How to Tell When Your Cat is Sick 🤒 13 Common Symptoms

As a cat owner, one of the most important things you need to know is how to tell when your cat is sick.

Cats are masters at hiding their symptoms, which can make it challenging to determine when they’re not feeling well. However, there are certain signs and behaviors you can look out for that may indicate your cat is sick.

In this article, we’ll delve into these signs, helping you become more attuned to your cat’s health and wellbeing.

Understanding Cat Behavior 🐾

Cats, unlike dogs, do not tell you when they’re not feeling well. Dogs, being pack animals, will act sick and their pack mates take care of them. Cats, on the other hand, are solitary hunters. They’re used to not relying on anyone else for help.

When they’re ill, they try to hide it because they’re kind of middle of the food chain. If a cat looks weak or sick, some predator might take it out. They also don’t expect any help from other cats. So they don’t overtly show signs of illness.

Signs Your Cat Might Be Sick 😿

Inappropriate Elimination 🚽

One of the most obvious signs that something might be wrong with your cat is inappropriate elimination. If your cat always uses the litter box and then all of a sudden starts peeing or pooping on the floor, something’s wrong. They’re not being contrary.

They’re being sick. If your cat starts eliminating inappropriately when they’ve always used the litter box before, take them to the vet. There’s a reason for it. Chances are the vet can fix it.

Hiding 🙈

Cats hide when they’re ill. Indoor cats will hang out under the couch or in the closet or somewhere they don’t normally hang out and they’ll hang out there a lot.

Increased hiding is something you will notice in a cat who’s not feeling well, particularly (if) they throw a fever or they’re really feeling rotten. They’ll just be away. They’ll put themselves away somewhere dark and quiet and basically wait till they get better or die.

Increased Aggression 😾

If a cat gets kind of snappy and kind of untouchable and kind of “mean”, they’re probably not mean, but they’re probably in chronic pain.

Chronic pain, like having a toothache, sore joints from arthritis, a bellyache, a sore back, really infected hair mats can cause a cat to get pretty cranky because they’re in pain all the time and their response to pain is to get cranky and bitey and kind of untouchable.

Anorexia 🍽️

Cats will often stop eating in many of the old cat diseases like hypertension, kidney disease - manifests as poor appetite.

So cats will stop eating. Again, they’ll hide, they won’t visit the food bowls often. It can be a little bit hard to pick up if you have multiple animals, but certainly anorexia is a very common feature of most common cat illnesses and it’s really worth looking out for.

Vomiting 🤮

Vomiting is a really common sign of many old cat diseases. Now a lot of people tell me ‘well, my cat’s been vomiting her whole life’. And if it’s once or twice a year, it’s probably normal, nothing to worry about. But if your cat’s been vomiting once a week for its whole life, well, guess what? There’s a problem. That problem might be something not very bad.

It might be something like chronic food intolerance, inflammatory bowel disease. But even something as subtle as that can convert to cancer later in life. So, if your cat’s vomiting all the time, that is not normal. That can be changed; that can be helped when you figure out why they’re vomiting and treat it.

Yowling 🗣️

Sometimes cats will yowl, which is like a really loud protracted annoying meow, when they’re uncomfortable and this can be a sign of pain.

Limping 🐾

Limping is another sign and this is kind of true for cats and dogs. People will notice (and) bring in an animal that’s limping. They’ll be asking me ‘hey Doc, is she in pain?’ and I don’t know how to answer that. Of course they’re in pain.

I mean, why else would you limp if you’re not in pain? Of course, there are certain other reasons like neurologic palsy, but clearly you don’t limp unless there’s something that is wrong with you. So, if your pet’s limping, you know, there’s something wrong with it.

Additional Signs of Illness in Cats 😿

Fever 🌡️

If a cat has a fever, it’s common for their nose to become warm and dry. To confirm an elevated body temperature, it should be recorded anally with a thermometer.

Their healthy body temperature is between 101 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit or 38.3 to 39.2 degrees Celsius. Anything above 102.5 degrees means they have a fever.

Changes in Urine and Feces 🚽

Monitoring our cat’s waste helps us to monitor their state of health. For example, kidney or bladder problems will change the quality of their urine. Similarly, if a cat urinates outside of their litter box, it can be a sign of a physical health problem.

The consistency and appearance of a cat’s stool can also reveal something about their health. If we see our cat has diarrhea, there is blood in their stool, or they haven’t defecated for more than two days, they need to be taken to a veterinarian immediately.

Nausea 🤢

If you notice your cat vomits, don’t panic. Cats usually purge themselves by regurgitating material. However, sometimes cats are nauseous but don’t vomit. This can be worrying as it may be due to a stomach or esophageal obstruction.

In the event that our feline vomits several times over a day or two, it may be poisoning, an infection of the intestinal tract, or even a kidney problem.

Excessive Scratching 🐾

If a cat scratches a lot, it’s a clear sign they are infested by parasites. Fleas are the most common, but there are also many other external parasites such as ticks or mites.

Starting in the spring, it’s best to protect our feline by means of an anti-parasitic collar or pipette.

Changes in Posture and Movement 🐈

When a cat is sick, they display a generally depressed state. We can observe they sleep more than usual, they do not sleep at all or do so very infrequently. In this way, we must monitor their sleep patterns and dietary habits.

When ill, they also tend to adopt abnormal positions, display strange movements, and lose the usual desire to play.

Regular Veterinary Care is Essential 🏥

Every animal deserves a health check at least once a year. As they age, so over the age of ten or eleven with cats, they deserve a health check twice a year because things can go sideways in between there. And, you know, doing regular blood and urine testing particularly on cats this age really helps us pick up those old person diseases that they get.

You know, often we’ll check their blood pressure during health checks. Just little things like that will often allow us to identify cats who are sick much earlier than they would have been noticed at home and then we can start helping them and really improve their quality of life, save the owners a lot of money, and then kind of make life better for everybody.

Conclusion 🐱💕

Understanding your cat’s behavior and knowing the signs of illness can help you ensure your feline friend stays healthy and happy. Remember, regular veterinary care is essential for your cat’s wellbeing.

If you notice any changes in your cat’s behavior or physical condition, don’t hesitate to consult with your vet.

For more information on cat health and behavior, check out our other articles on why my cat has watery eyes and do I need to visit a vet, what shots are needed for cats, and why my cat has bad breath.