Cat Health Center - Common Disorders

Feline Infectious Anemia

Feline infectious anemia (FIA) is a disorder caused by a tiny red blood cell parasite, Mycoplasma haemofelis (and, less frequently, by Mycoplasma haemominutum).Infected animals develop a progressive and usually cyclic decrease in the number of healthy circulating red blood cells, which leads to weakness, inappetance, lethargy, depression, splenomegaly, weight loss, pallor, often a fluctuating fever and sometimes sudden death.FIA is caused by Mycoplasma haemofelis and, less commonly, by Mycoplasma haemominutum. These are parasitic bacterial microorganisms

Read More ›

Colitis in Cats

Colitis is the medical term for inflammation of the colon, which is the lower or "large" part of the gastrointestinal tract between the cecum and the rectum. Feline colitis can be acute, episodic or chronic.The colon is an essential part of the gastrointestinal tract and is responsible for the final stages of digestion, before the stool is eliminated. When the layers of tissue lining the colon are irritated and inflamed, the final phases of digestion

Read More ›

Chronic Renal Failure in Cats

Chronic renal failure (CRF) is a progressive disease caused by a primary long-term insult to the kidneys which, over time, damages their ability to concentrate urine and remove nitrogenous wastes from circulation. Unfortunately, the clinical signs of chronic renal failure usually are not apparent until the cat's kidneys are severely and irreversibly damaged.CRF in cats can present without overt clinical signs; this form usually is called renal "insufficiency" rather than renal "failure". Unfortunately, once prolonged

Read More ›

Hyperthyroidism in Cats

Hyperthyroidism is the condition caused by excessive functional activity of the thyroid gland, resulting in excessive secretion of the thyroid hormones, thyroxine and triiodothyronine. It is the most common endocrine disease in domestic cats, and is extremely rare in dogs.Cats with this disease show a number of classic signs, including increased thirst and corresponding increased urination, weight loss despite increased appetite and food consumption, restlessness, hyperactivity, possible aggression, respiratory difficulty, elevated respiratory and heart rates

Read More ›

Cat Diarrhea

Diarrhea in cats can occur due to a number of different reasons. In most cases, cats experience diarrhea from exposure to an outside factor such as parasites, bacteria, or protozoa. Cats can also experience diarrhea as a symptom of a disease or infection.One of the most common causes of diarrhea in cats is parasites. Hookworms, tapeworms, roundworms, and whipworms can all cause cats to experience diarrhea. Cats can also have diarrhea if they become infected

Read More ›

Cat Skin Allergies

The term "allergy" is a general reference to an immune-mediated hypersensitivity reaction to some antagonizing environmental "allergen," which is normally innocuous to non-allergic animals. A more specific definition of "allergy" is an altered reaction to something (the allergen) following a second or subsequent exposure to it. Virtually anything in the environment can be an allergen.Once a cat has been exposed to an allergen, subsequent exposure to the same substance will cause hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions, depending

Read More ›