conjunctiva and yet another one among the various cat health problems. Symptoms which readily occur in conjunctivitis include red, swollen, watery and crusty eyes.

Dental Disease
Dental diseases in cats are a major concern that most cat owners face. The disease is usually attended to when it has already reached a severe stage, as most of the owners remain unaware of the early symptoms. The symptoms include bad breath, reddened gum edges with yellow or brown deposits, receding gums and drooling saliva. Mouth pain, poor or loss of appetite, difficulty in chewing the food and closing the mouth are the other symptoms.

Ear Mites
Severe ear infections in cats are usually caused by ear mites. The infestation cause extreme itchiness and that's why cats can be seen vigorously scratching their ears and shaking their heads. The ears may also appear flattened or laid back and develop a foul smell. Their ears may be painful to them, when they are touched.

Feline Stress
There could be many factors which may cause stress, leading to multiple cat health problems. Symptoms associated with feline stress are anxiousness, roaming around the house and mewing all the time and not using the litter box. All of these signify that your cat might be suffering from feline stress. Loss of appetite, pulling out of fur, trembling and hiding are the symptoms which are caused due to stress.

Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP)
Caused by a mutated corona virus, the feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is diagnosed in cats having symptoms of upper respiratory infection,weight loss and lethargy. Other symptoms include sneezing, watery eyes and nasal discharge, apart from diarrhea.

Feline Pancreatitis
A common medical disorder found in cats is the feline pancreatitis, which is a gastrointestinal disease. It has symptoms of fever, diarrhea, lethargy, low appetite, dehydration, weight loss, vomiting and distress

Diabetes Mellitus
A failure of the pancreas to produce adequate amount of insulin, in cats is termed as 'diabetes mellitus' or 'sugar diabetes'. Its symptoms mimic those of other diseases and include inappropriate elimination, change in appetite, weight loss, change in gait (walking), decreased activity, weakness, depression, vomiting and increased thirst and frequency of urination.

Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is another severe medical condition that is transmitted to cats and dogs from infected deer ticks. The common feline Lyme disease symptoms are loss of appetite, hesitancy to jump or climb stairs, painful muscles, limping, or reluctance to put weight on a paw, lethargy, fever, swollen lymph glands and in some cases, paralysis.

So these were some of the major cat health problems and symptoms which most cat owners come up with. Taking care of our own illnesses is a bit easier than countering the diseases of your pets. This is because of the simple fact that your pets are speechless, unlike us. All they can do is cry and exhibit behavior which are different than normal. So you are responsible for looking any abnormal signs or symptoms that your cat may show. However, if you are on your toes regarding pet's health, it is more than enough to keep it 'mewing' in delight and happiness!