Canberra Cat Vet Blog

•  hiding or avoiding interaction with you or other pets
• showing reduced interest in food
• hesitating to jump or climb stairs
• showing reduced activity or tiring rapidly during activity
• having difficulty getting up, standing or walking
• is not grooming normally
• has changed urination or defecation habits
• squinting
• is hunched up or tucked up instead of curled up to sleep
• is sensitive to touch, particularly if he or she vocalises when you pet
• changes temperament eg becomes aggressive or crotchety

   Cats often don't give us many clues that they are ill. Perhaps they miss a meal or hide in the cupboard. Perhaps they look for a cuddle; or perhaps they want nothing to do with you. Some will vomit or have diarrhoea. The occasional one will show pain by hunching over or curling up and wanting to be left alone.

Many of these vaguely ill cats have pancreatitis, a painful inflammation of the pancreas. The pain and nausea put them off their food. As cats obtain most of their fluids through their food rather than from what they drink they become dehydrated very quickly. The dehydration exacerbates the pain and nausea and so a vicious downward spiral continues.

Fortunately most respond to a drip to rehydrate them, and pain relief and anti-nausea medication. Within 2 or 3 days they are back to their normal selves. 

Pancreatitis is a very common complaint in middle-aged to older cats. If your cat doesn't seem to be her or himself call us sooner rather than later as cats often suffer pancreatitis silently.

• not grooming properly, leaving coat matted, loose or scurfy
• eating on one side of mouth or tilting the head to one side when chewing
• resenting stroking around the face/jaw
• not enjoying handling at all
• keen hunter not interested in hunting any more
• keen warrior not interested in fighting any more
• not wanting to play with tug toys
• throwing food to back of mouth to chew
• bringing unchewed, unlubricated food up within 10 minutes of a meal
• hesitating at food bowl even though clearly hungry
• not crunching kibble
• preferring moist to dry food when used to prefer dry to moist and vice versa
• bad breath
• eating only a little but going back to the bowl often
• drooling
• pawing mouth
• swollen face
• bleeding from mouth
• grinding teeth
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