Caring for your sick cat

You may decide to take care of your sick cat at home rather than take it to your vet. Learn how to most effectively take care of your sick cat.

By Maria Coolester, Vet   Talk to the Author.

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Caring for your sick cat

Humans are used to nursing a sick child or loved one, but most pets don't become ill very frequently. When it does happen, you'll know it. Your pet will likely experience vomiting or diarrhea and may be less outgoing than usual. If the symptoms persist for more than half a day or so, you should take your cat to your vet.

Nursing a pet at home is often an all-day and all-night event. You want your pet to overcome the illness quickly, and you are concerned for your pet, so you want to do everything in your power to heal it. You should pay close attention to what your vet tells you to do. Many pet owners don't listen to their vets and their pets' conditions grow increasingly worse.

You want to make sure your cat has a clean, soft, warm bed to lie in. It needs to be draft-free and quiet. You want to make sure your cat spends a lot of time there resting peacefully so its body can heal itself. You don't want to subject your cat to any excessively warm or cold conditions when it's sick, either. So don't take it outside if it's hot or cold. You also don't want to overexert itself during exercising. You want to make sure it does move around and gets some exercise. But don't let it grow too tired from walking or playing.

You want to monitor your cat's pulse and temperature frequently. You can take your cat's pulse by putting your finger on the inside of your cat's thigh. This is where the femoral artery is. You can count how many heart beats your cat has per minute. A normal pulse rate for a cat is between 110 and 130 beats per minute. A cat's heart typically beats 90 to 100 times a minute. When taking your cat's temperature, you should use a regular thermometer. Lube it with vaseline or mineral water and insert it in your cat's anus. A normal termperature for a cat is 100 or 101.5 degrees. If your cat has a temperature over 102, it has a fever. If the fever is high, you need to tell your vet.

Giving your pet lots of love is perhaps the most important thing you can do for your sick pet. Make sure it understands that you know it's not feeling well and are sympathetic toward it. Make sure you love it more than ever, so it will have a positive attitude toward healing.

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