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- What can cause dehydration?
- check your gums
- Check your skin's elasticity
- check eyes
- Check your body temperature and heart rate
Dehydration is due to an imbalance of water and electrolytes in the cat's body and this can lead to serious complications and even death if not treated. When the fluid level is below normal, the cat begins to dehydrate.
There are some signs that can help you know if your cat is running out of fluids and can save you a lot of heartache. Keep reading this PeritoAnimal article and find out how to tell if a cat is dehydrated. In case of any symptoms of dehydration, you should provide your pet with fresh water and take it to the veterinarian.
What can cause dehydration?
It is sometimes difficult to notice dehydration in a cat, as symptoms can be subtle and perhaps go unnoticed. So it's important know what you can do if your cat is dehydrated, to be more attentive and take timely action.
There are some diseases that cause this condition, such as diarrhea, vomiting, fever, internal bleeding, urine problems, burns or heat stroke, among others.
If our cat suffers from any of these problems we should closely monitor the symptoms of dehydration and call the veterinarian if necessary, in addition to making sure that we provide him with water to drink.
check your gums
Moisture and the capillary refill test are the two methods of knowing if a cat is dehydrated. To check the gum's moisture, you should touch it with your finger and gently. Lift the upper lip and do it quickly, as it takes too long they may simply dry out due to the air.
If the gums are sticky your cat may be in the first stage of dehydration. If they are completely dry it could mean that your kitten has severe dehydration.
O capillary refill test it consists of measuring how long it takes for the capillaries in the gums to fill with blood again. To do this, press the gum so that it turns white and observe how long it takes to regain normal color. On a hydrated cat this will take two seconds. The longer your gums take to turn pink, the more dehydrated your cat will be. This is because dehydration reduces blood volume, so the body has a harder time filling the capillaries.
Check your skin's elasticity
The cat's skin will lose elasticity and will be drier if it is not well hydrated, so if you want to know if your cat is dehydrated, check it out. how long does it take for the skin to come back into place after stretching it.
To do this, gently pull the skin from your cat's back and stretch it slightly upwards, as if separating it from the body. In a well-hydrated cat the skin will return to its normal state shortly thereafter, whereas if the cat is dehydrated it will take a little longer.
This test is only valid on cats with a normal weight, without skin problems and who are not very old, because with age the skin loses elasticity.
check eyes
The eyes can give a lot of information about whether a cat is dehydrated or not. Lack of fluid causes the eyes to be sunken deeper than usual, they will also be very dry and, in cases of severe dehydration, the third eyelid may be visible.
Check your body temperature and heart rate
When a cat is dehydrated your heart works faster, so the heart rate will be higher. Also, this affects your body temperature, which may be lower than normal.
You can grab your cat's paw and feel its temperature. If it's the same temperature as always, you don't have to worry, but if you notice that they are cooler than normal maybe he's dehydrated.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.