For the second year in a row, urinary tract infection was the top medical condition that cat owners filed medical claims to Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) for in 2005, according to a recent VPI review of policyholder claims.
Upset stomachs remained second on the list, followed by kidney disease, which had been number 10 on the 2004 list.
Most of the top 10 conditions for cats remained the same over the past year, but there was one new addition: Feline diabetes made the 2005 list after not appearing on the 2004 version.
Here are the 2005 top 10 cat claims by incident, with the 2004 ranking in parenthesis:
1. Urinary tract infections (1)
2. Stomach upsets (2)
3. Kidney disease (10)
4. Skin allergies (5)
5. Respiratory infections (3)
6. Diabetes
7. Ear infections (4)
8. Colitis (8)
9. Eye infections (6)
10. Wound infections (7)
The increase in kidney disease in felines is correlated with our aging companion cat population, according to Carol McConnell, VPIs director of veterinary education and services.
When it comes to cats and their kidneys, it's a design-life problem. Cats have evolved over the centuries from being solitary desert creatures with an anticipated life expectancy much shorter than the 10, 12 or even 14 years that cats now enjoy in the comfort of American homes. Cats are simply living much longer than their kidneys were designed to support them, McConnell said.
Posted: July 21, 2006, 5 a.m. EST