Dehydration in cats - symptoms, causes, treatment

The water content in the cat's body is about 65%. Each individual cell contains from 40 to 70%. With the help of water molecules, almost all valuable substances are transported through the body. That is why it is extremely important that this moisture is always enough. If the water content for any reason decreases, the consequences can be the most sad. After all, it plays an important role in all major processes. For a cat's body, this seemingly simple deviation from the norm can lead to death very quickly. In this regard, only the absence of oxygen can compete with dehydration.

The reasons

Most often, diarrhea or vomiting leads to dehydration in cats. Therefore, it is very important not to miss the moment. You can not ignore these violations, hoping that nothing terrible will happen. We often consider such symptoms not too serious, because for the human body such problems are completely solvable,and rarely lead to serious consequences. But for a cat, they are risky.

Any organism continuously loses water. It comes out through the skin, its a lot in the urine and feces. With water, mucous membranes are always moist. The need for water depends not only on physiological processes, but also on environmental conditions. The lower the humidity and the higher the temperature, the faster the body loses moisture. Therefore, it is necessary to fill it in a larger volume. It is necessary to provide the pet with access to a water source so that the animal can come and drink as much as he needs. But, if the cat is sick, its body can be so weak that it simply refuses to drink.

If the cat's body loses water due to internal bleeding, the condition is aggravated, as pressure drops, the level of hemoglobin decreases. However, even if the animal drinks enough water, it will have all the signs of dehydration. This condition may occur after a fall, injury or surgery.

Consider the possible causes of dehydration:

• Severe diarrhea or vomiting.
• High body temperature or overheating.
• Refusal of food and water for more than a day.
• Bleeding.
• Kidney disease.
• Chronic diseases.
• Impaired breathing

If the cat eats dry food, it is important to ensure that she drank enough liquid, since there is almost no water in such food.

Signs and stages of dehydration

Stage is defined as a percentage. If the cat loses 10-12% of the liquid, and during the day it will not be helped, the body will begin irreversible processes. If the loss of water will be 15-20% - this will lead to death.

How to determine that a cat has dehydration:

1. Loss from 4 to 5% of water is very difficult to determine. The pet has only a weakness, which often the owners do not pay attention.
2. With a loss of 6-7%, the animal has dry mucous membranes. This should be cause for concern. It is necessary to examine the gums of the cat. If she is healthy, the gums will be quite wet and shiny. If there is not enough water in the body, they will be pale and dull. Touching the gum, you feel that it is dry. Saliva will be sticky.
3. It is necessary to check how well the capillaries are filled with fluid.To determine this, you need to put a finger on the gum, and then release. If she acquired her usual color in 2-3 seconds - this means that the percentage of dehydration is 6%. If the gum remains pale after pressing for 5-6 seconds - the degree is higher and amounts to 7-8%. If the gum does not acquire its normal color for more than 10 seconds, and other signs are observed (eyes are dry, limbs are cool, squinting) - it is necessary to take measures immediately.
4. Dehydration can be determined by the degree of skin elasticity. The skin at the withers needs to be squeezed and pulled. If the body has lost about 5% of water, the skin will return to its place within 2-3 seconds. In this case, the wool loses its luster, begins to puff up. If more than 10% of the fluid is lost, the skin becomes coarse. She will remain in a drawn position for quite a while.

With such an examination, it is important to remember that kittens up to eight months of age usually have a coarser skin than adult cats. Therefore, the skin will acquire its former form a little longer, even if the fluid content in the body is normal. If the animal is overweight, the elasticity of the skin will be higher than that of a cat with a normal physique.

Help and treatment

It is best to show the cat to the vet immediately after the detection of dangerous signs of dehydration. He will immediately make tests to establish the cause and prescribe treatment. But there are cases when it is impossible to quickly deliver an animal to a specialist. But dehydration is a problem whose solution cannot be postponed. What kind of help can we provide to our pet on our own?

If the cat does not begin to drink on its own, you need to make it feel thirsty. You can wet her nose, dip your fingers in the water, so that the cat licked liquid. If this does not help either, take a syringe, remove the needle from it and draw water. Pour some water into the cat's mouth. Another effective way is to add flavoring to the water tank.

The treatment of such a disorder is carried out by introducing water into the body. You can make an injection of saline, which includes glucose.The injection should be done slowly so that the fluid has time to digest. When you remove the needle, rub the injection site. If the cat's condition has improved, then at the first opportunity it is still better to show the specialist. If the degree of deviation is severe, cats are given droppers to inject water intravenously.