 Although most cases of hypothermia can be easily prevented and treated, this condition can turn fatal if you wait too long to bring your cat to a veterinarian. As soon as you see signs of hypothermia, call a vet immediately. Cats normally maintain a body temperature between 100.5 and 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. If your cat's temperature falls well below this range, it may experience hypothermia. This dangerous condition is mainly caused by exposure to cold weather, winds, or water, and can affect any cat, although newborns and cats with short hair are at greater risk. Cat owners may notice a hypothermic cat having trouble breathing, shivering, or having skin that is cold to the touch. Symptoms of hypothermia in cats The more severe the case of hypothermia, the more observable the symptoms will become. If the cat's temperature drops too low, the cat may fall into a coma, which is why it's important to take action the moment you notice signs of hypothermia. Some of the symptoms you should watch out for include. Difficulty breathing. General weakness. Shivering. Cold skin. Loss of consciousness. Rigid, stiff muscles. Low heart rate. Low respiratory rate. Lethargy. Dilated pupils. Causes. Hypothermia usually occurs in cold temperatures, although newborns may suffer hypothermia and normal environmental temperatures due to lack of body heat. Solar breeds in very young animals more prone to rapid surface loss of body heat are at higher risk as well, as are old, geriatric, pets. Animals under anesthesia are also at higher risk. Other factors that may increase risk are diseases of the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates appetite and body temperature, and hypothyroidism, a condition characterized by low levels of the thyroid hormone in the body. How Hypothermia Occurs. Being exposed to cold air is the most common cause of hypothermia, especially if your cat's fur is also wet. Cold water can also trigger hypothermia if an exposure happens for long enough. Other causes can include shock, toxic shock, malnutrition, and conditions that affect the part of the brain that regulates body temperature. Negative Effects of Hypothermia. Tissue perfusion is impaired by hypothermia and shifting of the oxihemoglobin curve to the left decreases oxygen unloading. Metabolic acidosis develops as lactate levels rise secondary to poor perfusion and decrease hepatic metabolism. Blood glucose levels may rise and complicate interpretation of laboratory results. Metabolism is slowed and liver function is impaired, delaying the breakdown of anesthetic drugs which will prolong recovery times. The requirements for inhalant agents drop as temperature decreases and if the anesthetic depth is not closely monitored, animals will receive a relative overdose. As a patient cools, the amount of anesthetic required to produce apnea decreases, and responses to hypercapnia and hypoxia are blunted. In human studies, intraoperative hypothermia has been linked to increased postoperative wound infection. This is a result of poor perfusion to the periphery, a so constriction, and low oxygen tension at the surgical site. Hypothermia also impairs immune function, including the killing ability of neutrophils. One veterinary study linked wound infection to the duration of anesthesia 6 and there is no doubt that maintaining normothermia is in the best interests of the patient. Cold animals take longer to recover and this is documented in dogs. During recovery hypothermic animals shiver to generate heat. Shivering increases their metabolic rate and heat production, but also increases oxygen demand. Hello. This video is sponsored by Beemix Pets. Are you looking for high quality cat collars at an affordable cost? Check out, BeemixPets.com. Use coupon code KittenLife, to get 20% off. As soon as you spot signs of hypothermia, bring your cat into a veterinarian's office immediately. Tell the vet all of the symptoms you have observed, and when you first begin to notice them. If your cat has been left outdoors or exposed to cold temperatures in any other way, make sure you mention this to the vet as well. The vet will begin by checking your cat's vital signs, which include temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate. Once the vet notices the cat's temperature is well below normal, he will most likely make a diagnosis of hypothermia without performing any further tests. If you are not aware of a time when your cat would have been exposed to cold temperatures, the vet will need to perform a thyroid function test to determine if the cat has hyperthyroidism. However, because hypothermia is such a serious condition, these tests will usually not be performed until the cat has been stabilized. Treatment of hypothermia and cats. The treatment will depend on the severity of your cat's hypothermia. If the hypothermia is considered mild, the vet will cover your cat with insulating blankets to raise his body temperature slowly. It's important to make sure the cat is not on a cold surface during this procedure, and if he is, cover the surface with blankets to protect him. Cats with wet fur will need to be dried gently, either by hand using blankets or towels or with a handheld blow dryer turned on a low setting. If the cat's condition is labeled as moderate, the vet will most likely use heating pads to warm him up, as this is more effective than covering him with blankets. Cats or other cloths will be wrapped around the heating pad to prevent burns. A bear hugger can be used to blow warm air. Cats with severe hypothermia will need more aggressive treatment. This approach focuses on warming cats from the inside out to prevent the load temperatures from damaging internal organs. To do this, the vet may administer warm water enemas and stomach lavages. He may also use a ventilator to provide heated air to the cat's lungs or in four to circulate warmed fluids. During each of these treatments, the vet will be closely monitoring your cat's temperature. In more severe cases, the vet will also need to monitor your cat's heart rate and blood pressure. Recovery of hypothermia in cats. If you bring your cat to the vet as soon as you spot signs of hypothermia, your cat will most likely make a full recovery. However, the longer you wait to get treatment, the riskier the situation becomes. Watch your cat carefully in the first few days after treatment. If you spot any of the same signs you noticed before, bring your cat back for a re-evaluation. Prevention is key once you have your cat back at home. Keep your cat inside during cold or rainy weather conditions since these could cause hypothermia. If your cat is outside, make sure you take the time to create an area where he can go when he needs warmth. The space should be completely covered and insulated with blankets. Living in management. Once your cat's temperature has stabilized, no further treatment is likely to be necessary and hypothermia cases do strictly do exposure to cold. However, you should continue to watch your cat over the next few days. If he's not completely back to normal by then, contact your veterinarian. If there were other reasons for the low body temperature, your veterinarian will prescribe additional treatment such as antibiotics or an improved diet. Be sure to follow your veterinarian's directions. Prevention. Thermal losses should be minimized. Although re-warming is possible in the post-operative period, rapid re-warming can cause vasodilation, which is not well tolerated by some surgical patients. Hypothermia can be prevented by avoiding prolonged exposure to cold temperatures. This is especially important for at-risk animals. Factors that increase a pet's risk for hypothermia include very young or old-age, low-body fat, hypothalamic disease or hypothyroidism, and previous anesthesia and surgery. High-risk or newborn animals with low blood sugar, hypoglycemia, are at risk for hypothermia even in normal environments. Long-term care may be necessary, such as incubation to keep the body temperature stable. To prevent hypothermia in anesthetized animals, the patient should be kept warm and its body temperature monitored after surgery. If you enjoyed this video, kindly press the like button. Also don't forget to subscribe with notifications on, so that you don't miss out on videos like this. Thank you for watching.