The cat has a dry nose and is sleepy. The cat has a hot nose - what to do? A cat has a dry, warm nose, what does it mean?

The article contains information on this problem, which helps to better understand what you have to deal with in similar cases and what advice veterinarians can give on treating pets.

If a cat is sick, should the nose be wet or dry, warm or cold?

A cat’s nose is a kind of indicator of its health. In a healthy animal it is smooth, slightly slippery and cool to the touch, in a sick animal it is dry and warm, in a hypothermic or poisoned animal it is pale and cold.

Mucous discharge from a cat's nose occurs due to rhinitis and infections, and can also be caused by mechanical irritants. Normally, there should be no mucus in a cat's nose.

How to treat pus flowing from a cat's nose

It is possible to treat a cat with pus flowing from its nose only after finding out the cause of this pathology. Discharge from an animal's nose can be caused by:
inflammatory process, arising as a result mechanical injury;
respiratory infection;
- panleukopenia (in common parlance, plague);
- chlamydial pneumonia;
- toxoplasmosis.

At common cold or rhinitis, pus never forms in a cat’s nose, so treatment for a cat with purulent discharge from the nose, must be prescribed by a doctor.

The kitten has a white nose, why and what to do

A kitten's nose may turn white if:
— the animal’s blood circulation is impaired;
- available internal bleeding;
— the kitten is anemic.

Only a veterinarian can help in any of these cases.

Is it normal for a cat to have a warm nose?

Normally, a cat's nose should be slightly cool. An animal's warm nose happens:
— when the cat is sleeping or has just woken up;
- if he is hot;
- after suffering stress or fright;
- after overeating.

In these cases, this condition of the cat is considered normal. You need to start worrying about your pet’s health if, along with a warm nose, he experiences loss of appetite and lethargy.

The cat has a black nose, what to do and why this happens

The black color of the nose is typical for cats with black or dark coat color. It happens that the color of a kitten’s nose changes as it grows and is finally established by the year when the general hormonal background stabilizes.

Darkening of the nose in cats summer period is associated with exposure to the sun, since the animal’s body is saturated with vitamin D and other microelements.

A cat has dark, odorless discharge from his nose, what is it and how to treat it

Most often the reasons for the appearance dark discharge infections and pathologies come from the nose of cats internal organs. Put correct diagnosis and you can find out what kind of disease this is by taking a veterinary laboratory blood and microflora tests. To do this, the animal is left alone for 3-5 days and is not “treated”, i.e. do not carry out any manipulations with it.

The doctor will tell you how to treat the cat after examining the results of the tests taken the day before.

If the kitten is lethargic and has a dry nose, what could it be and how to help?

If the kitten is lethargic and has a dry nose, and this condition does not change in better side within a few days, then the best solution is to take your pet to the veterinarian. Self-medication of an unknown disease will not lead to good results.

A hot or dry nose in a cat after sterilization - what could it be?

A hot or dry nose in a cat after sterilization, if it is not in a hot room with insufficient ventilation, indicates an increased body temperature of the animal. To avoid complications, it is better to show the cat to a veterinarian.

A kitten's dry nose may or may not be due to the heat.

A kitten's dry nose may be a reaction to the heat. Sleeping in the sun, near a fireplace or radiator, being in a warm and poorly ventilated room - all this can lead to dryness of the animal's nasal mucosa.

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Before answering the question: why does a cat have a dry nose, what to do, and whether it is necessary to go to the doctor, let’s give a definition of the “correct” healthy nose of a cat.

Characteristics of a healthy nose in a cat

The ideal cat's nose should be moist and slightly cool. This is explained by the fact that cats are natural predators and the process of evolution has hardly changed their attitude towards hunting prey that is accessible to them in size. A cat's nose is designed differently than a human's. The cat's olfactory organ is capable of retaining odors that interest the animal, filtering them, and even separating them according to importance. A moist and cool nose better detects odors and allows the cat to track its prey in dense thickets or at night. Moisture on a cat's nose appears when the cat licks it or is the result of the action of special glands that secrete liquid.

Sometimes, you may notice that when a cat is sleeping or has just woken up, its nose is somewhat dry and hot (warm) to the touch. This is the norm. The animal does not get sick at all and its nose soon becomes moist and cool. If, however, the cat's nose for a long time does not return to its “working” state, the animal is inactive, depressed, eats poorly, then this should already cause concern.

Signs of the disease (identified by the nose)

Absolutely all cats have dry and warm noses several times a day. This happens when the animal is overheated, dehydrated, or simply during sleep. If there are none of these conditions, then you need to contact a specialist, and only he can make an accurate diagnosis.

It happens that a cat’s nose color has changed dramatically. Most likely, this was due to the fact that the animal was frozen.

There is an interesting pattern: The colder it gets, the darker the cat's nose becomes. If your cat initially has a nose white(devoid of pigmentation), then through it you can see the work of the whole circulatory system animal.

1. Yes, bluish tint under the skin will indicate some kind of heart disease or lack of oxygen in the body.

2.Sore red nose- a sign of serious infection, rhinitis, increased blood pressure, allergies or fever. By the way, normal temperature a cat's body is 2 degrees higher than a human's.

3. If the nose has acquired yellow, then this indicates kidney or liver disease.

When a cat's nose is cool but dry, this indicates the presence of colds. This may be accompanied by sneezing, increased body temperature, and weak appetite.

If the same as your animal damp, but not cool, but cold nose , then this is the first symptom that the cat is very cold, poisoned or in a state of shock. At the same time, it is observed general decline body temperature.

Treatment at home

Since the nose is one of the indicators of a cat’s health, its abnormal condition should alert the animal’s owner and prompt him to take some action aimed at identifying the real reason deviations from the “norm”. Accurate diagnosis Only a veterinarian can diagnose it and he is also able to prescribe the correct course of treatment.

Complex diseases of the internal organs, which are “signaled” by the cat’s nose, are both useless and impossible to treat at home. However, it is quite possible to cure colds on your own.

Yes, normal cat has runny nose does not require serious medical measures.

Firstly, copious discharge or dry crusts from cat nose must be removed with a damp swab.

After this, 1% methanol with fish oil and sprinkle them with norsulfazole or streptocide. If after three days the cat’s condition has not changed, then antibiotic therapy should be used, which will be prescribed by the doctor.

When should you go to the doctor?

Home treatment for a cat can be quite effective, but with such symptoms you should definitely contact a veterinarian:

Naturally, the very condition of the animal’s nose does not make it possible to determine for what disease it needs to be treated. Lasting change normal condition cat's nose shows that on this moment not everything is fine. Perhaps it will be enough to simply warm the cat or, conversely, slightly cool it and that will be the end of it. But, if you have completed all the necessary maximum actions, and the result is the same, then in this case, be sure to run to the doctor. Cats get sick just like people and need the same medical care.

Many cat owners treat their pets as full members of the family. Therefore, they are very worried when they furry friend feels unwell, has lost his former appetite and has become lethargic. It is noteworthy that the animal’s nose serves as a kind of guide in this matter.

In this article, we will discuss in detail what to do when a cat has a dry nose and what it means.

A healthy cat's nose should be moist, slightly cool and slippery. The fact is that the mustache regularly licks it, and in addition to this, the nose is covered with a special secretion that creates a protective mucous membrane.

That is why for a cat, the nose is not only an organ of smell. Thanks to it, she determines the temperature of an object, the direction of the wind, and even, along with the vibrissae, she touches with her nose.

Also, constant moisture on the surface of the nose in cats is necessary to increase its sensitivity, while a dry nose cannot cope with its basic functions and, when cracked, causes some discomfort to the animal.

Causes

Fortunately, if a cat's nose is warm and dry, this does not mean that he is sick. It may seem to a person that the cat is dry and hot nose, since a cat's body temperature is as much as 2 degrees higher than its body temperature healthy person, and this difference is very noticeable.

After active games with the body, the heat evaporates (this process is very familiar to athletes - during training they sweat a lot and warm up). Consequently, when a cat has had a fair amount of play and is in an alert state, her nose may feel wet and hot, but just 10 minutes later it may feel wet and cold.

However, such temperature fluctuations are not yet a signal of the development of diseases. IN in this case A cat’s nose only conveys normal, absolutely natural processes of changes in the animal’s body temperature, depending on its physical activity.

Let's consider following reasons dry cat nose:

  1. If the cat has been in the open sun a lot, his nose could well have become dry not only as a result of exposure own temperature body, but also air temperature outdoors or indoors, as well as from dust and wind. When the cat moves indoors or into the shade, everything will return to normal. Also, the nose may be dry because the cat was lying near warm battery or is in a room with very dry air. If the batteries central heating are capable of severely drying out the skin of people, so what can we say about a cat’s hypersensitive nose.
  2. When it's too cold indoors or outdoors, then cats usually do not lick their nose, so it becomes dry and cold. In this case, there is no reason to worry - this is normal. After the animal moves to a warm, dry place, it will lick itself again, thus moistening its nose.
  3. After your beloved pet has just woken up, his nose will almost always be warm and dry. And this is understandable - in a dream, a cat does not lick itself, and therefore its olfactory organ remains unhydrated. After just a short period of time, the cat's nose will become cool and moist as before.

When do you need veterinary help?

How can you tell if something is wrong with your beloved kitten or cat? This cannot be done without diligence and observation. Be careful to watch your cat throughout the day, checking his nose for temperature and humidity.

If your pet's behavior is not the same as usual - the animal does not play, eats poorly or completely refuses its favorite treat - this is dangerous signal, so it’s better to go to the veterinarian without delay.

Found in a cat following symptoms, V mandatory Contact your veterinarian to determine the true cause of your pet's discomfort:

  • apathy, lethargy;
  • pale and cold nose;
  • dry and hot nose;
  • color change olfactory organ(blue, red, yellowish, white).

However, remember that a dry nose in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. As a rule, if the cat is cheerful and playful, a dry nose can be caused by minor deviations in the functioning of the body, such as: overeating or, conversely, undereating, if the stomach is clogged with hair, mild cold(if the cat sneezes).

Therefore, you should not worry too much - such minor ailments go away quickly - in about a day, and sometimes even in a few hours.

If the owner observes the following signs along with a hot, dry nose in the cat, he should immediately consult a doctor:

  • convulsions;
  • sneezing;
  • cough;
  • prolonged vomiting;
  • difficulty urinating;
  • diarrhea;
  • drops of blood in stool or urine;
  • increase in body temperature by more than 2 degrees;
  • constipation;
  • loss of consciousness;
  • excessive salivation or foaming at the mouth;
  • unnaturally long sleep;
  • discharge from the genital loop (not estrus in females), eyes, anus;
  • screaming for no clear reason;
  • matting or hair loss;
  • unsteady gait;
  • rashes on the skin;
  • wheezing or difficulty breathing;

It is useful for every cat owner to know that a cold and pale nose in a pet is a symptom of:

  • chronic illness;
  • stress;
  • hypothermia;
  • low body temperature;
  • complete lack of appetite;
  • poisoning;

A warm and white nose indicates a disruption in the cat’s circulatory system.

The cat's hot and blue nose speaks of:

  • inflammation of the respiratory organs;
  • heart failure;
  • oxygen starvation;

A pet's hot and red nose is a symptom of:

  • infectious disease;
  • mechanical damage;
  • rhinitis;

Dry nose on a kitten

If you notice that your kitten has a dry, hot nose and warm ears, it can be easy to become worried. But such symptoms do not always mean that the pet is sick.

The fact is that kittens are still in the process of normalizing heat exchange, so their body temperature is higher than adult cat. In other words, the work of the kitten’s body is configured to protect it from the effects of cold, and therefore prevent hypothermia.

Very young kittens may have a dry nose, since they have not yet learned to lick themselves, and the body does not yet secrete the necessary moisturizing secretion.

Helping your beloved pet

If you touch your cat's nose and feel that it is dry and hot, and you touch its ears - and they are also hot, then you can confidently say that your pet has an elevated body temperature.

Interesting: A cat's normal temperature is 38-39 degrees, while in bare-haired breeds the norm is higher - 39-40 degrees. In pregnant cats and kittens, the norm also shifts up half a degree.

An increase in a cat's body temperature by one degree is not critical, but a higher temperature requires an urgent visit to a veterinarian.

The temperature of cats, like other animals, is measured rectally. To do this, insert a thermometer into the anus to a depth of one centimeter, holding it for about one minute.

If you decide to measure your cat’s temperature using this method, you can use a regular thermometer, but you need to be extremely careful and careful, since the pet is unlikely to like the procedure and will break out.

Therefore, hold it tightly and do not forget that the thermometer is glass. It is better to carry out this procedure together, when one holds the animal and the other measures the temperature.

Important: Never lower your cat’s temperature with aspirin, paracetamol, nimesulide or similar drugs from a human first aid kit, as this is fraught with serious consequences, including death.

If the animal’s temperature is too high, it needs assistance, which may include the following:

  1. There should always be something cool around the cat. pure water for drinking.
  2. Periodically wet the animal's fur with a spray bottle or a wet towel.
  3. Place an ice pack under your pet's neck and on inner part hips

So, the dryness or high temperature of a cat’s nose in itself is not a sign of the development of any disease. Only a whole set of symptoms can indicate a pet’s illness, of which a dry nose is the last in importance.

In general, the moisture in the nose of pets directly depends on their well-being and health status. For example, warm nose in a cat may indicate an increase in body temperature. But there are other reasons why a cat’s nose is warm.

Healthy clean nose very important for the normal functioning of every cat. The thing is that it is through the sense of smell that these animals mainly interact with the outside world. Not surprisingly, their sense of smell is about 15 times sharper than that of humans. And it is precisely by the degree of moisture, the warmth of the nose and even its appearance You can often tell that your pet is not feeling well.

If the cat is perfectly healthy, then its nose will be clean, smooth, cool and slightly moisturized. The color depends on the breed of the animal and its coloring. Interestingly, the pets in question may even have “birthmarks” on their noses. This is due to the peculiarity of the color of the representative of the cat family. Often the nose is the same color as the coat. In addition, the older the animal, the darker this part of its body may become.

If a cat’s nose turns out to be too dark, for example, black, then it will be impossible to draw any conclusions about the animal’s health based on its color. But the pet owner should monitor the skin tone of those with soft pink noses from time to time. Its change may also indicate the appearance of any ailments in the animal’s body. For example, the appearance blue tint may be a symptom of problems with the heart and blood vessels, as well as a lack of oxygen in the cat. Yellow - pathology of the kidneys or liver. And red is a symptom of allergies, excessive overheating in the sun, as well as severe mechanical trauma to this part of the body.

It is especially dangerous if the cat has a warm and dry nose. It is not recommended to try to diagnose your beloved pet yourself. It is best to immediately go to a professional veterinarian if you notice any changes in the color of your animal’s nose to rule out serious diseases.

It is important to remember that just a hot nose in an animal in itself is not, for example, a sign of a cold. A conclusion about the appearance of a disease can be made if a number of different similar signs coincide.

If the owner discovers that the cat has a warm nose, then there is no need to panic immediately. Perhaps the animal just woke up or simply crawled out from under a warm, cozy blanket. In addition, such a change in nasal temperature can occur if the pet is nervous or has simply been active for a long time, for example, running and playing. In these cases, you should wait a while, approximately 30 minutes. During this period, the animal's nose should become cool and moist again.

By the way, a cat can have a dry and warm nose even for such minor reasons as overeating or, conversely, lack of food. But if after a couple of hours the situation does not change, then in this case it is worth suspecting that your pet has a cold. As a rule, sneezing, lethargy, apathy, loss of appetite, and hot ears are also added to the symptom under discussion. It is very important at this stage to measure the animal’s body temperature. If there is no special thermometer for this, then you can use the most ordinary one, intended for people. If it really turns out that your cat’s nose is warm due to a cold, then it is best to show it to a veterinarian, who can accurately diagnose it and select the appropriate safe treatment for the animal.

In addition, the situation is sometimes reversed when pet nose becomes too cold. Especially if, in addition to a decrease in temperature, pale skin is added to this. Perhaps this indicates that the animal is severely hypothermic, poisoned, or is in in a state of shock. By the way, a dry but cold nose also often occurs with a cold. But in this case they will definitely add to it additional symptoms, which were mentioned above. In any case, if there is any illness in the body of a cat, he will definitely need specialized help.

If the cat is in a cheerful state, great mood and there is a good appetite, but at the same time his nose is warm and dry, then perhaps this is an indicator that his stomach is clogged with wool. As a rule, animals are excellent at coping with this problem on their own.

A warm and dry nose in a cat can often be a sign not only of a cold, but also of more serious ones. dangerous illnesses. Therefore, it is very important for the pet owner to pay attention to such changes in the body of their pet.

What should your nose be like? healthy cat- dry or wet?

Observant cat owners always notice that something is wrong with their pet. - a reason to contact the veterinarian, bad smell from the mouth - most likely, problems with teeth (find out about), but what can a cat’s nose tell us about? What should it be like for a healthy cat, and what to do if the cat has a dry nose?

Today, in our publication we will try to find answers to these questions...

Features of a cat's nose

In fact, the cat's nose is fantastically accurate and complex instrument, which helps the cat explore the world around it. So, when a kitten is born, he is completely blind, deaf and helpless, and his only way of understanding the world around him is his nose. With the help of his sense of smell, the baby finds his mother’s warm side, milk, his lair and his brothers and sisters. Later, when other sensing abilities are added to the cat’s sense of smell, the nose becomes a kind of indicator of the cat’s health status. So,

when it is dry, this indicates that the cat is hot; when the nose is simply hot and wet, the pet’s body temperature is elevated; when it is congested and swollen, it looks like the cat is sick with a viral infection...

The structure of a cat's nose

A simplified version of the structure of a cat's nose consists of 2 nasal passages - 2 nostrils separated by cartilage - all this is similar to the structure of the human nose. These nasal passages lead into a labyrinth of ethmoid conchae. Believe it or not, if necessary, a cat can retain odors in these shells and labyrinths of passages in order to more accurately identify them. However, when a cat's nose is clogged with dust, dirt or secretions, the ability to smell is reduced and the cat no longer senses odors as keenly.

Having passed through the labyrinth of passages, odor molecules irritate the cells responsible for the perception of odors, which are closely related to olfactory center the cat's brain - this is how smells are identified. Note, There are many times more perception receptors in a cat’s nose than there are receptors in a person’s nose, therefore, it is not surprising that cats’ sense of smell is 15 times better developed than yours and mine.

Irritating odors can prevent your cat from smelling chemical substances, perfumes, herbs and spices, the smell of vinegar, citruses... It seems to us that the smell of tangerines is barely audible in the room, but our cat physically suffers from their aroma, therefore, if possible, we must try to protect our pets from such fragrant “attacks”.

It is also noteworthy that the very shape of a cat’s nose is determined by the structure of the cranial bones and cartilage, therefore, cats with natural head proportions have the most healthy noses, whereas cats who have in mind breed characteristics flattened faces – more often than other cats suffer from diseases respiratory system(read more about) as their nasal bones and cartilages are compressed and deformed.

The main functions of a cat's nose

In addition to the fact that the cat’s nose is an accurate organ of smell, as well as an indicator of the pet’s health status, cats breathe with the help of their nose, the mucous membranes of the nasal passages warm the air inhaled by the cat, where it not only goes through the heating stage, but also filters, purifying from fine particles dust, bacteria and viruses. Wherein,

if a cat’s nose is hot for a long time, there is a malfunction in the thermoregulation processes of the cat’s body, which is why you should not ignore what kind of nose the cat has - dry, wet, hot.

By the way, you won't believe it, but skin Their nose lobes are so highly sensitive to temperature changes that cats can accurately determine the temperature of a surface or food without even touching these objects with the tip of their nose.

Diagnosis of a cat's health based on the condition of its nose

However, we are still interested in how the state of a cat’s health can be determined by the condition of its nose. And now we invite you to consider with us various possible options and explanations for them. So,

The cat has a dry and warm nose

In fact, all cats experience dry and warm noses several times throughout the day. Ah, all because this is exactly how it should be for a sleeping cat or for a cat after waking up. This is quite normal reaction the cat's body into an inactive state. But, already 30 minutes after the cat wakes up, its nose should become wet. If this does not happen, you should try to find the answer to the question “why?”

By the way, I would like to remind you that cats body temperature is higher than human body by 2 degrees. And, during active pastime (games, for example - read how and what to play with your cat), the cat’s nose may alternate between heating and cooling, because the nose shows the reaction of the animal’s body to its physical activity.

But, if your cat’s nose is dry and warm all the time, observe her condition to see if her appetite has changed (find out), behavior (read here), how she behaves. If your pet begins to sleep a lot, has lost its appetite and is inactive, consult a specialist so as not to miss the onset of the disease.

The cat has spots on his nose

Most often, the color of a cat’s nose depends on her and most often duplicates the color of the fur in the muzzle area, or is several shades darker. However, even if your cat has had it on her nose since birth age spot, it is 3-colored () or simply already at an advanced age (read about how cats age and what happens to their bodies) - this is not a reason for concern (many cats’ noses simply turn black in old age). But,

If your cat’s nose color suddenly changes for no reason, consult your veterinarian about this.

Perhaps the whole point is that the cat lives in a room where it is cold. Scientists have noticed an amazing pattern: the colder the room, the darker and richer the cat’s color becomes (but for light-colored cats the opposite is true: the colder the room, the paler the nose; the hotter it is, the brighter it is). And, perhaps, it is worth handing over and examining the animal to identify the cause of such changes.

By the way, if a cat has a white nose, then by the way its color changes, you can learn about the work of the animal’s circulatory system, since the outflow of blood is very clearly visible through the skin, which is devoid of pigmentation. Thus, a bluish tint to the skin will indicate a sign of lack of oxygen or heart disease.

Red sore nose may be a sign of rhinitis, infection, mechanical irritation, high blood pressure, high temperature or allergies. And here yellowish tint nose - speaks of liver or kidney diseases. But in cats, whose noses are naturally colored dark color, carrying out such a diagnosis is not so easy. To determine the condition of the pet, they examine the mucous membranes of the eyelids and lips.

The cat has a cold and dry nose

If you notice that your cat has a cold and dry nose, this may indicate that your pet has a cold. Especially if you also experience the following symptoms: loss of appetite, sneezing (find out), elevated temperature body (it must be determined not by eye, but based on accurate readings thermometer - you know?), hot ears, purulent discharge from the nose. In this case, it would be appropriate to consult a veterinarian for advice, and the sooner the better.