Too hot for cat

Okay first thing i want to say is that i live at the tip of texas near the mexican border. So naturally its really hot. However my cat is an indoor cat and i dont have central air. All we have is an air con in every bedroom. When we leave the house we turn them off or turn them really low depending how long we will be out to save money on the bill.

But we dont have anything to cool the living room, hallway or kitchen. The problem is that the cat doesnt like the bedrooms. I think he just feels they are too small to play in or is annoyed that i have to open the door to let him out to eat I have a carpet in my room so his litterbox/food/water has to be in the hallway. He loves playing in the living room and running around, exploring, finding new hiding spots to pounce and surprise us. but with no cooling system the living room and the kitchen can turn into an oven during the day. Sitting in the living room for 20 minutes will make me sweat and feel uncomfortable.

When I pick up my cat after hes been in the living room a while, his fur feels real hot. if he were a person i would say he had a real high fever and recomend to go to the hospital immediately. This surely cant be good for his health. When i bring him to my room he just wants to scratch at the door and meow until i let him out. I dont mind him paying out all night when hes most active. its alot cooler at night.

how can i make it more appealing to sleep in the rooms during the day where its really cool?

Cats like it warmer than we do, a lot of the time. I live in Dallas. I have my A/C set at 78, but the cats still lie in the sunshine, baking their brains. At least, that's what would happen to me. They seem to like it.

Yes, a cat can get overheated, but as long as he has enough water and can get to a cooler place, I don't think you need to worry.

It gets really hot where I live, and I rarely run the air conditioner - my cats don't mind at all, I think they are used to the climate.

Many cats don't like to be in air conditioned rooms, and will seek out patches of sun or other rooms to be in.

ok thanks. i just get a little over protected because my cat was abused as a kitten by his previous owners.

I live in Fort Worth, and when my girls get too hot, they lay down on the tile in the entry way or in the bathrooms on rugs on the floors where it's cooler. Cats are smart and as long as it's not incredibly hot with absolutely no air circulation for them, they'll be fine. You can always wipe your kitty down with a cool wet cloth (not too wet and not too cold) and the evaporation of his fur drying will cool him a bit.

100 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit

Now, I'm not sure how this information may affect a cat's heat tolerance, but I just put it "out there" thinking that cats may be able to tolerate more heat than our bodies with our normal temps at 98.2 +/-. ??

I live in the Southern California Desert, and we care for ferals and a stray that survive the heat outside - sometimes over 115 degrees.

We have done several things in an effort to help the cats stay cooler - like putting containers of frozen water where the cats are sleeping.

You could do something like that in the house.

The larger the container, the better. (I also use gallon+ Clorox containers - works great, the cap is very reliable so it doesn't leak. (yes, I have an extra freezer to hold the larger containers)

Only thing, - the container will sweat, so you'd have to make provisions for the moisture that will form on the outside of the container.

In the 100 degree plus weather outside, the ice seems to last for several hours, so it would probably last longer inside your house which would be considerably cooler.

The cats will either lay near the containers, or against them, to keep cool.

I live in the Philippines and it is currently high 30s, low 40s everyday and cools down to about 25 every evening and early morning it starts all over again.
The cats here don't seem to mind the heat at all, I think they get used to it and it is us getting worried. I agree with what is said about them having water and a cool place. If the cat feels hot, he is probably smart enough to get out of there and find some place cooler.

If he acts lethargic, then you would have an issue but if he's acting fine, then I see no need to worry.

I'm assuming you have a short haired kitty, but if not, he might benefit from a summer shave. My longhair Boo just got a lion cut and she's been much more active. Like you, I only have a bedroom a/c window unit, but i leave it on 24/7 with the bedroom door open. it's a "splurge" I budget for by being really frugal in other areas, but i understand that's not an option for everyone.... I hope things cool down soon!

I live on the top floor of an apt. bldg so I get the heat that beats down on the roof and it gets hot. Both of my girls stay under the bed for most of the day, they come out at night when it is a little cooler. sometimes Maggs looks unhappy about the heat (even with the a/c on in the living room she will go into the bedroom). Some days or nights I take a wash cloth and run it under cold water, squeeze the excess water out and just gently rub it over her from head to toe, she seem to like it because she just lays there and doesn't run away. Just a suggestion!