Cat Fever... Hot flashes ?

[syzygycat]

Before the long exposition bellow, does taking a cats temperature with a digital ear thermometer work?

Now then...
Luke seems lethargic, but hes also older, fat, and generally lazy so IDK.
He's been sneezing more than usuall, like 10 times in the past 4 days
He's eating each of his meals, but not finishing all his food (he generally begs for food) for a day and a half.
He had a string of something between sneezes and coughing for 30-sec yesterday, with a phlegmy/asthmatic wheeze for 15min afrter that... it was odd but also could have been a hairball that didnt come up.
None of that is super concerning (yet)

Yesterday I when he had the coughing fit, his ears felt very warm (like a low fever) then the temp seemed fine then a fever again for under an hourl then fine, now he feels warm again.
The 2 other times he was actually sick his entire body felt warm not just ears and top of the head.

If Luke is sick its the mildest thing hes had.
With the state being in lock down from the corona virus almost 3 dozen confirmed cases in town, I rather not risk going out for a non-emergency

If he consistently felt warm I would rick it and take him to the vet (Ive been right about the fever twice, wrong three times so I dont have the best track record with this. What should I do?




Most of this

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Try calling/emailing your vet and talking this over with them.

Although I personally wouldn't do this, here's a way to take a cat's temp. I doubt you want to try the ear, you could do damage to the ear. The how-to regarding how to take a cat's temperature is on the second page, and there are youtube videos also. I personally wouldn't try it at home.

Fevers in Cats

 

[BlackCatOp]

Since cats have a vertical and horizontal ear canal (ie upside down 7), I will doubt a human ear thermometer will yield an accurate reading.

Sorry your kitty doesn’t feel good. Furballsmom gave good info if you’re interested in taking a rectal temp.

 

[syzygycat]

Vet said the baby ear thermometers are exactly the same thing as the dog/cat ones. Doesnt help now, but she sent a list of some to avoid and 12 good ones supposed to cost $19-$49. The one to avoid is the only one left, and the price is jacked up 10x.

For the future though!

Since whatever is up with him doesnt seem severe If hes not normal by monday hes going in.

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know how things go, and what happens

 

[BlackCatOp]

Vet said the baby ear thermometers are exactly the same thing as the dog/cat ones.

I find that interesting since cats have different anatomy to their ear canal than humans. The ear thermometers work by reading the temperature at the ear drum. I would imagine that the ear thermometers would be very dependent on the correct positioning of the probe within the ear canal and that the probe would need to reach the correct area to read the ear drum temp. Anyways, just my 2 cents on the subject.

Hope your cat is better before Monday!

 

[syzygycat]

I find that interesting since cats have different anatomy to their ear canal than humans. The ear thermometers work by reading the temperature at the ear drum. I would imagine that the ear thermometers would be very dependent on the correct positioning of the probe within the ear canal and that the probe would need to reach the correct area to read the ear drum temp. Anyways, just my 2 cents on the subject.

Hope your cat is better before Monday!

I didn't know "no contact thermometers" were a thing. I did know we had thermal testing guns from hardware stores use to find leaks in doorways/windows were a thing.

The IR measure surface temperature, I think the gimmick is the "medical" ones have cheaper sensor, but theyre white, blue, "healthy feeling" colors and cost more.
Im sure you and my vet are both right, they are the same thing, it would work much better on a human because human ear canal are better target, either way theyre trying to use a surface cavity to find a core temp., ...never accurate.
But I have 4 cats, if one is warmer than the other 3... pretty good hint something is up.

 

[Furballsmom]

ah hah, good for you!

 

[BlackCatOp]

I see from the pics you posted we are talking two different things. lol

 

[syzygycat]

Luke is not sick just dump
We were given poinsettias for christmas. locked it in the home office threw it away a week later.

Now that wifey works out of the home office, the cats are allowed to come hang out supervised . One of the dead poinsetta leaves must have fallen off into the baseboard radiator. Luke's been eating a little bit of it every day, getting a slight fever and tummy ache, Feeling better then repeating it the next day. We figured it out because , so he made commotion I came to see what it was, he popped off the baseboard cover enough to get his head in there was chewing on a petal stuck in the vent, half gone, the other half covered in cat bite marks.

Hes been back to normal by yesterday afternoon.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hes been back to normal by yesterday afternoon.

whew!! Goodness, what a story!