• Reddening of the eyes or discharge from the eyes
• Reddening of the ears or itchiness or discharge from the ears
• Redness of the gums
• Change in voice
• Discharge from the nose
• Coughing or loud breathing
• Change in appetite
• Excessive thirst
• Vomiting
• Spraying urine
• Urinating more often
• Straining to urinate
• Crying out when urinating
• Running away from the litter box after urinating
• Change in softness, hardness or color of stool
• Passing stools outside the litter box
• Crying out when passing stools
• Dark discharge around the base of the nails
• Itchy skin and dandruff
• Rough, lusterless coat
• Fear of noises or people
• Aggression toward people and animals
• Change in sleep patterns
• Change in weight
• Eating plastic, paper or string
• Gassiness
• Behavior problems
• Car sickness
• Hair loss
• Stiffness in movement and walk

Reddening of the eyes or discharge from the eyes:

• Feline conjunctivitis
• Blepharitis
• Glaucoma

Feline conjunctivitis can cause reddening of the eyes or discharge from the eyes due to inflammation. Cats prone to allergies and eye disease are often the most susceptible to reddening of the eyes or discharge from the eyes from feline conjunctivitis. Blepharitis is the inflammation of any or all of the three eyelids in cats and it can cause reddening of the eyes or discharge from the eyes. Hair loss, swelling and/or spasming around the eyelid may accompany reddening of the eyes or discharge from the eyes in cases of blepharitis. Glaucoma is another cause of reddening of the eyes or discharge from the eyes due to its affect on the inability of the eye to properly drain. The build up of normal eye fluid puts too much pressure in the eye and can lead to loss of eye sight because of injury to the optic nerve and retina.

Reddening of the ears or itchiness or discharge from the ears

• Allergies
• Ear infections
• Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)

Allergies can cause reddening of the ears or itchiness or discharge from the ears. A veterinarian will often do allergy tests such as a blood test for food or plant allergies on pets that are experiencing reddening of the ears or itchiness or discharge from the ears. If a foul odor is present along with reddening of the ears or itchiness or discharge from the ears, the veterinarian may suspect an ear infection caused from a bacterial, fungal or yeast infection. Scratching or shaking the head may accompany reddening of the ears or itchiness or discharge from the ears in cases of ear mites or other ear infections and untreated infections may lead to hearing loss or brain disease. Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) are causes of chronic reddening of the ears or itchiness or discharge from the ears as the immune system is compromised and is more prone to infection.

Redness of the gums:

Causes:

• Gum, or periodontal, disease
• Root lesions
• Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)

Gingivitis is an early stage of gum, or periodontal, disease and the redness of the gums it causes will be mostly confined to the gum line. A faint odor to the mouth may accompany redness of the gums in gingivitis. Moderate and advanced stages of gum, or periodontal, disease usually cause total redness of the gums and the mouth odor can be very strong. Root lesions, gums showing through holes in the teeth, are a fairly common cause of redness of the gums in cats and can cause the cat great pain. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) can be another cause of redness of the gums as cats with the virus have a lack of normal immune system functioning that makes them susceptible to gum and other infections.

Change in voice:

Causes:

• Hyperthyroidism
• Brain tumor
• Larynx or trachea tumor

Hyperthyroidism can cause a change in voice in cats as the two thyroid glands in the cat’s neck may become swollen with an excess of thyroid hormone and put pressure on the voice box, or larynx. A brain tumor may also cause a change in voice due to the pain the cat may experience. A change in other behaviors as well as a change in appetite may accompany the change in voice in cats with a brain tumor. Cats with a larynx, or voice box, tumor or a trachea, or windpipe, tumor may also experience a change in voice. Older cats are more likely than kittens to develop a larynx or trachea tumor that creates a change in voice.

Discharge from the nose

Causes:

• Throat polyps
• Pneumonia
• Cleft palate or palate injury

Throat polyps in the Eustachian tube, the tube that extends from the ear to the throat, may cause discharge from the nose. Gagging may accompany discharge from the nose in cases of throat polyps in cats. Some cats, as well as some dogs, may have problems swallowing and they may inhale food. This inhalation of food can cause pneumonia and discharge from the nose. A productive, or wet, cough, fast and/or loud breathing, weight loss and loss of appetite may accompany discharge from the nose in cases of pneumonia due to the build up of mucus caused by the pneumonia. Cleft palate or palate injury can also cause discharge from the nose as food may come up through the nose through a hole in the palate rather than going down the throat.

Coughing or loud breathing

Causes:

• Feline asthma
• Pneumonia
• Larynx or trachea tumor

Feline asthma can cause coughing or loud breathing due to lung inflammation and/or irritation. Fast breathing or open mouthed breathing may accompany coughing or loud breathing in cases of feline asthma and need immediate medical assistance. Pneumonia is another cause of coughing or loud breathing due to the build up of mucus and fluid in the airway. A larynx, or voice box, tumor or a trachea, or windpipe, tumor can also cause coughing or loud breathing because of the pressure the tumor puts on the throat. Older cats are more likely to get a larynx or trachea tumor than younger cats and a change in voice may accompany the coughing or loud breathing.

Change in appetite

Causes:

• Hyperthyroidism
• Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)
• Pneumonia

Hyperthyroidism can cause a change in appetite in the form of an increased appetite due to changes in metabolism. The thyroid glands regulate metabolism. A change in voice may accompany a change in appetite in cases of hyperthyroidism as the thyroid glands are in the neck. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) can cause a change in appetite in the form of a decreased appetite along with diarrhea and weight loss. Pneumonia can also cause a change in appetite in the form of a decreased appetite. Weight loss and fast or loud breathing may accompany a change in appetite in cases of pneumonia.

Excessive thirst

Causes:

• Kidney disease
• Diabetes
• Cancer

Kidney disease can cause excessive thirst as the body may be urinating more often and may be trying to replace the lost fluid. Diabetes also causes excessive thirst to result as the body’s defense against dehydration from urinating more often. A mouth odor like that of nail polish remover may accompany excessive thirst in cases of diabetes. Weight loss also usually occurs in diabetes cases despite the intake of a lot of water due to excessive thirst and the intake of more food due to an increased appetite. Cancer can also cause excessive thirst as excess calcium in the blood caused by cancerous tumors may cause the body to lose large amounts of fluid and trigger excessive thirst to try to restore fluid levels.

Vomiting

Causes:

• Parasites
• Kidney failure
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Intestinal parasites may cause vomiting due to the irritation they can produce in the digestive system. Kidney failure can also cause vomiting if sudden damage to the kidneys occurs either from extreme dehydration or from antifreeze or other poisoning. Excessive thirst and urinating more often may accompany vomiting in cases of kidney failure. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is another of the numerous causes of vomiting in cats. No other symptoms besides vomiting may appear in cats with inflammatory bowel disease.

Spraying urine

Causes:

• Territory marking
• Reaction to frustration or fear
• Sexual marking

Most cats spraying urine are male cats that are not yet neutered. Spraying urine in little amounts is a cat’s way of releasing a scent as a “message” to other cats that they are infringing on the spraying cat’s territory. Besides spraying urine, cats mark their territory by scratching in certain areas and by rubbing their heads on their owner’s leg. A cat’s reaction to frustration or fear such as having changes in their food or activities or having a new dog or other animal in the home may also cause the cat to engage in spraying urine. Male cats that are not neutered, as well as some female cats that are in heat, engage in spraying urine as a way of expressing their sexual availability to other cats.

Urinating more often

Causes:

• Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD)
• Diabetes
• Hyperthyroidism

Urinary tract diseases such as Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) are common in cats and may cause urinating more often as the cat will tend to pass only a little urine with each try. Frequent licking of the genitals, urination on floors or in a bathtub as well as bloody urine may accompany urinating more often in cats with FLUTD. Diabetes can also cause urinating more often due to excessive thirst and increased fluid intake. Weight loss despite increased fluid and food intake may indicate diabetes, especially when a cat is urinating more often. Hyperthyroidism can also sometimes cause a cat to be urinating more often than usual.

• Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD)
• Urethral obstruction
• Cystitis

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) can cause straining to urinate as well as urinating more often as only little amounts of urine may be passed at a time. Urethral obstruction, where substances such as minerals, proteins and mucus block the urinary passageway, can also cause straining to urinate. Crying out when urinating may accompany straining to urinate in cases of urethral obstruction. Cystitis is another cause of straining to urinate. The inflammation of the bladder’s lining in cases of cystitis often results in straining to urinate as well as urinating more often in little amounts at a time.

• Urethral obstruction
• Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD)
• Cystitis

Urethral obstruction can cause crying out when urinating due to painful blockage of the urinary passageway by substances such as minerals, proteins and mucus. The worse the obstruction, the worse the crying out when urinating is likely to be. Crying out when urinating is a sign that the cat needs emergency veterinary treatment whatever the cause may be. Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) can cause crying out when urinating as well as urinating more often and straining to urinate. Cystitis, an inflammatory bladder disease, can also cause crying out when urinating due to pain and blood may appear in the urine.

• Reaction to unclean litter box
• Mega colon (associated with constipation)
• Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD)

Many cats will not spend much time in a litter box they consider unclean or otherwise unsuitable. Running away from the litter box after urinating may signal that they do not want to cover up their urine by digging their paws in an unclean litter box. Mega colon, a problem with chronic constipation, may also cause running away from the litter box after urinating. The cat, after experiencing chronic constipation and pain when passing stools, may hold the stools in and engage in running away from the litter box after urinating rather than staying to try to pass the stools. Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) can cause running away from the litter box after urinating as the cat may only be producing little amounts of urine each time. Perhaps thinking that another location may allow them to pass more urine, cats with FLUTD may try to pass urine in a bathtub or on floors after running away from the litter box after urinating unproductively.

• Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)
• Mega colon
• Blood in the stools (Hematochezia is bright red in the stools and melena is black in the stools)

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) can cause a change in softness, hardness or color of stool – usually in the form of diarrhea – due to a compromised immune system. All ill-functioning immune system makes the cat prone to a change in softness, hardness or color of stool since an impaired immune system may have problems eliminating bacteria that could cause gastrointestinal upset. Mega colon is associated with constipation, so a change in softness, hardness or color of stool is likely to occur in the form of hard stools. Blood in the stools causes a change in softness, hardness or color of stool in the form of either a bright red blood color in the stools (hematochezia) or a black blood color in the stools (melena). The change in softness, hardness or color of stool in the form of a bloody stool color in cases of hematochezia and melena can be caused by parasites, allergies or lower gastrointestinal tract diseases (hematochezia) or parasites, ulcers, swallowed blood or upper gastrointestinal tract diseases (melena).

• Reaction to unclean litter box
• Fear
• Mega colon (associated with constipation)

Most cats do not like to use a litter box they consider unclean and passing stools outside the litter box may be a sign that the cat finds the litter box unsuitable. If cats consider the litter box in an unsafe location – such as near a room a dog they are afraid of is in – they may be passing stools outside the litter box as they are afraid to get to the litter box. Ironically, if a cat is scolded for passing stools outside the litter box the cat may keep passing stools outside the litter box even more as they may associate the scolding with the litter box rather than their behavior. Mega colon may cause passing stools outside the litter box because the cat may associate the litter box with the painful constipation they may experience.

• Constipation
• Rectal cancer
• Anal sac tumors

Constipation can cause crying out when passing stools due to discomfort or pain. Constipation in cats can be caused by many conditions such as nerve damage in the bowel or even excessive hair balls. If more serious causes of crying out when passing stools are ruled out, long haired cats especially may have excessive hair balls. Rectal cancer can also cause crying out when passing stools due to pain, pressure and irritation of the tumor in the rectal area. Blood and/or mucus in the stools and straining when passing stools may accompany crying out when passing stools in cases of rectal cancer. Anal sac tumors can also sometimes cause crying out when passing stools.

• Psora
• Pemphigus foliaceus
• Pemphigus erythematosus

Psora is a disease that can cause dark discharge around the base of the nails in cats. Severe scratching and dark discharge around the base of the nails are early signs of psora as the disease affects the skin first before attacking the organs. Redness of the gums and a rough, dry, lusterless coat often accompany dark discharge around the base of the nails in cases of psora. The autoimmune skin diseases pemphigus foliaceus and pemphigus erythematosus can also cause dark discharge around the base of the nails. Sometimes, dark discharge around the base of the nails may be difficult to notice in cats with naturally dark nails, but in the case of the pemphigus diseases the discharge may has a distinct greenish cast.

• Dry skin
• Cheyletiella
• Allergies

Dry skin causes itchy skin and dandruff in both animals and humans. Dry skin that flakes can be caused by the weather and/or indoor heating and may lead to itchy skin and dandruff. Cats will scratch their itchy skin and dandruff which makes the skin more susceptible to infections. Cheyletiella are white mites that cause itchy skin and dandruff-like flakes that are actually the external mites themselves. Cheyletiella are sometimes called “walking dandruff” due to their appearance. Allergies are another cause of itchy skin and dandruff in cats.

• Chronic diarrhea
• Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)
• Psora

Chronic diarrhea can cause a rough, lusterless coat if too many necessary nutrients have been lost. The Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) can also cause a rough, lusterless coat in cats. A loss of appetite, diarrhea and weight loss often accompany a rough, lusterless coat in cases of FeLV. Psora is another disease that can cause cats to have a rough, lusterless coat as the disease attacks the outer parts of the body before attacking the organs. The rough, lusterless coat in cases of psora may have a reddish-brown look to the fur.

• Phobias
• Psora

Just as people have fears, cats also may have certain phobias. A fear of noises or people is a common fear in cats. Some cats are afraid of thunder clapping or of the vacuum cleaner or of people who enter the home for the first time. Some cats reduce their fear of noises or people when they realize nothing bad has happened, while other cats may retain their fear of noises or people and behave aggressively or hide to avoid the situation. The later stages of the disease psora may also cause a fear of noises or people in cats due to the psychological affect of the disease on the brain.

• Dental disease
• Psora
• Hyperthyroidism

Dental disease can cause aggression toward people and animals if cats are in pain as they may feel weak and vulnerable. Psora, a disease that first attacks the skin and then the inner organs, can also cause aggression toward people and animals due to the disease’s psychological affect on the body. Cats with psora may suddenly begin fighting with other cats or animals that they used to get along with. Fear of noises or people may accompany aggression toward people and animals in cases of psora. Hyperthyroidism is also associated with aggression toward people and animals. A change in voice may accompany aggression toward people and animals in cats with hyperthyroidism.

• Normal aging
• Hyperthyroidism
• Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)

Normal aging can cause a change in sleep patterns in cats as older cats tend to sleep more than younger cats. A change in sleep patterns in the form of increased sleep in mature cats is often due to the slowed metabolism that comes with normal aging. Hyperthyroidism is a disease where the metabolism is increased and cats with hyperthyroidism may experience a change in sleep patterns that includes less time sleeping. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) may also cause a change in sleep patterns in cats due to disturbed sleep. A cat with FIV will often experience a change in sleep patterns that includes shorter sleep/wake cycles than normal.

• Hyperthyroidism
• Diabetes
• Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)

Hyperthyroidism can cause a change in weight in the form of weight loss due to increased metabolism. Urinating more often may accompany a change in weight in cats with hyperthyroidism. Diabetes can also cause a change in weight in the form of weight loss. Excessive thirst and urinating more often may accompany a change in weight in diabetic cats. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) is another cause of a change in weight in the form of weight loss.

• Pica
• Diabetes or other diseases

Pica is the craving to consume non-food items as food such as when cats insist on eating plastic, paper or string. There is no clear scientific evidence to show that eating plastic, paper or string is caused by vitamin or mineral deficiencies in cats. Diseases such as diabetes have been shown to sometimes cause cats to engage in eating plastic, paper or string or other non-food items. Vomiting, loss of appetite and fever may appear in a cat after eating plastic, paper or string that has damaged the intestine. Often such items will pass through in the stools, but in some cases of cats eating plastic, paper or string or other materials, surgery may be needed to safely remove the item.

• Milk
• Giardia

Milk may cause gassiness in some cats due to lactose, or milk sugar, intolerance. Stomach pains or cramps may accompany the gassiness caused by milk. The parasite giardia can also cause gassiness in cats. The gassiness caused by giardia infection is usually in the form of burping sounds, cramps and bloating. Giardia is transmitted from infected feces, food or water and affects the small intestine.

• Geriatric disorders
• Psora
• Brain tumors

Older cats may have behavior problems due to geriatric disorders that may result in loss of cognitive functioning. These behavior problems may include forgetting behaviors already learned. The disease psora may also cause behavior problems such as aggression toward people or animals or a fear of noises or people due to the psychological affect of the disease when it moves from attacking the skin to attacking the internal organs. A dark discharge around the base of the nails usually precedes the onset of behavior problems in cats with psora. Brain tumors can also cause behavior problems in cats.

• Motion sickness
• Fear and anxiety

Motion sickness can cause car sickness in cats. Vomiting may accompany the car sickness, especially if the cat had eaten right before the trip. Fear and anxiety can also cause car sickness in cats. The cat may associate riding in a car with receiving a shot or other veterinary treatment and may develop stress and car sickness as a result. Cats should be checked on often when riding in the car to be sure they are not overheated or experiencing vomiting or diarrhea due to car sickness.

• Allergies
• Blepharitis
• Reaction to injected medication

Allergies can cause hair loss as allergies tend to affect the cat’s skin. Hair loss due to allergies may be accompanied by itchiness and scratching. Blepharitis, inflammation of the eyelid, can cause hair loss around the eyes. Swelling and spasming of the eyelid may accompany hair loss in cases of blepharitis. A reaction to injected medication such as the rabies vaccine can also sometimes cause hair loss in cats.

• Anal sac tumors
• Inflamed vertebrae
• Bone cancer

Anal sac tumors can cause stiffness in movement and walk in cats. Crying out when passing stools may accompany stiffness in movement and walk in cases of anal sac tumors. Inflamed vertebrae may also cause stiffness in movement and walk and is fairly common in cats. An injury such as a fall may cause inflamed vertebrae resulting in stiffness in movement and walk. Bone cancer is a less common cause of stiffness in movement and walk, but it can occur in both cats and dogs.