Common Cat Health Care Problems

Amongst the more common cat health care problems are certain urinary problems. Some illnesses, undesirable behaviours and diseases that we see most often in our feline friends are related to urinary problems. The main three problems are Cystitis, or Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, spraying and renal failure.

Cystitis and FLUTD are umbrella terms used to describe the cat health care problem of inflammation in the urinary bladder. The symptoms include irritation and inflammation affecting urination, an increase in the frequency of urination and the urgency of it, general difficulty urinating and evidence of blood in the urine. These illnesses are caused by various triggers, although very often food causes urinary crystals to form into bladder stones. Also, cats which are overweight are often affected because they are susceptible to cat health care problems generally. This problem can be easily treated by a vet.

Spraying is more of a problem behaviour than a cat health care problem. Between the age of eight and nine months male cats will hit puberty and develop new, territorial behaviours. This will include spraying  very strong smelling urine around their territory- your house. Getting rid of the smell can be very difficult. At the same time as this behaviour emerges, the cat is likely to start fighting with other cats, so to avoid any potential cat health care problems it is advisable to have your cat neutered.

Kidney disease is a very common cat health care problem, particularly amongst middle aged and older cats. Cat urine is very concentrated and not frequently passed, meaning that the kidneys work exceptionally hard. It is therefore not uncommon for the kidneys of older cats to begin to fail. Symptoms of kidney disease include drinking and urinating more and if the disease progresses, sickness, disorientation and weight loss. Besides old age, this cat health care problem could be caused by cancer, infections or ingestion of a poisonous substance.