You take your feline for vaccinations, and your vet rattles off an alphabet soup of cat diseases that you are vaccinating your pet against. Have you ever wondered what those diseases actually are? Three of the most common ones are Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), and Feline Leukemia are discussed below.

Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP)

FIP is a cat disease that is caused by a coronavirus infection. Many strains of the coronavirus can make your cat sick, but most do not cause serious illness. The FIP type invades and grows in white blood cells in the cat’s bloodstream. These infected white blood cells travel through the cat’s body where a fierce reaction can take place in the tissues. Infected cats can pass on the virus to other cats through the saliva and stool. Saliva can be present in the water and food dishes, toys, bedding, and surfaces they lie on. The virus can survive outside of the body for several weeks but can be inactivated by common household disinfectants. Symptoms of FIP are those of a mild upper respiratory infection including sneezing, watery eyes, and nasal discharge. Sometimes the cat will develop a mild intestinal disease. Generally, cats recover completely from FIP, but the can also become virus carriers. Unfortunately a few cats can go on to develop the lethal disease several weeks, months, or years after their first bout with the disease. Lethal FIP symptoms include anemia, fever, depression, and weight loss. The cat can develop kidney failure, liver failure and become jaundiced, or have pancreatic disease and show signs of diarrhea, vomiting and diabetes. Neurological disease may include loss of balance, behavioral changes,seizures and paralysis. Inflamed eyes or even blindness can occur. Because of the many different symptoms, FIP can be difficult for vets to diagnose. Cats that are young, older than 10 years, or that are in poor physical condition are prone to FIP.

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)

The virus that causes FIV is the same retrovirus family of viruses that includes the feline leukemia virus (FeLV). FIV is spread through bite wounds; thus cats who roam the outdoors are prone to this infection. An infected mother cat can pass the infection to her kittens during birth or through milk when nursing. A cat can harbor the FIV virus for years before breaking with the illness. The virus will make the cat more susceptible to diseases caused by common bacteria, viruses, protozoa, or fungi that usually do not affect a healthy cat. In the early stage of infection, the virus is carried to nearby lymph nodes where the white blood cells are produced.The virus is then spread to other lymph nodes throughout the body leading to a temporary enlargement of the lymph nodes. Usually a fever is present while the lymph nodes are enlarged. The health of the cat deteriorates progressively including loss of appetite, dull coat, chronic skin infections, inflamed gums (gingivitis) and inflamed mouth (stomatitis). A bladder infection and upper respiratory tract infection is also often present. Slow but progressive weight loss is common, followed by severe wasting in later stages. When a cat has FIV, it is prone to develop different kinds of cancer and blood diseases. Some cats with FIV may have seizures and behavioral changes as well as other neurological issues. Diagnosis is made with a blood test.

Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)

FeLV is a retrovirus, just like FIV and HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus. In the U.S. approximately two to three percent of cats are infected. FeLV is spread through saliva and nasal secretions but can also be spread through contaminated urine, feces, and in the mother’s milk. It can be spread through bites, sharing of litter boxes, or food and water dishes. Felines in multiple cat households where there is an infected cat are at risk, as well as cats that roam the outdoors. Symptoms of FeLV include loss of appetite, slow and progressive weight loss, dull coat, enlarged lymph nodes, persistent fever, pale gums, gingivitis, stomatitis, skin infections, urinary tract infection, upper respiratory tract infection, persistent diarrhea, seizures, behavior changes, and eye conditions.