Cats instinctively to hide illness. As such small creatures in a big animal world, they don’t want to show weakness and become prey for a larger creature. Unfortunately, this means that they also hide illness from their human companions who want to be sure they stay healthy. To help catch your cat’s illness early, watch for the 10 signs that your kitty needs a visit to the vet for a diagnosis.
1 . Going outside the litterbox
There are a lot of reasons that your cat might be going outside the litterbox. But adding litter boxes, changing litter, and scooping more often doesn’t help if your kitty is going elsewhere because she isn’t feeling well.
Keep in mind that the ailment may not have anything to do with being “sick.” Cats with arthritis may find it difficult to “assume the position” do do their business on the shifting material of cat litter and choose to go on firm flooring instead.
2 . Changes in activity
Is your senior cat suddenly playing with toys like a kitten for the first time in years? A senior experiencing what seems like a second kittenhood can be so delightful it is hard to look past it to realize it might be due to a metabolic problem.
If your kitty is less active than before, this could be a sign that something is wrong, too. For example, refusing to jump up onto furniture to look out a favorite window can be a sign of arthritis.
3. Changes in social interactions
Most of us are familiar with cats who become withdrawn when they don’t feel well. This makes it easier to overlook ailments that can make formerly-timid cats suddenly seem more outgoing. If your kitty who never spent time in the living room with the family is suddenly climbing onto everyone’s lap when you sit down in front of the TV, it’s easy to think she has had a breakthrough, and maybe she has! She could also have hyperthyroidism making her seem more outgoing than before.
4 Changes in sleeping habits
Maybe your cat is sleeping all the time, not just her usual 18 hours or so. There’s a reason that kitty is “slowing down” that’s worth looking into.
If your kitty who used to sleep with you every night now restlessly roams the house during the wee hours, something has changed. It might be a new neighbor cat, or it could be the onset of an illness that is making her seem restless at night.
5. Changes in food or water intake
A cat who was a moderate eater and is now always hungry probably has something going on that needs attention. So does a cat whose formerly healthy appetite vanishes and now picks at her food.
If your kitty suddenly stops at the water bowl to drink much more frequently, that should also get your attention. Get her checked out so that you can intervene early in case it is diabetes or kidney disease.
6. Weight loss or gain
A cat who eats just as much as before but now loses weight has had some kind of a metabolic change that requires attention. Don’t think, “Thank goodness that diet finally worked!” if the exact same diet didn’t work for the last six months. Something is going on!
Similarly, a cat who is eating the same amount but seems to be suddenly gaining weight can be a sign that something is going on that needs attention. Your vet can help identify what is happening.
7. Changes in grooming
Does your kitty look unkempt? Maybe she isn’t bathing as often as she used to or isn’t bathing certain areas like further down her back. There could be lots of reasons for this, including arthritis making it painful to bend around into those catlike pretzel shapes needed for complete grooming.
On the other end of the grooming scale, cats can overgroom to the point of causing bare spots. This can be be a sign of anxiety, pain, or even allergy.
8. Vocalization changes
Some cats, like Siamese, are just talkative, but be on the lookout for changes from your kitty’s normal behavior. If a talkative kitty suddenly doesn’t meow, something is going on.
Does your cat’s meow sound different? Maybe the pitch is different, or she meows much more frequently or sounds hoarse. Any of these changes are a sign that something is going on with your kitty’s health.
9. Bad breath
Your cat isn’t likely to have that just-brushed fresh breath unless you brush her teeth yourself, but bad breath can be a sign of a variety of issues as obvious as dental disease or as not-so-obvious as kitty having anal gland problems and grooming herself.
10. Behavior changes
Other behavior changes not already covered above, like sudden signs of fear or aggression may be neurological but are easy to mistake for behavior issues. Keep in mind that all behavior issues have a cause, and the cause could be medical rather than your kitty being a “bad cat.”
Research and further reading:
Cat Healthy, When is it Time to Go to the Vet?
Photo credits
depositphotos/darzyhanna
depositphotos/acmanley
flickr creative commons/Pamela B
Gratisography/Ryan McGuire
depositphotos/OlegTroino
It’s important to spell things out for humans so they know the clues!
Thank goodness we haven’t got any of these so we won’t need to visit the vet until the end of the year!
Yep, that is a darn good list and sometmes it’s hard to tell the good from the bad, like playing!
Those are some mighty good things to keep in mind. We have to keep all that in mind. It is hard to tell when a cat is sick.
Those are great tips because us cats are known to hide our illnesses.
guys….eye did me fair share oh yowlin sinz day one but de older
eye getted de louder it bee came…..it waz discovered eye waz
goin deaf N de peepulz think eye yowled louder…ta heer me own
self if that makez sense….eye still yowl ta high heaven even tho
now eye am com pleet lee deaf ~~~~~~~~
butter lover boomer o cat ♥♥♥
good advice….
we gotta get the resident momma cat seen – she has some serious dragon breath
Oh my cats that furiend in # 8 has a ginormous mouth.
Hugs madi your bfff
Super tips!!
The Florida Furkids
Excellent post! We really have to be detectives with cats, they are so good at hiding illness.
Yep! We’ve experienced almost all of these things over the years with our cats. Great things to be on the look out for, always.
Good tip. HUmans always need to be reminded.
or it has been a year since the kitty has seen a vet 😉 (or six months if they are older)
Those are good tips to keep in mind for our humans ! We cats are champions in hiding our illness… Purrs
Always good to read. Mom has an eagle eye out and she is always on the edge of being concerned having had to very ill and old cats before me.
Great information. Our sweet Elsie was very shy, semi-feral, and then in the last few days of her life, she became much more friendly. Although I knew this was part of her illness and also indicated that the end was near, I still treasure those moments of her letting me pet her.
Humans need to know this important stuff. Great tips.
Great post. It’s so easy to explain away changes and tell yourself that otherwise they are acting “fine.” Or they act fine half the time and so you discount the other half. To be fair, I do the same thing when I have issues myself.
Very important information! As much as we try to deny a problem exists, we need to read our cats’ clues!
That’s right, give TW something else to worry about. Wednesday is Worry Wednesday cos she always has something to worry about concerning my or her health.
Great info!
Paying close attention to any changes in a cat’s life is so important. Cats do not necessarily show symptoms of illness the way we would think. My Cinco never showed any symptoms of being ill even though he had cancer. He was playing and acting normal 2 days before I had to help him to the Bridge. The little changes in a cat’s life can be the only clues you will get!
This is great info for cat owners to know and pay attention to.
This is a terrific list of reminders. May we add that bad breath can be a sign of kidney disease as well. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
These are all important to watch for! Our elder Buddy has been slowing down and he may be heading to the vet soon. He has gotten a10 month reprieve from his ca so we are thankful so far. Thanks for a great post
Timmy Dad and Family
yeah, what Summer said. Sometimes those humans are SO clueless! (and I do NOT have bad breath ALL the time, mommy. You just don’t appreciate the finer points of BONITO flakes.)
Very nice post. Great tips for cat owners to know and look out for them cats. Thanks for sharing!!!