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If your cat isn’t feeling good, you can imagine it’s hard for her to clearly communicate that to you. To make it easier, then, you have to be very observant. Here are a few major areas of cat illness and symptoms to which you should be alert.

Pay attention to changes in your cat’s behavior as this can indicate signs of illness. Cats tend to disguise signs of pain and illness as a throw-back to their wild days.

Elimination problems — Cats may experience a number of issues involving urination, defecation, and litter boxes.

Some urinary tract problems can be life threatening. FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease) is a label for a group of problems that can involve crystals, stones, infection, or inflammation.

Be alert to excessive urination as this can be a sign of cat illness such as feline diabetes. Cats are clean creatures and self-groom often, but excessive licking in the groin or anal area can be a sign of problems.

Constipation is fairly common in cats. Treatments are available for this, and include store bought and veterinarian prescribed treatments such as lactulose.

Impacted anal glands my also be a factor which will require treatment. It should be noted that long term constipation may lead to a serious bowel condition known as megacolon.

If your cat is dragging her rear end on the floor she may have impacted anal glands or a bad case of constipation. If your cat makes frequent but unsuccessful trips to the litter box, or cries out while using the box, she may have a problem that needs to be looked at.

Inappropriate elimination is very prevalent and has any number of physical and behavioral causes. If you notice that your cat is not using the litter box, always assume a physical cause may be at work. If your cat is not urinating or defecating or is missing the litter box, contact your veterinarian.

Diarrhea may indicate intestinal disease and can lead to dehydration, which can be fatal. Other things to look for are evidence of blood in urine or feces, including black tarry stools.

Eye and mouth problems — Check your cat’s eyes for pupils of uneven size, cloudiness, or discharge. The nictating membrane, or haw, is a “third eyelid” that you will sometimes see when a cat’s eyes are open. This is often an indication of disease.

Ulcers in the mouth, bad breath, and loose teeth are signs of disease. Pallor of the gums and lips is a sign that your cat may be anemic.

Hair and skin issues — The coat and skin of your cat can be used as a measure of her overall condition of health. Problems with the coat or skin can be a sign of illness.

Certain cat illnesses will manifest as poor or oily looking coat. In addition, if a cat stops grooming, it’s a sure sign of trouble.

Also look for excessive dryness or flaking, skin growths, hair loss, and any kind of swelling or skin eruption. Parasites on the skin are usually easily spotted. Check your cat at least once a week.

Domestic felines may experience other health problems for sure, but these are a few of the major categories. Keeping an eye on your cat’s normal routine, and being sensitive to any of the above problems is an essential part of cat care.