Despite their cool nature, cats are mammals made out of fur, flesh and bones and therefore are prone to illnesses as with all mammals. But there are a couple of common cat diseases that you should be aware of so you can identify them quickly and act accordingly.

1. Upper Respiratory Infections
Think about this cat illness like a human having a cold virus. You can recognize Upper Respiratory Infections in you cat by looking out for some of the most common signs;

• fever
• red eyes
• sneezing
• appetite loss
• runny nose
• watery eyes
• decrease in activity. 

Once you notice these symptoms in your cat, my advice to you is to take your pet to the vet as soon as possible because unlike the human who can simply let the cold virus runs its course or take a couple of pills, Upper respiratory illness in your cat can become fatal to it. When a cat becomes infected with this disease, one thing you should also do if you have more than one cat is to isolate the cat which exhibits the common symptoms mention. The reason for isolation is that Upper Respiratory Disease in cats is also contagious and can spread easily from cat to cat.

2. Feline Leukemia Virus
The Feline Leukemia Virus is another dangerous common cat disease. This one is really like a human being infected with HIV. The Leukemia Virus acts against the cats immune system and breaks down most of its natural bacterial fighting properties making the cat very susceptible to the build up of cancerous cells and other diseases.  This disease is dangerous and it is not quite easily diagnosed by the cat owner. But you can look out for the following Symptoms of Feline Leukemia Virus:

• Pale gums.
• Yellow color in the mouth and whites of eyes.
• Enlarged lymph nodes.
• Bladder, skin, or upper respiratory infections.
• Weight loss and/or loss of appetite.
• Poor coat condition.
• Progressive weakness and lethargy.
• Fever.
  

It is very important to keep your cat's vaccination update. As once a cat is infected with the disease, there is no certified medical cure. Though the  vaccine is not a core vaccine, it is still recommended for cats at risk for exposure to this dangerous disease

3. Urinary Tract Infections
Don't take this infection for granted.  If your cat urinary tract becomes infected and without proper vet treatment, your feline could die. Some of the symptoms of cat urinary tract infection includes:

• Straining to Urinate. Feline idiopathic cystitis, also known as bladder inflammation, is the most common cause of lower urinary tract disease in cats.
• Frequent Attempts to Urinate.
• Painful Urination.
• Bloody Urine.
• Urinating Outside the Litter Box.
• Discolored Urine

Urinary tract infection in your cat could develop because of the following:

• crystals or stones in the bladder,
• bladder infections,
• urethral obstruction,
• inflammation in the urinary bladder (sometimes referred to as interstitial or idiopathic cystitis), 

Treatment
Cats diagnosed with this disease early are given antibiotics to fight the infection.  Owners should also ensure that the cat is properly hydrated.

4. Hyperthyroidism
This is not really considered an illness, but it can have negative effects on your cat.
Cats who are over the age of 8 often succumb to hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) is a condition in which your thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine. It may accelerate the felines body's metabolism significantly, causing sudden weight loss, a rapid or irregular heartbeat, and nervousness or irritability.

Signs of hyperthyroidism can include:

• weight loss.
• increased appetite.
• increased activity and restlessness.
• aggressive or cranky behavior.
• a poor hair coat.
• a fast heart rate.
• increased water drinking.
• increased urination.

 
Treatment

1. Vets can uses use anti-thyroid medications and radioactive iodine to slow the production of thyroid hormones.
2. Surgical removal of the thyroid.

5. Tapeworms
Your cat maybe host to a foreign entity that i actually sucking the life force from your cat. The tapeworm reside in the small intestine and feeds and grows as long as 2 feet.
Symptoms of Tapeworms In Cats

• Weight Loss
• Vomiting
• Seeing small white worms in your cats feces.

Treatment
Treatment options include injection, oral, or topical medication. But because cats almost always get tapeworms as a result of swallowing a flea, be sure to handle any flea problems your cat has before tackling tapeworms.


These are just a few of the common diseases that can affect cats. If you notice your cat isn't acting like her normal self, talk to your veterinarian. Often doing a little bit now can keep a simple illness from becoming something dangerous or deadly.

Cat facts you may not know:

1. As cleansy as a cat.
Well you may not have heard that saying but cat are infact real clean animals. They will spent most of the day tidying themselves. An inherent quality like no other; it is with their aide of their tongue and its backward facing spike that they groom themselves with.

2. Your cat will bring you gifts
If your cat catches say a lizard, mice or some other prey and brings it to you without eating it. It is your cat's way of simply saying thank you by presenting you with a gift.

3. Cats are not Color Blind
Numerous individuals believe that cats are color blinded. I wonder where theta fairy Tale developed.

4. Cats Are Scientist
Nikola Tesla got great motivation from his cat Macak which stunned Tesla with static electricity produced by his fur.
 
5. Cat are Invention Motivators
It is interesting that the cat flap door is invented by the most celebrated researcher Issac Newton.

6. Cats see great In The dark
Don't sing any lullabies to your cat as it reaches night time. Cats are active at nights and thus see very well in the dark.

7. Cats make great Baby Sitters.
Once an infant is in the house and awakes from a sleep, a cat will signal the infants mom by meowing until she arrives. Just a cat way to say "hey, baby is awake, come get her!"

8. Cats Provide Therapy
When you are feeling down, your cat will sense that and will do their best to try and cheer you up.  Your cat  will rub or lay on you to attempt and perk you up.

9. Cats are fancy Dressers
If you have ever taken out your favorite shirt to go work and notice that your cat left it's mark there is probablt because the cat was loving all your clothes at that time.

The reality about animals such as dogs and cats are that many times these animals do get abandoned. Cats are abandoned by owner as well as it's mother.  Mother cats do abandon their kittens for various reasons.

• The mother cat may not be able to produce milk to feed her kitten. Once she realizes this she will simply abandon the kitten. A pretty sad reality huh?

 

• One other reason maybe that the kitten may have born with some kind of defect and as such may be unable to keep up with the mother and other kittens and will simply be left behind.

 

• The mother cat may also have certain behavioral issues which simply makes it difficult for her to properly care for her kittens.

 

• The mother cat may even be dieing and is just simply trying to find a place to draw her last breath other than in front her little kittens.

Motherless kittens are not that difficult to care for, but it still takes the same amount of patience, love and tenderness from you as the kittens new mom. So what will you need to do to care for these abandon kittens? Let's check it out.

Nutrition
Kittens do need to feed. The most important part of a kittens nutrition is that of feeding from the mother for the first 12 hours. This is important because at this first feed, the milk provides what is called Colustrum. This provides natural antibodoes to fight against diseases and bacteria.
If possible, kittens should nurse from their mother for the first 12 hours of life to ingest something called colostrum. This provides them with antibodies that they need to protect their little bodies. If there is no chance of the mother feeding the kittens then a bottle or tube feeder will be needed. Bottles are the best method as tube feeding is a more specialized job. Commercially available kitten milk formulas are available that are nutritionally balanced to provide everything a kitten needs and there are also recipes to make a homemade version if you cannot get the commercial product.

One such emergency recipe would be to take 3oz condensed milk, 3oz water, 4oz plain yogurt (not low fat) and 3 large egg yolks. Never feed them uncooked egg whites as this contains harmful bacteria. Whether using your own or a commercial product, only make up enough for each feed to stop bacteria breeding in it. Warm it in a pan to 98-100 F and stir to ensure no inconsistencies in temperature.
For the first 24-48 hours, kittens will need around 1ml of milk per house and this increases each day by 0.5ml per meal until they are taking 10ml. On average 9 to 12 meals a day will be needed. In the second week, this should be 5-7ml per feed and by the third week, kitten gruel can be introduced as well as bottle-feeding. By the fourth week, there should be just 4-6 bottle-feeds a day between gruel and they should be on solid food by 7 weeks old.

Sanitation and temperature
Newborn kittens don't urinate or defecate without stimulation from their mothers but this is easy to replicate. Simply moisten a cotton ball with warm water and rub the genital or anal area, simulating the mother grooming the area to get the kitten to go. This needs to be done after every meal and watched for signs of a problem. Normally the stool will be dark brown and partially formed.
Kittens need help keeping warm that would normally come from their mothers. An incubator, warm water pad, electrical heating pads or a heated mat will all do the job and help them keep the right body temperature. Keep a thermometer close by to ensure they don't get too hot, as this is just as dangerous. For the first week, air temperature should be 85-90 degrees and humidity 55-65%. This can drop over the next three weeks to 75 degrees.

Conclusion
Keep in close contact with your vet during this process and refer to them if you think there are any problems. Disease prevention is a big issue at this time and you will also need to work on their socialization whether you have a single kitten or a litter.