These are only a few of the more common ones.
If your cat is unwell, then it should be seen by a vet who can give you a proper diagnosis of their condition and can recommend treatment.
Cat Flu ~ Feline Herpes and Feline Calici ~ These are both cat flu, which all reputable breeders will vaccine for. They DO NOT stop infection completely, but they do minimise the infection if a cat is exposed to it. Both make the cat feel unwell, cause weepy eyes and sneezing, Feline Herpes will be carried forever, and the cat may shed the disease at times of stress. Feline Calici, cause ulcers as well as the other symptoms, but can be cured, it takes about two years for a cat to rid the Calici virus completely. If not re- exposed to it.
Upper respiratory infections ~ this is a cold, watery eyes, some vets will say its "cat flu", a mild URI, its not cat flu, its like a cold, can make the cat feel quite unwell, a cat with a cold will go off its food, if a cat cannot breathe, it cannot smell and if they cannot smell they will not eat. A cat can become seriously ill if they do not eat for a prolonged period of time.
Feline Enteritis (Panluek) ~ this causes terrible sickness and diarrhoea, and will eventually kill if not treated, it apparently has a very distinctive smell, this is fatal in small kittens, is highly contagious and can live in cloths, bedding, toys, its is very important that if you suspect your kitten or cat has Enteritis that you immediately contact a vet.
Fleas ~ these should be treated regularly if your cat goes out, if your cat is an indoor cat, he cannot get fleas unless introduced to a cat with fleas, fleas can however live in carpets, curtains and furniture, so if you cat does have fleas, you need to treat your house as well as the cat. Special treatments are obtainable for these and can be obtained from you vet. Always use a veterinary product, its usually far more effective and probably safer.
Worms ~ cats should be treated regularly for worms, your vet will be able to give you advice as to how often this should be done.
Ear mites ~ Bengals do seem to suffer with ear mites, but these can be very easily treated with Stronghold, this is similar to the flea treatment Spot-on and is used in the same way. Stronghold also treats fleas.
TRITRICHOMONAS ~ http://www.fabcats.org/owners/digestive/index.php ~ this does not kill its just a nuisance.
Three years ago, I purchased a beautiful bengal boy, he was wonderful, beautiful profile, wonderful markings, what I had been looking for for a while. He was to be my new stud boy. Troy arrived and had terrible diarrhoea, bengals do suffer with their tummies, so I just presumed it was food related and it would clear up, this went on for weeks, my vets did loads of tests but could find nothing, he was booked into Newmarket Animal Hospital for further tests, thankfully Troy was insured, Id done some research of my own and had also spoken to another breeder who had had the same symptoms in one of her cats, diarrhoea, cow pat like stools, mucus, blood, and this most horrendous smell, like sweet rotting meat. Ill never forget the smell. Troy was eventually diagnosed with TriTrichomonas. By this time he had infected some of my other cats, Tritrichomonas is very infections.
I had ten other kittens here, all around 12 weeks, all of these become infected, they all had to be tested, and then treated. TM is not easily detected, and it is also very similar to Gardia, both parasites are identical in shape but they swim differently, after loads of tests, around 50, my vet only found two of my cats to have TM, even thought I am sure that the 10 kittens did have TM, this could not be detected on tests. The treatment for TM, was worse than the parasite itself ~ Ronadizole. This had been band for use in the UK and had to be imported from USA. This took 6 weeks to arrive, and had to be given to the kittens twice daily for 14 days, at first I thought, brilliant and it will soon be gone and the kittens will be able to go to their new homes. The kittens hated this medicine, it made them foam at the mouth and tasted bitter bitter, (I actually tried some after my vet said how awful it was) the taste stayed with you for ages, even after a long drink, it just didnt go away, the kittens were so scared of having it, I couldn't give it to them, so I looked for an alternative treatment. RAW FOOD.
I had spent £100's on vets fees, special food and medicines, and all I needed to do was change their diet to RAW FOOD, this cleared up the diarrhoea within days, TM cannot live without a wet moist condition, once the diarrhoea went, the parasite was killed, because it can lie dormant for a number of months, we were advised to continue feeding raw food for sometime. The difference in my cats was amazing, they were not constantly hungry, they ate all that they were given (not just the gravy) they didnt ask for food constantly, and they were really healthy, their coats were amazingly shinning, and my kittens were huge.
Even though the TM was a nuisance, 10 kittens running around with chronic diarrhoea, was not easy, but no one died, all 10 kittens are still alive and doing really well, one is a show cat.
There are tablets now to treat TM so its not so bad, when we used the Ronadizole it was a liquid, the tablets are not such a problem, and they certainly do work.
Feline Infectious Peritonitis
Multicat households, are more prone to diseases, one being corona virus which are passed through faeces, if the corona virus mutates, this causes something called FIP, Feline Infectious Peritonitis which is a deadly disease, (some cats have survived FIP, but its believed that they were wrongly diagnosed). There is no cure for FIP. This is a very strange disease and no one knows why the corona virus mutates in some cats, it doesn't necessary attack the weak, it can sometimes be the healthiest of kittens, I do feel that its something that cat owners should be aware off.
It is called Feline Infectious Peritonitis, but it is not infectious, the corona virus is infections, once the corona virus mutates, the infection has gone, if you have lost a cat recently to FIP and are very concerned about your other cats, try not to worry, you will probably never see FIP again, PLEASE do not let your vet put your cat to sleep until all tests have been done, numerous cats are wrongly diagnosed with FIP. A cat that has a titre does not necessarily have FIP, 95% of cats that are sent for post mortem DO NOT have FIP.
Bleach is very good at killing corona virus, keep stress levels down, think of stress as a challenge to a cat, vaccinations, new home, new kitten arriving, visits to the vet, neutering, going to cattery. Try and minimise your cats stress levels as much as possible, DONT DO TO MUCH AT ONCE, especially when young.
FIP is more likely to attack young kittens and old cats. I didn't know very much about FIP until my mum lost a kitten to it a few years ago, her vets knew very little too. It is one of the diseases that all breeders dread. Its an awful disease, it behaves totally differently in the home, than in a laboratory environment. Its is very difficult to diagnose.
Keeping litter trays clean is very important, use a good quality litter, and empty the soiled bits daily, if you only have one cat, then you can empty the whole tray once a week and then wash with diluted bleach and leave to dry. If you have multi cats, then you should supply one litter tray per cat plus one extra. These should be cleaned regularly, daily if possible ~ empty completely, wash with dilute bleach and leave to dry.
If you would like to make a donation into FIP research please click here. http://web.mac. com/cat_toons/ iWeb/feline- care/DONATIONS. html