Concerns: Is My Cat's Ears Hot to the Touch?

[misskitty]

My kitten Salem, who is almost a year old now, is a vocal outdoor cat. An she loves to be petted. Especially when you pat her head and her ears. One thing I contimually notice is her ears are hot to the touch. I don't know if its normal or not. Does anyone know anything about this?

~Kitty

 

[Moonbear]

A lot of animals use their ears as one way to stay cool...the blood vessels are close to the surface so heat can dissipate more easily. Cats should feel pretty warm to us anyway, because their normal body temperature is a few degrees higher than ours (their normal range is between 100 F and 102 F).

 

[EnumaElish]

My cat's ears feel "warm" -- definitely warmer than the rest of her body or my ears.

You said yours is an outdoors cat. Mine used to be stressed out if you took her outside, but lately I have been experimenting with sending her out when she becomes "emotional" at home (her complaints start after midnight -- must be one of Murphy's laws). But since I don't want her to wander too far from home and be never seen or heard from again, I feel that I have to watch her every time she steps out. Ether way I end up sleep depraved. Does anyone have a suggestion, or should I take this to a cat lover's forum?

 

[Pengwuino]

I remembered my cat having warm ears too! I want a cat again :D

 

[Math Is Hard]

My cat's ears feel "warm" -- definitely warmer than the rest of her body or my ears.

You said yours is an outdoors cat. Mine used to be stressed out if you took her outside, but lately I have been experimenting with sending her out when she becomes "emotional" at home (her complaints start after midnight -- must be one of Murphy's laws). But since I don't want her to wander too far from home and be never seen or heard from again, I feel that I have to watch her every time she steps out. Ether way I end up sleep depraved. Does anyone have a suggestion, or should I take this to a cat lover's forum?

If she's spayed that should reduce her straying tendencies, but make sure she's got a collar with identification. Some vets can tattoo a cat's ear with identification or implant an ID chip which is helpful. Of course, the safest bet is to have a strictly indoor cat, but being a cat owner for many years I know this is not always practical (especially if you've adopted one with a feral upbringing, and like me, refuse to declaw the animal).

Some other complications of having an indoor/outdoor cat that you'll have to be mindful of (aside from the obvious dangers) are fleas (get a treatment like Advantage if you can), and bites from other animals, which can turn into nasty and expensive abcesses or worse. Even more horrible, my cats have been shot with air-guns by neighborhood kids. They better hope I never find out who did it.

As they get older, cats settle down, and have less desire to go out. My 11 year old cat will only go out if I am with her now. You might also consider leash training. Some cats take to it as easily as dogs, but you have to start them young.

 

[misskitty]

So Salem's ears are supposed to be that hot during the summer when I pet her?

~Kitty

 

[Moonbear]

So Salem's ears are supposed to be that hot during the summer when I pet her?

~Kitty

I wouldn't be alarmed that her ears feel warm. However, as with anything, if you notice a difference, that they feel even hotter than usual, and especially if she's acting differently, she could have a fever you should have a vet check out. But if she's just come in from outside, give her time to cool off in the air conditioning before you worry about it, because she IS going to be hot coming in from outside in the summer.

 

[EnumaElish]

From time to time Mimi stands in front of an A/C outlet (facing the outlet as if she is inspecting it). I am guessing she is trying to cool off. If she maintains bodily contact with a surface for more than a minute, the surface gets suprahumanly warm. Every time, I am surprised how much thermal energy she can generate with her meager diet (by human standards).

 

[misskitty]

Thanks Moonbear.

Enuma, cute! I've never seen a cat do something like stand in front of the A/C. I've wondered about the amount of body heat they produce with the amount of food they ingest. I would think their metabolsm is much different from ours, but I'm not sure by how much.

~Kitty

 

[EnumaElish]

Enuma, cute! I've never seen a cat do something like stand in front of the A/C.

This feline mystery may have been solved, and the answer may have nothing to do with temperature. My SIL said she saw a scrawny spider crawl out of an AC vent, into another. I think Mimi was hoping to get her paws on it as she was peeping inside the AC vents through the grill.

 

[DaveC426913]

Ether way I end up sleep depraved. Does anyone have a suggestion, or should I take this to a cat lover's forum?

Uh, I really hope you meant sleep deprived. Sleep depraved doesn't mean what you think it means.

"Remember people, you can love your pets, just don't love your pets..."
Janeane Garofalo - The Truth About Cats & Dogs
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[hexhunter]

feel your own ears, then feel your cheek or something, sometimes my ears get hot enough that they practically burn me, your cat's probably just been out sunbathing, that's what my dog does, and my aunt's, and i know my uncle's cat's bathed on the roof before he moved(to a neighbourhood with competition and other pets in the house), i can't say my dog's ears get hot, but that's cos they're floppy and very furry...

i've strayed off topic there, anyway, if you sunbathe and feel your skin, it'll be hot, so would your cat's skin...

 

[EnumaElish]

Uh, I really hope you meant sleep deprived. Sleep depraved doesn't mean what you think it means.

Thanks, it's a typical typo. BTW, I saw your quote about pet love; does stroking the chest of a female feline coumt as mere love or romantic love? (Hmmm... Now I am a little worried that the typo has something to do with Dr. Freud. )