Symptoms of illness in cats

My sweet girl Buddy in one of her favorite spots (my pillow)

Since my beloved cat Buddy died 6 weeks ago, I've been reading about different symptoms and illnesses in cats. I knew about some signs of illness from Buddy's long kidney failure.  I noticed her drinking frequently in 2008 - that was what prompted me to take her to the vet where they tested her urine and blood and determined that her kidneys had begun to fail.  For 4 years just feeding her kidney diet food was all she needed.  It seemed like she became much worse in a short period, but now I'm realizing how many little signs she was showing.  Unfortunately I didn't know they were signs that she was about to die.  There are so many of them that it would be too long of a post if I tried to list them.  But here's a few little things - did you know that if your cat sits and stares at it's water bowl without drinking much that probably means that it's too sick to drink, even though it's very thirsty?  Did you know that if your cat lays with it's head facing the wall that it is likely that it's in pain or very ill?  Both of these were things that Buddy did in the months before she died, and I had no idea they were signs of serious trouble.  I thought it was odd when she laid facing the wall, but I didn't know that it meant that she was in pain and about to die.  If I had, I would have taken her to the vet the first time I saw it.  I would have saved her from massive seizures and the horrible death she had as a result.
Educate yourself.  Don't expect your vet to do it for you, because unfortunately, most don't.  Go online and READ.  Here's one site with a lot of different symptoms and what they might be:  cat_disease_signs.aspx   And please take your cat to your vet for a check-up once a year, especially if they are over 10 years old.  I know that it can get expensive, but it can save your cat's life, and it can save you the guilt you'll feel if it dies and you find out afterwards that you could have saved it.  In my case, I couldn't save my cat, but if I'd seen signs that the end was very near, I could have made her last days much more enjoyable and ended her suffering sooner.

I'll be posting more about specific illnesses and problems and what to watch for in the next few weeks.  I also welcome any links to other sites that contain quality information about cat's health and signs of illness.



DISCLAIMER:  I have NO VETERINARY TRAINING, just a tremendous love for my pets and a hope that I can spare some one else the horrible experience I went through when my Buddy died.