When to Worry About Your Cat Identifying Troubling Behaviors

Cats are wonderful animals, but troubling cat behaviors can be a sign of underlying issues. People often consider cats to be free-spirited and a bit mysterious. However, similar to any animal, the way they behave alerts the owner of their general health state. As a cat owner, we know the behaviours of our cats. A few and gradual changes in their behaviours are not something to worry about. But sudden and frequent changes to their behaviours is something that should not be taken lightly and must be observed very carefully. This guide will enable you to know what signs to look out for, what they indicate and what time you ought to seek medical advice for your pets from a vet.

Sudden Changes in Appetite and Troubling Cat Behaviors:

Like always, the appetite of a cat can actually tell us a lot about their health status. Overeating may also mean there is a disease, and the same case applies to undereating.

• Loss of Appetite: Lack of appetite in your cat, or where they eat much less food than they used to, could be a sign that they have gum or tooth problems, kidney disease, stomach illness or are stressed. Any change of appetite for a period over 24 hours is unsafe in cats, especially for elderly cats, as the cause could be hepatic lipidosis, a severe liver disease.
• Increased Appetite: In contrast, if your cat developed ravenous appetite, the causes can be hyperthyroidism, diabetes, or intestinal parasites. A vet visit can exclude these possibilities.

Water Intake Changes as Troubling Cat Behaviors:

In most cases, the water intake rises or falls with a changed water temperature. Your cat’s water intake can vary, and the difference may not be very obvious at first glance.

• Increased Drinking: If your cat is drinking water more than usual, then it may be suffering from any of the illnesses, such as kidney disease, diabetes or hyperthyroidism. This behavior is observed primarily in senior cats, so the early diagnosis of chronic diseases in them is necessary.
• Decreased Drinking: Cats that are not ingesting enough water may become dehydrated, which may lead to the formation of problems in their urinary tracts or kidneys. Try to determine if they have been drinking enough water by observing common signs of dehydration such as tiredness, sunken eyes, or dry mouth.

Sudden Weight Changes as Troubling Cat Behaviors:

Any variation in weight of cats should be regarded as serious. A sudden variation in weight is typically an indication of deeper health problems.

• Weight Loss: Fast weight reduction might highlight a range of ailments, like hyperthyroidism, diabetes, or cancer. If you see that your cat’s ribs are showing more prominently or there’s a decrease in muscle mass, set an appointment with your vet as soon as possible.
• Weight Gain: Although it’s easy to find a chubby cat cute, an abrupt surge in weight may lead to obesity complications like diabetes, arthritis, or heart disease. Look closely at what they eat and adjust their diet if necessary.

Changes in Grooming Habits:

Given that cats generally take great care in grooming themselves, any apparent differences in grooming practices should be a source of alarm.

• Over-grooming: When a cat licks itself too much, it may be an indication of either allergies, skin problems, stress, or perhaps pain. You could see balding spots or sores as a result of over-grooming.
• Lack of Grooming: If your cat stops grooming completely, it might be connected to arthritis (making movement painful), problems with its teeth, or a state of depression. Cats that do not keep up with grooming usually end up with a greasy, knotted coat.

Litter Box Issues:

Sudden changes in litter box habits are one of the most frequent indicators that something is wrong with your cat.

• Frequent Urination: If your cat is going to the litter box at a higher frequency than usual or has trouble urinating, it could be a warning sign of a urinary tract infection (UTI), bladder stones, or kidney troubles. Urinary blockages, especially in male cats, are highly dangerous and require immediate treatment to not become fatal.
• Avoiding the Litter Box: Some changes in the cats’ behavior include kitties that quit the use of the litter box may be stressed, anxious, or have arthritis making it painful to climb the box. This is because maladaptive behaviors can have physical causes, and thus the medical causes have to be looked into first.

Abrupt change of behavior from aggressive to passive:

Usually, indicated body language shifts represent the mood or health of your pet.

• Aggression: Should a friendly cat behave aggressively, it may be hurt, scared or ill. Aggressive acts are compensated by veterinary control that shows whether aggression is medically caused.
• Withdrawal: On the other hand, signs like ignoring you, avoiding interaction, and sleeping all the time can also suggest that they need medical attention or are uncomfortable because of an injury. This is why sick, hurting, or uncomfortable cats tend to find a safe place to lie down; they never want to appear weak.

Excessive Vocalization:

Another sign of worrying behaviour is if the cat is meowing, yowling, or making some other noises more than usual.

• Increased Vocalization: An increase in loud noises can be an indication that the pet is uncomfortable, hungry, or stressed. Loud vocalization could also be symptomatic of a disease called feline cognitive dysfunction or cat dementia in older cats.
• Crying or Yowling: If your cat has recently started yowling, especially at night, it’s an indication that the cat is in pain, could have hyperthyroidism or is stressed. Yowling in senior cats is generally linked to either confusion or a condition that affects the ability to reason.

Breathing problems, breathing difficulties or coughing:

Breathing difficulties should be regarded as an emergency.

• Labored Breathing: Your cat may also pant like a dog if he is experiencing heart disease, asthma, or an upper respiratory infection. This is always a cause for immediate concern. 
• Coughing: A certain amount of coughing is normal, but when your cat is coughing in a continuous and persistent manner, it could be because of asthma, heartworm, or even lung disease.

Fatigue or lowered energy:

Lack of energy or a sudden increase in the level of activity is actually suggestive of many dangerous health problems.

• Lethargy: Cats do not warn of illness, and if your formerly vigorous cat becomes lethargic, then she may indeed be infected, in pain or suffering from other system diseases such as kidney problems or anemia. If the condition continues for over a day, then it becomes necessary to consult the vet.
• Decreased Activity in Senior Cats: Older cats naturally aren’t as active as younger cats, but a drastic change in activity level may be attributable to pain from arthritis, cognitive decline or diseases like heart or kidney disease.

Vomiting or diarrhea:

While vomiting or diarrhea is typical once in a while in cats, it can seriously indicate an underlying condition.

• Vomiting: It could be hairballs or overeating, but persistent vomiting should always be a cause of concern because it is an indication of poisoning, anemia, or a chronic problem such as inflammatory bowel disease.
• Diarrhea: As with vomiting, diarrhea can be normal, but if frequent or persistent, it can indicate infections, food intolerance or malabsorption problems. Prolonged diarrhea leads to dehydration, which is very dangerous if not treated appropriately as it can lead to serious health problems.

What To Do When You Notice Concerning Behaviors

When you notice any of these changes in your feline, make sure that you do not panic but observe your cat keenly. Here’s a guide on what to do next:

• Monitor the Behavior: Document your cat’s strange behavior: start, length of the episode, concomitant changes in the routine, and overall health status.
• Visit the Veterinarian: If the behavior lasts for more than a day or is very serious (like breathing or urinary problems), see the vet. Health problems detected at an early stage can be easily treated compared to those detected at a later stage.
• Manage Stress: Stress is likely to occur in a cat if the regular environment and activities have been altered. Provide your cat with a stress-free environment with many hiding places, toys, and attention to minimize the cat’s anxiety behaviors.
• Follow Your Vet’s Advice: When you return home, ensure that you adhere strictly to the schedule set by the veterinarian. No matter if the changes include medication, diet or the environment, all these changes will play a major role in the improvement of your cat’s health.

We hope this article has helped you to understand about the worrying behaviours of the cats!