My kitten has a fever. How can I safely lower it and help him?

If the fever persists longer than 12hours, she becomes weak or refuses water for longer than 4hours you should return to your vet. Do not give any human or other medications to such a young kitten but keep her in a cool, well ventilated area with easy access to fresh water and soft food. Most cases resolve uneventfully without additional treatment

Poor Lucy. It is always sad when our babies are sick and not feeling well. I have attached a handout below that discusses upper respiratory infections in kittens. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=613 These infections can be viral or bacterial. Sometimes an infection will start as a viral infection then develop a secondary bacterial infection. Cats normally are warmer than humans and have a normal body temperature of 100-102.5 degrees. If Lucy has a fever of over 103, I would recommend having her evaluated by a veterinarian if you have not already. If her infection is viral, she may just need some time and supportive care to make her feel better. I like taking kittens into a humid bathroom for 5-10 minutes (after you have showered) to help loosen their congestion. And make sure she keeps eating. Cats need to be able to smell their food, so you may need to feed her some smelly canned food to keep her eating. If Lucy develops yellow or green nasal discharge, is very lethargic or will not eat, I would recommend having her evaluated by your veterinarian. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Lucy feels better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

If Tikvichko truly has a fever (check by using a digital thermometer inserted about 1 centimeter in the rectum; cats are normally between 100 and 102 Fahrenheit) then he likely needs antibiotics to treat this problem. I'm not sure how it works in your country, but in the U.S. these are only obtainable with a prescription. Clavamox is typically a good choice for respiratory infections; your vet can prescribe it for you

Unfortunately it's illegal for us to recommend any medication without seeing Simba in person. We can't say what is causing his symptoms, so we don't know which medications would be appropriate, and we can't say if they are safe for him or not. You will need to take him into a vet to get treated. I recommend taking him in today. Best of luck.

I typically don't recommend treating the fever specifically as fevers are a normal reaction to fight infection in the body. Like a cold in people, upper respiratory infections in cats can take several days to resolve. As long as she's eating and drinking normally, that is a good sign. If she stops eating and drinking or gets very congested and is breathing through her mouth, I would recommend taking her back to the vet. Occasionally upper respiratory infections get so severe that cats need to be hospitalized for IV fluids and syringe feeding until the symptoms improve.

You can try warming the food or mixing in a teaspoon of baby food into it. This could stimulate her appetite. You can also take her temperature to check for fever. Use a rectal thermometer and sterile lube. Normal temp is between 37 C and 39 C (100 F- 102.5 F). Anything above that is considered a fever and should be addressed by your veterinarian.

Firstly, please be sure she actually has a fever. You cannot tell just by touching her. A rectal temperature is needed. I suggest you get an accurate temperature before starting any treatment. If she does have a fever, anything over 103.0F, you can use rubbing alcohol (70%) and wipe it on her paw pads and then recheck her temperature about 15 minutes later. If the fever is due to underlying infection this is not likely to help. You can make her temperature drop too low so be careful you don't cause the opposite problem. Absolutely DO NOT give her any over the counter medications. Many are extremely toxic to cats. Honestly, it is best to find an emergency vet open if possible.