The numbers
Normal vital signs for a cat
The published resting ranges, how to take each reading at home, and where the emergency line sits.
Temperature
38.1 – 39.2 °C
100.5 – 102.5 °F
Rectal, with a lubricated digital thermometer and a helper, is the reliable method. Many cats will not allow it, and that is fine: never force it. Ear readings are less accurate.
At or above 40.5 °C (104.9 °F), or at or below 37.2 °C (99 °F), is an emergency.
Resting heart rate
140 – 220 bpm
kittens up to about 260
Feel the pulse inside the back leg where it meets the body, or rest a hand on the chest just behind the left elbow. Count for 15 seconds and multiply by four.
Count it at home while your cat is calm. At the clinic, stress alone pushes it up.
Breathing rate
20 – 30 breaths/min
under 30 asleep · never open-mouthed
Watch the chest or belly rise and fall. Count for 15 seconds and multiply by four. The most useful number is the sleeping rate.
A sleeping rate over 30, again and again, is worth a vet call. Open-mouth breathing at rest is an emergency.
Gums & refill time
pink, refill under 2 s
moist, not tacky
Lift the lip, press a gum gently until it pales, release, and count how long the pink takes to come back.
Pale, white or blue gums mean go now. Yellow gums (jaundice) mean call the vet today.
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual · AAFP — the ranges FelineSense checks against
Signs that mean go now, without taking a reading
- Straining in the litter box with little or no urine, especially a male
- Open-mouth breathing, or breathing with effort
- Not eating for 24 hours or more
- Sudden back-leg weakness or paralysis, often with crying
- Collapse or unable to stand
- A seizure
- Pale, white or blue gums
- A lot of blood in the stool, or black stool with weakness or vomiting
- Temperature at or above 40.5 °C / 104.9 °F
- Temperature at or below 37.2 °C / 99 °F
A cat squatting in the box again and again is often mistaken for constipation. If little or no urine comes out, it can be a blocked urethra, which becomes life-threatening quickly. Sudden back-leg paralysis with cold paws is usually a blood clot from heart disease (aortic thromboembolism). Both are emergency-room drives, not morning appointments. Contact with a lily, even its pollen or vase water, or with a dog flea product or a human painkiller, is also a reason to call now, before any signs show.
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual · AAFP · Cornell Feline Health Center (Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease; Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy) · ASPCA Animal Poison Control
Reading it
The readings that matter most in cats
The sleeping breathing rate, and why vets ask for it
Of all the vital signs, the sleeping breathing rate is the one owners measure best: no handling, no stress. Count it when your cat is deeply asleep, not twitching in a dream. A healthy cat asleep usually breathes well under 30 times a minute. A rate that keeps coming in above 30 is a recognized early warning of heart disease such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the most common heart disease in cats and often silent until late. Counting once a week and logging it gives your vet a trend instead of a guess.
Source: Cornell Feline Health Center (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy) · Merck Veterinary Manual
Is it normal for a cat to breathe with its mouth open?
No, and this is one place where cats are not small dogs. A cat may pant for a few seconds after frantic play or a stressful car ride, and it should stop as soon as they rest. Open-mouth breathing at rest, breathing with visible effort from the belly, or panting that does not settle is an emergency. It can mean heart failure, asthma or fluid around the lungs, and it needs a vet now.
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual · AAFP
Why a baseline matters in cats
Cats are both predator and prey, and they hide pain and illness well. By the time a cat looks obviously sick, the problem has often been building for a while. A few calm readings while your cat is healthy give you and your vet something to compare against.
Small changes in behavior are often the first clue: a cat that stops jumping up, hides more, grooms less or misses the litter box is telling you something, even when every number is normal.
Source: AAFP · Cornell Feline Health Center
Numbers at the vet often run higher
A stressed cat at the clinic often has a faster heart and breathing rate than at home. That is one reason home readings are worth having: they show what is normal for your cat when calm. Bring them, with the time of day. A resting heart rate above 220 at home is also one of the signs of an overactive thyroid.
In FelineSense
Every reading checked against the feline range
- Temperature in °C or °F, heart rate, breathing (marked if counted while asleep), gum color and refill time
- Each entry checked against the feline ranges, kittens included, with one verdict: all within normal, worth watching, worth a vet call, or see a vet now
- Symptoms with the cat red flags built in: straining with little or no urine, open-mouth breathing, not eating for 24 hours, sudden back-leg weakness
- Temperature, heart rate and breathing charted in Trends against their normal bands
- A journal your vet can read in the vet report. More on the health tracker
Launching first on iPhone and iPad, with Android and Amazon soon after.
In the app
Readings over time, and for the vet
Questions
Frequently asked
What is a normal temperature for a cat?
What is a normal heart rate for a cat?
How many breaths per minute is normal for a cat?
Is it normal for a cat to breathe with its mouth open?
What color should a cat’s gums be?
How do I take my cat’s temperature at home?
FelineSense checks every reading you log against the feline ranges, flags the cat emergencies, and charts temperature, heart rate and breathing over time.
See the app