How to keep my kittens cool?

pui hang

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Bella and Cinders have been struggling with the heat these past couple of days
We've got virtually all the windows in the house open a little bit to help bring some air into the house but it isn't enough. Yesterday, they were especially miserable and in an attempt to help, I've put ice cubes in their water and I've even turned on a couple of fans

The girls are fascinated by the ice cubes and are torn between, licking them and playing with them with their paws


Unfortunately, the fan hasn't gone down so well
They are quite quiet but as soon as I turn the fans on, the girls flee the room


I'm thinking about leaving the fans on and hoping that the girls will get used to them and also figure out that being near the fans mean they won't get as hot but in the meantime, does anyone have any other tips to help keep them cool?
 

sar

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Aww, bless them! It has been very warm lately, hasn't it?

You can also keep them cool by rubbing them down with a damp flannel
Another tip I heard was to get some slabs of marble and have those on the floor in the house, as they stay cool, so your kits can lie on/by it and feel better!

(I'm actually looking into this idea for my kitties!
)
 

renny

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Do you have any tiled area? my cats can usually be found lounging on that. I've found my cats don't like to be around the fans either, try pointing the fans more up so that they get an indirect current from them. The wind in their faces seems to bother them i think. Rubbing them down with a damp cloth would definitely help, close all the blinds to keep the sun down to a minimum. For mine i have to realize that they won't move much, or eat much until after the sun goes down and the room cools off. Or do what i did...give in and buy them A/C! (yes...i am a slave to my cats!)
 

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I put ice cubes in the girls water bowls as well, and instead of their blanket to lie on i fold up a cool sheet for them.

Fortunately The sun is at the back of my house in the afternoon so they don't get it in theirs at the front.

I have a ceiling fan in my bedroom that's also quiet but it still scares them
 
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pui hang

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Originally Posted by Sar

You can also keep them cool by rubbing them down with a damp flannel
Another tip I heard was to get some slabs of marble and have those on the floor in the house, as they stay cool, so your kits can lie on/by it and feel better!

(I'm actually looking into this idea for my kitties!
)
I like the idea of the marble slabs - my only concern would be how heavy they would be to move around? Do you think I could get the same effect using ceramic tiles? I've got lots of leftover tiles from when we tiled the conservatory floor - provided I put them down somewhere cool and away from the sun, do you think I could get the same effect?
 
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pui hang

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Renny,

After not getting much sleep last night because of the heat and closeness, I am seriously thinking about getting A/C for the house!


My conservatory is tiled BUT, it's a south facing conservatory and it's been like a furnace in there even with the blinds down
The girls have been lying on our wood laminate floor in the kitchen but because the kitchen backs onto the conservatory, the laminate flooring is warm.

I got up at 3am this morning to discover Cinders asleep in the bathroom sink and Bella asleep in the bath tub!
By day, the bathroom is quite warm because it is south facing and it has no window dressing either. Perhaps, I should buy some blinds for the bathroom as well just to help them.

All my fans are tower fans so there is no way for me to point them upwards
I'm glad to hear it's not just my babies that don't like fans. From what you and Susan are saying, perhaps there isn't any point in my trying to get the girls used to them...
 

sar

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From what I have found, there are some quite thin pieces of marble that you can buy off cuts of which I expect would be much lighter and mobile! I would guess that although ceramic tiles aren't quite as effective with staying cool, they would be a great substitute!


My cats enjoyed sleeping on the tiles in my parents' conservatory, so I reckon that would be a cheaper way to provide a cool area for them!
 

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I have been thinking about this, too, since I just got my kitten and am worried about the heat. One of the wilder ideas I have had involves an electric cooler that I have lying around. It uses an electric peltier cooling element and a small fan, and can run practically forever without drawing a whole lot of current. I don't know if Mocha would accept the fan part, but it's possible that she could have a little "cooling den" if I remove the door and set it up on its side, maybe with something soft on the floor. Crazy, but just might work?
 

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Perhaps building on the ceramic tile idea...you could put the tiles in the fridge/freezer overnight and lay them out in a shaded/cooler area of your house. The tiles should be able to keep that temperature and would remain an even cooler place to lie. Just a brainstorm on my part.

I gave in last summer and got a window A/C after my apartment started going up well above 90 and never really seemed to cool down. The A/C was a godsend. Their energy levels picked up, they were happier and would even be found lounging in the sun...while the A/C was on. Go figure. I hope you figure something out....poor kitties.
 

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I just bought a tower fan today, figuring it would be quieter than the oscillating ones we already have. Jamie didn't seem to be bothered by it. It always takes him several days to get used to the fans running again. Do you have a cellar? Ours is pretty cool, so I leave the door open for him to go down there when it's hot like this. I put some towels around for him to lie on, and he's quite content.
I usually have a supply of big ice packs in the freezer, and put one or two in a towel for him to lie on when it's really miserable out.
 
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pui hang

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Originally Posted by Renny

Perhaps building on the ceramic tile idea...you could put the tiles in the fridge/freezer overnight and lay them out in a shaded/cooler area of your house. The tiles should be able to keep that temperature and would remain an even cooler place to lie. Just a brainstorm on my part.
That sounds like a plan


I also liked the idea of the cat lollies!
I've just had a look at the "keeping your cats cool" link kindly provided by maverick_kitten and there are some ideas that I might be able to use there

Cinders wasn't too bothered by the fan yesterday evening - at one point, she even sat next to the fan! But Bella was still unhappy and spent the evening in the kitchen


I watched them play chase at 11pm - they played in one minute bursts and then had to stop and rest for a minute before playing again. During their rests, they both just sat there, looking at each other whilst panting with their tongues out - poor little mites!
 

rosiemac

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Aww bless them


Once Rosie and Sophie were let out their room when i got home from work last night, what did they do?, they went to lie where the sun was streaming through the hallway, then after an hour they were flopped down back in their room where it was cool
 

sar

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Oh, I forgot! I bought one of the oscillating tower fans from Asda (it has breeze settings, so isn't a constant strong wind) and all three of my kits are completely content with it!
Willow even likes to lie next to it and have his fur blown around!


(It was a bargain at £29.99 too!
)
 

crt

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These suggestions are all great. I am really concerned about this issue since I live in Houston, Texas which is very hot (97 today) and very humid. I have a/c of course, but I really begin obsessing about how I would keep my cats cool enough during an extended power outage from tropical storms or a hurricane. If I can't bear the heat, I wonder how they will.

This brings me to this question. Have any of you ever used a battery operated fan? I did a google search and got some hits, and wondered if any of you had ever used one and if so, did it work?
 

jcat

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Originally Posted by Sar

Oh, I forgot! I bought one of the oscillating tower fans from Asda (it has breeze settings, so isn't a constant strong wind) and all three of my kits are completely content with it!
Willow even likes to lie next to it and have his fur blown around!


(It was a bargain at £29.99 too!
)
That sounds a lot like the one I got yesterday (it even has a timer). It's a lot quieter than the big oscillating fan on a stand we use in the bedroom, so I think I'm going to switch them. Jamie really likes it, probably because it doesn't squeak like the others. Today it was 31°, and he decided to spend most of the time on top of our freezer in the cellar. The thing can't be well insulated - it's cold to the touch, except where the motor is in back.
I put a towel up there, and he can look out a ground level window, so he's quite happy.
 
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pui hang

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Originally Posted by jcat

That sounds a lot like the one I got yesterday (it even has a timer).
Same here!! We've also got an air cooler - funnily enough Bella and Cinders aren't bothered by the air cooler or this new fan
Luckily, it was a lot lot cooler here yesterday after the thunderstorms - it's gone from 31 degrees to 21 degrees!! The difference in the girls today is such an enormous improvement
 

sar

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Tricia, we probably have the same one!
mine has timer too and a remote - woo!


It has been a lot cooler for the last few days! I think the cats have been glad for the rain, even though it does intrude on 'walkies' time!
 

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There are cooling pads that are available online and at pet stores. They had dogs in mind when they made these. A friend of my got a few of them for her Pugs before she got AC. You put them in the freezer for a few hours or over night. If they don't come with a cover you could put a pillow case on it or wrap a sheet around it. But I guess if your cat wanted to puncture it they could pretty easily.
There are also a few cooling pads that don't have liquid in them, not sure how well they work.

http://www.koodels.com/index.html

http://www.comfortchannel.com/prod.itml/icOid/1095

You could google for different types that are out there.

I would suggest buying alot of the large flat freezer packs that you find in the fishing/sports area of Walmart or at a Big 5 sporting goods store and putting them in those pillow cases that have zippers. They stay cold for hours.
 
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