pets:cats
cats as pets
Introduction
common causes of premature death under age 10years
trauma - especially road trauma
cat bites from other cats
cats are prone to some other infections which may cause premature death:
Feline Leukaemia Virus infection (FeLV)
this is usually acquired by prolonged contact with other infected cats such as in catteries or at breeders and is spread by saliva or nasal secretions
infection is most common in male outdoor cats aged 1-6yrs
30% become persistently viraemic and die within 2-3 years of FeLV related illnesses
30% have a transient illness, develop antibodies and recover in 4-6 weeks
remainder have latent infection which may re-surface when their immune system is compromised by infection, stress or steroid therapy when it develops into clinical disease and shedding of viruses as well as suppressing the bone marrow raising risk of life threatening bacterial or fungal infections
at necropsy, a quarter have tumours, 96% are lymphosarcoma (most commonly in the mediastinum, alimentary tract, spleen, lymph nodes, kidney, or liver) or leukaemia
there is a vaccine available but the kitten may already have acquired the infection from the breeder's cattery.
Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP)
FIP virus is a mutated feline enteric coronavirus which may be lethal
most infections occur in catteries or multi-cat households and most infections occur aged under 5yrs and is the most common cause of jaundice in cats under age 2yrs
Feline panleukopenia (Feline parvoviral enteritis)
Listeriosis
feline lower urinary tract disease
tumours
pets/cats.txt · Last modified: 2022/04/01 12:30 by gary1