Cat Health Checklist

I wanted to share with you this Cat Health Checklist to help you ensure your cat stays happy and healthy.

Please note: This page contains Affiliate links and /or advertisements, which means I get a commission if you sign up or purchase anything through my links provided, at no extra cost to you!

Please read our Disclaimer for more details.

Just like humans, cats can get sick too.

You don’t always know what can make your cat ill, or how she got ill.

Note: While I know a lot about pets, I’m not a Veterinarian, therefore this is not a professional advice!

You should always consult your Veterinarian with any questions or concerns regarding your pet’s health!

Even if your home is completely safe for your kitty, she can still get injured or infected with viruses from outside of your home.

While you can’t always prevent every illnesses, but you CAN monitor your cat regularly thus catching any signs of illness before it becomes serious.

TIP: I also recommend you reading my other article on “Is your home safe for your cat” to make sure your home doesn’t pose any serious dangers for your kitty.

So here is a simple checklist you can use to help you ensure your cat is healthy.

Regularly inspect the following:

Eyes

Your cat’s eyes should be clear, bright, no redness, no swelling and free of any discharge.

If you notice anything usual in your cat’s eyes, have a Veterinarian examine it.

Better safe than sorry.

Ears

You should get your kitty’s ear checked by the Vet you notice:

• Constant shaking and scratching

• Foul smell from ears

• Red, inflamed ears.

• Tiny black bugs (Ear Mites) in ears

Sometimes scratching the ears could just mean there is dirt in the cat’s ear, which you can easily handle by cleaning it.

But if you notice redness and/or inflammation, you need to get it checked by the Vet.

Nose

A cat’s nose should be moist not dry, free of mucus and other discharge, and shouldn’t have any cracks.

Now you know your cat better than anyone. Some cats always have dry and warm nose. If your kitty never had moist nose, you can ignore this.

But if your feline’s nose is normally moist and cool, and you notice that now it is dry and hot, you should consult a Veterinarian.

A warm dry nose could mean that your kitty is running a fever, or at least not feeling well.

Also, when your cat’s nose is moist, you could see clear (like water) discharge from her nose. This is normal.

But if the discharge isn’t clear, but yellowish, white or red she needs to go to the Vet.

Mouth

A healthy feline mouth should look like this:

Clean white teeth, no tartar build up, no foul smell, pink moist gums, no redness and inflammation on gums.

Teeth

A cat’s teeth should be white and healthy looking.

You may have heard, (just like with dogs) that you can determine a cat’s age (approximately) by the condition and color of her teeth.

Sure a young kitty’s teeth will be whiter than an old cat’s teeth.

But this isn’t really normal.

Healthy diet, right supplements and regular teeth cleaning should keep your cat’s teeth white and healthy looking even if she is older.

Gums

Gums should be moist and pink. There should be no visible redness or inflammation, or “bad breath”.

Yes, bad breath in a cat isn’t normal. Sure, it won’t smell like mint, but a disgusting foul smell means there is a problem.

If you notice any inflammation or redness on your cat’s gums, you should schedule an appointment with the Vet to get it checked out.

Mouth Area

Your cat’s mouth area should look healthy, no excessive redness and dryness, no unusual bumps or “missing fur spots”.

She should have healthy looking whiskers as well.

Paws

Now let’s talk about your cat’s paws.

A healthy cat paw should have no cracks, no excessive dryness, no foul smell, no swelling or unusual lumps.

Have your cat taken to the Vet if you notice:

• Swelling of the toes or the whole paw

• Foul smell

• Foreign object in the paw

• Excessive chewing or licking of one or all the paws

• Limping

• Excessive redness anywhere on the paw

Body

Now let’s examine your cat’s body as a whole.

Fur

Your cat’s fur should look healthy, shiny (for short hair cats), not dull, no “missing fur patches” and no flees or thicks.

A healthy diet, right supplements and regular grooming should keep your cat’s fur healthy.

An other thing you should look for is if your cat is cleaning herself regularly.

A sick or dying cat usually stops taking care of her self, and stops cleaning her fur.

A sick cat’s fur will look messy, dirty, dull and not groomed.

I advice you to go to the Vet right away if you notice that your cat doesn’t clean herself anymore.

Joints and Body Language

Observe your cat regularly.

• Is she willing to walk and run?

• Does she walk normal?

• Is she limping?

• Lack of energy?

• Sleeps more than usual for no apparent reason?

• Does she obsessively lick or c