How do I know if my cat is sick?

Of course I might be panicking for no reason. Or, actually, I am more than likely panicking for no reason. But I am a new cat owner and all I know about cats is what I've learn from our own furry companion in the past four months, as well as on this site.

And this site, with all its useful information on it, makes me panic. A little.

Like, how do you know your cat has a fever? Only because it starts acting differently? It doesn't eat and/or drink? Sleeps more? Gets warm(er) to the touch?

Having read everything I've read on here, I keep seeing things our cat does that she's never done before. And then I am not sure if that's good or bad. Ooops?

For instance - yesterday she slept more than normal. Or more than it was normal to me, because I was the one who spent more time at home than I usually do. So I might've just seen her sleep more than I normally get to. But I became suspicious about it. No idea why. She ate and played. She wanted to go out, so she did, with me, on her leash. She didn't eat or touched anything suspicious at all and had no interaction with other animals. Then she slept again.

Then she ate, but not as much as she normally does. Actually, she did eat it all, eventually, but she wasn't as greedy a pig. Is this because we have switched to mostly-all-wet-food? She seems more content now and begs for food a lot less, overall. (The dry portion she eats a day is maybe 1/8 of a cup (usually less) and it's either Wellness CORE ore Merrick Before Grain.)

This morning, she didn't gobble down her 3oz can in one bite either. She actually ate one half of it, then came back a bit later and finished the rest.

Is she just... becoming more normal a cat, all adjusted to regular feeding schedule (she was a stray, so I guess she really had a reason to panic about the amount of food in her bowl for a while)?

Also, while I'm at it, a family friend who has had cats for probably 30 years now, always adds water to their canned food, to make sure they get enough liquid (she works a lot so sometimes it's too hard for her to monitor their intake during the day). Her cats love it that way. I tried that with ours last night and she was a bit confused. Does this make sense, or should it not be done?

I guess half of my post belongs here in Health, the other half in Nutrition, but... it would make little to no sense to split the whole thing.

So am I going nuts here because I read too much? Or is it normal to get suspicious?

I don't really think I need to take her to a vet, I guess I'm overall just thinking out loud, while trying to figure out this cat person of ours and her behaviour and habits.

It is easy to get the impression here that cats are sickly creatures, prone to all sorts of ailments. But that is because people come here looking for advice about their sick cats. The vast majority of cats seldom get sick. In the over 50 years I've had cats, I've only had 3 ever get sick, and they were elderly (over 12) when that happened.

All you said about your cat yesterday sounds perfectly normal. Cats do sleep a great deal. It's probably a good thing as far as having them as pets, considering all the trouble they can be when awake.

I do mix in several teaspoons of warm water in my cats' canned food to get more fluid into them. This helps preserve liver and kidney function. Liver (renal) failure is a common problem in older cats. Most changes confuse cats. But my cats like the soupy (it's not too thin) food now.

If your cat stops eating, sleeps ALL the time, and doesn't want to interact with you, then something is wrong. If your cat eats and eliminates normally, all is probably well. Most cats like to eat some and go back for more. You just have to be sure to pick up the food, if it is not dry food, in an hour or less, so it doesn't spoil.

Enjoy your cat. Don't worry. Be happy. Most cats are quite low maintainance.

Robin

You are a perfectly normal, and loving, new parent! And I was exactly the same way...if I'd had my way, we'd probably be at the vet every other day those first few months! But, what Bast said is the truth.

BTW, mine were both adopted and had been strays - once they realized the food bowl was going to be filled every day, the over anxious eating slowed way down!

And, yeah, sometimes google can be a good friend - sometimes it can drive us to panic where we don't have to!

For future reference. A cat with a fever will have hot ears. In cats with lighter ears, they will appear to be more pink- red. The paws will feel hot, too, and sometimes sweaty. Now, a cat thats been under a blanket or laying on something warm (like you) will feel a tad warmer, but in time you'll notice what is and isn't normal.
Cats also get slight fevers and sweatly paws when very nervous and anxious.

Thanks, everyone!

Yes, it is true that it seems there alot of kitty issues here, but that is what these forums are for. Most of the people come to the health/behavior/nutrition forums with some sort of problem. Not always, but usually. So it can be overwhelming with a ton of information. You sound like the best kind of cat owner to me , you are concerned and watchful of you cat, as it should be. But, don't overdo it and make yourself crazy (hard to do, as I do it ), you will know when something is really wrong with your cat. We are always here to assist you and comfort you no matter what the concern. Here on TCS, there is no question to small or there is no concern to small. We are always learning something from eachother and eachother cats that might someday be very useful knowledge. Sounds to me like you have a very normal kitty at the moment

Kittica, I was in the exact same position as you a year ago. "Ritz" was a rescue cat, part of a litter of four, who dumpster dived for the first four to six months of her life. I helped socialize her and her litter mates; prior to that time, I'd never had a cat before, never been around cats (grew up with dogs, never bonded with them).
So, I had to learn fast by reading books and these forums. And learned to trust my instincts. I too thought cats were sick a lot based on the forums; then I realized, why would you post a question if your cat was well
I learned that if the cat shows DRAMATIC, DRASTIC change in his/her behavior, then that might be a signal that something is wrong. I learned that if Ritz is peeing, pooping and playing the same way she has been doing the three p's, then she is probably just fine. 'Normal' is a relative term.
I also learned that sleeping is overrated (you want What WHEN? It's 3 a.m.....
And just because Ritz didn't sleep next to me or want to be on my lap this evening, doesn't mean (a) she is sick or (b) she doesn't love me anymore. Pets--and people--like their own space and have their own moods.
Good luck, and good love

This has been very helpful for me, too! Thank you everyone for sharing your experience and knowledge, and being reassuring
I also tend to be very worried about everything; imagining and fearing the worst...

When Peanut got sick, I spent hours glued to Google and was just certain that he had some horrifying, life-threatening disease. The fact that the vet clinic (the best vet school in the Midwest, no less) couldn't figure out what was wrong with him made me even more sure that he was going to die a horrible death. Turns out the silly goose ate the ribbon off of a trash bag, which quickly taught me to tuck them in the other way so he couldn't get to them!

It was obvious that he was ill because he threw up all over the place- couldn't keep anything at all down- refused water, and stopped grooming. In that case you know something's seriously wrong, but other times when you're not sure- ask, ask, ask! That's why we're here You're going to be a wonderful kitty-mommy.

Thanks again, everyone!

Eventually... I'll learn things.

Well, we will all learn together, I learn something new everyday on this site Forever learning

Originally Posted by bastetservant

It is easy to get the impression here that cats are sickly creatures, prone to all sorts of ailments. But that is because people come here looking for advice about their sick cats. The vast majority of cats seldom get sick. In the over 50 years I've had cats, I've only had 3 ever get sick, and they were elderly (over 12) when that happened.

All you said about your cat yesterday sounds perfectly normal. Cats do sleep a great deal. It's probably a good thing as far as having them as pets, considering all the trouble they can be when awake.

I do mix in several teaspoons of warm water in my cats' canned food to get more fluid into them. This helps preserve liver and kidney function. Liver (renal) failure is a common problem in older cats. Most changes confuse cats. But my cats like the soupy (it's not too thin) food now.

If your cat stops eating, sleeps ALL the time, and doesn't want to interact with you, then something is wrong. If your cat eats and eliminates normally, all is probably well. Most cats like to eat some and go back for more. You just have to be sure to pick up the food, if it is not dry food, in an hour or less, so it doesn't spoil.

Enjoy your cat. Don't worry. Be happy. Most cats are quite low maintainance.

Robin

Click to expand...

Very wise post. I also want to add with animals many owners can sense with things are just wrong and/or off, and that comes with living with them and caring for them.