For Your Cat - Cat Health Care Blog

When there’s a fall in body temperature, hypothermia can occur. It can be caused by exposure to extreme cold, shock, illness, getting wet, or after anesthesia. Newborn kittens are also at risk.

Signs of hypothermia include: a rectal temperature below 100° F., shivering, being cold to the touch, stiffness, depression, anxiety, and dilated pupils. The cat will collapse and go into a coma without treatment.

To treat: Wrap the cat in a blanket or towel and dry her off if she’s wet. Never use a hair dryer to warm the cat, you risk causing her burns. Fill a hot water bottle with warm water and wrap it in a towel before putting it next to the cat’s skin. If you use a heating pad instead, set it to low only and place a towel between the pad and the cat’s body. The rewarming process must be slow to avoid shock. Every ten minutes check the cat’s rectal temperature. Continue to use the warm water-filled bottle until the cat’s temperature reaches 100° F.

Hypothermia will predispose a cat to low blood sugar. Give her a little honey to raise her blood sugar level when she begins to move around again. Take her to the vet for followup treatment.

If unable to get the cat’s temperature back to normal within forty-five minutes, seek medical attention right away.

If hypothermia occurs in a kitten, use your own body heat to warm her by placing her under your clothing. Never place her on a heating pad or try to feed her. Seek immediate medical treatment.

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When a cat is exposed to extreme cold, frostbite will likely occur. The areas of a cat most usually to be affected are the ears, tail, and feet. Tissue damage results as circulation is impaired. At the start, the skin will appear pale. As thawing starts to occur, the skin will become, hot, red, and swollen. Peeling can sometimes also occur later on. It is very important to use caution when handling a cat who is suffering from frostbite because the skin will be extremely painful to the touch.

To treat frostbite, the first thing to do is to move the cat to a warm area. Next you will want to immerse the affected area in warm (never use hot) water or apply warm moist packs until the area appears flushed. Never massage or rub the areas, you risk causing further damage if you do. Afterwards apply an antibiotic ointment and then immediately get the cat to a veterinarian. The vet may prescribe oral antibiotics to prevent infection and a pain reliever as well.

It is important to keep in mind that frostbitten areas later become more susceptible to cold.

To prevent frostbite, keep your cat indoors when the weather is very cold. If you feed any strays around your home, try to provide access to dry shelter.

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Interactive play sessions are beneficial to your new kitten. These sessions are important because they help:

• reduce fear
• build muscle tone and coordination
• prevent items in your home from being damaged
• to teach what is and isn’t acceptable for her to scratch or bite
• ease discomfort after a traumatic event (for example, a loud noise like thunder)
• reduce tension in a household with multiple cats due to the addition of the new kitten
• to create a bond with her new family
• to become comfortable with her new environment

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