I am confining myself to common illnesses (the most frequently encountered cat health problems) as the subject is too wide and to complex for a person who is not formally trained. Recognizing these illnesses allows us to better assess the most likely illness and take prompt and accurate action. There is no substitute of course for professional advice. It is possible, however, for the layperson to get an indication of illness by checking your cat’s pulse (opens in new window 
). (Update: as this wesbite grows I have added one or two other cat health problems to the list of contents above).
One problem with using the Internet to find out the most common illnesses is that most if not all the authors of the cat websites will have used the Internet to research cat health problems, so it becomes very incestuous and circuitous (circular). However, having followed that circuitous route, I qualified the results with a visit to a respected website on cat and animal health, the Cornell University College of Veterinarian Medicine and also by reference to these books, Veterinary Notes For Cat Owner by Trevor Turner DVM, The Veterinarian’s Guide to Your Cat’s Symptoms by Garvey DVM, Houpt DVM, Wallace DVM, Hohenhaus DVM, Pinkney DVM, Randolph and Your Cat by Elizabeth Hodgkins DVM). When I put together information from these sources I conclude that the following are probably the most common illnesses:
- URI – Upper Respiratory Infection – colds to you and me – an infectious disease – viral infection – but URI includes an infection by a specialized bacteria, Chlamydia and secondary bacterial infections
- FLUTD – a medical disorder. The disorder is Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease or FUS (Feline Urologic Syndrome), also called UTIs – urinary tract infections. Urinary Tract Infections | Natural Cure.
- Diabetes – a medical disorder that some think is in part due to a cat’s diet
- Feline Distemper – Feline Panleukopenia – an infectious disease
- FIP – Feline Infectious Peritonitis – an infectious disease
- FIV – Feline Immunodeficiency Virus – an infectious disease
- FLV – Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) – an infectious disease
- Hyperthyroidism (in older cats) – a medical disorder
Update: Since drafting this page, I have added various posts on cat health issues on a subdomain Blogger site. These health issues are common and based on searched for topics. A list of these can be seen here.
Update 2nd Nov. 2010: Pet health insurance provides information on the ten most common cat illnesses. UTIs are one of the most common cat health problems.
On another note reading about savannah is that they need a higher protein and calorie counot where as wet food has 80% water…a raw diet seems to be ideal but the risks scare me away from that…would I be better to switch him to another grain free dry food and just leave him a bowl for him to nibble at as usual and just give him a couple spoones of canned food during the day maybe a couple of crickets or something? Also Ive heard that fish foods contain IEBD or something like that from pollution in the water that is thought to be linked with hyperthyroidism In whales and vats. There is also a chemical I heard that is used to seal canned wet food thats used to seal the can that is thought to do the same (more evidence supports the fish theory) upon finding this information again I find myself very confused and in the unknown abit what is best for my cat, and at that after hearing about the blue recalls and sick pets I’m unsure which companis to turn to
I am really leaning towards wet cat food now and becoming increasingly worried about my cat…he’s an f7 savannah and I know he needs a high protein diet..so as you know I switched him to wilderness blue and he’s has since become constipated he’s defaced once or twice since last weekend his stomach feels quite bloated and I have also learned of lots of people’s pets be comming quite sick and surpassing toxicity limits…I have thrown out the food and just about everything is closed today idk what to do I thought I was on the right path with him now I am lost on what to feed my savannah and I’m becoming scared and worried for him
John, I’m very surprised to hear that some of the people that you talked to were against wet cat food. I’m not surprised that a lot of the pet stores are against it because it is easier for a pet store to store dry cat food. I honestly believe that the people who are against wet cat food are incorrect and I say that from many years of thinking and working on the subject. Here are is a post about dry cat food which may help but in any case I wish you the best of luck. A book called “Your Cat” by Elisabeth Hodgkins is interesting and is about the health affects of dry kibble.
https://pictures-of-cats.org/cat-food-recipe.html
This is a link to many articles.