We love our cats hugely. So it’s a worry in a heatwave when the temperature soars and our feline friends become susceptible to heatstroke…
It’s 40 degrees outside and I bet I know what’s on your mind.
Your cats.
You love them hugely.
But how will they cope in the extreme heat?
You watch your cats closely. You watch for every pant, every drool of saliva, every missed meal.
You imagine (or IS it your imagination?) that your cat has grown listless and lethargic, or if he or she isn’t listless perhaps he or she is agitated?
As the sun beats ever hotter and it seems impossible to cool the house, you wonder does your cat have heatstroke and should you call the vet, but you’re hesitant to do that in case your cat doesn’t have heatstroke you will end up with a monumental vets bill for no good reason.
You have cause to worry. Cats CAN get heatstroke, especially in hot weather, and it can be very serious if it develops and remains untreated.
Thankfully, however, there are some simple steps you can take to make your cats more comfortable in a heatwave or in scorching weather.
Do heat and humidity affect cats?
Cats are prone to heatstroke in hot weather. In the UK last July the temperature soared to 40 degrees centigrade and my cats were distinctly uncomfortable.
I learned to look out for the symptoms of heatstroke, the main ones of which are lethargy, agitation, rapid breath, hot skin, drooling and vomiting.
It’s crucial that if the weather is hot and your cat displays any of these symptoms you call your vet immediately for advice.
Luckily my cats, who are both quite young, didn’t develop these symptoms, but that is partly because I did my research and developed some strategies for keeping my cats cool. Arguably older and overweight cats are more prone to heatstroke than others, so be aware of that.
Here are 10 ways to help keep your cat cool in hot weather:
1. Make sure they have plenty of cool water to drink
Encourage your cat to drink by putting out plenty of clean, cool water in strategic sites around the house. The water should be changed and replenished every few hours.
Ideally the water should be in a shady spot where your cat can escape from the sunshine, the heatwave and the scorching weather.
Remember regularly to clean the water bowl so that it doesn’t become dirty.
2. Make sure food is in a shady spot
Make sure your cats have plenty of wet food rather than dry kibble in the summer heat. Wet food has more moisture than dry food, so it will help ensure your cat stays hydrated.
Wet food can become manky very quickly if it is left in the heat or sun. Make sure wet food is kept in a shady spot and changed regularly. Ideally, water down your wet food a little to ensure your cat ingests plenty of liquid.
3. Make sure there is plenty of shade for your cat outside and inside
If your cat is an outdoor cat, then ensure there is plenty of shade for your cat outdoors, and erect shady tarpaulins for him or her as necessary to protect him or her from the heatwave or the scorching weather.
Indoors, make sure there is plenty of shade in your cat’s favourite snoozing spots, and draw the curtains to his or her “oasis room” if necessary. Remember that, counter-intuitively, in very hot weather it may be cooler indoors that outdoors so that opening windows and doors may not necessarily be the best solution.
4. Keep your cat indoors during the hottest part of the day
Cats in a heatwave are no fun at all. It can get blazingly hot out there. If your cat is an outdoor cat, try to keep him or her indoors during the hottest part of the day – say between 11:00 and 4:00 o’clock.
In this way, you will help your cat avoid being subjected to the worst of the scorching and hot weather.
5. Fill a tray with an inch of cool water and let your cat paddle his or her paws in it to keep them cool
Cats perspire through their paws amongst other things, so providing a tray with an inch of cool water for your cat to paddle in can be a good way to make your cat more comfortable.
Your cat might be suspicious of the tray to begin with, so don’t be afraid to lift him or her into the tray while they get used to it.
6. Use a cooling fan or air conditioning if necessary
In scorching weather it might be wise to turn on the air conditioning (if you have it – most people in the UK don’t domestically) or a cooling fan in one or two of your cat’s favourite places.
7. Use a frozen PET bottle
Fill a PET bottle with water and freeze it. Wrap the frozen PET bottle in a towel and let your cat snuggle up against it. It's a sort of cold "hot" water bottle.
Equally, you can wrap your cats in a heatwave in a cool, damp towel I they are getting too hot.
8. Groom your cat
Most cats in a heatwave, especially long haired and semi-long-haired cats, benefit from grooming in scorching hot weather. If you keep on top of their coat by grooming, they will most likely get less hot and bothered.
9. Prepare iced treats
Many cat owners make up iced treats for their cats in hot weather. Such treats can include treats based on low-salt chicken stock or tuna brine.
10.Don’t let your cat get sunburnt
Some people don’t realise, but many cats, especially fairer cats, are susceptible to sunburn when they are outside in the sunshine or subjected to scorching hot weather. Noses and ears are particularly susceptible. You can buy a specialist cat sunblock from your vet which should do the trick.
Don’t let the hot weather catch you out
Using these little tricks might mean that you avoid where you’ve come from: panicking over your cat’s reaction to the extreme heat and whether your cats in a heatwave will succumb to heatstroke.
No longer will you inevitably have to ring the vet and risk $$$ in vets fees. Instead, you can take these simple steps to avert disaster and make your cat much happier in the scorching hot heat.
Now you can bask in the realization that you are a competent cat owner and that your cat is better equipped to tolerate the scorching hot heat than he or she otherwise might be.
As a result, you can enjoy your cat’s company even in the baking heat, safe in the knowledge that your cat is well cared for and happy.
And that you still have the reassuring back-up of the vet should things go wrong.
Cats in a heatwave and the scorching hot weather are no fun at all, but these 10 simple tricks will ensure your cats remain as happy as they can be in the scorching heat.
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