DrBarchas.com is a free resource for people with pets. Searchable articles are available on diseases, behavior, symptoms, and medical treatments for dogs and cats.
All animals, regardless of species or age, experience pain.
Animals feel pain under the same circumstances as people. Anything that would cause pain in a person will cause pain in pets.
Symptoms of pain differ among species.
Cats:
Cats instinctively hide pain. Therefore, signs of pain in cats are usually subtle. A cat in pain may:
Cats
Feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, is a poorly understood and extremely dangerous disease of cats. The disease is resistant to treatment and very difficult to diagnose. Almost all cats that contract FIP die from the disease.
Ringworm affects dogs, cats, people, rodents, rabbits, and other mammals.
Ringworm is a fungal infection of the skin. Contrary to its name, worms are not involved in ringworm infections. In pets, ringworm primarily is a nuisance. However, the infection can spread from pets to people. This makes ringworm infections in household pets a serious concern.
Cats
FIV is a virus that is related to HIV, the human AIDS virus. Experts do not believe FIV is capable of infecting humans. FIV causes a syndrome in cats that is similar to human AIDS.
Most FIV-infected cats catch the virus by fighting with other cats. The virus spreads when an infected cat bites a cat that is not infected. A much smaller number of cats catch the virus from their mother as kittens. Sexual transmission of FIV does not appear to be common.
Cats and dogs.
Dogs and cats
Foxtails, or grass awns, are arrow-shaped stickers that are produced by some types of grasses that have gone to seed. Foxtails carry grass seeds. They evolved to embed in the skin and be spread by animals.
Cats and kittens
Upper respiratory infections, also known as URIs, are very common in cats. They are similar to colds in people, but they are caused by different types of germs.
URIs are especially common in kittens, and almost all cats will have experienced an upper respiratory infection by the time they reach adulthood. A very large proportion of kittens adopted from shelters suffer from URIs shortly after adoption.
Cats and dogs
Fever of unknown origin is a common syndrome in cats and dogs. Affected animals experience an elevated body temperature, usually accompanied by lethargy, weakness, and lack of appetite.
As the name implies, the cause of fever of unknown origin is not determined in most cases. However, most pets with the syndrome are treated for bacterial infections. This treatment usually is successful.
Cats and dogs of both genders.
Overview
Cats and dogs
IBD is a common syndrome in which the stomach, intestines, or colon (or a combination of the three) becomes chronically irritated. This results in chronic or intermittent diarrhea, vomiting, or both.