How your cat says I'm Sick

Image by elycefeliz via Flickr

Is your cat telling you that it isn’t feeling well or that there might be something seriously wrong? Would you know it if your cat was trying to tell you? What are some of the ways that will tell you that your cat needs a trip to the vet to have it checked out? There are many different signals that can tip you off.

When your cat comes up to you while you are relaxing on the couch or laying down in bed and meows in your face, and you get a whiff of bad breath, your cat is communicating with you in more than an auditory manner. This is probably an indication of tooth problems. Just like with people, a tooth that is decaying can cause all sorts of problems, from slight pain to infections and jaw problems. Your vet will be able to help with a tooth cleaning and extraction and any other treatments that may be needed.

What if your cat starts making even more noise than usual? Caterwauling, especially at night, can be an indication of things such as high blood pressure or hyperthyroidism, both of which your vet can help you with. Another problem that can be associated with this indicator is changes in an aging cat as its mental processes change.

But what about when your cats behavior heads in the opposite direction? Is your cat spending a lot more time off on its own? Is it staying under your bed or other furniture? It may be that your cat is in pain, or is suffering from some other stressful situation that your cat is trying to hide from.

What about vomiting? Is it just a hair ball? Hair balls are usually just a tube shaped mass, usually fairly solid, and possibly a little food mixed in. But is it something else? Does it look more like vomit? A little thinner and waterier, and doesn’t show much fur? If this only happens once every two or three months, there probably isn’t anything to worry about. But, if it is happening more often than that, it may indicate pancreatic or bowel problems.

Keep an eye on the litter box too, and your cats urinary output. Is your cats urinary output way up? It may be an indication of feline diabetes, hyperthyroidism or kidney disease. Diabetes can be treated with either oral medications or insulin injections. Hyperthyroidism can also be treated with medications. Your vet can give you treatment options regarding kidney disease.

Is your cat not using the litter box at all for urinating? This could be an indication of urinary tract infection or disease, which can sometimes lead to blockages or other life threatening situations.

The final item that we will look at is your cats grooming habits. If your cat is looking unkempt, not grooming itself as well, as long or with as much attention as normal, it could be an indicator of problems such as feline diabetes and kidney disease because of an endocrine system imbalance. It may also be an indicator of oral problems.

Any time you notice a marked change in your cats behavior over a period of time, don’t be afraid to take your cat to see the vet, and give the vet all of the information on the changes that you have observed. These observations are key to the vet determining possible conditions and what tests to run.