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Causes of Fever in Cats

Max. D Gray
By Max. D Gray. Updated: January 16, 2017
Causes of Fever in Cats

The body temperature of your feline ranges between 38 and 39 degrees. If this range is exceeded, your cat has a fever. You should therefore pay attention to find the cause of this change in temperature that can seriously jeopardise your cat's health. Fever is a symptom that something is wrong, which is why you should find out the reason for this change as soon as possible, in order to administer appropriate treatment. If your cat has a fever it is advisable to bring it to the veterinarian as soon as possible for it to be diagnosed. But first, it is important that you know what may have triggered the high temperature in your pet, for this reason in OneHowTo we'll tell you what the causes of fever in cats are.

You may also be interested in: Home Remedies to Reduce my Cat's Fever
Steps to follow:
1

To be able to tell if your cat has a fever you should check its nose to see if it is dry and hot. You should also take your cat's body temperature. The easiest way is to place the thermometer under its paw, or go to the vet if the cat does not keep still.

A fever is a red flag, and is often the body's response to fighting an illness. If the temperature rises above 41 degrees, the health of your pet may be at serious risk because their organs may begin to fail. Knowing why your cat has fever is critical to initiate treatment immediately.

Causes of Fever in Cats - Step 1
2

Fever occurs when the immune system of your pet is activated by the presence of an abnormality in the body. Fever is not a symptom of any old health problem, it is usually caused by specific illnesses or ailments that you should take into account in caring for your cat.

Common causes of fever in a feline are viral or bacterial diseases, like leukaemia or distemper. Tumours can also affect a cat's body temperature, though this is more common in older cats.

3

Your cat may suffer fever due to bacterial, viral or fungal infections of minor importance. It could also be caused by cold or flu. Diseases like lupus and pancreatitis can cause changes in your pet's temperature and can also be a side effect of any medication that your cat is taking.

In this regard, never give medication to your cat without first consulting a vet.

Causes of Fever in Cats - Step 3
4

These are the most common causes of fever in cats, but you should not forget that this may not be the only symptoms they have. It is essential that you observe your pet, their behaviour and their habits to be able to collect as much information as possible in order to treat your cat as soon as possible.

If it is a symptom of diseases such as leukaemia, cancer or distemper, you should proceed quickly because your cat's life may hang in the balance. These are diseases with a high mortality rate, so we recommend that you do not waste any time.

5

One red flag that may indicate that your cat has a fever is a dry nose, a very common symptom. They may also lose their appetite, drink less water, be apathetic or lack in energy, restlessness, lack of grooming, chills, rapid breathing and even tremors.

Causes for fever can vary in seriousness, though it is always a red flag and can be fatal. We urge you to take your pet to the vet if it displays any symptoms of fever.

Causes of Fever in Cats - Step 5
6

If your cat is acting strange and you suspect it might have a fever you can try these home remedies to lower its fever. However, even though you apply these measures we advise you to bring it to the vet as soon as possible for an specific diagnose.

If you want to read similar articles to Causes of Fever in Cats, we recommend you visit our Pets category.

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1 comment
Bonnie Fickling
My cat has a temperature of 104.6 I cannot afford to take him to the veterinarian what can I do at home to reduce his fever?
OneHowTo Editor
Hi Bonnie

We have attached an article for you on how to reduce fever in cats-

https://animals.onehowto.com/article/home-remedies-to-reduce-my-cat-s-fever-8555.html

If you have anymore questions feel free to ask!

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