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Written by Mary Anne Miller
I have two little girls, Esme and Phoebe; they take turns lying on the kitchen air vent.
Plus when I fill their water dishes I always put ice cubes in first then fill with water.
Living in the Mojave Desert, where it's been 105-107F for 1 1/2 wks and counting,
this is indeed a timely issue! Some of our cats live indoors with us, and enjoy the central air
conditioning, ceiling fans, etc. On cooler days, they go out into their own screened-in "catio" to
bird watch and sun themselves. But the rest of our beloved felines share two stables and a cat-
fenced adjoining yard; it is sweltering up there!!! So we just put up a water mister that delivers a
fine, cooling mist (hook a garden hose up to it and turn it on at lowest setting; a lot of restaurants
use these for "al fresco" dining). Additionally, we bought a portable swamp cooler (evaporative)
that has two chambers you fill with water from tap or hose; it plugs in and a fan blows on the water
-cooled pad, providing cool and moisture for one of the barns. These are available at home stores
for a little over $100, and are far cheaper to operate than air conditioners; models are also
available that hook directly up to a garden hose, but they are not portable, of course.
My Casey is an indoor cat, I keep the air on in order for him to stay comfy, and keep
plenty of cool water to satisfy his thirst, I also have an outdoor cat (lucky) he occasionally come
inside to escape the heat, I also keep lots of cool water for him as well. We live in North Carolina
and it gets really hot and humid, at those times lucky stay inside as much as possible.
A large zip lock bag full of ice with a thin towel over it makes a cool rest stop. (leave
a little room at the top so the ice will be "adjustable"). Also try a large bowl of ice in front of a small
fan. When it melts -ice water for drinking.
Bubba likes to sleep in a chair with the fan blowing on him.
The most important thing in keeping my cats cool is cold fresh water out of the
fridge. I do this several times a day; and they come running....they love it.
I have 4 cats, 3 like to play outside on our farm most of the time but do ask to come
in during the heat of the day. Inside is air conditioned. The one cat I keep indoors is deaf. Even
though the house is cooler than outdoors I give my cats' ice cubes to help them cool off. I put a
handful on the kitchen floor. They have a great time licking them and playing with them. After the
ice is gone, each cat finds his or her favorite spot to sleep the rest of the hot day away.
I keep my precious kitty cool with air conditioning, fans, and plenty of fresh water.
Also, I brush her often to remove loose fur (even though she is a short-hair).
To keep the kitty's drink cool all day long, I put 3-4 ice cubes in her drinking water
early in the morning. This keeps the water cool most of the day. When I return from work, I again
put several ice cubes in her water bowl.
To keep the kitty from being exposed to the Southern heat (I live in Atlanta), I put her
out on the screened in porch early in the morning and again after dinner or when the heat dies
down.
What I do to keep my cat cool is put ice cube in her water dish and put in the
basement. It works for her but not for some cats.
Since my cat is a white Turkish Angora she gets fur balls on her belly each year. I
get her shaved in early summer and she stays cool lying on the tile floor.
Traci of cat-health online says: "Cats may pant if afflicted with hyperthermia, and will also
drool/salivate excessively.
Symptoms can and will include panting, hyper salivation, dehydration, congested mucous
membranes, cardiac arrhythmias, respiratory distress/failure/arrest, hemorrhagic vomiting or
diarrhea, seizures, stupor, coma and death.
Immediate veterinary attention is imperative for any pet suspected of heat-stroke, with IV fluids
therapy, regulating body temperature, treating kidney damage, heart dysfunction or other organ
dysfunction. The sooner treatment is initiated, the better the recovery outcome.
Owners can apply rubbing alcohol on the pet's paw pads, and cool the body with cool, wet
towels--and/or use cooling fan directed toward pet-- en route to the vet, but need to get veterinary
attention immediately (owners should NOT *continually or for long periods of time* apply cold/wet
water or towels to the pet because the condition can fast lead to HYPO-thermia, this is the reason
for immediate veterinary attention. Owners should also NEVER immerse the pet in
ice.
Keeping Cats Cool 1
Keeping Cats Cool 3
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