Cat Diseases

Cat diseases may not be something you like to think about if you have a cat or are getting a cat but knowing about diseases in cat is important. It can help you detect possible symptoms early and it can help you protect human loved ones that share a space with you cat. Cat diseases are only scary to think about if you don’t know what you are dealing with. If you become familiar some of them you will be more at ease in speaking to your veterinarian when and if the time comes. For your cat’s benefit, become familiar with the subject of cat disease and he or she will avoid the possibility of long and short term suffering.

One type of cat disease that cat owners often don’t pay much attention to in cats is mouth disease. There are many different kinds of cats’ mouth diseases that cats can develop and they are often overlooked because they are hidden away. Your cat’s breath is usually the first sign that there may be a problem but it is not always obvious. Let’s face it; cat’s breath is not wonderful at the best of times, so you may not notice slight differentiations. Check your cat’s mouth and oral conditions regularly (at least once a month but every two weeks is better) to avoid mouth diseases like ulcers, gingivitis, and lesions. Simple things like this can get worse if they are not taken care of and can turn into much worse conditions that will cause you cat a lot of pain and suffering.

For those that share living space with a cat, they should be aware of cat scratch disease. This is a disease that humans can get if they are bitten, scratched, or sometimes even licked by a cat or kitten that carries a bacterium called bartonella henselae. Cats or kittens that carry these bacteria do not look sick. While someone who has contracted cat scratch disease usually has mild symptoms like blisters or a mild fever, a small percentage of people may have much more severe results. People with weak immune systems, like older adults or young children, may suffer from retinitis or encephalitis. The best way to avoid it is by immediate cleaning of a bite or scratch with an antibacterial soap.

Other types of cat disease include cat liver disease, cat eye disease, kidney disease in cats, and cat disease of the heart. In heart disease case, and in many other disease, age is has little if any factor.

Cat Lyme disease is one very common disease that can have mild to major symptoms and thus can be hard to diagnose. Lyme disease in a cat is often diagnosed because the owner finds a tick on their cat. Symptoms of this cat disease include stiffness of muscles or joints, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, and possibly, sudden collapse. There are many ways to treat Lyme disease but one that is growing is popularity is an herbal remedy called cat claw. Lyme disease is effective treated with extracts of cat’s claw that helps fight infections and protect against degenerative diseases. When pet owners use cat claw, a disease, Lyme disease in this case, effects of the disease are decreased.