Common Cat Diseases and How You Can Prevent Them

1) Diabetes- This is caused by type 2 diabetes which is known as Non insulin dependent diabetes.  The diabetes is most often induced by obesity or pancreatitis, which causes the pet to have insulin resistance. Diabetic cats often show increased drinking, urinating and eating. If not treated with insulin then it can progress to a deadly disease called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which is a life threatening emergency.

Prevention: Use low calorie foods or foods with high fiber to maintain a good body weight.  Use toys to help encourage exercise such as laser pens and scratching posts to climb. 

2) FLUTD- Known as "feline lower urinary tract disease", its one of the most common diseases affecting cats.  The cause is not known but one idea is that it is due to stress which causes mucous formation which leading to urinary obstruction.  Also, bladder stones can cause this syndrome.  Urinary blockage is most common in male cats and it is a emergency.   

Prevention: Encouraging cats to drink a lot of water and decreasing stress is the mainstay of prevention.  Increased water intake may be encouraged by using water fountains. Canned foods can be feed since they contain higher levels of water however, they can increase the chances of tooth disease. Using a laser pen and playing with toys has been thought to decrease stress. Plus, allowing your cat access to a window can decrease stress levels.   

3) Foreign body obstruction-  Kittens and younger cats are most often affected when they eat foreign objects that get stuck in their gastro intestinal system.  String and other linear objects are very attractive to cats and most often result in GI obstruction. 

Prevention: Do not allow cats to play with strings and remove small toy fragments once they have been chewed.

4) Hepatic lipidosis- This disease usually occurs when overweight cats do not eat for a couple of days.   Causes of anorexia or decreased appetite can be a result of numerous secondary causes. A common scenario is when cat are left home become anorexic when owners leave on vacation. 

Prevention: Make sure your pet sitter monitors the amount of food consumed by your cat.  If your cat stops eating then you can have the pet sitter offer stinky foods such as tuna or canned food to entice them to eat.