Sometimes you look at your cat and wonder if he is really okay: but how do you make sure your cat is healthy and fit? The signs of good health in the cat.
When choosing to adopt a cat, we are aware that we will be responsible for its health and well-being from all points of view: whether it is a kitten, an adult cat or an elderly cat it is important that the cat has all of this. which is necessary to live healthy and happy.
Cats will have to follow a healthy and balanced diet, do physical activity and games that can stimulate their mind, enjoy the pampering and company of their human family: with time, love and dedication we will be able to take care of the cat in the best possible way.
Just like any other pet, the cat could get sick: Domestic cats are independent and mysterious animals that rarely meow and whine if something is wrong. That’s why you need to learn to observe the cat and recognize the signs of good health in the cat, in order to understand if everything is ok or there is something wrong.
6 signs of good health in cats that should not be underestimated
1. Stable weight and within limits
In a healthy cat, the weight undergoes very small variations: regularly monitoring the cat’s weight is a good way to monitor his health. In particular, care must be taken to constantly ensure that the cat maintains its ideal weight to prevent it from moving towards obesity or on the contrary from losing too much weight.
Among the diseases that affect poor nutrition, obesity is the most common among cats and is very dangerous not only for an aesthetic factor, but also for the physical and psychological health of the cat. It usually affects middle-aged specimens more frequently, from 11 years onwards. The cat can be defined as obese if its weight exceeds the ideal body weight by 20%.
2. Cleaning the ears
Just as we have seen for the signs of good health in dogs, even the healthy cat must have clean ears: the inside must be rosy, without too many accumulations of ear wax or unpleasant odors.
While your cat may not be very cooperative, it is essential to regularly check the ear canal and pay attention to some fundamental factors.
For example, dryness coupled with blackish patches can indicate a mite infestation while brown buildups indicate a yeast infection. If the earwax is purulent, yellowish and smelly, it is plausible that the cat has an ongoing bacterial infection, while the musty smell is a typical symptom of otitis in cats.
Also beware of other typical signs of ear disease in cats: shaking his head frequently, scratching his ears, crusty or greasy ear hair, there is erythema or irritation in the outer ear area.
3. The appearance of the stool
Not everyone pays attention to the appearance of the feces of their feline friend, however among the signs of good health of the cat there are certainly also firm feces, well modeled, of adequate size to those of the animal. A healthy cat poops at least once a day and the appearance of the feces is obviously also and above all linked to what the cat usually eats.
A separate note concerns flatulence in cats: a cat who suffers from it is not automatically affected by a disease, often these episodes occur when the cat eats something that it is unable to digest such as milk and some types of vegetables. These foods unsuitable for cats ferment in the intestine causing gas to form: always remember that the cat’s diet is essentially carnivorous!
4. The cat’s urine
Even the urine can speak of the state of health of the cat: the cat must be able to pee without effort or pain, with a continuous jet. The pee of the healthy cat is clear and yellow, in addition, the males have a shorter and more frequent jet, unlike the females.
If your cat starts urinating outside the litter box it is likely that it is expressing discomfort: sometimes it could be because of us, for example because the litter box is not cleaned frequently enough or because it is placed in a place that the cat does not like.
In other cases, however, the cat pees out of the litter box due to a health problem, usually a urinary tract disease that is very common among domestic felines. Other common symptoms of this type of problem are: difficulty urinating, blood in the urine, much more or much less urination.
5. Soft and silky coat
Among the signs of good health in cats there is also the appearance of the hair and skin: certainly regular maintenance helps a lot, with regular brushing that helps to eliminate dead hair, oxygenate the skin and spend some quality time together to your four-legged friend.
The coat of a healthy cat is smooth, shiny, soft, silky. It does not have dandruff and does not give off bad odors. Usually, the loss of a certain amount of hair is physiological especially in certain periods of the year: in spring and autumn, in fact, the cat experiences its seasonal moult. Furthermore, cats completely change their hair at least 3 times in their life: around 4/6 months, 2 years and around 6 years of age.
Other causes of hair loss in cats can be of a gentle, hormonal nature, linked to nutritional deficiencies or diseases (especially parasitic in nature): pay attention to other related symptoms, such as patchy hair loss, itching, redness of the skin or loss of appetite. If these signs appear it is good to consult your veterinarian immediately.
6. Normal behavior of the healthy cat
A healthy cat is usually full of vitality, alert and alert, lively and dynamic. If you notice a sudden and sudden change in your cat’s habitual behavior, it is usually a warning sign that should not be underestimated: this is why it is important to carefully observe your feline friend to notice any changes in habit.
Among the aspects not to be underestimated we remember, for example, if the cat begins to drink more than usual or on the contrary to drink less water, changes in the normal level of appetite, hyperactivity or lethargy and disinterest in games that were previously among his favorite activities.
