how can you tell when a cat is sick?

Question

my cat tigger is usually very playful, but today and half this night , he is not.
he is warm, but so am i from the heat.
he has not been out side, he is a house cat, though he does sneak out when i open the door sometimes, and rolls in the dirt.
he will not let me hold him, he is giving that cry, like leave me alone.
he would take take his treat from me, but he did eat it from his bowl. but im concerned, as he just is not acting right toward me.
he has had all his shots up to date.
he has been fixed too. can some one please tell me the signs
of a sick cat.?
thank you

Answer 1

Sounds like something may be wrong. His behaviors sound like a cat that doesn't feel well. Common possibilities are: upset stomach and/or (if he has them) fleas.
Check tigger's gums, see if they are pink. If they are not, that is a sign of illness. Also, you can pull on his scruff to check for hydration. It should pop back into place quickly. If it slowly moves back down, he may be dehydrated.
Call your vet in the morning and give them his symptoms, they will be able to direct you with the next step.

I hope Tigger feels better soon.

Answer 2

Those things that you described are the signs of a sick cat. It is difficult to determine if a cat has a temperature, but i always feel the stomach if its warmer than normal then he might be running a slight fever. Sounds like he might be in a bit of pain since you said that he is "giving that cry, like leave me alone". If you are able to i would suggest going to a vet or at least calling and explaining the symptoms. Also as a previous person mentioned the first thing to do is check its gums, however you need to know what his gums look like before it got sick, any change in his gum colour is a sure sign.

Answer 3

With most animals the best way to tell is by observing its behaviour. Any changes could signal stress and disease. But it's hard to tell exactly what is wrong unless you have experience. The best thing to do is give it lots of clean water and hope it recovers on its own within a week. If it still acts different then maybe take it to the vet to make sure.

Answer 4

Signs are:
Not wanting to move much
Limping
Trying not to move a certain way
Back fur is spiky and not laying smoothly
Fur is too flattened down
Hot ears (unless they're sleeping, the ears get hot for that too)
Third eyelid up
Liquid from the nose or eyes
Not making eye contact when they usually didn't have a problem with that
Putting ears back when you want to interact with them, when they usually didn't do that.
Tail held low all the time
Having a hard time breathing
Having a hard time getting up and moving smoothly
Doesn't want to be bothered
Wants to sleep too much