Cat Symptoms Checker
Check when to seek veterinary help and prepare a clear summary of the changes you have noticed.
Contact an emergency veterinarian now. Do not wait to complete the questions.
What has changed?
Tell us what you have noticed and when it started. We will highlight when to seek help and make a summary for your vet.
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A few common questions
Can this symptoms checker diagnose my cat?
No. It only organizes visible signs, timing, and urgency signals so you can decide whether to call a veterinarian or emergency clinic.
Which signs override everything else?
Breathing trouble, collapse, seizure, suspected poisoning, trauma, heavy bleeding, and straining with little or no urine should be treated as urgent.
About this tool & sources
Your cat's health and history can change what is right for them. Use these results to support a conversation with your veterinarian. They cannot confirm a diagnosis or prescribe treatment.
Updated 2026-10-05
How this tool works
This checklist routes observations to an action. Red flags are grounded in emergency guidance; the combinations and observation timers are site rules.
View rules and sources
Emergency red flags
Reference + site choiceBreathing trouble, collapse, seizure/loss of coordination, toxin exposure, trauma, heavy bleeding, distressed abdomen, labor distress, facial swelling or little/no urine override other answers.
These categories align with the hospital's emergency examples. Exact checkbox wording and precedence are site implementation; this is not the hospital's triage protocol.
Vomiting and diarrhea routing
Site estimate or ruleSame-day call for repeated, bloody or ≥12-hour vomiting/diarrhea, or selected appetite/energy changes. Blood also independently prompts a call.
These combinations and the 12-hour cut are site rules. The source treats severe/protracted vomiting or severe bloody diarrhea as possible emergencies; a same-day result cannot exclude that urgency.
Appetite and energy
Reference + site choiceNo appetite, marked low energy, not-eating/lethargy checkboxes, unexplained weight loss, increased thirst/urine or mouth pain/drooling prompt a same-day call.
The same-day category is this site's routing choice. Sources support assessment of appetite loss and serious weakness; they do not validate all of these signs as one urgency group.
Urinary changes
Reference + site choiceStraining with reported output → same-day call; little/no output or trouble-urinating checkbox → emergency.
This is a site distinction. The source lists urinary difficulty as an emergency example; reported output does not reliably rule out obstruction.
Duration routing
Site estimate or ruleLimping, constipation or cough at 12+ hours: call today. A lump over 24 hours, or any non-normal sign over 24 hours: call today.
The 12/24-hour boundaries are editorial routing bins. A severe sign may need earlier emergency care regardless of these timers.
Higher-risk groups
Reference + site choiceA kitten, senior or pregnant cat with a selected sign or appetite/energy change prompts a same-day call.
These risk-group branches are site choices. They do not account for every chronic condition or establish an appropriate delay.
Monitor result
Site estimate or ruleWhen no escalation rule matches: track the next 6–12 hours, call sooner for changes. No signs and normal appetite, energy and urine returns an empty result.
The monitor window and fallback are site rules, not a validated safe waiting period. Severe, worsening or worrying signs need veterinary advice even when the checklist misses them.
Published values support the stated reference scope. They do not establish the accuracy or clinical validity of this tool.
Sources checked · No professional review recorded. Source checking is a record of reading, not a clinical review.