Is your cat laying around all day? Finding the closest sun beam and not moving for hours? Will he meow incessantly while you make tuna fish? Does he curl up on your lap at the most inopportune times and sit on the keyboard while you are writing an important email or paper? Whew. Good. Then he seems to be fine.
Simply put, cats are bizarre. And as such, it may be difficult for us to be able to tell whether our cat is ill or not. Especially if they are strictly indoor, most people will not bother to bring their cats to the vet until they exhibit signs of being ill, and often times that may be too late. Veterinarians are specially trained in diagnosing common cat diseases, some of which are perfectly fixable, while others can be fatal feline diseases. Rather than risk it, make sure that you get your cat in as soon as you notice any peculiar behavior. If it turns out to be nothing, at least your cat got a check up while he was there. But if it is something curable, you want the vet to act on it as soon as she diagnoses it.
When looking for common cat disease symptoms, you are basically just looking for any behavior that may be out of the ordinary. Feline diseases, just like human diseases, can affect appetite, sleep pattern, attitude and sensitivity to external stimuli. Know the habits and customary rituals that your cat goes through every day. You can also ensure that your cat is as healthy as possible by feeding him a regular diet (not just dumping food in a dish and leaving it for the whole day), trying to avoid some of the terrible foods that contain too much grain or filler (like ash or meal), exercising him, and giving a regular brushing of both coat and teeth.
The more you do ahead of time to keep your cat healthy, the easier his life will be, and the longer he will live a comfortable and happy life. Science has proven the benefits of having pets, so in order to reap the most reward, you want to keep your cat as healthy and free of feline diseases as you can. It is easy to become passive and complacent with your cat. Often times they are just furry lumps living on your chair. But if you stay active, they will too. And you will both be happier because of it.