Common Conditions in Cats

In cats, environmental allergy (atopy) and food allergy both cause itching and over-grooming.

In cats, diabetes usually occurs because the body stops responding well to insulin, similar to type 2 diabetes in people.

False pregnancy is uncommon in cats.

Hyperthyroidism is an overactive thyroid gland, usually from a benign growth.

Mastitis is inflammation, usually from infection, of one or more mammary glands.

Pemphigus foliaceus is the most common autoimmune skin disease in cats.

Feline upper respiratory infections are like a bad cold, usually caused by feline herpesvirus or calicivirus, sometimes with bacteria involved.

Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) describes conditions of the bladder and urethra.

Bite wounds from fights are one of the most common causes of abscesses in cats.

Dystocia means a difficult birth: a cat cannot deliver her kittens normally without help.

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are retroviruses that weaken the immune system.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is chronic inflammation of the intestinal lining.

Neonatal isoerythrolysis is a severe anemia in newborn kittens caused by antibodies in the mother's first milk that destroy the kittens' red blood cells.

Pregnancy and nursing put big demands on a mother cat.

A retained placenta is afterbirth that stays in the uterus after the last kitten is born.

Urine spraying is when a cat backs up to a vertical surface and sprays a small amount of urine to leave a scent message.

Cats commonly develop periodontal disease, and many also develop tooth resorption, a painful condition in which the tooth structure is slowly broken down by the body's own cells.

Eclampsia, also called puerperal tetany or milk fever, is a life-threatening drop in blood calcium in nursing mothers.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common heart disease in cats.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a gradual loss of kidney function, very common in older cats.

Obesity is one of the most common health problems in indoor cats.

Pyometra is a serious, life-threatening infection of the uterus in unspayed female cats.

Cryptorchidism is when one or both testicles do not descend into the scrotum.

Metritis is inflammation of the uterus, usually from bacterial infection, that develops within a few days after a cat gives birth.