Can Anyone Help Me Figure This Out????

This may sound confusing but I'll do my best to make it simple

OK...the human body's temperature is 98.6 degrees, so.....

When it's 80 degrees out most of us find that temperature uncomfortable and pretty warm, right? OK.

Well a cat's body temperature is 100-103 degrees, so.....

When it's 80 degrees out do cats find that temperature to be uncomfortable as well, or, does it take it to be 90 degrees for them to start feeling warm, since their body temperature is higher than ours?

Maybe another way of asking what I'm trying to say is at what temperature does a cat feel cold or warm?

OR.....since they have no sweat glands do they find 100 degrees still tolerable?

DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHAT I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT....AND IF SO PLEASE HELP

I'm not positive, I am by no means a vet. But I think that body temperature have nothing to do whether they feel hot or cold. Just like a human if it's hot they are hot and vice-versa. But who knows??

Good question though, maybe someone else can give you a better answer.

I think it has to do with evolution. Cats are desert animals and they seek desert temperatures. I don't think their love of heat is related to their inner temperature. Dogs also run about 100-101 and they seem to love cool. You can even buy chiller pads for your dog, no one ever advertises those for cats. A goat's normal temperature is up to 105, they seem to be perfectly happy at normal outdoor temps. Just different normals for different animals. Becky

Very good question! I'd like to know the answer, too!

I don't have an answer, but doesn't their fur help to keep them warm?


Does your Cat Sweat?

Have you ever wondered if your cat sweats? While her heat
regulation is primarily achieved through grooming
(evaporation of saliva on the body), cats do sweat through
the pads of their feet. If you place a warm and excited
cat on a glass table, you will be able to see her sweat-
induced paw prints on the surface.

http://www.furr-angels.com/wintertime_safety.htm
Check out this link--full of great information!

Originally Posted by mrsd

Does your Cat Sweat?

Have you ever wondered if your cat sweats? While her heat
regulation is primarily achieved through grooming
(evaporation of saliva on the body), cats do sweat through
the pads of their feet. If you place a warm and excited
cat on a glass table, you will be able to see her sweat-
induced paw prints on the surface.

http://www.furr-angels.com/wintertime_safety.htm
Check out this link--full of great information!

Click to expand...

Aha! So that's why there are less paw prints on my car's hood than on the front and back windows!

I have no clue what you're trying to figure out there beb- though I think I can guess, and really the answer should be staring you in the face! And what's this about cats being desert animals and loving heat because of it? My cat used to love to go out and play in the snow. You'd very rarely find him by a heater. Mind you, he was a freak of nature on most counts. What about long haired cats? I think what you're missing is the difference in anatomy as well. Cats are different to dogs and are different to humans too. They have their own ways of regulating body temperatures and keeping themselves feeling comfortable. We sweat. Dogs pant. Cats do go and lie in the shade over the hotter afternoon hours in summer - being desert animals they were designed NOT to lose water through perspiring. No-one ever notice that cats go out and resume the activity at night? Well... outdoor cats follow that natural pattern. ALL animals will have their own way of regulating body temperature - whatever that internal temperature is. If it's too hot for a cat, sure as the sky is grey over Scotland, they will not be sitting in the sun.

bump

That's interesting about the glass and such... and GRR plenty of little kitty pawprints on our roof because he always steps in mud!

bump

well, i would really like to kno the answer to this too!

-very interesting question!

All I can tell you is that The Sammycat is a house cat and only goes outside on his leash and harness in the spring and summer. When he is outside after about 6-10 minutes he will start to hassleing with his tongue hanging out and wants to go inside. He really is a foo-foo kitty and can't take the heat

Don't know any scientific answers to your inquiry. However, Beau and Jes and I live in Tucson, and in the summer time it gets rather warm here, not that there are not places where it gets warmer. I like the heat most of the time, and am of the persuasion that I try not to use heating or cooling in my house, preferring just to live at the natural temperature (and living in a climate where that is possible). However, I do notice that Beau gets overly warm in mid-summer, and just for his benefit I turn on the cooler in the middle of the day. Jes, the Border Collie, seems to be able to take the heat much better than Beau does. When it goes above 100, (which it is daily of course in the summer) Beau starts panting, which means I turn on the cooler. But I think that different cats have different tolerances just as we do.