Mary Allen
What diseases are there? How are they transferred? How can you protect your cat? We clarify!
Infectious diseases are among the leading causes of death in cats. Diseases caused by viruses are particularly insidious, as they are often not curable. Vaccines are not available for all pathogens.
With proper preventive measures, you can increase the likelihood that your cat will remain healthy. But even in the case of a viral infection, prompt treatment of the symptoms can ensure that your cat can enjoy a long life. It is therefore important to recognize the first signs of a potentially incurable disease.
Feline Immunodeficiency Syndrome (FIV)
The best-known and most feared incurable viral disease is FIV, which is also colloquially called “cat AIDS”. In fact, the FI viruses are also related to the viruses that cause the immune deficiency disease AIDS in humans.
Transmission
Diseased velvet paws pose no danger to their owners, since the virus only affects cats. The FI virus is usually transmitted through bite wounds or during mating. Castration is therefore a useful preventive measure because it not only eliminates mating – it can also reduce the risk of territorial wars.
If you only keep your cat indoors, you can also significantly reduce the risk of infection. However, your house tiger can of course have been infected before you moved in.
Symptoms
FIV can cause a fever in the cat immediately after transmission, but the disease usually remains inconspicuous for a long time. It is only after a few years that non-specific symptoms such as a runny nose, diarrhea, and ulcers, which can be traced back to secondary infections, appear. Only a blood test can diagnose FIV with certainty.
Treatment
The treatment also focuses on these secondary diseases, since there is currently no effective remedy against the viruses themselves. Nevertheless, well cared for cats with FIV disease can live for many years without suffering.
Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)
Transmission
In this viral disease, the pathogens are transmitted primarily through saliva and nasal secretions when they come into contact with sick cats, but also in the womb and through milk. Therefore, even indoor cats can get sick.
Symptoms
The feline leukemia virus also makes itself felt primarily through secondary diseases. Affected cats often have a noticeably shaggy coat and poorly healing wounds. In the further course, malignant lymphomas, damage to the bone marrow and blood, and metabolic diseases can occur.
Treatment
If the diseases caused by the virus are treated in good time, cats with FeLV can also live to an advanced age.
Feline Infectious Peritony Virus (FIP)
Transmission
The virus is excreted by infected cats in their saliva and feces. Healthy cats can become infected by inhaling or ingesting the virus.
Contact with infected cats is therefore dangerous, as is contact with contaminated objects such as food bowls, toys, and transport baskets. (Extra tip: this is how your cat learns to love the carrier.)
Symptoms
The contagious peritonitis, which is triggered by mutated coronaviruses, usually also initially manifests itself as a mild cold or diarrhea. However, there are only a few weeks and months between infection and the outbreak of the viral disease. A distinction can be made between a wet and a dry form.
The wet form in particular, which is characterized by a large accumulation of fluid inside the cat’s body, is easy to diagnose. In contrast, nodular changes dominate in the dry form.
While some animals merely excrete viruses without becoming ill themselves, death usually occurs within a few weeks or months when clinical symptoms appear.
Treatment
So far, there are no effective treatment options. The sick animals can only be given relief. Since FIP mainly occurs in young animals, it is advisable to preventively house pregnant dams separately shortly before the litter.
If a cat in a household has already died of FIP, before a new house cat moves in, all areas that the new cat may come into contact with should be thoroughly cleaned so that she not only feels comfortable in her new home but also healthy remains.
We wish you and your cat all the best!