There’s an ancient proverb claiming that a cat has nine lives but to me i just feel that it’s said that way because of their ability for being good at running, jumping and sneaking around tight spots which most of the times could save it’s own live during a critical environmental situation.

But when confronting viruses they are just as fragile as all living beings. I would like to share these viruses found in cats to all cat owners, if your cats or kittens suddenly loss weight, appetite and showing signs of lethargy (which is usually the most common symptoms for all major illness) please bring them to the vet to check for any possibility of FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus), FIPV (Feline Infectious Peritonitis Virus) & FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus). Or if they’re a carrier of FCoV (Feline Coronavirus). It might take a few test to determine but it’s worth it if done in the early stage as there may still be chances of recovering and also to make sure it doesn’t spread to other cats if you’ve more then 1 cat at home as these viruses are contagious. Do not take these virus lightly or think that your cat are just being picky or having a mood swing. The progress of these virus are progressive and the result are usually fatal.

To be honest if you go through the symptoms these viruses are not easy to identify because their initial symptoms are identical to each other or even to illnesses such as food poisoning, fungal infection, or others. It’s usually through and after multiple lab tests or when the situation reaches critical stage then the vet will be able to narrow down the list of possibilities. And often by then all you could do was to give the poor cat a better way to move on to the after life..

Personal test which you can do is to check if your cats gum are turning white/pale and if their eyes are turning yellow, but the best way is to bring your cats for regular blood test / check up at the vet while they are still healthy

I’ve included some links and youtube videos which you can view for more informations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feline_coronavirus

http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/infectious-parasitic/c_ct_feline_infectious_peritonitis

http://messybeast.com/zoonoses.htm