Is My Cat Sick?

Cats are masters at hiding signs of illness. Learn how to play detective and recognize these warning signs.

By Marty Becker, DVM, and Janice Willard, DVM

Page 1 of 3

Tweet

If your cat was healthy and now is not, look for a change from what your cat was doing before: a change in activity, appetite, weight, behavior, type or frequency of toileting, resting time, interactions with you, coat, breathing rate, movement, the sound of its voice or breathing or even a different smell.

If you suspect that your pet is sick, ask yourself, What am I noticing now that I didn't notice before?

What Goes In 
A sick cat might eat less or more food. Also note increased water intake. Because cats tend to stop eating when they feel sick, most cat owners will call the vet if their cat stops eating, says Arnold Plotnick, DVM, owner of Manhattan Cat Specialists in New York. However, we often erroneously assume that a hearty appetite means that the cat is fine. Not necessarily. Hyperthyroidism and diabetes are often accompanied by signs of excessive appetite.

What Comes Out 
Look for signs of change in the litterbox. Have your cats bowel movements changed in consistency? Is there diarrhea or constipation? Has the cat started urinating more?

Other discharges are also not normal. Does the cat have a runny nose, goopy eyes or gunk in its ears? Is it salivating excessively or is there blood in the urine? Have you noticed any odd odors?

Is your cats hair falling out or does it have flaking skin? Is there swelling or pus draining from a wound?

Movement and Activity 
What has changed about your cats movement? Has its activity rate de-creased or increased? Is it reluctant to jump onto things that used to be easy or  has it altered how it jumps? Is it shaking its head or scratching its ears a lot?

Page 1 | 2 | 3

Tweet

 Give us your opinion on
Is My Cat Sick?

Earn 1,000 points! What's this?

CatChannel Editor    Irvine, CA 1/24/2013 10:35:33 AM That is a young kitten! Keep feeding soft food like unseasoned and unsalted chopped meats, but in small quantities. Your kitten's stomach is still developing. Try canned tuna, too. Canned cat food will be the best. If you can get to a vet, bring the kitten in for an exam. Here are more articles that might help with your situation: LINK LINK LINK Good luck! aqsa    International 1/23/2013 5:34:06 PM hello i really need help; yesturday i did find a kitten she is about 8 weeks old she is so quite and most of the time she is asleep; i dont know what kind of food she used to eat before;i bought her wet food like fish and gelly chicken and gelly and also dry food she didnt want to eat the dry food but everytime she eats the wet food she feels sick and puck it all please tell me if this is normal or not and how much food should i give her everyday? thanks in advance Chan    Hines, OR 3/4/2011 7:05:28 PM my cat lays down and moews and he is laying in his litter box and doesn't use it angie    mccomb, OH 8/20/2010 11:56:43 AM i nned help my cat is sick i cant find no where that can help me