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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / November 2007how can you tell a cat has a fever?
Can you tell by there ears being very warm? Or how else? I have this sense that my cat is feeling a little under the weather. She seems more tired than usual, not as perky looking.... cat people know when their cat isn't acting usual. She is eating, drinking water, litterbox as usual. She just isn't right for the past two days. She did have dental work two weeks ago including a tooth being pulled. She has been fine though, and like I said above, she is eating canned and hard food fine. Any thoughts? >Can you tell by there ears being very warm? Or how else? I have this >sense that my cat is feeling a little under the weather. She seems more [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >ago including a tooth being pulled. She has been fine though, and like I >said above, she is eating canned and hard food fine. Any thoughts? I have been aware of ears being warmer when they turned out to have a fever, but I don't know if it is an accurate observation. The best way is a rectal thermometer. More accurate would be the behavior. Go with your gut. If she seems to be acting lethargic, she probably is. And keep in mind that cats are known to hide illness, so small hints be all that you will see until it gets really bad. She might have an infection as a result of the teeth pulling. Best bet is to take her in. Years ago, I had a kitten who seemed active, but wasn't as energetic as *she* normally was. So, I took her in. Temperature was fine, only symptom was mild dehydration. But the vet listened to my gut feeling. He went ahead and prescibed some antibitics even though he suspected a viral infection. The meds would just prevent any secondary infection. She improved immediately. The next day I discovered two very infected bites on her ears, hard to see because her ears were so fluffy. The antibiotics were exactly what she needed for the infected bites. Anyone know what a normal rectal temperature for a cat would be? > I have been aware of ears being warmer when they turned out to have a > fever, but I don't know if it is an accurate observation. The best way > is a rectal thermometer. > Anyone know what a normal rectal temperature for a cat would be? I bet your VET would know. Right now I am watching her, as I am not THAT concerns since she is eating, drinking, etc. Your obvious sarcasm is of no use to me. Perhaps with a normal answer I could take her temp and see... you offered nothing. In the meantime I looked up my answer on the internet. Thanks for nothing. > I bet your VET would know. >Right now I am watching her, as I am not THAT concerns since she is eating, >drinking, etc. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >answer >on the internet. Thanks for nothing. Vets will answer questions on the phone without charging. I have found it is really good to call and let them know what I am dealing with, and they will tell me what to check or whether I should be concerned or not. One time, I forgot how to set up a fluid pack, and I needed to use it at 2am. I called the local 24 hour vet, not the one I got the pack from, and the lady talked me through it. Why are people so unwilling to contact a vet when they are unsure of a health issue? You're willing to trust a stranger on the internet, but not your own vet? >>Right now I am watching her, as I am not THAT concerns since she is eating, >>drinking, etc. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Vets will answer questions on the phone without charging. Not all of them. >>>Right now I am watching her, as I am not THAT concerns since she is eating, >>>drinking, etc. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >Not all of them. So find one that does. No reason you have to call the closest vet. If I have an emergency, I'm not going to sit online and wait for an answer that may or may not be accurate. I call the vet. >>>>Right now I am watching her, as I am not THAT concerns since she is eating, >>>>drinking, etc. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > If I have an emergency, I'm not going to sit online and wait for an > answer that may or may not be accurate. I call the vet. You're serious? It's easier to find a vet that will answer questions on the phone (look them up in the yellow pages, dial, wait for an answer, go down the list and repeat...) than hop onto Usenet and ask a cat newgroup for advice? There is at least one vet who hangs out here and a lot of knowledgeable people. And posts show up pretty quickly. I see nothing wrong in going that route first. And besides, I wrote Usenet at night when no vets would be open. And no. Vets will not answer questions over the phone. I called my vet the next morning and they said to keep an eye on her and if she gets worse bring her in (an hour drive since I live in a rural area). She is better. Not feeling warm, a little more "alert" looking. She is eating and drinking a little less than normal, however when she was on antibiotics for two weeks her hunger and thirst increased dramatically. Maybe this is just her new "norm" since having her absessed tooth pulled. I will still monitor her and go from there. > You're serious? It's easier to find a vet that will answer questions on > the phone (look them up in the yellow pages, dial, wait for an answer, go > down the list and repeat...) than hop onto Usenet and ask a cat newgroup > for advice? There is at least one vet who hangs out here and a lot of > knowledgeable people. And posts show up pretty quickly. I see nothing > wrong in going that route first. > And besides, I wrote Usenet at night when no vets would be open. And no. > Vets will not answer questions over the phone. I called my vet the next [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > "norm" since having her absessed tooth pulled. I will still monitor her and > go from there. Glad to hear things are looking up, Tara. Too bad about the rude treatment you got here frm some people. >>You're serious? It's easier to find a vet that will answer questions on >>the phone (look them up in the yellow pages, dial, wait for an answer, go >>down the list and repeat...) than hop onto Usenet and ask a cat newgroup >>for advice? There is at least one vet who hangs out here and a lot of >>knowledgeable people. And posts show up pretty quickly. I see nothing >>wrong in going that route first. >You're serious? It's easier to find a vet that will answer questions >on the phone (look them up in the yellow pages, dial, wait for an >answer, go down the list and repeat...) than hop onto Usenet and ask a >cat newgroup for advice? There is at least one vet who hangs out here >and a lot of knowledgeable people. And posts show up pretty quickly. >I see nothing wrong in going that route first. Yes, I am serious. I have rarely gotten a response with an hour. And last year when my cat was sick, I got very few responses at all. Some posts go no responses at all. I was very disappointed by the lack of response. I was hoping to get some advice in addition to my vet, and later I wanted to understand better why my cat had died. But the replies did not come. I would never count on an online group for an immediate answer. Why would I want to wait for an unknown number of hours for an answer, when I can call the vet in less than 5 minutes. Do you really find it that hard to look up a number? It is easy to find a number in the phone book or online. It shouldn't take more than a couple minutes. If you already have a vet, then you shoud have their number on file anyway. >>You're serious? It's easier to find a vet that will answer questions >>on the phone (look them up in the yellow pages, dial, wait for an [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Yes, I am serious. I have rarely gotten a response with an hour. Maybe you need a faster connection. > And last year when my cat was sick, I got very few responses at all. Ditto above. Your ISP may not be the best for usenet. > Some posts go no responses at all. I was very disappointed by the lack > of response. Wow, I never found that at all. > I was hoping to get some advice in addition to my vet, > and later I wanted to understand better why my cat had died. But the > replies did not come. I'm sorry to hear that and about your cat dying. > I would never count on an online group for an immediate answer. I don't think she needed immediate response; just faster than trying to find a vet that will answer questions on the phone, which in my experience, takes forever if at all. > Why would I want to wait for an unknown number of hours for an answer, > when I can call the vet in less than 5 minutes. YOU wouldn't. But not all people have the same circumatnces. > Do you really find it that hard to look up a number? No, not *A* number. Trouble is, one would have to try many numbers to find a vet who will answer questions over the phone. And then, yes, it's really time consuming. > It is easy to > find a number in the phone book or online. It shouldn't take more than > a couple minutes. If you already have a vet, then you shoud have their > number on file anyway. Well, duh. The issue here is whether or not any vet will answer questions over the phone. Again, the vast majority will not. YMMV. I'm done with this. >> Yes, I am serious. I have rarely gotten a response with an hour. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Ditto above. Your ISP may not be the best for usenet. I have highspeed internet. Connection time is not a problem. The problem is that somebody has to read the question and reply. You might get lucky and get a reply right away, but there's no gurantee. >> Some posts go no responses at all. I was very disappointed by the lack >> of response. > >Wow, I never found that at all. You are very lucky. I just did a look on yahoo for some of my older posts. See all the posts with 1 message - 1 author? That means not a single person replied. Never mind an hour or two. Not a single response ever. Thankfully, I was just asking for advice and personal experience. I had already been to the vet many times. Jul 19 2006 by friesian@zoocrewphoto.com - 1 message - 1 author Back to the vet with Kira Jul 21 2006 by friesian@zoocrewphoto.com - 1 message - 1 author Update - Re: Back to the vet with Kira Jul 23 2006 by friesian@zoocrewphoto.com - 1 message - 1 author Anemia? Aug 2 2006 by friesian@zoocrewphoto.com - 1 message - 1 author Treatment questions for anemia, herpes, and stress On August 3rd, I asked again and mentioned that I hadn't gotten any responses. 4 people responded. 3 with a little previous experience. One person asked additional info, which I replied with, but I didn't get any more responses. Aug 5 2006 by friesian@zoocrewphoto.com - 1 message - 1 author Update on Kira, bloodwork is worse, barely eating, any suggestions Those are ALL of my posts regarding Kira and her Anemia, from her initial diagnosis until she died. It took me 2 weeks of asking 5 times before I got my first response. >I don't think she needed immediate response; just faster than trying >to find a vet that will answer questions on the phone, which in my >experience, takes forever if at all. My vet has always answered questions over the phone. When Kira started pulling her stitches out after being spayed, I called th evet number that was on my regular vet's answering machine. They told me to put ben gay on it to keep her from licking it. The next day, she had pulled it all out, only 2 days after the surgery. I called my vet, and he had me look at it while he asked a few questions. He determined that it was fine and just had me watch it for redness and swelling. No need to come in. When Kira was sick last year, he called several times between vet visits to check on her. I don't see why a vet would refuse to say what a cat's temperature should be, which is the question that was asked when I suggested calling the vet. >No, not *A* number. Trouble is, one would have to try many numbers to >find a vet who will answer questions over the phone. And then, yes, >it's really time consuming. I have never been refused when I asked a vet a question on the phone. And this has been with 3 different vets I have called. My regular vet as well as 2 overnight vets. >Well, duh. The issue here is whether or not any vet will answer >questions over the phone. Again, the vast majority will not. I find that hard to believe. >>>Yes, I am serious. I have rarely gotten a response with an hour. >> [quoted text clipped - 79 lines] > > I find that hard to believe. Like I said and you snipped - YMMV (Your mileage may vary. In other words, goody for you but not everyone is so lucky.) >Like I said and you snipped - YMMV (Your mileage may vary. In other >words, goody for you but not everyone is so lucky.) Did you bother to read my post? I was saying exactly the same thing, only the opposite venue. Goody for you that you get a response in less than an hour from this newsgroup. I had to wait 2 weeks. Maybe next time you won't be so lucky. How long are you going to wait before you start calling a vet? As it is, you only need to find the right vet once, and then use the same phone number when something comes up. You make it sound like such a huge chore. I would never leave an important health issue to a newsgroup. >>Like I said and you snipped - YMMV (Your mileage may vary. In other >>words, goody for you but not everyone is so lucky.) [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > I would never leave an important health issue to a newsgroup. Let me guess - reading comprehension was never a stregth of yours. PLONK >Let me guess - reading comprehension was never a stregth of yours. No worse than yours. Do you still believe I got such a slow response due to a slow internet connection? Do you really believe that most people get immediate responses? >>Anyone know what a normal rectal temperature for a cat would be? > > I bet your VET would know. Why go through all the trouble of a Vet visit or phone call when she can get information via the internet? 101 - 102 If the temperature is lower or higher, call the vet. Wendy > Anyone know what a normal rectal temperature for a cat would be? > >> I have been aware of ears being warmer when they turned out to have a >> fever, but I don't know if it is an accurate observation. The best way >> is a rectal thermometer. > Can you tell by there ears being very warm? Or how else? I have this > sense that my cat is feeling a little under the weather. She seems more [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > weeks ago including a tooth being pulled. She has been fine though, and > like I said above, she is eating canned and hard food fine. Any thoughts? Giacomo aka Jack had an abscess on his cheek a couple weeks ago. When I picked him up to put him in he carrier I noticed he was decidedly warmer than usual. Plus he was kind of sluggish and acted just like he had a fever. Turns out he was a bit over 103F. So they just feel warmer plus they feel like you do when you have a fever, achy, tired and sluggish. If food and water are going in the front and coming out the other end, your cat is not in serious distress but I'd have the vet check her out anyway. Blood work could be very revealing, especially a white cell count. Paul > Can you tell by there ears being very warm? Or how else? I have this > sense that my cat is feeling a little under the weather. She seems more [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > ago including a tooth being pulled. She has been fine though, and like I > said above, she is eating canned and hard food fine. Any thoughts? The last time my cat had a fever, his ears and paws were warmer and more pink than usual, and his paw-pads left damp impressions on the kitchen floor. The biggest sign, though, was that he was lethargic and sleeping in more secluded locations. Despite the fact that she's eating, I would call your vet right away and bring her in. It's possible she has an infection related to the dental--or something else entirely. If you tell your vet your kitty is lethargic, I'm they will get her in right away. (At least that's been my experience.)
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