by Dawn McClellan

Created on: May 13, 2007   Last Updated: May 10, 2010

The signs that a cat is ill depends very much on what the illness is.  In general, though, the most common signs of illness in a cat are lack of energy, lack of appetite, dehydration, and changes in litter box habits.  Cats tend to be playful during certain times of the day, but even if your cat likes to sleep the entire day away, pay attention to how often it gets up to eat, drink, and use the litter box.  There are also symptoms that are specific to various illnesses and noticing these can help you and your vet identify your cat's problem more easily. 

Kidney disease is a common problem in cats, especially older cats.  Early symptoms of kidney disease include increased water intake and increased urination; a cat with kidney disease may even begin urinating outside the litter box regularly.  It may lose its appetite and begin to lose weight rapidly, and it may stop grooming itself, which will result in a dull, matted coat, and have noticeably bad breath (years ago, I had a thirteen year-old cat that had breath that was so bad I would notice it as soon as she walked into a room and meowed.  My vet told me that breath that bad can be a good indicator of kidney disease).  It may also vomit more frequently than usual and later, as kidney function falls off further, have obvious difficulty urinating.  This is one of the most common causes of death in older cats, but there are treatments available that can prolong your cat's life. 

Cancer is, sadly, another disease seen in cats.  While not "common" per se, it is also not rare.  Cancer symptoms depend on the type of cancer and can range from small vocalizations and moving gingerly due to pain to loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea, to seizures, to difficulty in breathing.  Unusual lumps under the skin can be malignant tumors and if noticed, should be examined immediately by a vet.  Many times, various symptoms are visible at the same time, but sometimes, a cat will only display one or two, or maybe none at all except an unusual growth or lump.  As in humans, cancer in cats is a tricky disease to diagnose and battle, but hope is not lost once a cancer diagnosis is made; there are treatments available that can help prolong the cat's life, and even rid it of the cancer entirely.

Autoimmune diseases such as feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline immunovirus (FIV) are difficult to identify as they cause a multitude of problems.  Fever, vomiting,

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