Cats are extraordinarily effective at concealing illness, making recognition of subtle behavioral changes critical for timely welfare intervention.
The biological drive of cats to conceal illness vulnerability has evolved over millions of years and is deeply embedded in their behavioral repertoire. A cat with significant internal disease will often eat, drink, and interact at near-normal levels until welfare is severely compromised. The welfare cost of this concealment is that significant suffering may be present and unrecognized for extended periods. Owner familiarity with their individual cat's normal baseline behavior is the most sensitive detection tool — changes that seem subtle may represent significant departures from normal that warrant investigation.