Talking Hot Weather Again

[GranolaLouise]

Well, this is the year for hot weather all over the globe!
I have had well intentioned people and read cat articles that say the cats will adjust when it is very hot. My brother said 'Just look at the large cats in Africa and India!".
But my little domesticated indoor senior just doesn;t do well in humidity over 72 and the temp well into 90 degrees F .
Yet,She LOVES it, but all she does is lay there like she is in a coma!..and she chooses the direct sun, too!
When I try to get her up and around she looks like she is so lethargic, although I provide plenty of cool water and food on top of a cooling unit.
So I give her a few hours and then bring her onto my bed in the AC.
From what I am experiencing and seeing this year I so disagree that the high heat is ok for cats and that they will adjust!
Am I the only one?

 

[Alldara]

I think it depends on the cat. Some will adjust. Some will not, especially older ones with health issues.

Cats are usually pretty smart though and will move out of the sun. Kittens...well not so much.

I can't remember, does you cat eat wet food? I usually just add extra water to wet food when it's hot. In cool weather just a teaspoon but in warmer weather a tablespoon.

You can also give ice cubes to play with. Some cats like that. My Lily used to scream for ice cubes

 

[cmshap]

From what I understand, a cat's healthy body temperature is slightly above ours (they are a little over 100F), but pretty comparable to us.

I have heard it said that if you, as a human, are experiencing discomfort due to heat or cold, your cat probably is, too.

I believe that all the time they spend in the sun is mainly due to how much time they sleep. In mammals, body temperature decreases during sleep. Cats are getting energy, vitamin D, etc. while they sleep in the sun.

 

[GranolaLouise]

Well, I just gave her some of her wet Royal Canin renal and fresh water and she puked!
I am uncomfortable at 65 degrees F, so I can't judge by that. But I do know she looks sick when she is in the heat. She is in the AC now, but is begging me and following me all around to let her go back on that oven of a porch.
Is October here yet!!!!!!!

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Poor baby she wants it so bad but just doesn't understand it isn't good for her.. Hopefully she feels better after being in a cool room for a bit!!

 

[cmshap]

She is in the AC now, but is begging me and following me all around to let her go back on that oven of a porch.

Consider that cats are smart mammals, like us. If they are in distress due to heat, they aren't going to sit in the heat to the detriment of their own health.

However hot it is inside your home, there are countless cats living outside in equal, or worse, heat.

Of course you still have to look out for them, make sure they are hydrated, etc. But my armchair-opinion is that they know how to regulate themselves (provided there's no medical abnormality)

 

[GranolaLouise]

Consider that cats are smart mammals, like us. If they are in distress due to heat, they aren't going to sit in the heat to the detriment of their own health.

However hot it is inside your home, there are countless cats living outside in equal, or worse, heat.

Of course you still have to look out for them, make sure they are hydrated, etc. But my armchair-opinion is that they know how to regulate themselves (provided there's no medical abnormality)

Out on the porch she has the options of chairs,cushions,perches, window sills, birds, a nest in front of the window with newly hatched robins,people dog walking and bunnies galore. She is entertained. But she has never been outside and so is not used to it and I don;t think I can compare her to those outdoors and ferrals.. Yet.
I consider her fragile..a senior with ckd. I baby her, but I feel she is delicate.

 

[Alldara]

Well, I just gave her some of her wet Royal Canin renal and fresh water and she puked!
I am uncomfortable at 65 degrees F, so I can't judge by that. But I do know she looks sick when she is in the heat. She is in the AC now, but is begging me and following me all around to let her go back on that oven of a porch.
Is October here yet!!!!!!!

Not autumn yet unfortunately

 

[Alldara]

Magnus would stay out long enough to get sick too if we let him. Some cats just don't know their own limits.

Did you end up getting her a cooling pad?

 

[GranolaLouise]

Magnus would stay out long enough to get sick too if we let him. Some cats just don't know their own limits.

Did you end up getting her a cooling pad?

I did. she walks on by no matter where I put it. It was a waste of money..again.She it for 30 seconds.
Thanks for reminding me to put it locally on craigslist.

 

[GranolaLouise]

I went out for 2 hours and she was in the AC on my bed for most of the afternoon. I just came in and she is now back to her normal self and ate all the food I left and was asking for more! Now she is scratching up the arm of my recliner trying to get my attention away from the computer and on her...such a Diva....because she wants to go back out on that humid, hot porch.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

I went out for 2 hours and she was in the AC on my bed for most of the afternoon. I just came in and she is now back to her normal self and ate all the food I left and was asking for more! Now she is scratching up the arm of my recliner trying to get my attention away from the computer and on her...such a Diva....because she wants to go back out on that humid, hot porch.

I'm glad she is feeling better.

 

[Alldara]

I did. she walks on by no matter where I put it. It was a waste of money..again.She it for 30 seconds.
Thanks for reminding me to put it locally on craigslist.

I had a slow to warm cat and it would take at least a month for him to try new things....

I had a new cat bed no one used for 6 months

 

[iPappy]

I have only let my cats into their catio when I am home during this heat wave so I can keep an eye on them. I've noticed they prefer the mornings and evenings to be outside, and will alternate napping inside in the AC and outside under benches or in the shade during the heat of the day. Lila is my hot weather cat, and spends a lot of time outside in warm weather, and during the winter will seek out blankets to burrow into.
A Alldara I've had new beds that no one uses for several weeks, then suddenly it's the most coveted object ever and 3 cats (and sometimes one tiny dog) try to cram themselves into it all at once and someone is usually perched on the edge, trying so hard to look like they're actually comfortable. It's hilarious!

 

[heatherwillard0614]

I've had new beds that no one uses for several weeks, then suddenly it's the most coveted object ever and 3 cats (and sometimes one tiny dog) try to cram themselves into it all at once and someone is usually perched on the edge, trying so hard to look like they're actually comfortable. It's hilarious!

You gotta get a picture of this when you can... it sounds so cute!!!!!

 

[Purrfect Meow]

I thought I would add my story about a hot cat. For over 2 months it was over 90 degrees here. One of my cats was fine the other suddenly stopped eating completely toward the end of the heat spell. After three days of none eating I took her into the Vet. After x-rays, full blood workup they could only see she was a bit dehydrated and suggested I make sure she had nice fresh cold water. It was a Friday and we have no Vet Service here on the weekend and if she was not well I would have to take her to the emergency hospital in another city an hour and a half away.

I kept her water cold with ice cubes but she still didn't eat and now was not drinking. I took her to the emergency hospital in the other city. They re-did all the tests a second time and could find nothing wrong with her but suggested I leave her with them for a few days at $2000.00 a day. I paid for two days. They rehydrated her and within a day she was eating like a horse. I brought her home at the end of the second day. She stopped eating here even though I was feeding her the identical food she ate there. She wasn't drinking either. I was stumped.

I phoned a friend with 50 years rescuing animals in distress and asked her if she could take time away from her busy schedule and take a look at my cat that I didn't want to lose. She came in my house and said its a little too warm in here. It was 75 degrees. She said can you make it 72. I said sure as I got a long sleeve shirt. Within a hour it was 72. Within 4 hours my non eating, non drinking cat was eating up a storm and drinking ice cold water. She had heat exhaustion.

Some cats just can't take the heat. I should have realized that about her, since she loved to play with me out in the snow in the winter, but hated running around the yard in the summer. Something to remember folks.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

I thought I would add my story about a hot cat. For over 2 months it was over 90 degrees here. One of my cats was fine the other suddenly stopped eating completely toward the end of the heat spell. After three days of none eating I took her into the Vet. After x-rays, full blood workup they could only see she was a bit dehydrated and suggested I make sure she had nice fresh cold water. It was a Friday and we have no Vet Service here on the weekend and if she was not well I would have to take her to the emergency hospital in another city an hour and a half away.

I kept her water cold with ice cubes but she still didn't eat and now was not drinking. I took her to the emergency hospital in the other city. They re-did all the tests a second time and could find nothing wrong with her but suggested I leave her with them for a few days at $2000.00 a day. I paid for two days. They rehydrated her and within a day she was eating like a horse. I brought her home at the end of the second day. She stopped eating here even though I was feeding her the identical food she ate there. She wasn't drinking either. I was stumped.

I phoned a friend with 50 years rescuing animals in distress and asked her if she could take time away from her busy schedule and take a look at my cat that I didn't want to lose. She came in my house and said its a little too warm in here. It was 75 degrees. She said can you make it 72. I said sure as I got a long sleeve shirt. Within a hour it was 72. Within 4 hours my non eating, non drinking cat was eating up a storm and drinking ice cold water. She had heat exhaustion.

Some cats just can't take the heat. I should have realized that about her, since she loved to play with me out in the snow in the winter, but hated running around the yard in the summer. Something to remember folks.

Thank you for sharing this. It may very well help someone else in a similar situation.. because it was just a couple degrees different and it seems to have made a huge impact on your little girl. If I was in a similar position I would have never figured that out on my own..

We used to keep the house 64 in the winter but since we got out baby now we do 69 in the winter on really cold days we bump it to 71 or 72.. During spring early summer whenever she is at the door with her cat tree we have the air off. When it hits about 76 inside is when she gets too warm leaves her favorite spot at the door so we then move her cat tree shut the door and turn on the air at 74.

Here lately we shut the door a little earlier than she likes because the temp has been upper 90s with a real feel of about 105 she meows for the door but it is just too hot. Once she realizes we arent going to open the door for her she goes back to her room and lays on the bed to look out that window or lays on the back of the couch at that window.. lol

Your story goes to show that just a couple degrees can make a huge difference. And each cat handles heat and cold way differently..

I'm so glad you knee someone who was able to come over and figure it out quickly and got your little baby feeling better very quickly.

 

[Purrfect Meow]

Thankyou, I hoped it might help someone.

Yes, I would never mention the ladies name who helped me without asking her first but this one lady has dedicated her life to animals. It has been my privilege to know her for many years and she has rescued countless thousands of animals from every natural disaster and man made disaster you can imagine. I hesitate to call her as she goes from one disaster to another rescuing animals.

 

[lisahe]

This summer has been very hot and humid where we live and it's really affected our cats. Both have been kind of listless on the hottest days, appetites have decreased, and one has vomited more than usual. The weather plus lots of noise (chainsaws, chippers, paving, cawing juvenile crows, etc.) have added to the stress! Last weekend I listened to a chat with a vet who said that weather and changes in barometric pressure can be very stressful for cats. They are! The cats do like to lie near fans but they tend to avoid the air conditioned room...

One thing that has helped a lot for Edwina, the barfer, is Rescue Remedy. Just a couple drops even her out when there's heat and/or noise.

 

[GranolaLouise]

This summer has been very hot and humid where we live and it's really affected our cats. Both have been kind of listless on the hottest days, appetites have decreased, and one has vomited more than usual. The weather plus lots of noise (chainsaws, chippers, paving, cawing juvenile crows, etc.) have added to the stress! Last weekend I listened to a chat with a vet who said that weather and changes in barometric pressure can be very stressful for cats. They are! The cats do like to lie near fans but they tend to avoid the air conditioned room...

One thing that has helped a lot for Edwina, the barfer, is Rescue Remedy. Just a couple drops even her out when there's heat and/or noise.

Barometric pressure and humidity is stressful for me too! I am a walking barometer as far as my arthritis is concerned and can tell the weather before it even arrives!
Yeh, they can puke on a dime it seems and I thank you for the Rescue Remedy tip which I will research now.
Have you compared it to Feliway(that spray is what I am using now for anxiety like thunder)