Help! I Can't Find A Decent Thermometer For Pets Or Humans!

[margd]

In my hour of need, I'm turning (naturally) to TCS for advice. I have been trying to purchase a (working) digital pet thermometer. This need not be a thermometer just for animals - many thermometers with the bendy tips claim to be appropriate for animals, as well as humans. I'm currently dependent on a glass/mercury thermometer, but I have visions of glass shards and escaped mercury should I ever try to take the temperature of an uncooperative cat.

My fourth thermometer in as many weeks was just delivered and...ha ha ha ha...it doesn't work either. None of them have beeped (as advertised) when the final temperature is reached and all but one have taken about five minutes to get there. That one indicates that I have crossed the rainbow bridge.

To those of you successfully able to take your cat's temperature, will you please share your secret with me?

Thank you!

 

[nansiludie]

I actually don't use a thermometer but feel their ears and paws and can tell if they are running a fever. Not really a super accurate way of doing it. I have used those little disposable thermometers when I needed to be certain. Let me see if I can find the link to where I bought them from.

 

[nansiludie]

I actually don't use a thermometer but feel their ears and paws and can tell if they are running a fever. Not really a super accurate way of doing it. I have used those little disposable thermometers when I needed to be certain. Let me see if I can find the link to where I bought them from.

 

[margd]

I actually don't use a thermometer but feel their ears and paws and can tell if they are running a fever. Not really a super accurate way of doing it. I have used those little disposable thermometers when I needed to be certain. Let me see if I can find the link to where I bought them from.

Thank you, that would be a great help!

 

[neely]

We have used the disposable temperature strips at school for our students who won't take their temp. the normal way, i.e. in their mouth or their ear, tympanic thermometer. Not sure if this would work for your purpose but I thought I'd suggest it: Disposable Thermometers | Single Use Thermometers | NexTemp

Otherwise I've always had pretty good luck with a CVS brand like this one:
https://www.cvs.com/shop/cvs-health-rigid-tip-digital-thermometer-prodid-155912?skuId=155912

 

[kashmir64]

In my hour of need, I'm turning (naturally) to TCS for advice. I have been trying to purchase a (working) digital pet thermometer. This need not be a thermometer just for animals - many thermometers with the bendy tips claim to be appropriate for animals, as well as humans. I'm currently dependent on a glass/mercury thermometer, but I have visions of glass shards and escaped mercury should I ever try to take the temperature of an uncooperative cat.

My fourth thermometer in as many weeks was just delivered and...ha ha ha ha...it doesn't work either. None of them have beeped (as advertised) when the final temperature is reached and all but one have taken about five minutes to get there. That one indicates that I have crossed the rainbow bridge.

To those of you successfully able to take your cat's temperature, will you please share your secret with me?

Thank you!

Unless your thermometer is ancient, you don't have to worry about mercury poisoning. They stopped putting mercury in thermometers years ago. And there would have to be a lot of pressure to break the glass. More than your cat could do.
However, I also haven't found a thermometer, either that kind or digital, that actually works.

 

[margd]

Thank you N nansiludie and neely for mentioning the disposable thermometers - I'd forgotten all about those. I think they're the solution. At 100 to a box, the odds are that some of them will be functional.

kashmir64 - yep, I have an ancient mercury thermometer! It works like a charm, every time. You may be right about the risk of breakage being minimal, though. I'm probably needlessly worrying - I just have this horrible memory of my poor mother having her stomach pumped after she broke a mercury thermometer and couldn't locate the mercury.