How Healthy is Your Cat?

Healthy Cat

A healthy cat can be described as having bright shiny eyes, a healthy shiny hair coat, good appetite, maintaining their body weight, intermittently playful and generally seems “happy”.

However, cats are very good at hiding their illness just by their nature of survival.  They want to appear healthy so they are less vulnerable to predators.

Consider these common signs of illness that are non-specific, suggesting they can be common for many different diseases.  Common signs of cat illness can be subtle and you have to look closely to see the first signs.

Let’s look at some common specific signs of illness in cats:

• Lack of appetite: Anorexia is often one of the first signs of illness in cats.
• Less active: Cats that don’t feel well are often less active.  This can be mistaken for “getting older”.  If your cat is less active, the safest thing to do is have your vet check your cat out.
• Weakness: Weakness can be displayed as less active or sometime lethargic appearance or loss of balance and coordination.  All of these are potentially serious.
• Lethargy: Lethargy is a general lack of interest in the environment.  It is a very common symptom and can be an early sign of illness.
• Weight loss:  Is another common sign of disease or illness.  Sometimes it is difficult to notice weight loss, especially in longhaired cats.  If your cat feels bonier, or lighter, you can easily feel the ribs, this could be a problem.
• Increased water consumption:  This can be associated with a few diseases including kidney disease and diabetes mellitus.  If you notice your cat is showing these symptoms, see your veterinarian.
• Not grooming:  Cats that don’t feel well don’t groom.  Sometimes this is the first sign of illness some cat owners will notice.  The hair coat is matted or just not being kept as clean.  If your cat is not grooming like they used to, have him or her evaluated by veterinarian.
• Bad breath:  Bad breath, also known as halitosis, can result from dental disease as well as metabolic disorders.
• Inappropriate elimination:  Most often inappropriate elimination involves urinating outside of the litter box.  This can be as well as due to a variety of urinary tract diseases.  Have your cat checked by your vet to determine if there is an underlying cause for this behavior.
• Sleeping more:  This is often associated with lethargy.  Cats sleep an overage of 13 to 16 hours each day depending on the age and personality of the individual cat.  If you notice your cat is sleeping a lot more than he used to, don’t assume it is just age.  Make sure that there is not an underlying disease or illness.
• Less involved in social interaction with you or other cats: Cats that don’t feel well, don’t tend to play or be as social with you or your other cats.
• Drooling:  Drooling or hyper salivation can be associated with oral or dental disease and should be evaluated by your veterinarian.
• Vomiting:  Gagging or vomiting is a very common sign of illness.  Some cats will vomit occasionally or vomit a hairball.  Vomiting that occurs once a week or less frequently is generally not a problem.  However, if your cat is vomiting on a regular basis or is loosing weight, this could be an indication of a serious problem.
• Difficulty breathing:  This is a very severe sign of illness.  It can be caused by underlying heart or lung disorders as well as anemia.  Difficulty breathing can be noted as increased respiratory rate or effort, open mouth breathing, or a posture in which the arms are slightly abducted and your cat neck is extended.  This is a life-threatening emergency.
• Diarrhea:  Can be caused by dietary reasons, allergies and other gastrointestinal diseases.
• Coughing:  Coughing is relatively uncommon symptom in cats but is serious when it occurs.
• Bloody urine:  Can be a sign of urinary tract disease or infection in cats.  It should be evaluated immediately.  It can also be associated with urinating outside of the box or frequently attempts to urinate.

Watch your cat carefully for any signs of illness.  If you notice any of these signs in your cat, please contact Dr. Hablinski at Willis Animal Clinic as soon as possible.