Kitty seems a bit off. How can I tell if she's sick?

Hello everyone. So, I adopted my kitty, Rose, last year. She's two years old. Other than the cats I had as a kid, she's my first cat. So, I still feel kinda new to this. Rose has been acting a bit off lately. She's seemed a little lethargic, sleeping more and hiding under my bed a lot. She's always liked to nap under my bed, but it seems more often lately. She's also been eating a bit less. She is still eating, but hasn't seemed as interested in her dry food and mostly just eats the wet that she gets twice a day. I chalked all of these up to the heat. We've had a very bad heat wave here for the past few weeks. She's an indoor kitty, but our A/C isn't very good. Her eyes and nose look clean and she does eventually come out of hiding in the early morning when it's finally cooling down. I have a lot of vet bills stacked up from my two elderly dogs who have needed care, so I've been reluctant to take her to the vet but I just might have to. I woke up this morning to a bit of pee on the kitchen floor. I'm not 100% sure it was Rose. It might have been my elderly chihuahua, but so far he hasn't shown any signs of incontinence. Rose hasn't ever gone outside of the litterbox not even once in the 1 1/2 year I've had her. She also just had a check up in January and had a clean bill of health then. I'm probably rambling, but any advice you can offer is appreciated thanks. Oh and also her pee and poop have looked normal. 

I am a bit of a nervous nellie so someone else will probably disagree with me but I probably would take her to a vet.  I know vet bills can stack up and begin to feel overwhelming but when one of my kitties just isn't acting right I always take him or her to the vet.  Kitties are so good at hiding discomfort that being just a bit different may be all that we see.

Denise is right!  Any time a cat is willing to show their discomfort they should see a vet unless you already know the cause.  Also, cats unlike other mammals need to eat every day.  You wrote a few days ago, how is she now?

Riley1 said:

 
Denise is right!  Any time a cat is willing to show their discomfort they should see a vet unless you already know the cause.  Also, cats unlike other mammals need to eat every day.  You wrote a few days ago, how is she now?

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She was eating everyday, just less than her normal amount. She gets a mix of wet and dry and was eating the wet and barely touching the dry. Anyway, she perked up and is back to her old self zooming around the house, annoying the dogs, eating loads and sleeping near us instead of under the bed. I'll keep an eye on her just in case, but she seems to be better now. Thank you both for your input, I appreciate it. 

veggietreegirl said:

 
She was eating everyday, just less than her normal amount. She gets a mix of wet and dry and was eating the wet and barely touching the dry. Anyway, she perked up and is back to her old self zooming around the house, annoying the dogs, eating loads and sleeping near us instead of under the bed. I'll keep an eye on her just in case, but she seems to be better now. Thank you both for your input, I appreciate it. 

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Has the weather cooled off since your original post?  I am thinking she may have been eating less because she was uncomfortable due to being too warm. Many years ago I lived in Chicago in an apartment that did not have air conditioning during a really warm summer in Chicago. My cat did the same thing with eating less and sleeping more and I still remember how scared I was to see this behavior. I mentioned it to one of my friend's who had air conditioning in his apartment but was not allowed to have pets.  His mom was his landlord and thankfully she gave her permission for my cat to come stay there until the heat wave broke.  The minute she was in a space with good air-conditioning her behavior went back to normal very quickly. 

Perhaps you could try to set up a cool zone in your house by putting a window air conditioner in somewhere.  I probably would have ended up doing this myself if my friend had not been able to help.

catlover73 said:

 
Has the weather cooled off since your original post?  I am thinking she may have been eating less because she was uncomfortable due to being too warm. Many years ago I lived in Chicago in an apartment that did not have air conditioning during a really warm summer in Chicago. My cat did the same thing with eating less and sleeping more and I still remember how scared I was to see this behavior. I mentioned it to one of my friend's who had air conditioning in his apartment but was not allowed to have pets.  His mom was his landlord and thankfully she gave her permission for my cat to come stay there until the heat wave broke.  The minute she was in a space with good air-conditioning her behavior went back to normal very quickly. 

Perhaps you could try to set up a cool zone in your house by putting a window air conditioner in somewhere.  I probably would have ended up doing this myself if my friend had not been able to help.

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That's what I'm thinking. We had an extreme heat wave come through, but it's finally cooled off a bit. One day, recently, the expected weather was 109 so I left the a/c on high, but by the time I got back from work it was 118 outside. I've never seen temps get that high, especially so early in the year. I was glad I left the a/c on high, but it still isn't the best. It's just a little window unit. I put ice in the water bowls and blasted fans, did the best I can but it's not the same as having central air conditioning. My husband and I are paying off student loans and saving up to get a nicer place, but at the moment we're a bit stuck. I used to take my pets over to my parent's house when things got too hot but unfortunately they've fallen on hard times and can't afford to turn on their a/c. I don't really have anyone else to rely on. It's been slow going trying to save up to move too as one of my dogs has been battling cancer and another is elderly and needs regular medication, vet visits, teeth cleanings more often than when he was younger. I don't mean to unload my life story on here, but I say this 1.) so you understand where I'm coming from and 2.) as a bit of a warning. My husband and I sat down before deciding to adopt our kitty and budgeting for her regular needs such as annual vet visit, vaccines, food, litter etc Unfortunately, we never planned for if one of our pets had an emergency or the higher bills that come from aging pets. I'm still in my 20s, so I'm newer to adult life and I consider this a tough lesson learned. I love my pets and will take the best care I can of them, but hopefully someone considering adopting a pet will read this and learn.  

I understand what you are saying. I was a poor college student when I was dealing with this heat wave in the city years ago. The weather you were dealing with matches what I dealt with. I was very lucky that my friend stepped up to help.

I now live in a place with central air and there definitely is a very noticable difference. One thing you can try that one of my friends has found helpful is to try wiping your cat down with a cool damp cloth if she will allow it. My friend has central air but was dealing with a power outage during hot weather. My friend at this time was running a private rescue socializing ferals to find them homes. We live near each other and I had power and air but trying to relocate that many cats was not an option. I did offer to set up a safe room in my den for her cats if she needed it but the space would have been to small.