The CatMD Library

Your cat's MD,
in long form.

Read your cat's body language. Decode their personality. Live well with them, day-to-day. And catch the medical things that hide in plain sight. Five sections, one library — all vet-sourced, all in plain English.

Read your cat

Cats can't talk, but they're saying a lot. The vocabulary of tails, ears, whiskers, eyes, and posture — and how to read what your cat is feeling without guessing.

Body language fundamentals

The five channels every cat owner can learn to read: tail, ears, whiskers, eyes, and posture. With a printable cheat-sheet at the end of each.

9 min · cat tail meaning

What your cat’s tail is telling you — the 7 positions, decoded

The tail is the most readable channel a cat has. Seven positions, what each one means, and the body-language combinations that change everything.
10 min · cat body language

Beyond the tail — reading ears, whiskers, eyes, and posture

The tail is half the picture. Ears, whiskers, eyes, and posture are the other half. How to read all five channels and put them together into a confident, accurate read of your cat.
9 min · cat sounds meaning

How to read your cat’s vocalizations — meow, chirp, purr, growl

Cats produce 21+ distinct sounds, but the everyday repertoire reduces to about eight. What each one means, the surprising fact that adult cats meow almost exclusively at humans, and how vocal patterns shift with age and health.

Your cat's personality

Cats have personalities the way humans do — five-factor, measurable, life-shaping. The science of cat archetypes and why your Maine Coon and your friend's Bengal are nothing alike.

The Feline Five

The research-validated personality framework for cats — five traits, recognisable archetypes, practical implications for how you live with each one.

11 min · cat personality types

The Feline Five — the science of cat personality

Cats have personalities the way humans do — measurable, stable, life-shaping. The five-trait research framework, the recognisable archetypes, and what each one means for how you should live with your cat.

The good cat life

Enrichment, environment, routines. The architecture of a life that lets a cat be a cat — endorsed by the AAFP and ISFM, the people who write the welfare guidelines vets follow.

Environment & enrichment

How feline vets think about a cat-friendly home: the 5 pillars framework, multi-cat dynamics, and the small changes that turn a stressed cat into a relaxed one.

12 min · happy indoor cat

The 5 pillars of a happy indoor cat (according to feline vets)

The AAFP/ISFM 5 Pillars framework is the welfare standard feline vets follow. Five environmental needs, what each one means in practice, and a 15-minute home audit you can do this weekend.
11 min · multi-cat household

Multi-cat households — the science of getting along

Twenty percent of cat homes have more than one cat, and most of them have lower-grade conflict the owners don’t recognise. The AAFP-backed framework for resource design, the introduction protocol that prevents long-term tension, and the body-language signs that tell you whether your cats actually like each other.

Health & triage

When something feels off. Vet-sourced, plain-English guides to the symptoms cat parents Google at 2 a.m., grouped by body system — emergencies first.

Emergencies — minutes matter

Time-critical situations where waiting until tomorrow can be the difference. Recognise these patterns fast.

6 min · cat lily poisoning

Cat Ate a Lily: Why Every Minute Matters and What to Do Right Now

Lilies cause acute kidney failure in cats within hours. The 6-hour window, which 'lilies' are actually toxic, and step-by-step actions before the vet.
6 min · cat urethral obstruction

Cat Straining in the Litter Box: The 48-Hour Emergency Most Owners Miss

A male cat straining in the litter box with no output is a life-threatening emergency. Here's why, what to do, and how to tell it apart from constipation.

Digestive & appetite

Vomiting, anorexia, and weight changes — the most common reasons cat owners call a vet, and the patterns that distinguish "monitor at home" from "go now."

5 min · cat vomiting

Cat Vomiting: When to See a Vet vs. Monitor at Home

Cat vomited once, twice, or many times today? A clear, cat-specific guide to which vomiting is an emergency, which can wait, and what to tell your vet.
6 min · cat not eating

Cat Not Eating: Causes, Timeline, and Red Flags

Your cat hasn't eaten for 24 hours — or three days. What it means, when it's dangerous, and what to do before the vet visit.
7 min · cat weight loss

Cat Losing Weight: CKD, Hyperthyroidism, and the Three Differentials You Need to Know

A cat losing weight — even with a normal appetite — is almost never healthy. How to tell CKD from hyperthyroidism from diabetes, and which labs to ask for.

Urinary & litter box

The litter box is the single most underrated diagnostic tool in feline health. How to read frequency, blood, straining, and behavioural changes.

5 min · cat litter box changes

Litter Box Changes: Frequency, Consistency, Blood, and What They Mean

Your cat's litter box is the best home diagnostic tool you have. How to read changes in frequency, clump size, stool, and color.

Respiratory & eyes

Breathing patterns, sneezing, and eye discharge — overlapping anatomy means these symptoms cluster together. The decision tree for URI vs. something worse.

5 min · cat breathing fast

Cat Breathing Fast While Sleeping: HCM and the 30 bpm Rule

A sleeping cat's breathing rate should be under 30 breaths per minute. Above that — especially in Maine Coons, Ragdolls, and Persians — can be an early sign of HCM.
6 min · cat sneezing

Cat Sneezing: URI, Allergies, or Something Worse?

Most cat sneezing is benign — but a subset hides chronic infection, nasal foreign bodies, dental disease, or tumors. How to tell which is which.
4 min · cat eye discharge

Cat Eye Discharge: URI, Corneal Ulcer, or Herpesvirus?

Clear, yellow, or green eye discharge in cats usually means one of three things. How to tell them apart — and which is a vet emergency.

General wellness signals

Cats are evolutionary prey animals — they mask weakness. These are the subtle full-body signals that often appear before any organ-specific sign.

4 min · cat hiding

Cat Hiding: Normal Behavior or Early Warning of Illness?

Cats hide when they're stressed — but also when they're sick. How to tell the difference, and when hiding becomes a vet visit.
5 min · cat lethargy

Cat Lethargy: What It Means at Different Ages

A lethargic cat is never 'just tired.' What lethargy signals in kittens, adults, and seniors — and when it becomes an emergency.
4 min · cat gum color

Cat Gum Color: Pink, Pale, Yellow, or Blue — What Each Means

Gum color is one of the fastest checks of feline health. Pink is good. Pale, yellow, or blue is an emergency. Here's what each color tells you.

By life-stage

Kittens are not small adult cats. Senior cats are not weakened versions of themselves. Each life-stage has its own care priorities — here's what changes and when.

Kitten development

The first 16 weeks shape who a cat will be for the rest of their life. The socialisation window, the milestones, and what owners can do at each stage.

9 min · kitten development stages

Kitten development — the windows that matter most

The first 16 weeks of a cat’s life shape who they will be for the next 18 years. The 2-7 week socialisation window, the milestones month-by-month, and the things owners can do at each stage to set their cat up for a confident adult life.

Senior cat care

Cats over 10 enter a life-stage where small drift in weight, water, and litter habits is often the first sign of treatable disease.

9 min · senior cat care

Senior cat care — the 12 changes worth tracking after age 10

Cats over 10 enter a life-stage where small drift in weight, water, litter, and behaviour is often the first sign of treatable disease. The 12 markers worth tracking, the schedule that catches problems early, and the environment changes that keep senior cats comfortable.