Cats are notoriously sneaky. Which is why when they're sick they keep it hidden. It's up to you, the cat owner to decipher their subtle body language. Here's how to recognize if your cat is sick.
There's a reason why the phrase is "sick as a dog" not "sick as a cat". When a dog is sick he'll do everything in his power to let any and all people within 50 km know he isn't feeling tip top. That dog will limp around and lick its wounds and cry and try to hump the telephone until he successfully dials 911.
A cat?
A cat would still have the strength to kill you 7.5 minutes after it has already died.
Because of that, anyone who owns a cat has to get reallyyyyy good at reading them. You need to learn to read their body language because they let you know they're sick in a much more subtle way than a dog.
Since my cat Cleo was diagnosed with Renal Disease I got a lot of experience observing a sick cat. Some days she felt good, some days she didn't, but she always just looked like ... a cat. Sitting, sleeping, staring.
When she was diagnosed I my weekly routine included giving her B12 shots and fluids.
Read these posts if your cat has renal disease:
How to give your cat a B12 shot
How to give your cat subcutaneous fluids.
I did a lot of searching on the Internet for information on the body language of sick cats and had a really hard time finding much information. There's a lot of information on the body language of a cat when they're about to launch off of the ground and eat your face by the way. Lots.
Just not so much on when they feel sick. I wanted to know if I had a sick cat. Soooo .... I figured you might be interested in decoding the body language of a cat to tell if isn't feeling well too.
I've compiled a list of subtle signs that your cat might be sick or in pain.
But first, a few things that let you know your cat is relaxed and happy.
Signs Your Cat is Feeling Pretty Darn Good
- Laying long and stretched out on the ground is a sign they're feeling pretty darn good and relaxed.
- Eyes are bright and quick.
- Whiskers are sticking straight out from their muzzle.
- Their tail is up in the air as they walk around.
Signs Your Cat is Sick or in Pain.
- The tail is down, like they don't have the energy to hold it up. The tail of happy, healthy cat is often standing straight up.
- Lays with back hunched. Not rounded. Hunched.
- Tail twitching can coincide with pain.
- No desire to chase or play.
- Stays in one laying position and doesn't move around.
- If a cat is normally vocal, and stops greeting you when either one of you walks into a room that can be a sign the cat isn't feeling well.
- Whiskers drawn back and purring (purring can be a sign of sickness and pain NOT a content and happy cat. Purring while in pain is a type of self soothing for them.)
- Fur that isn't smooth and instead looks like it's sticking up and separated means it's possibly dehydrated and/or not grooming.
- Check the breath. Sick cats have badddd breath. Cleo had this for years and one vet I took her to just said she was a cat. Cats have bad breath. This was the stupidest thing a vet has ever uttered to anyone. Cats don't have delicious smelling breath but it shouldn't smell so strong it makes you turn your head. This is a sign of severe dental disease and/or kidney failure. They two go hand in hand oftentimes. Sweet smelling breath can signal diabetes.
- Third eyelid showing when they are awake.
- Eyes are constantly half closed. Even when they aren't about to go to sleep.
There are other obvious signs of sickness, like not eating or drinking. Weight loss is another sign. If your cat hasn't eaten for a couple of days bring your cat to a vet immediately because it can be life threatening. Technically a cat can go without eating for over a week but not eating for 3 days can do serious irreversible damage to a cat's organs.
Also an EXTREMELY sick cat will hide. This is a sad sign that it's close to death.
People also think cats are just prone to throwing up but that's not true. The odd hairball is fine and even throwing up once every couple of months or so is normal. But if a cat is throwing up several times a month it's a sign the cat has severe nausea. Foamy white vomit is a sign of renal disease (kidney disease).
As far as the knowing whether a cat is thinking about chewing your face off - just assume that it is.
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This is such a great post Karen. Cats are fully dependant on their humans to pay attention to this. My eldest had many of these signs when he was diagnosed with diabetes at age 12 and near death. I hadn't acted soon enough to the signs. I opted to treat him (most don't) and 6 months later he fully recovered physically and remained healthy and happy on 2 insulin needles a day for the next 3.5 yrs. when one day I returned from a trip and noticed he was breathing heavy and took him immediately to an emerg clinic. 2 weeks later he passed away. He had fluid in his chest cavity, heart related, and nothing could be done. We did everything to keep him comfortable at home but he deteriorated rapidly. Less than 2 months earlier he had passed his annual checkup with flying colours. It all happened so fast, and was unrelated to diabetes. So here is one more sign to be aware of - open mouth breathing, rapid or heavy breathing (pronounced chest heaving) is usually a sign of a serious condition, or pain. BF had not even noticed the change in breathing but I did. I"m so sorry to hear about Cleo's condition, she is one lucky girl to have you. ~ C
My cat just about ripped my face off while I was examining her after reading each symptom.
Referring to what Jacqui said about the placement of the water bowl; my cat had her bowl and the dog had his. She ALWAYS drank from the dog's bowl...dominance? Hoarding? Greed? Jealousy? Who can say. After Buddy died we removed all his stuff. Ivy's water bowl remained. No longer 2 bowls of water. I put Buddy's water back....she hardly ever drinks from her bowl. Amazing thing, that. Strange, too.
I've had two cats with renal problems, and I've never heard of the foamy white vomit being a sign. Good to know. My vet always opens their mouths wide to get a good sniff to test for problems. Not only do I trust him implicitly with their lives, I'd trust him with mine as well.
So sad when fur babies are sick! I don’t have a cat at the moment because I have crazy possessive killer yorkies (but they’re more cuddly and don’t leave my house covered in fluff—although they do get hair balls, and one likes to scoff at me now and again, so KIND of like cats.) And I did have a number of cats growing up so hopefully this advice isn’t cool implement disregarded: have you tried feeding them raw food? If you already do this and still have all the issues, nevermind. But if you don’t, please look into it ASAP! The bad breath thing was happening to my pups and all the vets said that she just dog breath-um, no, that’s weaponized vapor. Either it’s trying to kill me or it’s a sign something is dying. And one of them started losing so much fur it was going bald. The more I researched the more things led to diet. Even high quality kibble and canned dog/cat food is absolute Crap. I switched to raw food and within a few weeks the fur stopped falling out, and their teeth go SO CLEAN. they are still in the detox period but everyone I know whose done this says the bad breath went away within 6 months and took thyroid issues, heart problems, and random other organ problems along with it. Plus it was he easiest switch ever. I mean it makes sense too-how could feeding them species appropriate food not improve their health. You can literally buy meat at the store and give them portions, or there are a few premade brands. We use both Primal raw patties and give the dogs pieces of raw chicken, beef, fish,etc. bones and all. Would love to know if you try it and if your cat gets better!
Hi Oana! No, I'm afraid raw food wouldn't cure renal disease. I've discussed raw food with my vet and he doesn't recommend it for my cat. ~ karen!
It was really informative when you said that one of the signs that the cat is not feeling well is if they are laying around motionlessly and not interested in playing. My pet cat is not exactly the one to like to interact with me, but recently, I noticed that she is a lot less responsive than usual. She does not even try to stand up and move around. It might be best to take her to the vet right away. Thank you!
I really appreciate how you mentioned that if your cat has no desire to chase or play, it could actually be a sign that they are sick or otherwise in pain. My husband and I are noticing that our kitten that once loved to play with our dog now spends all her time in her bed and doesn't eat much of her food. We'll have to take her to an animal hospital in the community so we can be sure that any potential illness or injury she has is treated as soon as possible.
It would never have occurred to me that if a cat is sick, they won't have any energy to keep their tail up. My cat has been acting kind of depressed in the past couple of days, and the only thing I can get him to do is eating a little bit of food. I should probably take him to a veterinarian before he gets worse.
Really? That seems incredibly strange for someone who has linked that their website is a veterinary hospital. Alarming even! So the Florence Vet animal hospital in Kentucky doesn't know the signs of a cat being sick?? That's terrifying. I would say it sounds like the Florence Vet Animal hospital is a terrible place to take your sick cat. ~ karen
Ok so my cat is white and gray with a hint of black. He lost his white became gray and black then he vomited he was fine until he vomited then he had a few episodes and the following day a few more episodes I didn't worry much becaise he was drinking water and moving spots huddled bit holding his body and head up. Then the following morning he wanted my attention and got hos normal colers back still a lol fluffy but getting hos body to normal wanted to be near me but not to close not to far then all of a sudden hid and layed to his side good news hes been drinking water all tho I didn't see him my self but his cat box told me so I knpw I need to see the get but do I really need to worry BTW he does respond to me talking to him by wagging his tail
Great post as always, Karen - thank you - I have two ragdolls that we just adore. I found that a water fountain encourages them to drink more water as well. I have one in my home office that they enjoy.
My mother has a ragdoll and I bought her one of those fountains because her cat refused to drink from anything other than the running tap! She loves the fountain. ~ karen!
Excellent post today - as always nut just fun to read and helpful BUT so helpful.
Thank you Karen from my elderly cat Oliver Bear and me.
I have been watching closely to make sure that he is able to take pleasure in things daily, that he eats and drink, plus enjoys his treats, but he has slowly been declining. Your list is very helpful, and your republishing of it is perfect timing for us, thank you.
I remember reading about your beautiful Cleo and when you helped to end her pain, which was in turn was very painful for you. It is always heartbreaking, the only good thing is that they continue to live in our hearts and memories forever....
You said that one sign can be not wanting to play. My Stormy was not young but still ate well, loved his food but still lost weight, then he began to play a lot with the dogs and other cats. He got SO playful! I took him to the vet (he’d had a clean bill of health 2 months before but was losing weight so I worried about a worm or something) and 3 days later he was dead from a fast growing cancer around his intestine. Any change can be an indicator.
Also, bad breath can be indicative of an ear infection or allergy.
Hi, Karen, I don’t have a cat right now but I know this will be helpful to many. By coincidence, there was a story on Quirks and Quarks, CBC radio, about recent research on signs that a cat is in pain and how much pain.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/me-owch-could-resting-cat-face-tell-us-about-kitty-s-pain-1.5446317
Thanks,
Nora
Oh! I'll have a look. Thanks Nora. ~ karen!
Such an excellent post! Thank you.
There is an old adage that states "If you put a [purring] cat and a sack of broken bones in the same room the bones will heal".
Btw - if flies start gathering at what is otherwise a generally well-kept litter box, that can indicate diabetes. Flies are attracted by the excess sugar being excreted in the urine.
Also, excessive drinking is definitely a reason for a visit to the vet. There are many potential medical causes for that (diabetes, renal issues, etc). One of my cats drank copious amount of water trying to drench what the vet subsequently diagnosed as heartburn.