Common Cat Illness

Common Cat Illness

by Michael
(London, UK)

Average cat to others. Eighteen year companion to me.


She suffered from the most common cat illness until I fed her cooked fish with added water (see below).

The most common illness to befall the domestic cat is a Urinary Tract Infection. The next nine most common cat illnesses are in descending order:

2. Gastritis/Vomiting
3. Chronic Renal Failure
4. Enteritis/Diarrhea – treating cat diarrhea.
5. Diabetes Mellitus
6. Skin Allergies
7. Colitis/Constipation – home treatments.
8. Ear Infections
9. Respiratory Infections
10. Hyperthyroidism

This data comes from Veterinary Pet Insurance figures. It is a neat way of analyzing cat illness. The number of claims that are made under pet insurance schemes for certain illnesses informs us as to their prevalence.

The figures relate to 2007 but I would doubt if things have changed substantially since.

Apparently cat diarrhea has risen up the list. Some causes of diarrhea are: diet change, intestinal parasites, bacterial or viral disease, drugs, inflammatory bowel disease, food allergy, intestinal cancer, fungal infection, hyperthyroidism, bacterial overgrowth in intestine, stomach ulcer, Colitis.

I am not going to stick my neck out too far but some people would argue that the most common cat illness is caused in part, at least, by convenience cat food – namely dry cat food. If this is provided (as suggested by some vets) as an exclusive cat food it can exacerbate urinary tract problems. Cats don’t drink much water normally, probably because in the wild they get it from the body of the prey. If the food is dessicated the cat may not fully compensate for the lack of water by drinking more.

For instance: some time ago I took the simple step of providing microwaved frozen raw fish with a bit of added water to my cat who had developed a propensity to develop urinary tract infections. That completely solved the problem in one easy step. The extra water kept her tract flushed out preventing the formation of crystals etc.

No doubt the first and best step in preventing UTIs is to look at the easiest and simplest action: reflect on diet. Stress, too, can be an underlying cause of urinary tract disease. Cats left alone can cause stress – separation anxiety.

Far from me to comment, not being medically qualified, but a good number of these diseases could be related to diet. They say diabetes can be caused by being overweight. But other vets say it can be caused by commercial cat food. Allergies can also be caused by food.

Chronic renal failure seems to be a common cause of death in older cats. Perhaps cats are living longer – elderly cat health problems. Hyperthyroidism is more common in older cats too.

I think that it is useful to know the most common illness as it should encourage us to focus on preventing it. And as I said, diet is probably the first port of call.

Common cat illness — Associated page:

Best cat food including cat food for medical conditions.

See links to information about all these diseases on cat health problems.

Home made cat food – if done with care and well it is the best but some vets (all vets?) criticize it as a potential source of illness as it is made from raw. Raw food needs to be handled carefully – for instance: Toxoplasmosis – its prevention.

Michael Avatar

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Common Cat Illness

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May 21, 2012 Taurine? NEW
by: Michelle

Feeding microwave fish alone will not supply enough Taurine, an essential Amino Acid that cats cannot manufacture from food, it has to be eaten. The results of a low taurine diet take time to manifest but are serious. The heart muscle is weakened and the cats can go blind.


Dec 04, 2010 Top Ten Most Common Cat Surgical Procedures
by: Michael

Feline Conditions and the number of insurance claims in respect of surgery at Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI):

1. Tooth Extraction – 1,627
2. Skin Abscess, Inflammation, or Pressure Ulcer – 1,015
3. Benign Skin Mass – 454
4. Bladder Stones – 185
5. Cancer of the Abdominal Wall – 126
6. Malignant Skin Mass – 124
7. Multiple Bite Wounds – 92
8. Cancer of the Liver – 8
9. Cancer of the Mouth – 79
10. Cancer of the Nasal Cavity – 77

Does this bring into question the quality of cat food? I have no idea but a lot of the illness concerns the digestive tract and associated anatomy it seems to me.

Anyone got any ideas?

Source: petplace.com.

Michael Avatar


Nov 01, 2010 Hi Gail
by: Michael

I buy frozen deboned [Coley]. I take one piece which is about one half of one side of the fish and microwave on 50% power for 4 mins in an 850 microwave.

That cooks it – just. The idea is to slightly undercook to let the fish retain its moisture. Over microwaved fish becomes dry. And in any event it still cooks after having been taken from the microwave.

I then take the edges of the cooked fish which have been cooked more and keep the middle bit (to cook on its own) for the next meal as my lady cat will always come back for more!

I then add some water to the fish that is to be eaten. Not much, just enough to moisten it a bit and this also cools it.

The fish should be checked for proper cooling and be served slightly warm.

This is a treat/supplement to commercial sachet wet food and some dry (grazing).

She pees more on this diet and it helps to flush her system.

I have done this for about 8 years. The advice came from a good vet. De-stressing also helps prevent UTIs.

Hope this helps. Hope you are well.

Michael Avatar


Oct 29, 2010 Microwaved frozen fish?
by: Gail (Boston, MA USA)

Hi Michael, I’m curious about your remedy for UTI with the microwaved frozen fish with a bit of water. Did you just defrost the fish and serve it raw with a bit of water, or did you actually cook the fish? What type of fish? What about bones? For those of us interested in homeopathic remedies, that nugget of instruction would be most appreciated. Thanks!


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