Signs of Illness for Cats

Cats by nature will never show that they are hurt if they can hide it, because in the wild, the weak and hurt are targeted first. That's not to say it's impossible to know if you are paying attention to the signs.

A cat lives life like a routine and as long as their environment and diet don't change around them they will act and behave the same on a daily basis.

Changes like a change in appetite, activity, weight, behavior, sounds, toileting, sleep, interactions with you, coat, breathing rate, movement, coughing, vomiting, sneezing, amount of sleep, breathing or even a different smell are all signs you should be looking for if you suspect your cat may be ill. Even prolonged bad breath is a sign that they may have kidney problems.

Weight change is something you should keep an eye for which isn't as noticeable as the other signs. Weight gain or loss of two or three pounds is a lot for a cat, equivalent to 20-30 lbs for us. Weight gain may be the first signs for diabetes.

Keep track of what is in the litter box, if no changes were done to their diets and haven't been eating table scraps, what you find in the litter box should be constant.

Call your veterinarian as soon as you think your cat is sick. We tend to wait till things get worse even for ourselves which just make things harder and more expensive to handle. Our pet cats deserve the best care possible.