Sometimes it happens to caress the cat and feel that it has warm ears: but why does this happen? Are there any risks or dangers? What to do when it happens?
Pets cannot speak to us except with body language, so it is essential that anyone who chooses to adopt one learns to read the signals that a four-legged friend sends: very often, it is in fact a symptom of some health problem.
Speaking of signals that animals send through the body, today let’s try to answer a question that anyone who has a cat at home has probably asked themselves at least once in their life: Why do cats have hot ears? And if it happens, do we need to worry?
Before continuing, if you are interested in learning more about the topic, you can read our in-depth study on the body language of cats.
Warm ears in cats: when should you worry?
Usually, a cat’s hot ears are associated with a health problem: let’s say right away that this is not always the case. Quite often, cats have hot ears but that doesn’t mean they’re sick!
The normal body temperature for cats, in fact, is higher than that of humans and settles around 38 ° / 39 ° C: therefore, if we stroke our feline friend we seem to notice a certain warmth in the ears, it could be completely normal.
Furthermore, the ears of cats may seem warmer than they should due to their natural conformation: they are not covered by large amounts of hair, nor by a layer of fat, on the contrary. Feline ears are thin and are quite exposed, so it can happen that especially in summer they are particularly warm to the touch.
Why does my cat have warm ears? Most common causes
In general, the most common cause why cats can have hot ears is the outside temperature: if your four-legged friend likes to lie in the sun, especially on hot days, or in the warmth next to the radiator turned on in winter, overheating of the ear cups is absolutely normal.
However, there are also some cases in which hot ears represent a symptom of some health problem in the cat, and among these we remember:
– Fever> the first thing to think about in these cases, thanks to the widespread belief that hot ears indicate fever in the cat. This may be true, but it is not absolute certainty: the only way to be sure is to use a thermometer and measure the temperature.
– Allergy> especially if, in addition to being warm, the cat’s ears are also red, there could be an allergic reaction in progress. In this case, the cat must be subjected to special tests done by the veterinarian.
– Diseases> Ear diseases in cats, such as otitis, can lead to the symptom of hot ears.
– Infections> in some cases, if only one specific part of the body is warmer, there may be an infection going on. If you notice other symptoms in your cat, such as itchy ears, see your vet.
In general, hot ears alone are not a worrying sign: surely the problem arises if there are other physical and behavioral symptoms, such as itching, pain, aggression, apathy or if the cat sleeps too much. If this is the case, there may be something wrong and it is best to consult your vet as soon as possible.
