Cats and Heat

nekomania

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It is currently 105 degrees outside and I'm very worried about Bean Bean because it is even hotter in our apartment.

Cody and I are severely uncomfortable in this type of heat and especially without air conditioning and only blowing hot air around using two fans.

It's so easy to bundle up in the cold but when it's this hot out, you can only strip down as far as your skin. I can't imagine what it must be like having to wear a big thick fur coat on a day over 100 degrees.

We don't get too many days like this, but what are some things I should do to help keep him cool, or some signs I should watch out for in case he does get too hot. And what should I do in the event of an emergency.



The only thing I've been doing so far is semi-freezing his wet food, making sure he has plenty of fresh cold water throughout the day, and when I can (without making him too mad) I wipe him down with a wet rag.
 

stephanietx

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Do you have a gel ice pack? If so, you can wrap that in a towel and lay it near him. Also, if you have a tile or linoleum floor, the kitty will find it as it'll be cooler. You can always put a fan in there to blow on him. Put ice cubes in his water to make it colder, too. My kitties love really cold water when it's warm outside, but we have central AC. It still gets warm in here because we keep it set at 78*.

You want to be sure to avoid too drastic a temperature change as it might bring on an URI. I think the wiping him down with a cool cloth will probably be enough.
 

rubsluts'mommy

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Yeah, I'm near you, down in Portland, so I understand. RIght now it's kinda nice, so the living room window is open, but before i head out the door myself, I'll be closing that and bringing the blinds completely down.

I just moved into an upper floor apartment, so I don't have ground cooling like the last few years. nad the place before that, back in CHicago, had AC... no one around here even has fans for sale, everyone's sold out. I'll continue to look.

Today is supposedly the last of the over-100 days in this run...

I put one of my kitchen towels in the freezer, damp, last night, and just took it out and put it in front of one of my little fans... it seems to be helping a bit... the air passing it is certainly cooler... I may put a dry towel down with the frozen water bottle down in front of it when I leave... that'll last longer.

JoJo isn't panting visibly, but earlier was breathing fast... she's long hair, so she doesn't handle the heat well... if I were going to be home all day (still have more crud to get out of old place), I'd hunt down some box fans and prop the door open... teh hallway has AC and others are doing just this thing, but I don't have any box fans, and I can't leave the place open and unmonitored.

I also put cold bottled water in their water dishes, and then some ice cubes...

This place has ceiling fans, and they're going at medium speed right now... this is, unfortunately, the best i can do... I hope you fare better across the river from me.

If you can afford it, and Bean Bean can handle the ride, I'd recommend hitting the Petsmart groomers and getting a Lion Cut. I'd do it in a heartbeat for these two, but JoJo had a vet visit last Monday (where I asked them to do one, but because my finances aren't the best and I'm on payment plans) and then two days later moved, they don't want to see the insides of carriers for a long time.

Now, if I could find a mobile groomer who could stop here... hhmmmm....

Good luck.
Amanda
 

littleraven7726

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Mine like to lay on the cool basement floor or upstairs on the floors in general (we have wood floors) when it's hot. I have fans going, when they are truly warm they like to lay in front of them. You could put out a bowl of ice water too. My long haired girl goes in the basement or on the floor under the bed if she's hot. We haven't had a very hot summer at all, so we didn't have to look into giving her a lion cut this year.

When I was growing up, we had a long haired cat and no air conditioning. We would wipe him down with a damp washcloth when it was really miserable. He could cool down a little. We would wet his paws to make sure he got some extra water too. He would lay in the basement, garage floor (he was indoor/outdoor), or on the kitchen linoleum a lot.
 

rubsluts'mommy

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And I just contacted a mobile pet groomer... I don't want to torment them with a long car ride, but carrying them downstairs to a groomer van might be okay... still traumatic, but they'll be cooler!! less body fur to deal with... and it'll grow back reasonable fast enough by the time it does cool off to where they'll want their fur back. This will also help with JoJo and her other issues (DLH, long fur around the butt, you can figure it out... I am NOT gonna try bathing her again... taht was traumatic for both of us!!).

Amanda
 
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nekomania

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Originally Posted by RubSluts'Mommy

And I just contacted a mobile pet groomer... I don't want to torment them with a long car ride, but carrying them downstairs to a groomer van might be okay... still traumatic, but they'll be cooler!! less body fur to deal with... and it'll grow back reasonable fast enough by the time it does cool off to where they'll want their fur back. This will also help with JoJo and her other issues (DLH, long fur around the butt, you can figure it out... I am NOT gonna try bathing her again... taht was traumatic for both of us!!).

Amanda
I'm sorry you have to deal with this awful heat too.


Is it much to personal for me to ask what groomer you used and how much it cost?

We are kind of on a tight budget right now but I may be able to talk Cody into dishing out a bit extra to get the kitty a trim at least.

I can tell that Bean Bean is uncomfortable. He's not too bad with car rides though, but the Jeep is so much hotter than the apartment and outside. It's an 88 so no A/C in there either.

Bean Bean likes to go outside though so just taking him downstairs to a groomer van would be okay I suppose. ^^ Then I could reward him by letting him play in the shade for a bit on the cool grass and watch the birds with our neighbor's kitties.
 

StefanZ

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It is possible to damp their fur, by stroking it with a wet cloth, or something.
Preferably with cold water, if necessary - ice water. So it will double work.


Works for cats, dogs, babies...


And of course: lots of water to drink.
 
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nekomania

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I was so afraid that people were going to tell me I was cruel for rubbing my cat down with a cold wet rag.


I'm glad to hear that everyone is in agreeance that this is a good method to help them cool down. ^^
 

rubsluts'mommy

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Originally Posted by Nekomania

I'm sorry you have to deal with this awful heat too.


Is it much to personal for me to ask what groomer you used and how much it cost?

We are kind of on a tight budget right now but I may be able to talk Cody into dishing out a bit extra to get the kitty a trim at least.

I can tell that Bean Bean is uncomfortable. He's not too bad with car rides though, but the Jeep is so much hotter than the apartment and outside. It's an 88 so no A/C in there either.

Bean Bean likes to go outside though so just taking him downstairs to a groomer van would be okay I suppose. ^^ Then I could reward him by letting him play in the shade for a bit on the cool grass and watch the birds with our neighbor's kitties.
I contacted Wash'n'Roll. They're apparently very good, and very popular, as they're backed up for the next two weeks. I have these two scheduled for the 10th. Still hot enough, and still early enough to be worth while. They aren't cheap. $20 'housecall' fee (gas, parking, mileage, etc), and then 75-125 per cat, depending on how they behave, and how easy it is for them to do the grooming. JoJo may put up a fuss, but she's been bathed at a groomer's before (long story: make sure you remove litterbox from room before bathing the cat). She came back with fleas, though, so between that and the car ride trauma, not gonna do that again.

I stopped at Home Depot and bought two large 18" ceramic tiles. They're still in the car, but I'll let them come to room temp and then stick them in the fridge for a half hour or so to cool down.

If I go near JoJo with a damp rag, she'll hightail it for parts unknown. I bough two baby gates to stick in the front door that opens to the AC'ed hallway. They're also still in the car. I stopped at Trader Joes for frozen food, so that was the most important thing to haul up first. Once I get my water down, I'll go pick that stuff up from the car.

We'll see how the tiles work for them... it's 103 outside here but with the shades down, ceiling fans on high, etc, it's 90 inside... I'll go get the baby gates and see if propping the door open helps any...

Amanda
 

cheylink

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Originally Posted by Nekomania

I was so afraid that people were going to tell me I was cruel for rubbing my cat down with a cold wet rag.


I'm glad to hear that everyone is in agreeance that this is a good method to help them cool down. ^^
I not only think it's a good way to cool your kitty down, but often do this when Maia is shedding!
 

stephanietx

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My neighbor has her long haired cat shaved during the summer. Early in the summer she got a lion cut and was so cute!! Just this week, she was shaved again, and the groomer did a mohawk down her back! I told the neighbor that we had plenty of catnip for Peach (the cat) in the backyard for her to drown her sorrows over the embarrassing new "do"!
 

fifi1puss

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I have done the damp rag thing. it works well. Also the ice in the water attracts them and works well too.

I also dipped their paws into cool water. They sweat through their paw pads. The boys handled it well but Fiona hissed and freaked out the minute her paws hit the water.
It startled me more than her I bet.
The hiss was instantanious and totally unexpected after the boys handled it so well!

She has been laying down inside a cubby in my butcher block on top of a bamboo cutting board. The bamboo is cool to the touch. Smart girl.
 
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