Mary Allen
If your cat has a fever, its immune system tries to fight pathogens – its body heats up in the process. Here you can find out how to recognize and measure an increased body temperature in your velvet paw and when you should go to the vet.
If the cat’s body temperature rises as a result of an infection, this is referred to as a fever. If it gets too high or lasts a long time, it puts a lot of strain on the cat’s body and can even be life-threatening. Therefore, it is important to recognize the symptoms of fever in cats and measure them yourself if necessary.
When Do Cats Have a Fever?
Compared to humans (36.0 to 37.0 °C), the normal body temperature of cats is slightly higher: between 38.0 and 39.2 °C.
If you measure your cat’s body temperature and find a value above 39.2 °C, you should first rule out other causes: If your velvet paw was in the sun all the time or in a warm place, this could explain the rise in temperature. Other causes can also cause a short-term increase in body temperatures, such as stress or heavy physical exertion.
Symptoms: How Do You Know If a Cat Has a Fever?
Don’t have a thermometer at home to take your cat’s temperature? Not a problem at first, as there are other symptoms of fever in cats to look out for.
You can recognize fever in cats, for example, by the fact that the velvet paw looks listless, listless, and dull. It doesn’t like to move, sleeps more than usual, eats poorly – or maybe not at all. On the other hand, she may drink more than usual because she needs more fluids due to the high temperature.
Your nose is also usually dry and your eyes may water. Some cats will tremble and their breathing will increase. If the fever is very high, the muscles and joints can also become stiff.
The most common signs of fever in cats at a glance:
- exhaustion
- fatigue
- loss of appetite
- thirst
- dry nose
- teary eyes
- tremble
- rapid breathing
- stiff muscles and joints
Note: Since these symptoms can also indicate other diseases, they are unfortunately only a first indication that something is wrong with your velvet paw. Fever cannot be reliably determined in cats without a thermometer.
Measure Fever in Cats: Always Rectally
The most reliable way to measure a cat’s temperature is via the rectum. Use a standard digital thermometer and put a little petroleum jelly on the tip to make insertion easier.
It works best in pairs: while one person fixes the cat, the other inserts the thermometer. Hardly any cat likes to have its fever measured, so watch out for their claws.
Caution: Never measure fever in your cat’s ear. The animals find this even more unpleasant than at the bottom. They then defend themselves with their claws and can injure you. In addition, the measurement result is not very accurate.
Does Your Cat Have a Fever? Off to the Vet
If your cat actually has a fever and is obviously not feeling well, you shouldn’t hesitate for long. Go to the vet! He can find out the causes of the elevated temperature and decide what measures are necessary to reduce the fever and combat the underlying disease. In addition, if a fever lasts too long and gets too high – for example above 40°C – it can damage organs and thus become dangerous for cats.