Richard Peckham, a veterinarian at the San Joaquin Veterinary Clinic in Lodi. (Courtesy photo)

Illness in cats can be detected in variety of ways

Cats can show signs of illness in a variety of ways. Richard Peckham, veterinarian at the San Joaquin Veterinary Clinic in Lodi, talked about symptoms and common ailments cats might have.

• Not eating. It's hard to tell if a home has multiple cats and they share one bowl.

• Hiding under the bed or in the closet.

• Less active. In some cases, cats become more clingy and stay close to the owner.

• They don't use the litter box.

Common ailments in kittens are intestinal infections, which cause diarrhea; skin problems, such as ring worm and fleas; and upper respiratory infections, which cause runny eyes and nose.

In adult cats, they could have inflammatory bowel disease if they have abnormal bowel movements; and lower urinary tract disease, if they are straining to urinate.

"If they go outside of the box, they're letting owners know something is wrong," Peckham said. "Cats are better than dogs at hiding illness."

Older cats can have kidney, thyroid, pancreatic, liver or heart disease and dental problems.

Peckham said the newest recommendation is that cats should have a physical twice a year because they age more in one year than humans do. Then owners can catch problems earlier rather than later.