How do cats regulate their body temp?

It is 113 degrees here, and my dumb cat wants to go out. I'm afraid she will get heat stroke, so I'm making her stay indoors. She is a long hair, and it is just too miserable for me in shorts, let alone her in fur.

Cats don't pant like dogs or perspire like humans, so how do they cool off?

Cats are desert creatures. If you notice, they have large ears, which help them cool off blood just like elephants and such as well as help their hearing. Long limbs also aid in cooling off blood.

They do pant, and they also sweat, but only through their paws.

Cats also have a regular body temperature of 100-102, higher than ours, so they are comfortable at hotter temperatures and less comfortable at cooler temperatures.

They also have other body mechanisms for the heat, such as their arteries and veins open up to allow more heat to dissipate and they also rise to the surface of the skin, just like ours do, and they contract and sink down into the skin when it's cold.

Really, cats are much better at adapting to heat than humans, but humans are much better at adapting to cold than cats (most cats).

I know some people shave their longhaired cats in the summer (not their head or feet) to help them cool off... so you could take her to a groomer's. Or give her an ice cube to play with. Some people also wipe their cats down with a damp cloth to help them cool down.

If you are already regularly letting her out, there isn't much harm in it now as long as you will be there to let her back in as soon as she wants to, and she doesn't go very far. Cats know when they're hot, she'll probably go outside for five seconds and come back in and lay on the tile in the shade somewhere in your house.

Cats groom themselves almost constantly when they are hot. The saliva cools them down. I would not advise putting your cat outside in extreme temperatures, and dousing her with water or wiping her down with a damp cloth will not help. You can put rubbing alcohol on the pads of her feet, keep her supplied with cool water (pet fountains are the best when it is hot!) Also provide her with cool spots to lay down, if you have a home with nothing but carpet, visit a tile store and ask for some tile samples.Then cut a piece of particle board, or other inexpensive wood and create a platform for her to lie on. Glue down the tile pieces, put that on the floor near a cooling fan and she should go right to it.

It is 104 here now, most of the cats are in the enclosure, but I have two in the shower, and one on my draining board by the window. Because of the heat, counter jumping is permitted.

If you look under cat care, there is an article about keeping your cat cool. In the regular section not the forums.

We have lots of tile in the living room and hallway. I keep the temp at 82 inside. But she NEVER lies on the tile, always the carpet or an area rug.

I bought a fountain for her a couple of weeks ago, but I've never seen her drink from it. She would rather lap water out of the puddles after the sprinklers go off. Actually she doesn't drink much water at all, and that concerns me - but she mostly eats moist food.

Thank you for the very information on cats' cooling mechanisms.

I wouldn't worry to much about your cat not drinking a lot of water.  We've  got a 14 year old Kitty, she's a mutt, but looks a lot like a Russian blue.  Her fur has two layers and is very dense.  Due to her age, she doesn't play much.  About 6 years ago she has emergency Bladder stone surgery.  Since then she doesn't drink at all.  The vet said she is getting the fluid she needs from eating only moist food.  As a result she only goes pee about once every other day.  She showing her age but she is still the dominate cat in our house (we have 4) and she will put the others in their place when needed.

Keith1562

First, you are responding to a VERY old thread.

Second, peeing every other day is NOT normal for a cat. Most cats pee several times a day. Did your vet really say this was normal?