Detecting Cat Illnesses
Cats, like humans, also get sick. The most common cat illnesses include urinary infection, feline idiopathic cystitis, obstruction of the urinary tract, respiratory problems, and hair ball (mass of hair that gets collected in the stomach). To prevent complications and encourage faster healing, it is better for you to be able to detect symptoms early.
Just like us, cats display behavioral changes when they are not feeling well. For example, you may notice that your cat lacks its usual energy or is more quiet than usual. Or it may suddenly show uncommon aggressiveness against you or other cats at home, and leave you wondering why your sweet cat has gone wild. If you see your cat behaving differently and not displaying its usual temperament, then you should check if your cat has a health problem.
Click Here for the Best Cat Training Guide
For example, if you notice that your cat drinks more water than it normally does or seems to be thirsty all the time, this can be a symptom of diabetes or a kidney problem. Changes in appetite are also warning signs of cat illnesses. If your cat shows sudden disinterest in the food that it used to enjoy, then try to give it its favorite food, something that you know your cat will never be able to refuse. If it still shows lack of appetite, then this is obviously an indication that something is wrong.
Changes in a cat’s bowel movements or appearance of stool are also signs of cat illnesses. This may not be your favorite thing to do, but once in a while, especially when your cat shows changes in behavior, you should check its stool for blood or mucus. You should also observe if your cat is urinating more or less than the usual and if the litter box is giving off some kind of pungent odor even after you clean it. If your cat is trained to use the litter but suddenly turns up feces in other places, then there’s a good chance that it has a health problem affecting its bowel movement.
Do you observe changes in your cat’s appearance, such as thickness of hair? Has your cat’s fur lost its shine and smoothness? Do you observe sudden weight loss or weight gain in your cat even if its eating habits remain the same? These may be symptoms of an illness, and something that you should not ignore.
Some behavioral changes caused by cat illnesses happen abruptly while others happen slowly, which makes them harder to notice. This is why you have to train yourself to be observant of how your cat behaves and to take note of its patterns of behavior so you can see when something is out of the ordinary. And when you do notice something, don’t be quick to dismiss it and think that it’s probably nothing. Observe your cat some more and decide whether or not you should take your pet to the vet.
Obvious symptoms of cat illnesses, such as fever, bleeding in any body part, indications of pain such as difficulty in standing or walking, and difficulty in breathing, will require a vet’s immediate attention. Sudden behavioral changes also call for a visit to the doctor. If you notice mild symptoms that have remained for more than 48 hours, then you should likewise take your cat to the vet.