Abdomen (painful)
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Abdomen (swollen)
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- Ascites
- Bloat
- Constipation/megacolon
- Cushing’s syndrome
- Intestinal blockage
- Intestinal worms
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Pyometra – Uterine infection.
- Ruptured bladder
- Tumours of the liver, spleen, kidney, intestine.
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Aggressive behaviour
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Painful conditions including:
Other:
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Alopecia (hair loss)
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Pruritic (itchy):
Nonpruritic (non-itchy):
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Anal bleeding
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- Constipation
- Polyps
- Hookworm
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Cancer
- Colitis
- Infection
- Blood clotting disorders
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Anal scooting
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- Constipation
- Tumour
- Worms
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Anorexia (not eating)
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Ataxia (unsteady gait)
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- Brain trauma
- Chocolate poisoning
- Ear infection
- Meningitis
- Neurological disorder
- Pelvis fracture
- Poisoning
- Spinal trauma
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Bad breath (halitosis)
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Bald spots
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- Abscess
- Ringworm
- Food allergy
- Flea allergy dermatitis
- Miliary dermatitis
- Feline acne
- Folliculitis
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Topical medications (reaction)
- Vaccine (reaction)
- Hyperthyroidism
- Cushing’s syndrome
- Eosinophilic granuloma complex
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Black tarry stools (melena)
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- Vitamin D toxicity
- Stomach ulcers
- Foreign object
- Ingestion of blood
- Blood clotting disorders
- Cancer
- Trauma
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Blindness
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Bleeding (excessive)
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- Thrombocytopenia (low platelets)
- Hemophilia
- Poison/venom (snake, anti-coagulant rodenticides, cycad seeds)
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Blood in the stool (bright red)
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- Constipation
- Intestinal parasites (giardia, cryptosporidium, worms)
- Bacterial infection (salmonella, e.coli etc)
- Dietary indiscretion (consumption of a hard object such as a bone fragment)
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Colitis
- Cancer
- Rectal, anal and colon polyps
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Blood in the stool (dark/tarry)
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- Gastrointestinal ulcers
- Foreign body
- Ingestion of blood (nosebleed, bleeding in the lungs, dental bleeding)
- Blood clotting disorders
- Aspirin poisoning
- Tumours
- Vitamin D toxicity
- Trauma
- Infection
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Blood in urine (hematuria)
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- Kidney stones
- Kidney tumour
- Glomerulonephritis
- Trauma
- Bladder stones
- Bladder tumour
- Bladder infection
- Urinary tract infection
- Idiopathic (no known cause)
- Portosystemic shunt
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Breathing (rapid)
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Claws (thickened)
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- Hyperthyroidism
- Old age
- Acromegaly
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Coma
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- Chocolate poisoning
- Meningitis
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Constipation
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- Dehydration
- Reluctance to defecate due to behavioural issues.
- Obstruction of the colon
- Dietary
- Drugs and medications
- Painful defecation
- Neurological
- Hypothyroidism
- Pelvic injuries
- Metabolic/hormonal
- Idiopathic
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Coughing
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Crying
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- Hunger
- Estrus
- New kitten: If you have just obtained your kitten it may meow excessively for the first few days. Leaving it’s mother and siblings and moving into a new house with new owners is a huge change to your kitten.
- Loss of a companion: Cats are sensitive creatures and form close bonds with their owners and other pets in the household. If there are changes to the family dynamics, such as a separation, or the loss of an animal, this may cause your cat to meow more than usual.
- Moving house: Again, this is a big change for your cat and may result in it becoming more vocal.
- Attention seeking: Excessive vocalisation may be a result of your cat is feeling lonely or not receiving enough attention from his owner.
- Outside influences: A neighbourhood cat coming onto your cat’s territory.
- Old age: Some old cats may meow excessively. This usually happens when they begin to lose their cognitive functions.
- Medical problems: If your cat is sick or in pain it may result in excessive vocalisation.
- Nocturnal behaviour: Cats by nature are nocturnal, and may meow more during the night.
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Decreased appetite
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Dehydration
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- Vomiting and or diarrhea
- Sickness – A sick cat may go off his food and water and therefore not receive enough fluids and become dehydrated.
- Increased urination – Medical conditions such as diabetes and renal failure in which the cat urinates more often may cause dehydration.
- Heatstroke
- Lack of available, fresh drinking water.
- Shock
- Blood loss
- Fever
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Diarrhea
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- Blockage (hairball or foreign object)
- Chocolate poisoning
- Colitis
- Diet: There are several diet-related possibilities. A sudden switch in your cat’s food can cause diarrhea. Food allergies and food intolerances may also cause diarrhea. Cows milk or dairy products being a common cause as many cats are lactose intolerant. Other foods may also cause a food intolerance in your cat.
- Drugs or toxins (plants, poisons etc).
- Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
- Hyperthyroidism
- Infection: Bacterial (Salmonella, Campylobacter), viral (FIV, FeLV, Panleukopenia, Rotavirus), protozoal (Giardia, Cryptosporidium), parasitic (cat worms).
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Neoplasia (lymphoma, carcinoma, and others)
- Pancreatitis
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Dilated pupils
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Drinking (increased thirst)
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Drooling
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Dull hair coat
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Excessive blinking
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Eye discharge
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- Blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelid)
- Blocked tear ducts
- Feline upper respiratory infections (cat flu)
- Conjunctivitis (inflammation of the conjunctiva)
- Dry eye
- Allergy
- Keratitis
- Epiphora (excessive tear production)
- Foreign bodies in the eye
- Trichiasis (rare in cats, eyelashes growing from the eyelid and rubbing against the cornea causing irritation)
- Trauma
- Uveitis (watery discharge)
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Excessive tearing (eye)
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Exercise intolerance
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- Blastomycosis
- Pyothorax
- Lungworm
- Diaphragmatic hernia
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Fading kitten syndrome
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- Blood type incompatibility
- Congenital defect
- Environmental temperature (too hot or cold)
- Maternal neglect
- Dehydration
- Inadequate nutrition during birth
- Viral, bacterial or parasitic infection
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Fever
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Frequent urination
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- Bladder stones
- Cystitis
- Diabetes
- Acute or chronic kidney failure
- Kidney stones
- Urinary tract infection
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Gums (colour)
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Hair loss
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Head tilt
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Head shaking
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- Ear mites
- Ear infection or inflammation
- Polyps
- Demodicosis
- Feline scabies
- Foreign object in the ear
- Allergies
- Insect bites and stings
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Hunger (increased)
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- Not feeding enough
- Hyperthyroidism
- Acromegaly
- Cushing’s syndrome
- Insulin-producing tumour
- Diabetes
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
- Pregnancy
- Lactation
- Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
- Intestinal parasites
- Certain medications
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Hyperactivity
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Hypersalivation
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- Heinz body anemia
- Poisoning (cane toad, arum plants, organophosphate, synthetic pyrethroids, durana erecta, tobacco, macrocyclic lactone antihelmintic)
- Pyothorax
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Inappropriate urination
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Increased heart rate
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Increased thirst
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Increased urination
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Itchy anus
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Itchy ear
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Itchy skin
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Lethargy
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Limping
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- Arthritis
- Arterial thromboembolism
- Bone cancer
- Broken bone
- Calicivirus
- Declawing pain
- Joint dislocation
- Foreign body (glass, splinter etc)
- Insect bite or sting
- Spinal cord or nerve injury
- Lyme disease
- Laceration
- Sprains
- Nail injuries
- Overgrown claws
- Paw pad injuries
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Nasal discharge
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- Upper respiratory infection (cat flu)
- Nasal polyps
- Bacterial infection
- Fungal infection
- Nasal tumours
- Head trauma
- Foreign objects in the nasal cavity
- Allergies
- Cleft palate
- Cheyletiellosis
- Tooth root abscesses
- Pneumonia
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Nosebleeds
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- Blood clotting disorders such as hemophilia
- Ingestion of poisons (rat poison, aspirin). It is possible for cats to either directly consume rat poison or to indirectly become poisoned by killing and/or eating a rodent that has ingested rat poison itself
- Foreign body (such as grass seed)
- Trauma (running into something, hit by car etc)
- Anemia
- Cancer
- Dental abscess
- Infections (bacterial, viral, fungal) which can cause ulceration
- Liver failure
- Kidney failure
- High blood pressure
- Polycythemia
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Painful abdomen
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Painful urination
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- Cystitis
- Bladder infection
- Urinary crystals
- Kidney stones
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Panting
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Paralysis
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- Aortic thromboembolism (saddle thrombosis)
- Poisoning (tick, botulism, macadamia, ciguatoxin, tetrodotoxin)
- Stroke
- Trauma
- Tumour
- Slipped disc
- Viral infection
- Toxoplasmosis
- Meningitis
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Photophobia (sensitivity to light)
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Pupils dilated (see dilated pupils)
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Pupils (fixed)
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Pupils (odd/different sized)
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- Anterior uveitis
- Corneal ulcers
- Certain drugs/medications
- Glaucoma
- Head trauma
- Horner’s syndrome
- Iris atrophy
- Spastic pupil syndrome
- Oculomotor nerve paralysis
- Stroke
- Tumours
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Rapid/shallow breathing
(tachypnea)
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- Anemia
- Pneumonia
- Metabolic acidosis
- Hernia
- Tumours
- Airway obstruction
- Pleural effusion
- Pulmonary edema
- Pain
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Heart failure
- Hypovolemic shock
- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
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Scabby ears
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- Pemphigus
- Ringworm
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Allergy (food, contact, inhalant, insect, flea allergy dermatitis)
- Sunburn
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Frostbite
- Hypothyroidism
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Scabs (neck)
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- Flea allergy dermatitis
- Abscess
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Scabs (back)
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- Flea allergy dermatitis
- Abscess
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Seizures
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- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
- Brain tumour
- Feline ischemic encephalopathy
- Head trauma
- Heatstroke
- Meningitis
- Portosystemic shunt
- Bacterial or viral infection
- Kidney failure
- Liver disease
- Certain medications
- Poisoning (cane toad, organophosphate, metaldehyde, synthetic pyrethroids, strychnine, mycotoxins, tobacco, lead, cyanobacteria, chocolate, cycads, duranta erecta, yesterday today and tomorrow plant)
- Vitamin deficiency
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Glycogen storage disease
- Vitamin D toxicity
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Straining to urinate
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Swollen abdomen
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Swollen breast and/or nipple
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- Lactating
- Pregnancy
- Galactostasis
- Feline mammary hypertrophy
- Mammary hyperplasia
- Mammary cancer
- Mastitis
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Swollen chin
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- Insect bite or sting
- Abscess
- Feline acne
- Oral cancer
- Dental abscess
- Rodent ulcer
- Allergy
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Swollen eye
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- Conjunctivitis
- Foreign body in the eye
- Entropion (eyelid folding inwards)
- Allergies
- Viral or bacterial infection
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Swollen lymph nodes
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- Infection
- Inflammation
- Allergy
- Cancer
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Swollen paw
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- Foreign object
- Declawing complications
- Ingrown claw
- Abscess
- Plasma cell pododermatitis
- Burns
- Frostbite
- Cuts and abrasions
- Paracetamol poisoning
- Insect bite or sting
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Tremors
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Vomiting
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Food/Diet Related:
- Eating too fast
- Rapid change in the diet. If you are going to switch brands or type of food, gradually introduce the new type over a few days
- Eating inappropriate foods such as old or mouldy food, food inappropriate for cats etc.
- Food allergies
- Food intolerance
- Foreign object. Bones, wool etc.
- Ingestion of toxins such as antifreeze, aspirin, poisonous plants etc.
- Parasites
- Intestinal worms
Medical-related:
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Vomiting blood
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- Foreign body
- Ulcers (stomach, esophagus)
- Aspirin poisoning
- Inflammation (stomach, esophagus)
- Blood clotting disorders
- Infections
- Tumours (stomach, esophagus)
- Certain medications
- Intestinal worms
- Swallowed blood (from mouth, nose, esophagus)
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- Anaphylaxis
- Asthma
- Cat flu
- Foreign body lodged in airways
- Hairballs
- Heartworm
- Lungworm
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Weakness
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Weight loss
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- Anemia
- Bacterial infection (Bordetella)
- Blastomycosis
- Certain medications
- Coccidiosis
- Dental or mouth pain (gingivitis, tooth abscess, stomatitis)
- Feline diabetes
- Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP)
- Gastrointestinal disease
- Glomerulonephritis
- Hemobartonellosis (Feline Infectious Anemia)
- Heartworm
- Histoplasmosis
- Hypercalcemia (high blood calcium)
- Inflammation
- Injury or trauma
- Intestinal obstruction
- Ingestion of poison
- Kidney failure
- Neoplasia (abnormal cell growth)
- New or unpalatable diet
- Pancreatitis
- Portosystemic shunt
- Pyometra
- Stress (some possible causes of stress include; moving house, loss of a companion, new pet/person in the house, hospitalisation, being boarded)
- Viral infection (Feline Herpesvirus, Feline panleukopenia virus, Calicivirus, FeLV and more)
- There are many more possible causes of anorexia that haven’t been covered here.
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