Greetings cat lovers… are you worried about that sleek tigress napping on your couch? Wondering if you’re seeing a few symptoms of illness in your normally active cat?
Have you noticed subtle changes in your elderly furry friend? Sometimes it’s something you can’t quite put your finger on that starts nagging at you.
Just as with people, subtle changes can be either normal life or indicate a major problem brewing.
Since cats instinctively hide pain and illness to survive in the wild, subtle changes can be symptoms of a serious illness that show up well before kitty is obviously miserable.
It can make her crouch in pain, hate being touched, and become a grumpy puss.
Be Your Cat’s Symptom Detective
By being a litter box detective, getting familiar with her peeing and pooping habits, you’ll be able to catch any number of symptoms in the early stages.
Use your detective eye when you pet or groom your cat as well.
You’ll notice anything different like lumps, bumps, cuts, dandruff, flea dirt, and ticks.
Done regularly, you’ll be catching things early, just as with litter box clues, possibly both saving your cat’s life and your wallet, too!
Regular Checkups Help Catch Illnesses Early
Your veterinarian should be your partner. If your cat gets a good checkup once or twice a year, many diseases can be diagnosed early.
If you have questions or see symptoms in your cat that might be a particular illness, the best thing you can do is write them down to discuss with your vet.
Working together as a team you’ll be able to deal with problems as they happen without panicking.
Regular checkups are also a good way to catch problems early, just as for people.
Some important resources for you are…
- petmd.com – you can look up symptoms and find info about diseases
- Feline Health Topics | Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine – A list of many feline diseases (everything from cancer to diabetes, FIV to hairballs)
The underlined categories below, “Why Is My Cat Peeing Outside the Litter Box?” and “Deciphering Cat Pee Patterns” takes you to more helpful info on dealing with a very frustrating situation.
Updated August 9, 2022