How to Tell if Your Cat Is Sick

Appetite and Elimination Are Indicators of Feline Health

sick cat — Changes in your cat's eating habits can be a sign of illness. Marka/Getty Images

Keeping a close eye on what goes into and out of your cat's body can be a good indicator of its health. You may notice that your cat isn't eating as much as before, but you also need to know the context. For example, does he just seem uninterested in food entirely? Or does he come running as usual for his food but then eats little (if any) of it? In the first case, it would be completely correct to say your cat has no appetite. In the second, he has an appetite but something is making him feel like he can't eat very much.

A cat who hasn't been eating well may also not be drinking enough and could become dehydrated. To check whether your cat is getting enough to drink, gently grasp the skin between his shoulder blades, pull up slightly and open your fingers to let go. If the skin snaps back into place immediately, your cat is well hydrated. If not, your cat could be dehydrated and may need to get fluids at your veterinarian's office to prevent serious harm. On the other hand, if your cat is suddenly drinking more water than usual, that could also be a sign of a problem, such as a metabolic disorder.

It's usually not polite to talk about elimination, but the litter box is important in understanding the health of your cat. Are his stools well formed, soft or loose? Is there any trace of blood in his urine or feces? Is there mucus in the stool? Even things like a change in color or odor can be important.

Of course, eating and elimination are two sides of the same coin (or two ends of the same digestive system, to be more accurate), so pay attention to how they go together. For example, if your cat has a ravenous appetite but doesn't seem to put on any weight (or actually seems thinner), that should alert you to a possible problem. If you've noticed big changes in your cat's appetite or elimination habits, take him to the vet to determine the cause of the problem.

Now that we've gotten past the messy part, read on to find out why simply petting your cat can reveal how he's feeling.

Collecting Urine and Stool Samples

Problems as routine as worms or as serious as diabetes can be caught by checking stool or urine samples. While the staff at your vet's office can get the samples, it's a lot of stress on the cat, and he or she may just hold it while in a strange place. So when a stool or urine sample is called for, it might be up to you to get it. Easier said than done, right?

Here's a trick for collecting either kind of sample. Close your cat in a room with his own litter box. The box should be thoroughly washed first and filled with plastic foam "peanuts" used for packing. (If those aren't available, you can try cut-up plastic trash bags instead.) Listen for your cat to start scratching in the box and put your chosen container under him as quickly as possible. If a cat urinates and defecates in the box, the urine sample is contaminated and can't be used.

Catch urine samples in a clean, dry container with a tight-fitting lid. Stool samples can be collected in an ordinary sandwich bag and sealed with a twist-tie. Samples should be taken straight to the vet. If you can't leave immediately, they can be refrigerated for up to three hours.