Senior Cat Comfort & Care

Your cat's vital signs are helpful indicators of their health. These include temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate. You can check them easily at home. Knowing your cat's normal ranges when they're healthy and calm gives you a clue when you're worried something might be wrong.

A cat's normal body temperature is between 100.5° F and 102.5° F (38.1° C and 39.2° C).

Normal heart rate is 140 to 220 beats per minute. When resting at home, it should be closer to 140 to 160.

A normal respiratory rate for a resting, healthy cat is typically 15 to 30 breaths per minute.

Cats experiencing stress, overexertion, or illness may fall above normal ranges.

Consistent small changes to your cat's normal ranges or sudden jumps mean a call to your veterinarian to ensure they don't need to be examined.

Especially if your senior cat has health issues, you'll feel better knowing you can routinely check their vitals. This can give you peace of mind or validate your instinct that something is wrong. Ask your veterinarian to show you how to check vitals.