Recognizing Fever In Cats

Is the cat just having a bad day or is it sick? How to recognize and treat fever in cats.

Cats are hot animals: Their body temperature is 38 °C to 39 °C higher than the human body temperature. A fever is defined as a temperature of more than 39.2 °C. In combination with other symptoms, fever can be an indication of injury or illness.

We’ll show you how to recognize a fever in your cat, when cats should be taken to the vet, and what you can do about the symptoms.

Fever in the cat: symptoms

If your cat is listless and tired, has no appetite, or has stiff joints, this indicates a fever. Dry, hard stools are also a result of fever.

Other symptoms of increased body temperature can include:

• thirst
• unusual aggressiveness
• a dry nose
• Tremble
• very rapid breathing

How do I measure my cat’s fever?

You can determine the temperature of the cat with a clinical thermometer. There are two ways to measure fever in cats: rectally and in the ear. “Ear” sounds less uncomfortable for humans, for cats, it’s the other way around: the rectal examination is usually more tolerable for your animal and provides a more accurate temperature.

Treat fever in cats

Your cat sweats from the paws. If you want to help the house tiger cool down, you can provide your animal with a darkened, cool room. Paw wraps with cool, damp towels can also help if your cat allows them.

Your cat needs plenty of water, which should always be available, as fever dries out the body. Keep the water in the bowl fresh or provide a drinking fountain.

Causes of fever in cats

Before you take your feverish cat to the vet, observe your cuddly tiger: Can you spot any injuries, for example from rank or territory fights? Is your cat showing signs of infection? is she coughing

Bacterial infections and viral infections can be harmless. Especially if your cat has been vaccinated against the most common diseases, it will probably be able to handle the fever on its own. But there are also diseases that can be fatal for animals. Possible causes are:

• Viral infections (e.g. herpes or caliciviruses, leukemia, FIV, FCoV)
• bacterial infections (e.g. uterine suppuration, heart infections, or others)
• Bite injuries, with or without abscesses
• Parasites (such as toxoplasmosis or histoplasmosis)
• tumors or chronic inflammation

If in doubt, the causes of the fever should therefore be clarified with the veterinarian so that worse things can be ruled out. He can determine what is really behind the high body temperature.

All the best to your darling!