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With the weather rapidly getting warming, and most likely going to continue throughout the summer and into the future, keeping your furry friend cool is upmost importance. When you are hot sitting there in your tank top and shorts, imagine how you would feel if you had a fur coat on top of that! Not fun is it? So here are a few tips to watch out for to indicate that your cat may be warm and what you can do to help.
What are the signs of overheating?
There are quite a few signs that your cat may be overheating and your feline could have any one or combination of these. They include:
- Gums that appear dark red or grey
- High temperature
- Lethargy
- Panting
- Rapid heartbeat
- Restlessness
- Vocalizing
Panting is usually the one that most people notice but if it is warm and you feel that your cat is sleeping more than normal, maybe help cool them down to see if they perk up.
So how do I cool my cat down?
There’s a few options!
- Keep your cat inside! If they are an indoor/outdoor, maybe make them stay inside during the hottest parts of the day. And if you put them outside in a cage sometimes, limit the times you do it to early morning or late night. Not matter how much they yowl!
- Keep your house a cool temperature! While we all like to save money on AC, you have to think of your residents. Whether it be putting the AC on and getting the temp down, putting fans on (with a bowl of ice in front of it can be a good trick) or opening some windows on a breezy day (make sure a screen is in!), keep that house at not a crazy temperature.
- Keep their water bowl filled! The water bowl will naturally go down with evaporation and them drinking it, so make sure you check it regularly. You can also put ice cubes in to make the water cooler!
- Brush their fur regularly! Cats shed, so make sure you help them out during the warmer months. Don’t want a hot cat bringing up fur-balls, or too exhausted to lick the extra fur off that needs to come off to help keep them cool
- Have a backup plan! Power outages can happen or maybe your AC fails (god forbid!). Make sure you have a friend or two you can call upon in an emergency to take your pet.
Make sure during the warmer weather you are paying extra close attention to your furry companion and not leaving them all day in an house with no airconditioning.