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Cats can be very secretive when they want to be and this is always the case when they are feeling unwell. Unless you actually see your cat behaving in an abnormal manner or you see a physical sign that they are sick, then most often you won’t be able to tell if your cat is dehydrated.
When a cat becomes dehydrated then it usually means something is happening elsewhere in their body. Dehydration occurs due to illness, vomiting, diarrhoea, or lack of water intake. If a cat becomes dehydrated and it isn’t immediately treated, then there is the danger of their liver, kidneys and heart getting permanently damaged which in a worse case scenario could lead to death.
To establish if your cat is dehydrated, there are three areas on their body that you look at that can help you determine if there is something wrong.
Eyes
The first sign that might help you determine if your cat is dehydrated is the eye test. Cats have very large glossy eyes and they are a very prominent feature of a cat's face. Sallow sunken eyes in the first sign that your cat could be severely dehydrated.
Test
If you put both your palms on your cat's cheeks and gently pull down on the skin under their eyes and you just see their eyes and nothing else then your cat is fine. However if you see a gap between the eyeballs and the skin around the eye, then your cat is severely dehydrated.
Neck
The skin is the biggest organ in the body and if it does not have enough moisture in it then it tends to lose its elasticity and the skin won’t bounce back in towards the body.
Test
The test you can do on the skin is the elasticity test. If you pull up the skin at the back of their neck close or toward their shoulder blades and the skin does not bounce back but stays standing, then your cat is severely dehydrated.
Gums
A cat's gums should be a light pink color and be glossy and wet. If your cat’s gums are red, then this could be a sign of an illness. If their gums are sticky then they are dehydrated.
Test
Gently open your cat's mouth and press your index finger to your cat’s gum. If the cat’s gum remains white and doesn’t turn back to its normal light pink then they are dehydrated. If your finger also comes away tacky and sticky then this is a sign of a dehydrated cat.
Conclusion
If you suspect that your cat is dehydrated then you need to get your cat to the veterinarian immediately because you don't know how much damage could already have been done.
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