Even though cats are very popular companion animals, many owners still don’t know the main factors in caring for their cat, which is why they still struggle to maintain a quality of life. This is problematic because Some cats hide pain as a method of defense to keep them from appearing vulnerable. This allows them to hide illnesses, such as dental disease or osteoarthritis, to avoid looking weak in front of predators.

Read: What scents attract cats?

Sandra Milena López, a veterinarian, cat specialist at the Clini Cat veterinary clinic, located in Cali, told La Red Zoocial that the disease that attacks cats the most depends on their age.

For this reason, according to López, cat between 0 and 7 years They tend to be affected mainly by viral diseases and bladder infections, eg calculation or, in the case of men, ureteral tamponade.

Inside it older age rangefrom 7 years onwards, the disease that most often attacks cats is kidney disease which has a high mortality rate, hyperthyroidism and degenerative joint disease.

“It is important for a specialist veterinarian who accompanies your cat throughout its life to always carry out an examination at least once a year (preventive examination). However, after 7 or 8 years, preferably twice a year, which includes taking the cat’s thyroid hormone measurements”, explains Lopez.

Read: Diseases that cats can transmit to humans

Deadly disease in cats

According to the Animal Expert portal, Cancer is not only a disease with a high mortality rate, it is also one of the most common feline diseases. The Flint Veterinary Cancer Center states that 1 in 5 cats will get cancer throughout their life, especially when they are old.

In cats, the most common tumors are lymphoma, associated or not with feline leukemia virus, as well as squamous cell carcinoma, breast cancer, intestinal adenocarcinoma, soft tissue sarcoma, osteosarcoma, and mast cell tumors. .

Treatment depends on the type involved and whether or not metastases have occurred. If there are tumors, they must be removed and, if necessary, treated with chemotherapy.

Read: Signs that your cat is getting old

cat leukaemia it’s also infectious diseases Caused by a retrovirus, feline leukemia virus which can be asymptomatic. Under certain conditions, the virus can be active again, causing clinical symptoms in cats which come from immunosuppression which can kill cats quickly.

Feline Leukemia therapy seeks to maintain cats with a good quality of life and manage the immunosuppression and pathology caused by the virus.

Infectious peritonitis in cats is an infectious disease in cats, the most lethal and the one with the worst prognosis. According to the Veterinary Expert portal, it is a fatal disease in almost all cases and without effective commercial treatment. It is produced by the feline enteric coronavirus when it mutates, which occurs in about 20% of cats infected with this intestinal virus.

this virus have no treatment and the outcome is usually fatal, but symptomatic treatment should always be sought with a protein-rich diet, use of proteolytic enzymes, and vitamin complexes.

Read: Reasons why cats shouldn’t use the toilet or toilet

What diseases are most common in cats?

On the same road, a recent study conducted by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), revealed that the most common diseases diagnosed by veterinarians in over a million cats in the UK included gum disease, obesity, overgrown nails, and flea infestations.

This study investigates the health patterns of a random sample of 18,249 cats, out of a population of 1,255,130 cats in the UK. The most common breeds in the UK are the British Shorthair (3.01%), Ragdoll (1.82%) and Bengal (1.22%). Other common species include the Maine Coon (0.093%), Persian (0.73%) and Siamese (0.68%).

On average, every cat is diagnosed with a condition every year. The average number of conditions per year was higher in males than females, and higher in older cats than in younger cats.

Read: “Social cat disease”: myths and truth about feline leukemia

In this sequence of ideas, The most frequently diagnosed specific conditions were gum disease (15.23%), obesity (11.58%), general dental disease (9.23%), nails that were too long (5.23%), and heart murmurs (4, 44%).

The investigation also determines that female cats are more likely to have a worse quality of life than male catsand more exposed to complications from postoperative wounds, excessive grooming, hypersensitivity to flea bites and overgrowth of nails.

Read: Barbas: the police dog who is the mascot of Concepción, Antioquia

Besides that, males are at increased risk for periodontal disease, car accidents, heart murmurs, obesity, and bite injuries.

Danielle Gunn-Moore, a professor of feline medicine at the University of Edinburgh, summed it up the most common diseases in cats are almost completely preventable. “For example, a cat cannot gain weight on its own. I know how hard it can be when your cat asks for some extra kibble. But we have to remember that food is not love, it’s much better to play with them,” he said.

🐾 Do you want to be up to date and know the latest news about the animal world? We invite you to take a look at them Zoo Network. 🐶🐱 Also, if you have a story or are interested in telling your story with your pet, you can write to us at laredzoocial@elespectador.com