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Teddy's Experience with Dehydration

By Shirley Brown

I learned a valuable lesson this past December about cats and dehydration. It started on a Thursday evening with both cats being "off" their food. For my kitties to not be interested in food was highly unusual. Then Teddy threw up a few times during the night. The next day, I had some commitments in the morning so I waited until the afternoon to take them to the Vet. Doctor examined both cats and determined that the vomiting had caused Teddy to be dehydrated. She felt his body and thought she might be feeling an obstruction in his intestinal tract, but she wasn't sure. She said Zoë was OK.

Because this was a day before a holiday and Doctor was leaving her office, she sent me over to the 24-hour Vet with a referral. She said Teddy needed fluids right away.

What I found out is that dehydration is very serious. Healthy animals require a great deal of water in their bodies at all times. Water makes up 60-70% of a cat's body weight. This water keeps their tissues moist and transports essential nutrients throughout the body. Minerals like potassium and sodium transport electrical impulses throughout the body and the loss of these electrolytes can cause serious health problems.

Teddy was immediately put on fluids. He was also given x-rays and blood tests to try to determine why he started throwing up. No reason for the vomiting was ever discovered, but with the fluids and care given at the Vet, he recovered and was able to come home 24 hours later. (Much to the delight of his sister who cried most of the time he was gone.)

How do you know if your cat is dehydrated? You take a bit of skin on the back of the neck and lift up. The skin should be extremely elastic and immediately bounce back. If it takes more than a second or two, your cat is probably dehydrated and needs a trip to the Vet to find out the cause and to get immediate treatment. Dehydration is serious.

In summary, learn from my experience and if you think your cat is dehydrated, take him or her to the Vet immediately. It's not something to take lightly.

TEDDY (HORIZONTAL) AND ZOË (VERTICAL)


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