Southern California Heat Wave = Bad For Cats

I live in Riverside, California, and for the past week, we've had smoldering hot temperatures in the 100's. I live in a two story home with 4 dogs, and 3 cats. It's very hard to keep this house cool because of the multiple stories. Even with the AC running all day the house is always in the 90 degree range. This Is an easy fix for dogs, I just take them out front and hose them down to keep them cool. My cats, however, are suffering from this weather. Fearful of heat exhaustion, I have been "wetting" them down too with spray bottles. It seems to help a little, but there has to be something more I can do. This heat is unbearable. Any ideas? Please help us.

Nikki

Can you get a fan with a cover and put ice in it? I saw it online and am thinking of trying it. I am glad I live on the bottom here because the heat.

Originally Posted by mews2much

Can you get a fan with a cover and put ice in it? I saw it online and am thinking of trying it. I am glad I live on the bottom here because the heat.

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haha yeah, that's actually a great idea for like..80 degree weather, but i've been having to put new ice cubes in all the water bowls every 10 minutes. ice melts so fast in this weather. there is no escape to this heat.

I know what you mean. My A/C broke last Summer when it was 108 and over. Dont you hate this heat? tomorrow it will be 105 here. Its over 100 right now. I do not have any other ideas for you.

Originally Posted by mews2much

I know what you mean. My A/C broke last Summer when it was 108 and over. Dont you hate this heat? tomorrow it will be 105 here. Its over 100 right now. I do not have any other ideas for you.

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I know. It was 105 yesterday. Today it's 103. I so hate spraying my cats down, because they hiss and run away from me, but there is literally no other way to cool them down. I have them all gathered up in the coolest room in the house, and it's causing tension, but I need to keep an eye on them because my older cat is panting a lot. I hope nothing bad happens to them this summer. It is so hot.

How old is the Cat? I took Coco to the Vet because she was panting from the heat years ago. I had to keep water on her non stop and was scared. Then my other Cats started panting. I put Fans on all of them on high. What are the lows there? They say ours will be 72.

Just my 2 cents worth...our temps are not as hot as your's...and right now it's only 59F...do you feel cooler??

When it does get hot here...the humidity comes with it.....my cats seem to want to stretch out on the floor and just stay still. Cats do come from the desert and heat isn't such a big deal to them. Perhaps having a fan blowing somewhere..not directly on them..would help. Do you have ceiling fans? My cats will lay below them..in the kitchen....

Cats seem to tolerate the heat better than dogs....a cat's body temperature is warmer than our's as well. Keeping lots of water around is a good idea....Do they enjoy being squirted by a water bottle....some cats like it.

Cats do perspire through the pads on their feet. Perhaps rubbing them with a cold washcloth would help them to feel cooler.

Honestly....I think as long as there is ventilation and a cool floor to lay on and they are not being made to move....I wouldn't get too concerned about their heat issues. Keep a watch on them to make sure they are responsive and I think they will be fine.

You can try to send some of that heat up to us...we'll appreciate it!!

You can have some of the heat.
Tomorrow: Mainly sunny. Very hot. High near 105F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph.
Tomorrow night: Clear skies. Warm. Low 72F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
Saturday: A mainly sunny sky. Very hot. High around 100F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
Sunday: Sunshine. Highs 98 to 102F and lows in the upper 60s.

That's hot!!!!

Are you relying on window units or central? If window, they're not the most efficient, if central it may be too small for your house or you need someone to come check things out.

It gets that hot here (and hotter) but we have central thankfully.
Make sure there is plenty of cool water available - add some ice cubes to their bowls. You can wet the cats down a little with damp wash cloth - make sure to wipe a little water on their ears to dampen them (outer part of the ear itself). This can help cool them down a little.

Edit: Just wanted to add. Heat is very very dangerous. Don't just worry about your pets, if you (and your family) can't sufficiently cool down you can end up very sick. Please make sure everyone drinks plenty of fluids.

I hope you have Central Air like us. My Sister has the window A/C and its still 90-95 in her place.

Originally Posted by thenbxmas

I live in Riverside, California, and for the past week, we've had smoldering hot temperatures in the 100's. I live in a two story home with 4 dogs, and 3 cats. It's very hard to keep this house cool because of the multiple stories. Even with the AC running all day the house is always in the 90 degree range. This Is an easy fix for dogs, I just take them out front and hose them down to keep them cool. My cats, however, are suffering from this weather. Fearful of heat exhaustion, I have been "wetting" them down too with spray bottles. It seems to help a little, but there has to be something more I can do. This heat is unbearable. Any ideas? Please help us.

Nikki

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What about using a dehumidifier or two?

It has been in the sixties here all week. I do not envy you Californians.

Good luck with your kitties.

Take some frozen water bottles wrapped in a towel (single layer). Put these in places your cats can lean against. The towel just absorbs the moisture as the water melts and keeps the cats dry, but they can feel the coolness from the frozen water.

We have those temps every year, though we've only hit 100 once so far this year do to the rain cooling us down.

Don't worry about keeping the upper floors cool. Heat rises. Keep everone downstairs.
Keep the drapes/curtains/blinds closed on the south and east side of the house.
We've done the coke bottles filled with water for the animals to cuddle up to. Some people put the marble cutting boards into the freezer and then let the cats use them.
I have an Arctic Ice machine - it runs cool/cold water through a pad. It has a small ice chest that you fill with ice and water. There is a temperature control on it. I lay a towel over it and the furries can lay on it.
Ceiling fans - make sure it is turned to pull the air up. Circulating air will cool you down.
Turn the fan on the AC to ON, it will keep the air moving.
Make playtime either eary mornings or late evenings when it is cooler.

Good luck.

if at all possible, get central air! I grew up without, and it was hot hot hot. The water bottle idea is good, but previous pets I've had didn't like them. If you're home much, try to keep the shower bottom wet, and maybe teach kitties to walk in it.

It's really hot in Riverside! I live in Orange County, California and it was about 85. If I open the windows we get an ocean breeze all summer. Maybe put the cats in one room with the a/c on. I have a small house with central air and if I close the bedroom doors it keeps the rooms cold. My aunt has a portable a/c in one room of her house and it really keeps the room chilly on hot days. She and her pets just hang out in her cold room all summer while the rest of her house is hot. I hope you find a solution.

I'm glad you guys brought this topic up. I live in the top floor of an apartment building and it is sweltering here! Today was 88 degrees outside, which was tolerable, but I think it's ridiculous that my apartment is also that hot. I feel that I can't leave my cats alone because I'm afraid they'll die. I've had to cancel appointments, etc. to stay here with them. My landlord won't do anything about it and refuses to pay for air conditioning. We can only use fans but they just circulate hot air. I feel so horrible for my cats; they sit sprawled out on the carpet and they are miserable

When I lived in the Bay Area we were in the top apartment and it had no A/C either. My Meeko had heat stroke with Anemia and almost died because my Dads House has no A/C either. Most places over there do not have A/C. When we moved here we asked for the bottom apartment.

What are symptoms of heat stroke in a cat? Also, what temperature can cats endure before developing problems?