Is this normal on my cat?
New cat owners frequently mistake normal anatomical features like carpal pads or rapid purring for medical abnormalities because they have never owned a kitten before. This uncertainty causes unnecessary panic and leaves new owners questioning everyday physical traits.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Asking online communities for identificationDid this help you?
- 2Searching Reddit or forums for reassuranceDid this help you?
- 3asking vets for reassurance during routine checkupsDid this help you?
- 4checking weight at homeDid this help you?
- 5Observing the cat in different lighting conditionsDid this help you?
- 6Noting the cat's mood or pupil dilation (such as after window gazing)Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“What is that ?”source ↗
“Is that normal ?”source ↗
“This is my first time owning a cat”source ↗
“First owning a cat ! 🥺”source ↗
“For the longest time, I thought they were more golden when she was a kitten, but now they’re more green? But like only half the time? But also both at once and yet not at all? What magic is this?”source ↗
“Adopted this baby 3 days ago, I've never had a kitten before but he's purring kinda fast, is this normal?”source ↗
“I noticed a few months ago while petting Violet that I could feel her spine between her shoulder blades. This was so alarming to me as I'd never felt this before on a cat”source ↗
“It also seems to have spread beyond just her shoulder blades and is not radiating down more of her back so I am deeply concerned.”source ↗
“She's 4months And my first time owning a cat so yeah !!!”source ↗
“It's just that I can't feel her ribs really and her spine feels so knobbly, it's like there's just a think layer of skin over it and that's it.”source ↗
“You’re telling me my orange eyed kitten can turn green when she grows up???!!”source ↗