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466 results for “cat temperature”
100 Essential Tips Every New Cat Owner Should Know
Bringing home a first kitten is exciting but daunting, and poor care can hurt both of you. These 100 essentials cover diet (life-stage food, toxic grapes/chocolate/onion/garlic, no bones or raw meat, fresh water), daily care (brushing, nail and ear cleaning, litter hygiene, n+1 boxes), health (vaccines at 8–12 weeks, deworming, normal temperature 38–39.2°C, spay/neuter, no human meds), behavior (slow blinks, tail talk, no punishment), and home safety (screens, hiding wires, toxic plants, no smoke). Read them once and you'll share a calmer, healthier life with your cat.
How to Keep Your Cat from Getting ‘Air-Conditioner Sickness’
Cats can suffer 'air-conditioner sickness'—discomfort from low temperature, dry air, poor ventilation, and big temperature swings—showing as sneezing, runny nose, loose stools, or even respiratory infection. To prevent it, keep the AC at 26–28°C and avoid direct drafts, hold indoor humidity at 50–60%, and warm weak cats with a soft bed off cold floors. Clean the filter every 2–3 weeks, ventilate daily, watch the cat's condition, and add 20–30 minutes of play. At the first mild signs, turn the AC off and offer warm water; see a vet if it worsens.
Why Does My Cat Keep Sticking Out Its Tongue?
A cat that keeps its tongue out is not always being cute, it can signal an underlying issue. Mild tongue protrusion is normal when a cat pants to cool down in heat, but it may also point to respiratory problems such as infection, asthma, allergies, or a foreign object in the airway, often with coughing or labored breathing. Oral pain, stress and fear, and certain heart conditions can also cause it. Provide a cool, calm environment and comfort a stressed cat, but if the behavior persists or comes with other symptoms, have a veterinarian check for respiratory, oral, or cardiac causes.
Where Do Cats Like to Hide?
Cats are naturally cautious and alert, so they are drawn to hidden, dark, and narrow spaces where they feel safe. Common hideouts include under the bed or sofa, inside cabinets and small enclosed spaces, up on high shelves and bookcases, and tucked inside boxes, bags, and even the occasional sink. Outdoors, cats slip into grass and bushes to explore and play. Knowing your cat's favorite spots helps you find it faster when it disappears, and understanding this instinct lets you support its well-being. Providing a closed, secure, and comfortable retreat of its own satisfies a cat's need for privacy and can greatly increase its happiness at home.
Is It Normal for a Cat’s Ears to Feel Hot?
A cat's normal body temperature runs a little higher than a human's, so ears that feel warm to the touch are usually normal. But ears hotter than usual can signal a problem—stress or anxiety, a respiratory infection, ear inflammation, or simply a warm room. To decide whether it's normal, look at the whole picture: lethargy, reduced activity, poor appetite, or red, smelly, discharging ears all call for a vet. A quick nose check and a thermometer (normal 38–39.5°C; above 40°C needs prompt care) will confirm a fever.
Why Cats Eat Less in Winter (and What to Do)
Cats are poor at regulating body temperature, so when it gets cold their metabolism slows and appetite often drops. Lower winter activity also weakens gut motility, slowing digestion and leading to reduced interest in food. Appetite loss can also signal a health problem—a chill, a cold, oral disease, or long-term cold drinking water causing stomach upset. To help, warm your cat's surroundings, feed on a fixed schedule, and boost palatability by mixing in favorites like chicken, fish, freeze-dried treats, or egg yolk, and serve food slightly warmed. If you notice sneezing, runny nose, lethargy, fever, diarrhea, or vomiting, see a vet.
Why Doesn’t My Cat Throw Up Hairballs
Cats groom constantly, so they swallow hair - but not every cat throws it back up. Swallowed hair usually passes with food into the stomach and on through the intestines, leaving in the stool; only when the stomach flags it as a foreign body does the brain trigger a vomit. So a cat that rarely hacks up hairballs is often just moving the hair through normally. More frequent grooming can signal fear or stress. The real concern is hairball syndrome, where a matted clump blocks the stomach outlet and causes repeated violent vomiting and dehydration - see a vet if vomiting happens many times a day. Prevent it by regular brushing, trimming long coats, and hairball-control food with extra fiber.
What to Do When Your Cat Has a Fever
Cats get fevers just like people, but a cat's fever is rarely simple - it can signal parasites, stress, bacterial infection, panleukopenia (feline distemper), feline herpesvirus, or various inflammations. A fever is not a small matter: left alone it can damage organs and even turn deadly. Telltale signs include hot ears and tail tip, a dry nose, sweaty paw pads, and a cat that suddenly prefers cool floors and dark corners while eating less and looking limp. Normal cat temperature runs 38-39C (about 39.3C in kittens); above 39.5C is a fever and above 40C is high. For a mild fever or when a clinic is out of reach, cool the paws and belly with alcohol and offer water, but never give human fever medicine, which can be fatal - see a vet for high fevers.
Key Points for Caring for a Cat in Summer
Summer heat raises the risk of parasites and heatstroke, so cat care in the warm months means three jobs: cleanliness, cooling, and diet. Run the AC without sharp temperature swings and don't shave the coat—thin it slightly instead, since bare skin burns and the cat sheds heat through paw pads. Feed little and often with light food, refresh water and food frequently so nothing spoils, and never offer cold food that upsets the stomach. Clean the nest, litter box, and belongings regularly and keep up flea, tick, and worm control. These habits keep a cat healthy through summer.
Can You Use Mosquito Coils Around Cats?
No—households with cats should not burn mosquito coils. The pyrethroid additives in coils are toxic to cats, which cannot metabolize them; too much exposure causes poisoning with tremors, vomiting, drooling, and unsteady walking, and in severe cases can be fatal. To protect your cat, avoid coils entirely and keep the air cat-free of the scent. Instead, fit window screens and nets, grow cat-safe plants like lemongrass or mint, and use a mosquito trap lamp or electric swatter—physical, odorless methods that don't endanger your pet. Choose the approach that fits your home, and keep a playful cat away from any device.