COMMON HEALTH PROBLEMS

Illness Symptoms
If your cat displays any of the following symptoms, please take your cat in promptly to your veterinary surgeon to be examined. What you think may be a minor problem could actually be hiding something very serious!
Loss of appetite, sudden weight loss, lethargy and dull coat, bad breath, blood in stools or urine, eating difficulties, dehydration, weeping eyes, coughing/sneezing.

Yellow or Brown Teeth
If a cat has a tartar build up, it will stain the teeth and will irritate the gums. If left untreated it may cause bleeding gums, bad breath, drooling, or may leave your cat with an inability to eat. If your cat's main diet consists of dry cat food, you are less likely to have a cat with teeth problems.

Fleas
Just because your cat lives indoors, it doesn't mean that your cat won't get fleas. Flea symptoms include continual scratching and quite possibly hair loss. The best way to avoid this happening to take your cat to the vets and get either a Frontline or Program treatment.

Diarrhoea
If your cat has constant Diarrhea, you will need to have him or her examined by your vet. There are many underlying causes of Diarrhea and these include bacterial infections, viral infections, incorrect diets, dairy products etc.

Eye Infections
It's very easy to tell when your cat has a problem with it's eyes. The eyes will weep or will not open fully. Your cat may also try and scratch at them. If your cat has these symptoms, it really needs to be examined by your vet as soon as possible.

Ear Infections
If your cat has an ear infection, you may see a build up of wax or gunk in your cat's ear. Your cat will also rub it's ear on the carpet or will scratch at it. The ear will also smell quite bad. It's possible that your cat could have ear mites, or perhaps something lodged in there. This will need to be checked out by your vet who may take samples from inside your cat's ear and prescribe antibiotics to clear the infection. Please don't wait until the situation is bad before visiting your vet as you may damage your cat's hearing for the rest of it's life.

Vomiting
The majority of the time, cat's will vomit because they have eaten something they shouldn't have, or because they may have a hairball. It's not uncommon for this to happen occasionally. If however, your cat is vomiting quite often during the day, then you will need to visit your vet to have this looked into.

Vaccinations
To prevent your cat from getting infections that are passed either through the air or via contact, you will need to keep it's annual boosters up to date. This won't necessarily prevent your cat from catching something, however the symptoms will be much milder and will not be life threatening as they are in unvaccinated cats. For further information, please see our cat vaccinations page.

Eye Care
I would advise that once a week you either clean your cat's eyes gently with eye wipes or you apply general wash eye drops in both eyes. This will help to keep your cats eyes clean. Both products can be bought from any good pet retailer.

Ear Care
Like the eyes, you can use general ear drops or wipes to ensure your cat's ears remain clean and free from germs. This should be done once a week and again, both products can be bought from any good pet retailer.

Worming
Your cat should be wormed once every 3 months. This is very important with Siamese and Orientals as they can have sensitive stomachs at times and do appear to be more prone to problems due to worms. This is something you can either do yourself or have done at your vets. I personally find it's much easier and cheaper to do it yourself and it isn't very difficult. If you're doing it for the first time, please ask you vet to advise you on the best way to do this. Try not to use the wormer found in your local pet shop as worming products bought from the vets are much more effective.

Taking Your Cat's Temperature
If you have never done this before, please ask your vet to show you how. Your cat's temperature should be approximately 37.8°C to 39.5°C You can check your cat's temperature either by using a digital thermometer which can be placed in the ear, or you can use a rectal thermometer. If using a rectal thermometer it may be wise to apply some Vaseline to lubricate the thermometer. Simply hold your cat firmly (but not harshly or unkindly) and simply insert the thermometer. This should really only be done if your cat is showing signs of ill health.

Above all else, please, remember that your vet is your best friend as far as your cat's health is concerned and if you have any worries, no matter how small, please telephone your vet and speak with them for advice, or make an appointment. Your cat relies on YOU for his or her well being and it is up to YOU to ensure you provide this.