How can I tell if your cat is sick?

Healthy cat cheerful, mobile, has a good appetite. The coat is smooth and shiny, the nose is wet and cold (except for sleeping, it can be warm and dry in a sleeping cat), mucous membranes - moderately moist and pink. If any of these conditions are not observed, it may well be that the cat is sick.

But changes in appearance and behavior are criteria rather subjective. There are more accurate indicators, which will help assess the health of your pet. This is the temperature, heart rate and respiration rate. Normal body temperature in cats higher than in humans, and is 38-39 ° C. In kittens, the temperature can be higher than in adult animals (up to 39.6 ° C), and in sphinxes - higher than in cats of other breeds (up to 41.5 ° C).

The temperature is measured rectally, with the help of special veterinary thermometer. Temperature rise up to 40-41 ° C most oftenindicates that the cat is sick. Of course, the causes of fever may be others, for example, fear, excitement, physical stress, heat. But in most cases, the high temperature of a cat indicates health problems.

Normal heart rate in a healthy cat - 100-150 beats per second. But it is better to compare not with some average "standard", but with the usual pulse rate of your cat at rest. The fact is that the cat's pulse depends on several factors; so, in large and quiet cats it is slow, and in kittens and small cats - accelerated. Cats have a pulse more often than cats. So it's better to measure your cat's pulse for several days in a row and get the average figure, and already deviations from this figure may further indicate that the cat is sick.

Breathing rate in a healthy cat is 20-30 respiratorymovements per minute. Adult animals breathe less often than kittens, males - less often than females, and large animals - less often than small ones. In pregnant and nursing cats, breathing is more rapid. But prolonged changes in the normal frequency of respiration are often a symptom of a malaise. The frequency of cat breathing can be determined from the movements of the wings of the nose, abdominal wall or chest. Shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, sniffing - all this can be a sign of illness.

If the cat is sick, it can become more sad and lethargic or vice versa - overexcited and even aggressive. Symptoms of the disease there may be problems with coordination of movements, anorexia, increased drowsiness or insomnia, fast fatigue.

Besides this, that your cat is sick, can signal the following symptoms:

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  dull, tousled hair, increased molt;
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  Purulent or mucous discharge from various organs;
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  icterus of the mucous membranes;
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  dry and warm nostrils, cracks or dry crusts on the lobe, whitening of the lobule;
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  lacrimation, squinting, inflammation of the eyelids;
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  constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, difficulty with defecation, gases in the intestines;
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  foreign objects and blood in the feces, changing the normal color and consistency of stool;
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  too frequent or too rare urination, complete absence of it, painful urination, urinary incontinence;
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  abnormalities in color, quantity and odor of urine;
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  enlarged lymph nodes (most often submandibular);
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  increased thirst;
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  increased salivation;
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  unnatural pose.

Of course, these signs are not observed all at once and with the same intensity. Usually if the cat is sick, Some one sign will be most pronounced, and a few more will accompany it. The combinations can be very diverse. Therefore, if you notice at least one anxiety symptom, you need to contact the veterinarian. Even if changes in behavior or appearance appear insignificant, it is better to be safe and eventually find out that your cat is healthy, than to start the disease, reaching the point when it will be too late.