The 10 most common cat health problems, according to Nationwide

Cats are built to hide pain. A small animal that is both predator and prey cannot afford to advertise weakness, and domestication has done little to change that wiring. The result is a pet that keeps eating, keeps grooming and keeps greeting you at the door. A painful tooth root abscess, a failing kidney or an overactive thyroid progresses in the background all the while. By the time a cat looks sick, the problem is often well established.

That gap between onset and obvious symptoms is why the common cat health problems are worth knowing before your cat has one. Pet insurers, including Nationwide, compile diagnosis data from veterinary claims across large numbers of insured animals. The same cluster of conditions surfaces year after year. Dental and periodontal disease, feline lower urinary tract disease and chronic kidney disease are on it. So are vomiting and other gastrointestinal upset, skin allergies, obesity, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, upper respiratory infections and ear problems. Rankings shift from one year to the next. The lineup barely moves.

Most of these conditions are manageable, and several are preventable, when they are caught early. Some are also unforgiving of delay. A cat that stops eating for even a day or two can develop hepatic lipidosis. The body floods the liver with fat it cannot process, and the liver begins to fail. A sudden loss of appetite is never something to wait out. Increased thirst, weight loss, changes in litter box habits and breath that smells wrong are all reasons to call a veterinarian rather than search online and hope it passes.

The 10 conditions that follow are the ones that turn up most often in veterinary practice and in insurance claims data. None of it replaces an exam. What it does is give owners a baseline — a sense of what is ordinary for a cat and what is not. For an animal engineered to mask weakness, an owner who notices the small deviations is often the only early warning system there is.

Illustration: Quartz

Dental disease is the condition veterinarians diagnose most often in adult cats, and most cats show some evidence of it by the time they are three years old. Plaque hardens into tartar along the gumline, inflames the gum tissue, and eventually destroys the structures holding the tooth in place.

The progression has a name at each stage. Gingivitis is the early, reversible inflammation of the gums. Periodontitis is what follows when bacteria work below the gumline and break down bone and ligament, and that damage does not reverse. Cats also develop tooth resorption, a painful process in which the tooth structure itself erodes and is replaced by bone-like tissue. It is one of the more common oral findings in cats and usually ends in extraction.

Signs are easy to miss because a cat will keep eating through a sore mouth. Breath with a sharp, rotten odor is usually the first thing an owner notices. Drooling, chewing on one side, dropping kibble, pawing at the face or a sudden preference for wet food over dry all point to oral pain. Check the back teeth near the cheek rather than the canines — brown tartar and a red line along the gum typically show up there first.

Untreated infection does not stay in the mouth. Bacteria from diseased gums can enter the bloodstream, and chronic oral inflammation is associated with strain on the heart, kidneys and liver over time.

Treating established disease means a professional cleaning under general anesthesia, which allows scaling below the gumline, full-mouth dental X $TWTR-rays and removal of teeth too damaged to keep. Anesthesia-free cleanings cannot reach the part of the tooth where the damage happens.

Prevention starts at home. Brushing with a cat-safe enzymatic toothpaste is the most effective daily measure, and it is easiest to establish when introduced gradually in kittenhood. Dental diets and tartar-control treats help, as do plaque-reducing water additives, but neither replaces brushing or a cleaning. Annual exams include an oral check, which is often how early disease gets caught before a tooth is lost.

Illustration: Quartz

Feline lower urinary tract disease, shortened to FLUTD, is an umbrella term for conditions affecting the bladder and urethra. The signs are consistent: straining in the litter box, frequent trips that produce only a few drops, blood-tinged urine, crying while squatting and urinating outside the box.

Several causes sit under the label. Bladder stones, urinary crystals and bacterial infections all qualify, as does feline idiopathic cystitis — bladder inflammation with no identifiable physical cause, closely tied to stress and household change. Idiopathic cystitis is the most frequent form in younger cats. A bladder problem in a three-year-old indoor cat often traces back to something that shifted at home rather than to an infection.

Male cats carry an added risk. Their urethras are narrower, and crystals, mucus and inflammatory debris can plug them completely. A male cat that cannot pass urine is a genuine emergency. Toxins build in the bloodstream, the kidneys stop filtering, and the condition can turn fatal within roughly 24 to 48 hours without treatment. Any cat making repeated unproductive attempts to urinate needs to be seen the same day, not watched overnight. Female cats develop FLUTD at similar rates but obstruct far less often, because their urethras are wider.

Litter box accidents often get read as a behavior problem or spite, and that misreading costs time. A cat urinating on a bathmat or in a sink is frequently associating the box with pain and hunting for a surface that hurts less.

Treatment follows the cause. Stones may require surgical removal or a dissolution diet, and confirmed bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics. Idiopathic cystitis has no single cure. It is managed by lowering stress, raising water intake through wet food or a fountain, and in some cases feeding a prescription urinary diet that produces more dilute urine. Multi-cat tension, a dirty or badly placed box, a new pet, construction noise or a move can all set off a flare. Adding boxes, scooping more often and giving each cat separate resources are standard parts of long-term management.

Illustration: Quartz

Chronic kidney disease is the most common serious illness in older cats, and it is largely a disease of time. The kidneys lose filtering capacity gradually over months or years, most often in cats past age 10, though it appears earlier in some individuals. Persians and related breeds carry a higher risk of polycystic kidney disease, which can progress to kidney failure in middle age.

Cats carry substantial spare kidney capacity, which is why the condition hides so well. A cat can lose a large share of functioning kidney tissue before anything looks wrong. The first visible change is usually increased drinking and larger, more frequent urine clumps in the litter box, because damaged kidneys can no longer concentrate urine properly. Owners sometimes notice the water bowl emptying faster long before the cat seems unwell.

Later signs include steady weight loss, a coat that looks dull or unkempt, reduced appetite, nausea, low energy and breath with a sharp ammonia-like odor. Some cats turn picky rather than going fully off their food, which is easy to read as fussiness instead of illness.

Diagnosis rests on blood and urine testing. Veterinarians look at creatinine and blood urea nitrogen alongside urine concentration, and often at SDMA, a marker that can flag reduced kidney function earlier than creatinine alone. Blood pressure is checked as well, since hypertension frequently accompanies kidney disease and can damage the eyes and brain. Confirmed cases are sorted into four stages under the International Renal Interest Society system, and the stage drives the treatment plan.

There is no cure, but many cats live well for a long stretch after diagnosis. Prescription renal diets that limit phosphorus and control protein quality are the foundation of treatment. Cats in advanced stages often receive subcutaneous fluids at home to maintain hydration, plus blood pressure medication, phosphate binders, anti-nausea drugs or appetite support as needed.

Monitoring matters as much as the treatment itself. Rechecking bloodwork every three to six months lets a veterinarian adjust the plan as the disease shifts. Senior cats benefit from routine screening panels even while they appear healthy, because catching the decline early widens the window in which management still helps.

Illustration: Quartz

Vomiting and diarrhea send more cats to the veterinarian than almost any other symptom, and the causes range from a sudden diet change to intestinal cancer. Hairballs, dietary indiscretion, parasites, food sensitivities and inflammatory bowel disease account for a large share of cases.

Occasional vomiting gets written off as ordinary cat behavior, but frequency matters. A cat that throws up more than once or twice a month has a pattern worth investigating rather than a quirk. Repeated episodes can point to food intolerance or chronic intestinal inflammation. They can also reflect a systemic illness that happens to surface through the gut, since digestive symptoms often accompany problems unrelated to the stomach itself.

Acute episodes behave differently. Vomiting or loose stool that appears suddenly and clears within a day or two usually traces back to something the cat ate, and these cases often settle with a bland diet and rest. The combination that demands a same-day appointment is vomiting plus lethargy, refusal to eat, blood in the vomit or stool, or any symptom that persists past 24 hours. Those can signal an intestinal obstruction, toxin ingestion or an advanced underlying disease.

Chronic cases sit in harder territory. Inflammatory bowel disease, in which the intestinal lining stays persistently inflamed, produces weight loss, intermittent vomiting and soft stool. Intestinal lymphoma, a cancer seen mainly in older cats, can look nearly identical on the surface. Telling the two apart generally requires bloodwork, fecal testing to rule out parasites, imaging and sometimes an intestinal biopsy. Treatment ranges from a prescription diet to long-term immunosuppressive medication or chemotherapy, depending on what the workup finds.

Obstruction risk deserves separate attention. Cats that chew on non-food items, a behavior called pica, are prone to swallowing material the intestine cannot pass. String, ribbon, tinsel and hair ties carry the highest risk, because a linear foreign body can saw through the intestinal wall as the gut contracts around it. That is a surgical emergency, and the window for treating it is short.

Illustration: Quartz

Allergic skin disease in cats traces back to one of three triggers: flea bites, environmental allergens such as pollen and dust mites, or a protein in the cat's food. The result looks much the same in each case — persistent itching, hair loss, scabs and raw patches, usually around the head, neck, belly and the base of the tail.

Flea allergy dermatitis is diagnosed more often than the other two, and it does not require an infestation. One bite is enough to set off a reaction in a sensitized cat. That is why a veterinarian may recommend year-round flea prevention even when no fleas turn up on an indoor cat. Fleas ride in on clothing, on dogs and through shared hallways in apartment buildings.

Environmental allergy, also called feline atopic skin syndrome, often follows the pollen calendar and flares in certain months. Food allergy does not. A cat reacting to beef, chicken or fish itches in February and in July. The protein at fault is usually one the animal has eaten for years, not something new to the bowl.

Identifying the trigger takes months, because no single test settles it. The usual sequence begins with strict flea control for several months, since that is the cheapest variable to rule out. If the scratching continues, an elimination diet built on a novel or hydrolyzed protein runs eight to 12 weeks. No treats, table food or flavored medications can slip in during that window. Blood and skin tests sold for food allergy screening are not considered reliable in cats.

Treatment follows the cause and usually combines more than one approach. Corticosteroids bring fast relief but carry risks over the long term, particularly in cats already at risk of diabetes. Cyclosporine is approved for allergic dermatitis in cats and works more gradually without the same metabolic cost. Omega-3 fatty acid supplements and medicated shampoos help support the skin barrier. Scratching that breaks the skin often opens the door to secondary bacterial or yeast infection, which needs its own treatment before the itch settles.

Illustration: Quartz

Obesity is the most preventable of the major feline health conditions, and one of the most widespread. A cat is generally considered overweight at roughly 10% to 20% above its ideal body weight, and obese beyond that. Indoor cats with constant access to a full bowl and little reason to move are the most affected group.

Extra weight raises risk across several systems at once. Heavy cats are more likely to develop diabetes mellitus, arthritis and joint pain, high blood pressure and urinary tract disease. They are also the population most vulnerable to hepatic lipidosis, a liver condition that sets in when a cat stops eating and stored fat floods a liver that cannot keep up with it.

Grooming suffers as well. A heavy cat cannot reach its lower back and hindquarters comfortably. Owners often notice matted fur, dandruff and irritated skin along the spine and near the base of the tail long before anyone weighs the animal.

Spaying and neutering lower a cat's energy requirement, and most pet cats are altered. Portion sizes frequently do not follow. Feeding guidelines printed on a bag describe an average animal, and they tend to overshoot a sterilized indoor adult. Free feeding compounds the problem by removing any way to track what a cat eats in a day. Measuring each meal with a kitchen scale or a measuring cup, rather than filling a bowl by eye, is the most effective fix available at home.

Veterinarians assess weight through body condition scoring rather than a target number on a chart. The score reflects how easily the ribs can be felt, whether a waist is visible from above and whether the abdomen tucks up when the cat is viewed from the side. Frame size varies widely, so that assessment carries more weight than the scale reading alone.

Weight loss has to be slow. Dropping more than about 1% to 2% of body weight per week can trigger hepatic lipidosis. Cutting food abruptly carries the same danger, in the very cats a diet is meant to help. A veterinary-supervised plan built around scheduled meals, puzzle feeders and daily play produces steadier results than sudden restriction.

Illustration: Quartz

Hyperthyroidism is the most common hormonal disorder in older cats, and in nearly all cases it traces to a benign growth on one or both lobes of the thyroid gland. The excess tissue pours thyroid hormone into the bloodstream and drives metabolism far above normal. Most cats are diagnosed after age 10.

The signature sign is weight loss in a cat whose appetite has gone up. Owners describe a cat that empties the bowl, asks for a second serving, and still grows bonier along the spine and hips. Other signs include restlessness at night, a racing heart rate, heavier thirst and urination, intermittent vomiting or loose stool, and a coat that looks greasy or unkempt. Some cats start yowling more. Because the cat can seem energized, the early stage gets mistaken for a senior pet acting younger.

Diagnosis usually takes one blood test. Total T4 is the standard measurement, and it comes back elevated in the large majority of hyperthyroid cats. Borderline results can be rechecked later or paired with a free T4 test.

Left untreated, the disease does damage well beyond the scale. High hormone levels raise blood pressure and make the heart work harder, which can thicken the heart muscle over time. Thyroid hormone also pushes more blood through the kidneys, so it can conceal existing kidney disease until treatment brings hormone levels down and the kidney values worsen.

Four treatments are available. Methimazole, given as a tablet or as a gel rubbed into the inner ear flap, holds hormone levels down but has to continue for life alongside periodic bloodwork. Radioactive iodine therapy, offered at licensed veterinary facilities, destroys the overactive tissue in a single dose and cures most cats. A prescription iodine-restricted food can control the disease, but only if it is the cat's sole source of calories — no treats, no table scraps, no sharing bowls. Surgery to remove the affected lobe is still performed, though less often than in the past. Kidney function, heart health and what an owner can sustain daily decide which path fits.

Illustration: Quartz

Diabetes mellitus in cats develops when the body stops producing enough insulin, stops responding to it properly, or both. Glucose then circulates in the blood instead of fueling cells. Most feline cases resemble type 2 diabetes in people, and excess body fat is the single largest risk factor.

Early signs are easy to misread as a cat simply eating and drinking more. Thirst and urination climb, the litter box fills faster than usual, and appetite often rises while weight drops. Lethargy and a dull, unkempt coat follow. Some cats develop diabetic neuropathy, nerve damage caused by prolonged high blood sugar. It produces a flat-footed walk, with the hocks sinking toward the floor instead of staying upright.

Diagnosis takes more than one high glucose reading. A veterinary visit alone can push a cat's blood sugar up temporarily. Veterinarians confirm the picture with urine testing for glucose and often a fructosamine test. That test reflects average blood sugar across the preceding weeks rather than a single stressed moment.

Standard treatment is insulin injected under the skin at home, usually twice a day. It is paired with a low-carbohydrate, higher-protein diet that reduces the glucose load after meals. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved oral SGLT2 inhibitor medications for certain cats with diabetes. Those drugs flush excess glucose out through the urine, and they are not appropriate for every patient.

Cats differ from dogs in one meaningful way. Some reach diabetic remission, meaning blood sugar stabilizes and insulin can be stopped. Remission is most likely when the disease is caught early, treated promptly with diet and insulin together, and when the cat sheds excess weight.

Many owners monitor glucose at home with a handheld glucometer and a small blood sample from the ear. Others use a continuous monitor worn against the skin. Doses should be adjusted only in coordination with a veterinarian. Unmanaged diabetes can tip into diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening metabolic crisis marked by vomiting, weakness and rapid breathing. It requires emergency hospitalization.

Illustration: Quartz

Two viruses — feline herpesvirus type 1 and feline calicivirus — cause the large majority of upper respiratory infections in cats. Both spread readily wherever cats live in close quarters. Kittens, shelter cats and cats in multi-cat households carry the highest risk, since transmission happens through sneezing, shared bowls and direct contact.

The early presentation resembles a human cold. Sneezing, clear or thickened nasal discharge, watery or inflamed eyes, congestion and low energy are typical, and fever is common in the first few days. Calicivirus adds a distinct feature: painful ulcers on the tongue, gums or hard palate that make swallowing difficult. The same virus can also produce limping from transient joint inflammation, though that is less common.

Appetite loss is the part owners tend to underestimate. Cats rely on smell to trigger interest in food, so a blocked nose can stop a cat from eating even when it is otherwise strong enough to do so. Warming wet food to body temperature sharpens its aroma and often restarts eating. Wiping discharge from the nostrils helps, and a few minutes in a steamy bathroom loosens congestion.

Most cases run their course in one to two weeks on supportive care alone, since antibiotics do nothing against viruses. Some cats need more. A cat that refuses all food, goes limp or lethargic, breathes with effort or produces thick yellow-green discharge should be seen that day. Secondary bacterial infection and dehydration are the complications that turn a mild illness into a serious one.

Herpesvirus never leaves the body. After the first infection it retreats into nerve tissue and lies dormant there. Stress, illness or immune suppression can reactivate it — a move to a new home, a boarding stay, surgery or the arrival of another cat. Flare-ups of sneezing and eye inflammation can recur for life, usually milder than the first episode.

The FVRCP vaccine covers both viruses and is considered core for every cat, indoor ones included. It does not reliably prevent infection outright. What it does is reduce how severe each episode is and how often episodes occur.