Is your cat eating and sleepingthe way it usually does?
A meal, a litter-box visit, a leap onto the windowsill. Get to know the body behind these everyday moments, what to notice, and when to ask your vet for help.
An introduction for cat caregivers. Diagnosis, medication and individual care plans need a veterinarian.
Signs that need urgent careSix parts of the body
Choose a number to see what that body system does, what to watch for, and how to care for it. Observe with your eyes; there is no need to press on or restrain your cat.
Choose a number or a topic. Its notes appear beside or below the illustration.
At mealtime
Mouth & teeth
Teeth · gums · tongue
- Its everyday job
- Teeth grasp and cut food. The tongue moves food and water and helps groom the coat.
- What to notice
- Watch how your cat chews, and look for dropped food, drooling or new bad breath. A cat can keep eating even with a painful mouth.
- An everyday care step
- Build up gentle brushing with cat toothpaste. If the mouth looks sore, ask the vet before brushing.
Read the sourcesMerck Veterinary Manual: Physical Description of CatsCornell Feline Health Center: Feline Dental Disease
While they rest
Heart & lungs
Airways · lungs · heart
- Its everyday job
- Lungs exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide; the heart circulates blood to carry oxygen around the body.
- What to notice
- Watch breathing when your cat is relaxed or asleep. Look for new effort, coughing or a lasting change from their usual pattern.
- An everyday care step
- Avoid tobacco smoke and irritating sprays. Open-mouth or labored breathing needs emergency care.
Read the sourcesMerck Veterinary Manual: Introduction to Lung and Airway Disorders of CatsCornell Feline Health Center: Dyspnea (Difficulty Breathing)
Around food and the litter box
Digestion & nutrition
Stomach · intestines · liver · pancreas
- Its everyday job
- The digestive tract breaks food down and absorbs nutrients. The liver and pancreas help digest food and process nutrients.
- What to notice
- Keep an eye on appetite, vomiting, stool and weight trends. Repeated vomiting is not a normal part of grooming.
- An everyday care step
- Offer complete cat food for the right life stage, switch foods gradually, and keep fresh water available.
Read the sourcesMerck Veterinary Manual: Introduction to Digestive Disorders of CatsCornell Feline Health Center: Feeding Your Cat
When you scoop the litter
Kidneys & bladder
Kidneys · ureters · bladder · urethra
- Its everyday job
- Kidneys filter blood and balance water and waste. Urine travels down the ureters to the bladder and leaves through the urethra.
- What to notice
- Watch drinking, urine clumps and litter-box trips. Straining with little or no urine is an emergency.
- An everyday care step
- Provide fresh water and clean, easy-to-reach litter boxes. Never restrict drinking to reduce urination.
Read the sourcesMerck Veterinary Manual: The Urinary System of CatsCornell Feline Health Center: Chronic Kidney DiseaseCornell Feline Health Center: Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease
On the way to the windowsill
Bones & movement
Bones · joints · muscles
- Its everyday job
- The skeleton supports the body; joints and muscles make walking, climbing and jumping possible.
- What to notice
- Watch for hesitation before jumping, stiffness, less grooming or a change in favorite resting places.
- An everyday care step
- Offer non-slip routes, easy-to-reach resting spots and short play sessions your cat can choose to join.
Read the sourcesCornell Feline Health Center: Is Your Cat Slowing Down?
During a gentle groom
Skin & senses
Skin · coat · whiskers · ears
- Its everyday job
- Skin forms a protective barrier. Fur helps regulate temperature, while whiskers and other senses pick up cues from the surroundings.
- What to notice
- Look for bald patches, frequent scratching, overgrooming, discharge or head shaking. Sudden changes deserve a closer look.
- An everyday care step
- Groom gently, leave whiskers intact, and ask your vet about cat-safe parasite prevention.
Read the sourcesMerck Veterinary Manual: Structure of the Skin in CatsMerck Veterinary Manual: Physical Description of CatsMerck Veterinary Manual: Routine Health Care of CatsCornell Feline Health Center: Poisons
Everyday care
Start with the bowls, the litter box and a little time together. Compare with your cat’s usual habits, not with somebody else’s cat.
Every day
Look at the bowl
Refresh water, wash bowls and notice how much your cat actually eats. Choose complete food for your cat’s life stage.
Read the sourcesCornell Feline Health Center: Feeding Your Cat
Read the litter box
Scoop daily and notice urine clumps, stool and repeated trips. Keep boxes clean, quiet and easy to reach.
Read the sourcesCornell Feline Health Center: Feline Lower Urinary Tract DiseaseMerck Veterinary Manual: Routine Health Care of Cats
Plan daily movement and play
Offer short, cat-led play, scratching surfaces and safe resting places. Notice changes in jumping or willingness to play.
Read the sourcesCornell Feline Health Center: Is Your Cat Slowing Down?Merck Veterinary Manual: Routine Health Care of Cats
Build a brushing habit
Work toward daily brushing with cat toothpaste and a soft brush. Start with brief, rewarding sessions your cat is free to leave.
Read the sourcesCornell Feline Health Center: Feline Dental DiseaseMerck Veterinary Manual: Routine Health Care of Cats
Regularly & as needed
Check coat, claws & weight
Brush to suit the coat, check claw tips and weigh your cat the same way each time. Long-haired cats may need daily brushing.
Read the sourcesMerck Veterinary Manual: Physical Description of CatsMerck Veterinary Manual: Routine Health Care of Cats
Plan preventive visits
Arrange at least yearly checkups for adult cats, with more frequent visits for kittens, seniors or cats with existing illness as your vet advises.
Read the sourcesMerck Veterinary Manual: Routine Health Care of Cats
When you notice a change
The same change can have different causes. Open a topic to see what a vet may look into, not to match your cat to a diagnosis.
Dental diseaseBad breath, drooling or a different way of eating
Gingivitis, periodontal disease and tooth resorption can all cause pain. Eating normally does not rule out a problem.
With your veterinarian
A vet examines the mouth and may recommend anesthesia and dental X-rays to check beneath the gumline. Brushing at home helps with prevention, not as a replacement for treatment.
Read this chapterRead the sourcesCornell Feline Health Center: Feline Dental Disease
Lower urinary tract problemsFrequent trips, straining or blood in urine
Bladder inflammation, stones and other causes can look very similar at home, and these signs do not automatically mean a bacterial infection.
With your veterinarian
Urine tests and imaging may help find the cause. Straining with little or no urine can mean a blocked urethra—seek emergency care right away, especially in male cats.
Read this chapterRead the sourcesCornell Feline Health Center: Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease
Chronic kidney diseaseMore drinking or urine, weight or appetite changes
Kidney function can decline gradually, often without obvious early signs. Chronic kidney disease is more common in older cats.
With your veterinarian
Vets interpret blood and urine tests, blood pressure and other findings together. Diet and treatment are tailored to the cat; no single symptom or blood value tells the whole story.
Read this chapterRead the sourcesCornell Feline Health Center: Chronic Kidney Disease
Repeated vomitingVomiting that returns or comes with other changes
Vomiting has many possible causes, both digestive and non-digestive. Repeated episodes shouldn’t simply be written off as hairballs.
With your veterinarian
Record how often it happens along with any appetite or stool changes, and seek prompt advice. Blood, weakness, suspected toxin or foreign-body ingestion, or not keeping water down needs urgent assessment.
Read this chapterRead the sourcesCornell Feline Health Center: Vomiting
Asthma & airway problemsCoughing, wheezing or breathing with effort
Asthma involves airway inflammation and narrowing. Other diseases can look similar, so a cough alone cannot establish a diagnosis.
With your veterinarian
A vet may recommend chest imaging and other tests. Reduce smoke and irritating aerosols at home. Open-mouth or labored breathing is an emergency—do not wait for it to pass.
Read this chapterRead the sourcesCornell Feline Health Center: Feline Asthma: A Risky Business for Many CatsCornell Feline Health Center: Dyspnea (Difficulty Breathing)
DiabetesMore thirst and urine, weight loss despite eating
Insulin helps the body use glucose. When it works inadequately, blood glucose rises; excess weight can increase the risk.
With your veterinarian
Because stress can raise blood glucose, vets interpret blood and urine results together and sometimes use additional measurements. Treatment needs an individual plan; weakness, vomiting or not eating needs urgent advice.
Read this chapterRead the sourcesCornell Feline Health Center: Feline Diabetes
Sources and the limits of this guide
We wrote this introductory guide using public veterinary resources. References support the sections beside them; citing them does not imply institutional endorsement or veterinary review of this guide.
Sources checked · · Source in English
- 01Merck Veterinary ManualPhysical Description of Cats
- 02Merck Veterinary ManualIntroduction to Digestive Disorders of Cats
- 03Merck Veterinary ManualIntroduction to Lung and Airway Disorders of Cats
- 04Merck Veterinary ManualThe Urinary System of Cats
- 05Merck Veterinary ManualStructure of the Skin in Cats
- 06Merck Veterinary ManualRoutine Health Care of Cats
- 07Cornell Feline Health CenterFeeding Your Cat
- 08Cornell Feline Health CenterFeline Dental Disease
- 09Cornell Feline Health CenterFeline Lower Urinary Tract Disease
- 10Cornell Feline Health CenterChronic Kidney Disease
- 11Cornell Feline Health CenterVomiting
- 12Cornell Feline Health CenterDyspnea (Difficulty Breathing)
- 13Cornell Feline Health CenterFeline Asthma: A Risky Business for Many Cats
- 14Cornell Feline Health CenterFeline Diabetes
- 15Cornell Feline Health CenterPoisons
- 16Merck Veterinary ManualEvaluation and Initial Treatment of Dog and Cat Emergencies
- 17Cornell Feline Health CenterIs Your Cat Slowing Down?