Dehydration in cats - symptoms, causes, treatment

The water content in the cat's body is about 65%. Each individual cell contains from 40 to 70%. With the help of water molecules, almost all valuable substances move through the body. That is why it is extremely important that this moisture is always sufficient. If, for whatever reason, the water content decreases, the consequences can be most sad. After all, it is she who plays an important role in all the main processes. For a cat’s body, this seemingly simple deviation from the norm can lead to death very quickly. In this regard, only the lack of oxygen can compete with dehydration.

Causes

Most often, diarrhea or vomiting leads to dehydration in cats. Therefore, it is very important not to miss the moment. You can’t ignore these violations, hoping that nothing bad will happen. We often find such symptoms not too serious, because for the human body such problems are completely solvable, and rarely lead to a serious consequence. But for a cat, they are associated with risk.

Any organism continuously loses water. It comes out through the skin, a lot of it in the urine and feces. With the help of water, the mucous membranes remain always moist. The need for water depends not only on physiological processes, but also on environmental conditions. The lower the humidity and the higher the temperature, the faster the body loses moisture. Therefore, it is necessary to replenish it in a larger volume. It is necessary to provide the pet with access to a water source so that the animal can come up and drink as much as it needs. But, if the cat is sick, her body can be weakened so much that she simply refuses to drink.

If the cat's body loses water due to internal bleeding, then the condition is aggravated, as the pressure drops, the hemoglobin level decreases. In this case, even if the animal will drink enough water, it will have all the signs of dehydration. This condition may occur after a fall, injury or surgery.

Consider the possible causes of dehydration:

• Severe diarrhea or vomiting.
• High body temperature or overheating.
• Refusal of food and water for more than a day.
• Bleeding.
• Kidney disease.
• Chronic diseases
• Respiratory failure.

If a cat eats dry food, it is important to ensure that she drank enough liquid, since there is practically no water in such food.

Signs and stages of dehydration

Stage is determined as a percentage. If the cat loses 10-12% of the fluid, and during the day she will not be helped, irreversible processes will begin in her body. If the loss of water will be 15-20% - this will lead to death.

How to determine that a cat is dehydrated:

1. Loss of 4 to 5% of water is very difficult to determine. The pet has only weakness, which often the owners do not pay attention to.
2. With a loss of 6-7%, the animal has dry mucous membranes. This should be cause for concern. It is necessary to examine the gums of a cat. If she is healthy, the gums will be sufficiently moist and shiny. If the body lacks water, they will be pale and dull. By touching the gum, you will feel that it is dry. Saliva will be sticky.
3. It is necessary to check how well the capillaries fill with liquid. To determine this, you need to put a finger on the gum, and then release. If she acquired her usual color in 2-3 seconds - this means that the percentage of dehydration is 6%. If the gum remains pale after pressing for 5-6 seconds, the degree is higher and amounts to 7-8%.If the gum does not get its normal color for more than 10 seconds, and other signs are also observed (eyes are dry, limbs are cool, squinting) - measures must be taken immediately.
4. Dehydration can be determined by the degree of elasticity of the skin. The skin in the withers area needs to be squeezed and pulled. If the body has lost about 5% of water, the skin will return to its place within 2-3 seconds. In this case, the hair loses its luster, begins to puff. If more than 10% of the fluid is lost, the skin coarsens. She will remain in a drawn position for a long time.

With such an examination, it is important to remember that in kittens up to eight months of age the skin is usually rougher than in adult cats. Therefore, the skin will take its previous shape a little longer, even if the fluid content in the body is normal. If the animal is overweight, the elasticity of the skin will be higher than that of a cat with a normal physique.

Help and treatment

It is best to show the cat to the veterinarian immediately after detecting dangerous signs of dehydration. He will immediately do tests to determine the cause and prescribe treatment. But there are times when it is impossible to quickly deliver an animal to a specialist. But dehydration is a problem that cannot be postponed. What help can we give our pet on our own?

If the cat does not start drinking on its own, you need to make it feel thirsty. You can wet her nose, dip your fingers in water so that the cat licks the liquid. If this does not help, take a syringe, remove the needle from it and draw water. Pour some water into the jaws of the cat. Another effective way is to add flavoring to the water tank.

Treatment of such a disorder is carried out by introducing water into the body. You can make an injection of saline, which includes glucose. The injection should be done slowly so that the fluid has time to absorb. When pulling out the needle, rub the injection site. If the cat's condition has improved, then at the first opportunity it is still better to show it to a specialist. If the degree of deviation is severe, cats are given droppers to infuse water intravenously.