Cat Health Problems and Symptoms

There are hundreds of potential health problems that a feline can suffer from. Many times, a small group of symptoms can resemble several different diseases, making diagnosis fairly difficult. Plus, cats are known to hide their illnesses until the problem is severe. Cat owners and potential owners should be aware of common illnesses and symptoms, so they can get their cats the help they need if health problems arise.

  1. Allergies

    • There are a vast number of allergens in the world, such as food ingredients or pollen. A feline suffering from allergies has symptoms including hair loss, itching, skin lesions and mutilated skin. The cat may even pull out her own fur.

    Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)

    • Urinary tract infections usually affect the bladder and can infect any cat at any time. Symptoms of a UTI include difficulty urinating, frequent trips to the litter box, blood in the urine (hematuria), loss of control over the bladder, painful urination-- which may cause the cat to cry out whenever urination is attempted--and excessive licking of the genitals.

    Diabetes

    • Diabetes occurs when the body is either unable to produce insulin or it is unable to use the insulin that is produced. Symptoms of diabetes in a feline include weight loss, an increase or decrease in appetite, lethargy, dehydration, increased water intake, increased urination, sweet-smelling breath, unkempt fur and urinary tract infections.

    Periodontal Disease

    • Periodontal disease occurs in two forms: periodontitis and gingivitis. Symptoms of gingivitis include buildup of food and bacteria around the teeth leading to inflammation or infections of the gums, loss of appetite, bad breath and drooling. Symptoms of feline periodontitis include more severe damage or destruction to the teeth, foul breath, changes in eating habits, weight loss and teeth falling out.

    Distemper

    • Feline panleukopenia is a highly contagious virus that attacks the white blood cells; it may also go by the names of feline distemper or feline infectious enteritis. Symptoms of feline distemper include fever, loss of appetite, vomiting up a yellow, frothy bile, diarrhea and crouching in pain. If undetected or untreated, this disease can be fatal. In kittens, the rate of mortality is high, with nearly 90 percent of kittens affected passing away from the virus or secondary infections.

    Inflammatory Bowel Disease

    • Inflammatory bowel disease occurs when inflammatory cells invade the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease in a feline include vomiting, diarrhea, blood in the stool, increased defecation, increased mucus, loose stool, depression, loss of appetite, weight loss and fever.