COMMON AILMENTS IN CATS

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Cat Allergies
Cats, like humans, can suffer from a wide range of allergies. The most common allergy among cats is flea allergy. As cats get older, their sensitivity to flea bites increases. Food allergies account for another 5-10% of cat allergies. Food allergies might manifest themselves as dermatitis and severe itching, or vomiting and diarrhea, but may take up to 10 years to show up.

Vomiting
Some cats vomit all the time, while others rarely do. One of the most common reasons for vomiting is hairballs. All cats benefit from regular brushing to help minimize shedding and ingestion of hair. To check to see if your cat has vomited as a result of hairballs, examine the vomit carefully for small grayish pellets or lumps, regardless of your cat's hair color. Hairballs can occur even with shorthair cats.

Another reason for vomiting might be that your cat is allergic to its food. Try switching to another brand with substantially different ingredients and no food colorings to see if that helps.

Sometimes cats vomit when they have worms. Consult your vet for a worming appointment.

Periodic throwing-up can also be a sign of an overactive thyroid or kidney infection. This is particularly common in older cats. Your vet can do a blood test to find out about either.

You know your cat's habits. If it vomits more than usual or in some way demonstrates a departure from its normal habits, take it to the vet. The main thing is to give it plenty of fluids so it does not become dehydrated.

Diarrhea
If your cat has persistent diarrhea, you can try changing its diet. You can try boiled rice, cottage cheese, bread, plain yogurt, boiled chicken, chicken broth or strained meat. Choose the ones your cat prefers. If symptoms continue for more than two days, take your cat to the vet with a stool sample.

You should also call your vet immediately if your kitten is weak or listless, or refuses to take fluids.

Feline Urinary Syndrome (FUS)
Feline urinary syndrome, or FUS, is an inflammation, irritation, and/or obstruction of the lower urinary tract. The inability to pass urine can become a life and death situation if not treated quickly. FUS is far more common among male cats than females. Your cat might have FUS if it strains to urinate, has blood in the urine, makes frequent trips to the litter box with only small amounts voided, or forgets how to use the litterbox.

Diabetes
Diabetes occurs in cats who cannot properly regulate their blood sugar level. Symptoms may include excessive thirst and urination; loss of weight or obesity. Older cats are more likely to develop diabetes than younger ones.

Diabetic cats should be kept indoors to prevent accidental feeding that could elevate its blood sugar.

FIV
Though this disease is related to HIV, it is NOT possible to contract AIDS from a cat with FIV. FIV is passed through open wounds such as cat bites, resulting in an impaired immune system.

As there is currently no vaccine for this disease, FIV-positive cats should be kept inside and away from other cats.

MANIFESTATIONS OF STRESS

When a friendly, extroverted cat suddenly becomes nervous and reactive, it is generally obvious to the owners that the cat is stressed. Stress may not be as easily detected in the shy, introverted cat who may be manifesting stress by sitting in a fixed posture, immobile for long periods of time. Cats handle stress in different ways depending on their personalities. Eysenck (1960) who did research on the human manifestations of stress, suggested that the position of neurotic individuals on the introversion/extroversion scale determined the type of the neurotic behaviors they exhibited. He found that introverts tend to suffer from phobias or obsessional symptoms, while extroverts are more likely to engage in hysterical, antisocial, or self-destructive behavior. The same may apply to cats.

Common manifestations of stress in cats:

Inappropriate elimination (litterbox problems)
Territorial marking behaviors, including spraying
Excessive grooming and self-mutilation
Immobility (depression) and hiding
Redirected aggression (toward people or other pets)
Excessive vocalization
Loss of appetite
Restlessness

All of these behaviors can also be symptoms of illness, so it is important to take the cat to the veterinarian as soon as possible to rule out health problems as being the cause for the aberrant behavior.

Stress-related Housesoiling Problems

One of the most common feline responses to stress is inappropriate elimination. The bladder is the cat’s stress target. If the source of stress is the litter or the litterbox itself (too dirty, too perfumed, too confining) then the stool or urine is often deposited right next to the litterbox. (See our recommendations for "The Prevention and Solution of Litterbox Problems".)

If the cat is experiencing territorial anxiety over the sight of cats, dogs, or wildlife outside, then the cat may spray windows, doors, drapes or prominent objects in the room where the windows are located. Blocking the cat’s view of the outside may help to eliminate these marking problems.

It may be that the cat is stressed by another cat in the household. Perhaps he is ambushed on his way to the litterbox or he is afraid to pass through the other cat’s territory to get to his litterbox. A systematic program of desensitization and counterconditioning is essential to reconcile the cats to each other. (See "The Importance of a Good Introduction".

When the cat urinates in front of the owner or on beds, furniture, or clothing, the message is clearly that the cat has a severe health problem, or that he is severely stressed by something in the environment. If he selects a particular person’s clothing or bedding for his toilet area, it generally means that this person is the source of his anxiety. It can be a positive or negative message. Most likely, the cat is exhibiting separation anxiety, or a status conflict. Having this person give the cat food treats as well as extra attention may solve the problem. It is also necessary to keep clothes and other previous targets away from the cat for awhile.

Some stress-related behavior problems yield more readily to behavior modification strategies when the cat is treated with an anti-anxiety medication. A non-sedative drug, such as Buspirone, relaxes the cat, but unlike Valium, it enables the cat to continue learning so that retraining can steadily proceed.

Upper Respiratory Disease
Upper respiratory disease will mainfest itself in your cat by cold or flu-like symptoms, like a runny nose and sneezing combined with reddened, runny eyes.

Feline Herpes Virus
Don't worry, you can't get herpes from your cat! FHV affects only cats.

Chlamydia Psittaci
Chlamydia is a bacteria-like organism that inhabits the tissues around the eyes. The most common symptom is conjunctivitis, which is generally seen in one eye at first, then spreads to both eyes.