Heat stroke in cats: symptoms and treatment

The summer period is not only a great time for rest, but also a large number of dangers, and especially for pets. The most urgent problem at this time is heat stroke in cats, because in summer the temperature on the street sometimes reaches dangerous marks: 36-38 degrees above zero.

What is heat stroke?

To understand how you can help your pet with a heatstroke, you must first understand what this phenomenon is.

Hyperthermia in cats is a condition that also bears the more common name sunstroke. This condition is very dangerous for the animal, it is characterized primarily by increased body temperature of the cat, which arose against the background of excessively high outside air temperature, as well as changes in humidity.Speaking more simply, the animal becomes very hot. As a rule, cats struggle with heat by licking, as well as deeper breathing. However, it is worth noting that such a cooling system is not perfect and ineffective.

Of great importance in this case is the fact that the temperature of the body of cats, in principle, is quite high and significantly exceeds the temperature of the human body. In healthy members of the cat family, body temperature reaches 39.2 degrees. As a result, cats get a heat stroke is much easier than humans.

There is also an opinion that animals with overweight are more susceptible to hyperthermia, moreover, both older cats and young individuals. In addition, at risk are animals with pathology of the respiratory tract. There is another opinion that is more susceptible to heat stroke cats of the Persian breed, as well as some representatives of exotic breeds.

How to understand that an animal has a heat stroke?

1. Increase the temperature of the skin. you can feel it, having touched the animal, the skin becomes hot.
2. The cat begins to breathe often and quite hard.
3. Redness or, on the contrary, excessive pallor of mucous membranes - this manifestation can be seen on the gums.

• the cat's tongue turns red;
• the animal experiences weakness;
• the cat periodically loses coordination;
• the animal becomes restless;
• the cat may have a saliva flow;
• the animal may burp foam;
• sometimes cats have diarrhea;
• in an animal in a condition of a hyperthermia twitching of muscles is observed;
• sometimes cats have blood from the nose.

How to give first aid to an animal during heat stroke?

So, noting that your pet has the above listed signs of hyperthermia, you should be worried about providing first aid to the animal. The main task of the owner in this case is to lower the body temperature. To do this, you first need to measure the rectal temperature.

If the rectal temperature of the pet does not exceed 40 degrees, it will be enough just to attach something cold to the head of the animal, and also to wrap it in a damp cool towel.In addition, the following methods may provide additional assistance:

• the imposition of small compresses with alcohol on the legs of the pet;
• lowering the air temperature in the room using an air conditioner or a fan;
• keeping the animal in a cool room;
• providing the cat with cold and clean water.

When taking appropriate measures, it is necessary to monitor the body temperature of the animal and measure it every five minutes. This should be done to prevent hypothermia, that is, a strong decrease in body temperature.

After the cat's body temperature returns to normal, you should definitely visit the veterinarian with your pet. Even if the animal looks perfectly healthy, it does not mean that it really is. During hyperthermia, some of the internal organs of the pet may be affected, so it is important to conduct an examination to rule out the development of pathologies.

If, after measuring the rectal temperature, you find that the indicator on the thermometer exceeds 40 degrees, you must immediately show the animal to the veterinarian. In this case, only a specialist can provide first aid correctly.After the doctor takes action, he will advise you on further care for your pet. It is very important to follow all the recommendations of a specialist to prevent the recurrence of heat stroke and the development of other pathologies against the background of weakening the body.

After experiencing hyperthermia, it is imperative to monitor the pet's urine; it is important to monitor the presence of blood in it. The fact is that to a greater extent during the heat stroke the system of excretion suffers, namely, the kidneys. The presence of blood in the urine can talk about the development of pathological conditions of the kidneys, which is also a serious reason for going to the vet and starting treatment.

How to protect a pet from heat stroke?

To protect your beloved cat from overheating or heat stroke, you just need to follow a few simple rules:

1. Do not leave a pet in any confined space. Especially it concerns the cars, the closed rooms, carriers for cats.
2. If your pet does not walk outside, but is constantly at home, in no case should he close access to the coolest places in the apartment.The animal feels when its body temperature rises, and therefore begins to look for cool places.
3. It is important to control the presence of cool, clean water in an animal. If you leave the house for a long time, you should leave an adequate supply of water for your pet, and it is better to put the bowl with liquid in a cool place, protected from the ingress of sunlight.
4. It is necessary to avoid intense physical exertion for the animal. And you need to control this process, even in cases where the pet itself asks to run or play with it.
5. If there is such an opportunity, you should at least sometimes turn on the air conditioning in the room or a fan. This will allow to lower the temperature of the air in the house somewhat, as well as to ensure the circulation of cool air in the room. As cats cool themselves, including deep breathing, this measure will be very useful.

As you can see, avoiding pet hyperthermia is quite simple. If your cat is constantly in your field of vision, you can easily control the temperature of the air in the room, preventing the cat from overheating. If the pet likes to walk on the street, then in this case you should not worry too much, as cats are quite sensitive and easily understand when the body temperature becomes too high.If it becomes too hot for the animal, the cat will surely find a cool spot or come home to cool down, drink cool water and lie in a secluded place.

Video: how to help the cat in the heat