Five Common Cat Illnesses and Their Symptoms

Basic Symptom and Treatment Information

Many cat owners know very little about cat healthcare, myself included. I’m quite often at a loss when my cats seem out of sorts and I haven’t the foggiest idea what may be wrong with them. It makes me feel pretty helpless.

When one of my cats seems to be under the weather I want to know what to look for and if I should take my cat in for medical treatment. Spotting symptoms early will lead to early treatment and less stress for your pet. The following is not medical advice. Only your veterinarian can properly diagnose and treat your cat’s illnesses. This is a short list of common illnesses, the symptoms and how your veterinarian may treat the problem.

Urinary Tract Infection

Cats can get urinary tract infections just like we do. Signs of this in cats will vary. Many cats will whine or yelp when using the litter box and you may find blood in their urine. They may also have ‘accidents’ even if they use the litter box without trouble otherwise. You may notice your cat makes frequent trips to the box but they seem to have trouble getting any urine to pass.

UTI will vary in severity and you may not even know they have one. These extremely mild cases will clear up before you become aware there is a problem. By the time you do notice something is wrong it is probably time to visit your veterinarian.

Antibiotics are the common first step in treating UTI and will most likely clear up the problem if it is diagnosed early. Your veterinarian should do a series of test to determine the origin of the problem for proper care. In some cases the infection may spread to the kidney and complicate the situation. Kitty might be in a lot of pain. If you see any symptoms please make an appointment as soon as possible. If there is any blockage preventing your cat from using the box this can become life threatening very quickly.

Upper Respiratory Infection