Common cat health problems and when to call the vet

Most pet cats deal with the same short list of health issues over a lifetime. Knowing what the common ones look like, and which can wait until Monday versus which need a vet today, saves a lot of worry and a fair amount of money. Cats are also good at hiding illness, so the real skill isn't diagnosing. It's noticing that something has shifted and acting on it.

This is the overview. The deeper guides below cover each problem in more detail.

Digestive issues

The complaints owners bring to the vet most often are vomiting, diarrhoea, and hairballs.

• Hairballs in small numbers are normal. Once or twice a month for most cats, more for long-haired breeds. Frequent hairballs, or retching that produces nothing, point to a problem.
• Vomiting that happens once and the cat bounces back is rarely serious. More than twice in a day, vomiting with lethargy, or any vomit that's bloody or coffee-coloured gets a same-day call.
• Diarrhoea lasting more than 48 hours, or any diarrhoea in a kitten or senior cat, warrants a vet visit. Bring a stool sample.

Litter box trouble

A cat that stops using the box is telling you something. The cause is usually one of: a urinary issue, stress, a dirty or badly placed box, or a litter the cat dislikes. Work the non-medical causes after ruling out medical first. If you see straining, blood in the urine, or a male cat going to the box repeatedly without producing anything, treat it as an emergency. Litter box problems covers the full order.

Dental disease

By age three, most cats have some degree of dental disease. It's the single most under-treated issue in pet cats because the signs are quiet. Bad breath, slow eating on one side, occasional pawing at the mouth. A yearly oral exam catches it before extractions are needed.

A friend of mine ignored her cat's bad breath for two years. "He's old, of course his breath stinks." Two extractions and $1,400 later, the cat was eating with enthusiasm again. The breath was the warning she'd been hearing the whole time.

Weight problems

Roughly half of indoor cats are overweight. The downstream effects — diabetes, arthritis, urinary disease — are worse than the weight itself. The fix is portioned meals, not free-feeding, and a vet-set target. A pound off a ten-pound cat is meaningful.

Skin, ears, and parasites

Fleas, ear mites, and ringworm are the regulars. Itching, head-shaking, patchy hair loss, or black grit in the ears are the usual tells. Monthly preventatives handle most of it. The rest is a quick vet visit.

Hidden pain

Cats rarely cry out when they hurt. You see it instead as behaviour: hiding, less grooming, a hunched posture, reluctance to jump, sudden irritability. Signs your cat is in pain covers the tells. If you're not sure whether something is off, that uncertainty is itself a reason to book a check-up.

Chronic conditions in older cats

Past age ten, the common ones are kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and arthritis. All four are manageable when caught early, which is why senior cats should see a vet twice a year. Watch for increased thirst and urination, weight loss with a good appetite, or a cat that stops jumping to favourite spots.

When it's an emergency

Some symptoms can't wait. When to go to the emergency vet covers the full list. The short version: difficulty breathing, collapse, seizures, suspected poisoning, severe trauma, a bloated abdomen, or a male cat straining to urinate. None of these resolve on their own and the cost of waiting is much higher than the visit.

Building the habit of noticing

The owners who catch problems early aren't more medically savvy. They handle their cats often enough to notice small changes. A daily brush, a weekly weigh-in, a look in the mouth once a month. The vet handles the diagnosis. Your job is to flag that something is off, and the sooner the better.