The key to keeping a healthy cat is to assess your cat's health. All your cat health questions are answered with information on how to identify common cat health problems as well as major health concerns to ensure good cat health.

Very often, merely looking at a cat will tell you quite a lot about its overall health. Here are some things to look for when trying to assess a cat's health.

Behavior

The level of activity may vary from one cat to another. Some perfectly healthy cats are very calm and do not easily respond to external stimuli. Still, kittens are in most cases particularly active and curious - an indifferent kitten that does not move around much might be ill.

After keeping a cat for some time and coming to know its nature, you can identify with relative ease any significant change in the way the cat behaves.

Posture

Cats are the masters of balance. A healthy cat's gait is steady and fluid. A cat showing signs of losing balance could be suffering from various health problems.

Coat

The cat's coat directly reflects its state of health. The fur of a healthy cat is smooth and pleasant to touch, and does not show bald patches, wounds, or fleas. A dry and coarse coat may be a sign of unbalanced nutrition.

The presence of fleas usually indicates the presence of worms in the cat's intestines, as well as possible skin problems that might be directly caused by fleabites.

Ears

The cat's ears should be pink and clean. If you see a waxy brownish-black secretion in the cat's ears, check for the presence of ear mites (a miniscule ear parasite common among cats).

Very often, a cat infected with ear mites will also scratch its ears and shake its head. A vet needs to give the final diagnosis and will also guide you about the treatment.

Eyes

The healthy cat's eyes are shiny and clear, and lacking any secretion. Cats have a third, inner eyelid, which is usually wide open and not exposed.

If the third eyelid is not fully open, it can be seen covering a part of the eye. This situation can indicate a health problem, since it is often a sign of physical or emotional stress.

Nose

The nose of a healthy cat should be velvety and pleasant in texture, and without any discharge.

The nose can be moist to varying degrees, but never very wet.

Mouth

The cat's mouth should be pink, clean, and without any bad breath. The teeth should be whole, white, and without excess tartar.

It is recommended to have the cat's teeth regularly examined, and teeth problems dealt with in a timely fashion.

Other signs of possible mouth disease are drooling and an apparent grooming problem - cats that suffer from infections in the mouth area often avoid self-grooming.

The rear

The cat's rear end and genitals should be clean - Dirt in that area might indicate a problem of diarrhea.

Feline Acne

If pimples or blackheads develop around your cat's chin, he may have feline acne. Often the cause is infected hair follicles, not unlike human acne.

The pimples are sometimes treated with antibiotics or antibacterial scrubs. Occasionally, cat acne is an allergic reaction, often to plastic feeding bowls. Try replacing plastic with a ceramic or metal bowl.

Feline Urological Syndrome (FUS)- Sometimes Called Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD)

One of the most common signs in the cat with urinary tract trouble is urinating outside of the litterbox. It is as if the cat thinks the litterbox is causing that painful sensation when it urinates. So if your cat seems to be urinating in the sink, behind the couch, on your bed or chair, be certain to have a urine sample checked and the cat examined for FUS.

The microscopic crystals of Magnesium-ammonium-phosphate can bind together, often with the help of bacteria or bladder lining cells, and develop larger crystals and even bladder stones. If the larger crystals are of a certain size they can obstruct the urethra leading from the bladder to the urinary orifice.

Male cats, with a narrow and longer urethra, will be much more prone to urinary tract blockage than female cats that have short, wide urethras. Once the urethra is blocked, an emergency situation arises that if nor corrected within 24 hours will have dramatic and even fatal consequences for the cat.

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)

Like the HIV virus, FIV attacks the feline immune system, leaving the cat susceptible to secondary infections. Before anything else is said on this subject, it should be noted that no research to date indicates that FIV is transferable to humans.

Cats often catch the disease through fighting and cat bites. In fact, FIV is often called a "fighting-biting" disease. With a compromised immune system, the chance of death due to infection is much higher.

FIV is not an automatic death sentence however: infected cats often live for years in comfort, providing that they are not overly exposed to other cats who may pass on infections. For this reason, FIV positive cats are best kept isolated.

Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)

Feline leukemia, as the name implies, causes blood cell cancer in cats. The virus also attacks the immune system, leading to often-fatal secondary infections. Feline leukemia can be transmitted via mutual grooming, biting, and even sharing food or water bowls. No cure for feline leukemia exists. And although several FeLV vaccinations are available, none fully protects against the disease.

Feline Distemper

Unvaccinated kittens are highly susceptible to feline distemper (panleukopenia) because their immune system is not fully developed. The disease is very infectious, and the virus quite tough: it can survive at room temperature for up to a year!


Symptoms of feline distemper include high fevers, vomiting, a lack of appetite, and diarrhea. Vaccinations against distemper are the best defense. Should your cat become infected, treatment by a veterinarian is essential. Treatment may include antibiotics, IV fluids, and even blood transfusions. It can cause depression so significant that considerable TLC is a must.

Parasites: Tapeworms and Roundworms

Tapeworms are parasites that infect the digestive track. The presence of small, white rice-like (or sesame seed like) particles in the feces or around the rectum indicates an infection with tapeworms. Most cases of tapeworm infection are due to the ingestion of fleas: the fleas eat the eggs of tapeworms, which are in turn ingested by the cat while grooming.

Roundworms are also intestinal parasites and the most common in cats. You may find long worms in either feces or vomit. If they occur in significant numbers, roundworms can be life threatening when they cause a blockage in the intestine.

Both roundworms and tapeworms can be treated with worming tablets (or an injection) available through your veterinarian. Until Kitty has been treated, restrict her interaction with small children.