Is my older cat in pain?

You have previously mentioned that cats are adept at hiding illness and particularly pain.

- DR DAVID GRANT

TAKING A PAWS: But monitor how long your cat is sleeping

I have an 11-year-old cat and I would like to know if there are any pointers to a cat being under the weather, or in pain?Some of the more serious illnesses are obvious, usually with a complete loss of appetite or signs such as difficulty in eating, loss in weight, sneezing, coughing and runny eyes, for example.

But many other signs are subtle and require good owner observational skills and a knowledge of what is normal for their cat. Increased sleeping is an important sign, but difficult to recognise if you don’t know what is normal for your cat.

Many cats around your cat’s age will sleep or rest for 14-18 hours. Any increase above this could prompt a vet consultation.