Cat Health

People usually end up searching for cat health basics when something changes: a cat is scratching more than usual, off its food, newly adopted, or suddenly spending more time hiding. Small problems in cats can stay quiet for days, then tip into dehydration, infection, or an emergency before you’ve had a clear warning.

Below is a practical, vet-aligned guide to day-to-day care (food, grooming, housing, parasites, vaccination), plus what to do when a cat is sick or injured. Where the older advice in the original text is unsafe or out of date, it’s corrected.

Feeding: steady, measured, and age-appropriate

Healthy feeding is less about variety and more about consistency. Choose a complete, balanced commercial diet suited to your cat’s life stage (kitten, adult, senior) and body condition, then measure portions so weight stays steady over time.

• Keep meal routines predictable. Many cats settle better with meals offered in the same place, at similar times each day.
• Be cautious with “titbits”. Treats add calories quickly and can unbalance a carefully measured diet. If you use them, keep them small and occasional.
• Water matters every day. Provide clean water at all times. Some cats drink more readily from a wide bowl or a fountain.

If your cat is gaining weight, losing weight, vomiting frequently, or has diarrhoea lasting more than a day, check in with your vet rather than swapping foods repeatedly.

Grooming: less about shine, more about skin and comfort

Regular grooming helps you notice changes early: new lumps, scabs, dandruff, fleas, sore ears, or weight loss that a coat can hide. How often you brush depends on coat length and the individual cat; daily brushing suits many long-haired cats, while short-haired cats often cope well with a few sessions each week.

• Coat: brush gently; look for mats, bald patches, flea dirt (black specks), and redness.
• Eyes and nose: mild, occasional discharge can occur, but persistent gunk, squinting, or redness needs a vet check.
• Ears: a small amount of wax can be normal; a strong smell, dark debris, head shaking, or scratching suggests infection or mites.
• Teeth: dental disease is common. If breath smells foul, gums bleed, or your cat drops food, book a dental assessment.
• Claws: indoor cats may need occasional tip trims. Avoid cutting into the pink “quick”.

Housing: warmth, choice, and a safe boundary

A cat’s home base should be quiet, predictable, and easy to retreat to. Provide a bed or covered hideaway away from foot traffic, plus a litter tray set up with privacy and easy access.

Temperature comfort varies. Instead of assuming a breed “feels the cold”, offer options: a warm bed in winter, a cooler spot in summer, and room to move away from heat sources. In hot weather, shade, ventilation, and cool water are more useful than pushing the house colder than it needs to be.

Vaccinations: core protection, then boosters based on risk

Vaccination protects against serious infectious diseases, but the schedule is best set with your vet based on your cat’s age, lifestyle, and local risk. Many Australian clinics use an F3 “core” vaccine for kittens, with additional vaccines only when the risk makes sense.¹

One example kitten schedule used by an Australian university teaching hospital starts vaccinations at 6–8 weeks, with boosters at 10–12 weeks and 14–16 weeks, plus an additional dose if timing requires it. They also advise keeping kittens out of public outdoor areas until 10–14 days after the final vaccination, so immunity has time to build.¹

Non-core vaccines (such as FIV or FeLV) are usually discussed for cats that roam, fight, live in high-density cat households, or have other specific exposure risks, and may require annual boosters if used.¹

Vaccination certificates can be required for boarding facilities and some catteries. If you’ve missed a booster, don’t guess—ring your vet and book in.

Daily “quiet checks”: what healthy tends to look like

A healthy cat is usually alert in their own way, with clear eyes, a clean coat, normal breathing, and steady eating, drinking, urination, and bowel motions. Purring is common but not a health guarantee—cats may purr when stressed or unwell as well.

It’s the change that matters: reduced appetite, hiding, unusual stillness, sudden aggression when handled, repeated vomiting, or diarrhoea are all reasons to pay attention.

Nursing a sick cat: keep it calm, keep it hydrated, call early

If your cat seems unwell, focus on simple support and fast veterinary advice. Cats can become dehydrated quickly, and dehydration makes everything harder to treat.

What to do at home while organising veterinary care

• Provide warmth and quiet. A dim, calm room helps reduce stress. Use a blanket and ensure your cat can move away from heat.
• Offer water frequently. Leave fresh water close by. If your cat won’t drink, contact your vet promptly—don’t force large volumes into the mouth.
• Keep food simple. If your cat will nibble, small bland meals may be suggested by your vet. Don’t syringe-feed unless you’ve been shown how; inhaling food can cause aspiration pneumonia.
• Keep the litter tray close. Sick cats may not travel far.
• Isolate if infection is possible. If your vet suspects a contagious illness, keep your cat separate from other pets and practise good hand hygiene.

Skip these older “home nursing” techniques

• Do not take a rectal temperature unless your vet instructs you. It can injure a painful cat and won’t change what you should do next: call and be seen.
• Do not give a “steam bath” without veterinary guidance. Hot vapour can stress cats and there’s a real burn risk from hot water and enclosed spaces.
• Do not improvise medicines. Human pain relief (including aspirin, ibuprofen and paracetamol) can be dangerous to cats. Treat unknown poisoning or overdose as urgent.

Common accidents and when it’s urgent

Cats that roam at night are exposed to more road traffic, fights, and other hazards. Keeping cats contained (especially overnight) reduces risk of injury and infectious disease exposure, and it also protects local wildlife.²

Seek urgent veterinary care if you notice:

• difficulty breathing, open-mouth breathing, or blue/pale gums
• collapse, seizures, profound weakness, or inability to stand
• uncontrolled bleeding
• suspected fracture, severe pain, or paralysis
• a bite wound, swelling, or a hot painful lump (abscesses can worsen quickly)
• suspected poisoning of any kind

Bite wounds and abscesses

Abscesses commonly form after cat fights. The skin can seal over a puncture wound, trapping bacteria underneath. You may see a swelling that feels warm and painful, sometimes with lethargy or fever.

Don’t squeeze, lance, or “let it drain” at home. Abscesses often need veterinary treatment (pain relief, antibiotics, and sometimes drainage under sedation).

Burns: cool, prevent licking, get help

Burns may come from hot liquids, chemicals, or chewing electrical cords (especially in kittens). For most burns, veterinary assessment is needed.

• Remove the source safely. Turn off power before touching an electrical source.
• Prevent licking. A cone (Elizabethan collar) may be needed.
• Contact a vet promptly. Burn care varies depending on cause and depth.

Poisoning: treat as urgent, and don’t induce vomiting at home

Older advice to “make a cat vomit” using washing soda, salt water, or mustard water is unsafe. Cats are easily harmed by caustic substances, and inducing vomiting can worsen the situation depending on what was swallowed.

If you suspect poisoning:

• Call your vet immediately.
• If you can, gather details: product name, strength, amount, time of exposure, your cat’s weight, and any signs (vomiting, drooling, tremors, weakness).
• Use a poisons helpline if you can’t reach a vet quickly. In Australia, the Animal Poisons Helpline is a 24/7 service for pet owners, and can help with first-aid advice and triage while you organise veterinary care.^{3, 4}

Parasites: prevention beats repeated treatment

Parasites are common, but most are manageable with a regular prevention plan matched to your cat’s lifestyle (indoor-only, outdoor access, hunting, multi-cat household). Speak with your vet about a safe, effective schedule rather than using random over-the-counter products, as cats are sensitive to some chemicals.

Internal parasites (worms and protozoa)

Roundworms and hookworms can cause gut upset, weight loss, a pot-bellied look in kittens, and in some cases anaemia. Tapeworm segments may look like small rice grains around the anus or in bedding, often linked to flea exposure.

Modern worming products are chosen based on likely exposure and the parasites common in your area. Avoid “routine” worming of a visibly sick cat without veterinary advice—illness can change what’s safe and what’s urgent.

Toxoplasma can infect humans, and the highest risk is from handling contaminated soil or cat faeces, and from undercooked meat. Pregnant people should avoid cleaning litter trays where possible, or use gloves and wash hands carefully afterwards. If pregnancy is in the household, discuss practical risk reduction with your GP and vet.⁵

External parasites (fleas, lice, mites)

Fleas live and breed mostly in the environment, not just on the cat. That’s why single “quick fixes” often fail: you need to treat the cat and, where appropriate, the home environment, then repeat on schedule to break the lifecycle.

If your cat has intense itch, scabs around the neck and rump, hair loss, or “walking dandruff”, mites may be involved, and some species can irritate human skin too. A vet can confirm the cause and prescribe treatment that’s safe for cats.

About “loving”: attention as husbandry

Cats don’t need constant handling, but they do benefit from steady, low-pressure contact: a quiet chat while you refresh water, a brief play session, a gentle brush, or simply being nearby. These small routines make it easier to notice subtle changes early—less grooming, a stiff jump, a new tenderness—before they become obvious problems.

References

1. University Veterinary Teaching Hospital Sydney (University of Sydney) – Vaccinations (kitten schedule, boosters, and risk-based FIV/FeLV guidance)
2. RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase – Benefits of keeping cats contained
3. Animal Poisons Helpline (Australia) – 24/7 helpline for pet owners
4. Animal Poisons Helpline – About the service (first aid advice, risk assessment, triage)
5. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care – Toxoplasmosis