cats having feevers..

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

I was wondering if anyone knew if you can tell if a cat has a fever by feeling its ears? You know like you can tell on a human by feeling our foreheads. Tinky was sleeping the other day and I was pettin her head and her ears were super hot. I felt them by holding the ear inbetween my two fingers. I was so worried about her that I was calling home all night from work getting the hubby to check on her and when I got home they felt normal. What is a cats temperature supposed to be?

[krazyaboutkatz]

I don't know anything about what hot ears would mean but sometimes when their noses are hot that means that they have a fever. I just looked up what a cats normal temperature should be and it said that a normal temp is about 38.6C or 101.5F but 39.2C or 102.5F is not unusual. I got this info from my book which is called "The Book Of The Cat." I hope that this helps Sara.

[toughCookie]

yeah that is what the vet told me is a normal cat temp. , I notice both kittens always feel warm to me, so maybe kittens temps are higher? or they are just warmer ? their bodies, and their feet always feel warm to me

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I've wondered this same thing from time to time. Sometimes Tubby's ears feel really hot and other times they feel normal, and I've wondered if that meant he had a fever too. But this has happened a few times now, and I've begun to think that it's not a fever, but just how he was sleeping shortly before coming over by me. If he was all curled up with his head turned upside down (like he likes to do) then his ears would have been next to his body, and I would think that would make them warmer. He's always seemed and acted normal when I've noticed his ears were warm, so I was never too worried about it, but I've been curious.

So I'd be interested in answers to this too. Anybody have any ideas?

[moosmom]

Whenever I check one of my cats, I always feel his chest and under his front legs.

[sasvermont]

Taking Your Cat's Temperature

Always use a non-breakable, rectal thermometer. Lubricate the tip with petroleum jelly and insert into the rectum no more than an inch. Wait at least two minutes for a proper reading. If your cat becomes upset, take out the thermometer to avoid injury. The normal temperature for a cat ranges from 100 to 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit. If your cat is nervous or excited, the temperature may have elevated to 103 degrees.


Some causes of high temperatures include:

Drug reactions

Infection

Exercise

Fear

Trauma

Autoimmune Disease

Endocrine Disorders
************************************************** ************************************************** ****
Cat norms and averages

Here are some of the guideline's that your vet uses to assess your cats overall health.

Normal Temperature range - 100.5 to 102.5

Average weight range - 7 to 12 lbs

Average lifespan - 10 to 18 years

Heart rate - 240 beats per minute maximum

Pulse rate - 110 to 130

Respiration - 20 to 30

Gestation - 63 days

Estrous Cycle - 15 to 21 days

Estrus - 4 days

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

COOL thanks for the infor everyone.
I was wondering too.... you know those ear thermometors for babies... the ones with a cone at the end and you put it in the ear and click a button and you get the temperature instantly? I wonder if those would work accurately on cats?

[sasvermont]

I would use the same method the Vets use. If the ear thing worked, don't you think the Vet would use it? Sorry to be so blunt, but think about it. I am sure you want the most accurate reading, right? If your kitty kat is really hot, you may want to take the babe to the Vet to check it out, then start the temp thing on your own!

Keep us posted and here's hoping the kitty is fine now.

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Yeah thanks Sas.... I figured as much but I don't think I could take a rectal thermometer to my two babies?!?!!?

[sasvermont]

You know, I couldn't do it either. I could do lots of things, but somehow I don't think they would cooperate with me. They always manage to stay still for the Vet though. I guess the fear factor plays a major role then.

Yikes. Is it worth a trip to the Vet for a temp?

[krazyaboutkatz]

Originally posted by Sara luvs her Tinky
COOL thanks for the infor everyone.
I was wondering too.... you know those ear thermometors for babies... the ones with a cone at the end and you put it in the ear and click a button and you get the temperature instantly? I wonder if those would work accurately on cats?

My vet has used the ear thermometer on my cats before so it must give a fairly accurate reading.

[Tom Horn]

Rectal thermometer?

Not with my cat. We have to knock Ingrid out (with Isofluoran gas) to give her a physical exam. Otherwise she is a *demon* at the vet.

How much are these ear thermometers? Can anyone else comment on their accuracy?

[NoahsMommy]

The last time I was at the vet, the staff were talking about a new alternative...something about under thier arms. Hopefully that'll happen soon, I can't imagine how they deal with the current method....yuck.

Sara, I think the ears are the warmest part on a cat, that is were a lot of veins are. I know when I pet Noah, his ears are always hot too. We also call Noel our "little heater" because when she sit on us, she really warms us up.