10 Signs of Illness in Cats

1Inappropriate elimination A cat that urinates inappropri- ately could have any number of conditions associated with the behavior, including lower urinary tract disease, kidney disease, uri- nary tract infection, and diabetes mellitus. It can also be a sign of arthritis, which makes it difficult for cats to get into the litter box.

2Changes in interaction Cats are social animals, so changes in interactions with humans or pets can signal disease, fear, anxiety, or pain.

3Changes in activity

A decrease in activity is often a sign of arthritis or systemic illness, while an increase in activity can be caused by hyperthyroidism.

4Changes in sleeping habits

If your cat is sleeping more than normal (keep in mind that average adult cats may sleep 16 to 18 hours a day—though much of that is “catnapping”), it could be a sign of an underlying disease.

5Changes in food and water consumption Most cats are not finicky eaters. Decreased food intake can be a sign of several disorders, ranging from poor dental health to cancer. Increased food consumption can be caused by diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, or other health problems.

6Unexplained weight loss or gain Sudden weight loss can be a sign of hyperthyroidism, diabe- tes mellitus, or a host of other diseases. Obesity, on the other hand, can cause an increased risk of diabetes mellitus, joint disease, and other problems.

7

Changes in

grooming

Patches of hair loss or a greasy or matted appearance can signal an underlying disease. Cats who

have difficulty grooming often suffer from fear, anxi- ety, obesity, or other illnesses. An increase in groom- ing may signal a skin problem.

8

Signs of stress

Stressed cats may exhibit signs of depression,

hide more, or spend more time awake and scanning their environment. These signs may indicate a medi- cal condition, so it’s important to rule out physical ailments before addressing the stress behaviorally.

9

Changes in vocalization

An increase in vocalization or howling is often

seen with an underlying condition like hyperthyroid- ism or high blood pressure. Many cats also vocalize more if they’re in pain or anxious.

10

Bad breath

Bad breath is an early indicator of an oral problem—studies have shown that 70 percent of cats have gum disease as early as age 3.

Adapted from healthycatsforlife.com and Dr. Susan Little, DABVP (feline), Bytown Cat Hospital in Ottawa, Ontario

Cat Life Stages

Kitten                      Birth to 6 months
Junior                      7 months to 2 years
Prime/Adult            3 to 6 years
Mature                    7 to 10 years
Senior                     11 to 14 years
Geriatric                  15 plus years

Lucius Found After Jumping Out of Fourth Story Window

He now only has eight lives left.  He jumped out of a fourth story window of her Capitol Hill apartment while the owner was at work and was found 2 1/2 weeks later in the neighborhood.  He is reportedly doing good, wasn't hurt, and is happy to be home.

Interesting facts regarding cats falling multiple stories:

There was a study done regarding reports of cats falling from buildings and approximately 10% of the cats that fell from 2-6 stories died, only 5% of the cats that fell from 7 or more stories died. It is believed that the reason for this is that cats reach a terminal velocity (maximum speed) of 60 MPH after falling approximately 5 stories. Once terminal velocity is achieved and the body stops accelerating, it is believed that the cat relaxes into a somewhat spread-eagled position. This position creates increased air drag and allows the impact to be more evenly distributed.

Sophie's New Lion Cut

Enticing Your Cat to Use the Litter Box

Inappropriate urinating is a common problem in cats and can be very frustrating.  Here are some tips to entice your cat to the litter box:

• Provide 1 + 1 litter box per cat in the household.  If you have 2 cats, for example, you should provide 3 litter boxes.
• Placement of the letterboxes are also important.   Put them in different locations that are non-threatening to the cat.  
• Use fine grained litters.  Cats prefer fine grained litters.  Also, you may want to consider Cat Attract which we have heard a lot of good things about.  http://preciouscat.com/
• Litter-boxes should be 2.5 times the length of the cat.  That is quite large, and in fact litter boxes aren't made that large, so the best solution is to find a sweater box or Rubbermaid bin at Target or similar store and cut a door in the front of the box.  The door should be no more than 2 inches from the ground so that cats, even arthritic cats, can enter and exit the box easily.  The litter box above is a good example except it is not quite large enough and the door is a little on the small side.
• Do not cover the box with a hood.  Cats prefer non-covered boxes.
• Litter boxes should be cleaned daily.

Wellness Cat Food Recall

Certain lots of WellPet’s Wellness® canned cat food have voluntarily been recalled because they may contain less than adequate amounts of thiamine. Internal testing by the company found that most lots of the canned food contained sufficient amounts of the vitamin, but WellPet says it decided to recall certain lots “out of an abundance of caution.”
The affected lots are: Wellness Canned Cat Food (all flavors and sizes) with best by dates from 14APR 13 through 30SEP13; and Wellness Canned Cat Food Chicken & Herring (all sizes) with 10NOV13 or 17NOV13 best buy dates.
Cats fed the affected lots for several weeks could develop a thiamine deficiency, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Symptoms could include gastrointestinal or neurological problems.
Customers who bought the affected lots should stop feeding them to their cats and call the company at (877) 227-9587. There have been no reports of illness, FDA says.