Heat wave + no air conditioning = hot cat?

hi baybz. I just came through those four days of 113F. My cat fared better than i did! Put a bowl of ice cubes in front of a slowly rotating fan and place it in front of kitty.

Also the frozen peas held to his body (Yeah that was me).

Take a large ziploc freezer bag, fill it with sufficient water to create a blanket, put it in the freezer preferably wrapped around a loaf of bread or something to give it a circular shape. in other words an ice blanket.

Following the recent really bad heat wave i purchased a room air conditioner that plugs into the wall and can easily be moved from room to room. $300.00 because I promised my little Chloe that she would NEVER have to go through anything so awful again. Worth every dime.

Thank You Dear for being such a loving parent.

I would make sure someone checks on the cat at least a couple times over the weekend. Water evaporates fast in the heat and he'll probably be drinking more because its hot so someone should make sure to refill his water with cold water and ice cubes a few times. You could open the windows and leave a fan running too. If you know of anyone in your city with air conditioning that could cat sit him over the weekend that may be a good idea too. Better safe than sorry. Travelling would definitely be too stressful, but leaving him unattended isn't the greatest option either. You could look into a pet hotel, but those are pretty spendy. Best bet would be to ask a neighbor to check up on him and refill water etc. Best of luck!

I must admit that it can get quite hot over the pond in the UK, but never quite as hot or as often than in parts of the US.

I am lucky, I guess in living in a cooler clime, and living in a stone quarryman's cottage with quarryman's tiles and slate flooring in half the house, and an a/c unit is a great help. But, if I'm ever ina position where the temp gets to those highs, I will certainly keep all your very pertinent advice to hand.

This has been a very informative and sensible thread, thank you.

PS Yes! I agree with shaving long hair cats when it gets to the stage of very hot times, they don't get the lion cut but I do clip the tummy of all the cats that need it in the Summer months!!

Only feed her canned food as long as this heat wave continues. Cats still haven't grasped the fact that when they eat dry food they need to drink a lot more water. In nature they are hydrated mostly by the juices in their prey and they drink from rivers for an extra water boost. Cats who are on dry food especially when heres a heat wave as super prone to dehydration. Keep putting icecubes in the water. Thats sounds very refreshing.

The cat will not like you, but spray it with a fine mist of water all over its coat. Cats do not sweat to cool off, they only have sweat glands in their footpads. They cool off by grooming their coat often, and the evaporation of the saliva is what cools them. Misting them with a water bottle will have the same effect. Also, if you have long haired cats, consider a summer shave. I can tell when it is getting hot inside when my two longhair cats disappear to the basement for hours at a time, and will not cuddle or consent to be petted. When it gets to this point, I make an appoint,ment with the groomers, get them a lion cut, and they return to the affectionate kitties I have all winter long.

They only other way cats keep themselves cool is by rapid breathing. Cats pant in stressful situation too, but if it starts panting in your home due to the heat, it is a good sign it is too hot. In such a case, wet the cat down throughly. If your cat demonstrates any of the following signs of heat stroke, wrap in a wet towel and take it to the vet

Fast and frantic noisy breathing

A bright red tongue

Vomiting

Unsteady walking/ staggering

Diarrhea, possibly with blood

Pale blue or gray lips

Coma

Death

My friend who lives in California just did a stellar job helping her cat through the same situation. She held a bag of frozen peas to the cat's body and gave her lots of cool water to drink. If you notice your cat panting and acting very lethargic, get her to a vet. Try wiping her with a cool damp cloth frequently. Mainly keep up her intake of cool water.

Yay! She answered! Take JustTink's advice. Chloe came through purrfectly. I know for a fact-just last night I heard her over the phone!

Thats a great idea, I am sure they will be fine, lots of cats live in houses without air conditioning. Always have fresh water available. they will find a cool spot in the house.

My vet is South African and was saying that they put damp towels down for pets to lay on to help them cool down you could give that a try

plug in a fan, my cats love laying in front of a fan even when the air conditioner is on.

Put some ice cubes in a zip lock, wrap it in a small towel and give it to him to lie with. I've had cats who appreciated this.