Sunday, October 19, 2008

Do You Know What Disease Symptoms To Look For?

When we have pain in our bodies, we can easily tell someone that there is something wrong and that person will be able to take you to the hospital. Pets cannot do that merely observing them can tell you a lot of things. which is why owners should exercise cat care and be aware of the symptoms.

Here are a few diseases you should watch out for and their symptoms.

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is the most feared disease and in fact is the leading cause of death among cats. It is caused by a coronavirus infection and the worse part is that the symptoms are very common with other ailments, so it is really hard to tell if your cat has this.

There is also Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) that is similar to HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). Just like the version in humans, it is a life long infection that advances slowly and kills the cat.

Cats may as well be infected by Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV). This is a is a retrovirus that causes fatal cancerous and non cancerous diseases. Fortunately, it can be easily treated by using some household bleach and detergents, also your pet must be kept warm. This disease is carried through the saliva, tears, urine and feces of other cats that are infected. unlike the other two diseases, it cannot live that long in the environment. Hence, it is only transmissible when the infected cat stays with another cat for any period of time.

Worms are also another threat to cats and this is caused by a fungal infection that is spread through spores. Since it is a self-limiting disease, you do not need to do anything to make it go away. It will in time clear up but it may just take a few months.


If you have a overweight cat, then the chances are it will already have feline diabetes. The symptoms of this disease are pretty easy to see and are excessive urination and thirst as well as weight loss or gain. Veterinaries are of yet unsure what is the cause of this, but recent research studies that have been done, have showed that there is a link between pancreatic disease, hormonal imbalance and certain medications.

The symptoms of most of the diseases mentioned are very similar. These include diarrhea, vomiting, lameness lasting for more than five days in one leg, a decrease in vision, excessive panting, a seizure, blood in the stool or urine, hair loss, persistent coughing or gagging and breathing heavily or rapidly at rest. In order to find the answer, your cat will have to undergo some tests.

Your vet will take some blood, urine and feces samples and ask for input from you, about any observation you have made. When the tests results come back, only then will the proper treatment be administered to your cat as each case is different, so what worked for another cat may not have the same positive effect with yours.

Your cat could still be healthy if you gave it constant attention. This can be done by giving it leading quality food, giving it fresh water, allowing it to exercise, proper grooming, making certain it stays indoors and taking it regularly to the veterinary surgeon.

If you miss any of these simple steps, then something wrong is certain to happen to your cat and you will soon notice a change in the behaviour of your cat and if you do nothing about it, it is just going to make matters far worse. So you need to keep proper cat care and look out for any symptoms.

For further Free information on Long Term Cat Care try visiting Caring For Your Cat Help.

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