Page 46 - Complete Cat Care: How To Keep Your Cat Healthy and Happy

Monitoring your cat’s health

By monitoring your cat for changes in activity or behavior, you can spot
illness or injury at an early stage. Similarly, a vet can assess your cat’s
condition at regular checkups and keep records of any problems.

◁ Behavioral signs of illness
If your cat seems quieter or more lethargic
(weak and tired) than usual, this could signify
that he feels ill.
hide himself away. He may be
less active or may sleep more
than usual. He may become
abnormally timid or aggressive.

Initial visit to the vet
44 As soon as you have scheduled the
date for your cat’s arrival, register
with a vet. You may want to
consider pet insurance.
Your cat’s health ask friends or neighbors for
If you haven’t used a vet before,
recommendations, look at
local newspaper or internet
advertisements, or ask an animal
Detecting problems
Cats are notorious for hiding any If your cat seems more hungry or protection agency or one of the cat
thirsty than usual, goes off his food,
organizations listed at the end of
signs of pain, illness, or injury. or loses weight, you need to consult this book (see p.91) for suggestions
In the wild, their survival would a vet. If your cat cries or strains on how to carry out your search.
depend on not showing weakness when urinating or defecating, or Before making a final decision,
so that they do not attract the has accidents in the home, it could it can help to visit local veterinary
attention of predators. However, signify an internal disorder. practices to find out how they are
this ruse also means that owners Changes in behavior could also organized. Check to see if the office
might not notice problems until indicate problems. Your cat may be has separate waiting areas for cats
they have become severe. reluctant to come to you or may and dogs, and allows people to put

Signs of ill health

■ Lethargy, hiding ■ Unintentional weight loss ■ Increased thirst
■ Unusually fast, slow, or ■ Unexpected weight gain, ■ Diarrhoea, or difficulty passing
difficult breathing especially with a bloated abdomen a motion
■ Sneezing or coughing ■ Change in appetite – eating less, ■ Difficulty passing urine, crying
■ Open wound, swelling, walking away from food, voraciously ■ Itchiness
bleeding hungry, or having difficulty eating ■ Abnormal discharge from
■ Blood in faeces, urine, or vomit ■ Vomiting, or unexplained any orifice
■ Limping, stiffness, inability to regurgitation of undigested ■ Coat changes, excessive loss
jump onto furniture food shortly after eating of fur

US_044-045_Monitoring_your_cats_health.indd 44 24/10/2013 14:56