Cat scratch disease or fever
Overview:
Individuals with compromised immune systems who are thinking about bringing a kitten into their home may want to first have the animal's blood cultured for Bartonella henselae, the bacteria that causes cat scratch disease.
Heart disease, Heart muscle failure
Overview:
Cardiomyopathy is a term that is used to describe diseases of the heart muscle. There are many types of heart disease, but cats generally develop three different forms of heart muscle disease: dilated cardiomyopathy, restrictive cardiomyopathy, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Each of these conditions is different, but ultimately they cause problems because the heart becomes unable to pump an adequate volume of blood to supply the demands of the body.
Urinary bladder calculi, bladder stones
Overview:
Bladder stones are rock-hard collections of minerals, clinically known as uroliths, which can rub and irritate the bladder wall, causing it to bleed. As a result of the irritation, the cat may feel like it needs to urinate frequently, even if it has only a small amount of urine to release. Bladder stones may also obstruct urinary flow. A cat that meows or cries while in the litter box may be experiencing bladder stone-related pain.
A variety of minerals can develop into different stone types. Cats will get each of the different stone types for different reasons. The various stones, which are named based on their mineral components, include the following: struvite, calcium oxalate, urate, calcium phosphate, xanthine, and cystine. In cats, struvite is the most frequently encountered stone, accounting for 50 to 65 percent of the stones analyzed. Calcium oxalate, seen in about 20 percent of bladder stone cases, is the second most common type of stone. The other types are uncommon in the cat.