Our house cats can also suffer the consequences of the heat in the months of the year with the highest temperatures. Although grooming behavior allows them to cool down, it is not enough to mitigate the consequences of intense heat, which can increase their body temperature to the point of hyperthermia and heat stroke. In these cases the life of the cat is in danger.
For this reason, it is very important to keep our little felines cool during this time to prevent the undesirable effects of heat. Keep reading this article on our site to learn how to cool a cat.
How Heat Affects Cats
Cats tolerate temperatures well between 17 and 30 ºC on average, depending on the breed. Long-haired Nordic breeds tolerate lower temperatures than cats with short or non-short hair, which will prefer slightly higher temperatures.
Also, they only have true sweat glands on the pads of their paws, so they can't sweat through their surface, like other animals, which makes them more affected by the heat. If you want to know how cats sweat, we will explain it to you in this article.
Cat sitters know that when our little feline begins to hide, lay down and stretch out on the floor, especially if it is made of marble or tile, it is because the heat is pressing and he is beginning to have a hard time. In addition, there are other warning signs, such as weakness or hypersalivation. You can read other signs in our article on how to tell if my cat is hot.
The main risk of high temperatures is dehydration and sunstroke or heatstroke, which consists of an increase in temperature body beyond the highest range for the species, which in the cat is 39.2 ºC. When this happens, vital functions begin to be altered, causing consequences that can be fatal.
A cat begins to suffer from high temperatures when they exceed 30 ºC and even less if the heat is humid, so that a series of measures will have to be taken to avoid heat stroke. We discuss them in the following sections.
Ideal room temperature for cats
To avoid heat, the ideal is to have the house or room where our cat is most comfortable at an optimal temperature for him, which should range between about 15- 23ºCFor this we can help ourselves with air conditioning or fans tower or ceiling.
Also, if the sun is shining, we should lower the blinds during the hours of greatest light and allow air to enter for a small space of the window, but without opening it completely to prevent our cat from escaping or falling. Do not forget that there is the parachuting cat syndrome.
The importance of hydration
Our domestic cats come from the desert cat, a feline not used to drinking water thanks to the high humidity of the prey it hunts daily. Cats carry in their genes the tendency to drink little water, even when we feed them dry food exclusively. For this reason, many cats have a certain degree of dehydration that can lead, for example, to urinary problems. When temperatures are high, the risk of dehydration increases, worsening the cat's condition.
To avoid this and maintain hydration we should try to make our cat ingest more liquid daily, either by adding wet food such as cans or sachets, complementary foods such as milk for cats or broths, in addition to encouraging water consumption, using fountains for catsthat keep the water moving.
If we only have one drinking fountain, we must ensure that it is always clean and with fresh water. It is recommended to change the water a couple of times a day. We usually cool our drinks by adding ice, but is giving ice to cats good? Yes, it may be a good idea to add ice cubes to your drinker to keep the water cool, as long as it's not too cold.
Prevent access to the outside
During the highest temperature hours of the hottest months of the year it is important that our cats do not leave the house. If at any time of the year it is dangerous due to the threats and risks to which cats that go outside are exposed, when temperatures are high there is extreme risk of heat strokeTherefore, even if we have a cat that is used to going outside, to a terrace, a balcony or a garden on our property, the best thing for its he alth is to deny it the exit.
Is it good to wet a cat?
Possibly you have asked yourself. The answer is yes and no. We explain it: it is good to wet them if it is to bathe them when they need it, either for the application of a treatment shampoo for a dermatological problem, to facilitate the expulsion of the hair during the moult or because they are too dirty.
When temperatures are very high we can moisten our cat's body by zones, but it is not good to wet them completely or submerge them in a pool or bathtub, as it would stress them out a lot and stress increases their body temperature even more. Therefore, we have to limit ourselves to moistening the face, neck, back and the surface between the legs to improve its temperature and relieve the heat.
Caring for his coat
Long-haired cats or those with short hair, but with a good coat, may suffer more in hot situations. That's why they should brush them frequently to help remove dead hair that hasn't shed yet. Regular brushing will make them feel less heavy and fresher.
If you have questions about caring for your cat's coat, read our article with all the recommendations for brushing your cat's hair.
Maintain your ideal weight
Overweight and obesity are triggers and risk factors for several feline endocrine and organic pathologies, in addition to predisposing to heat stroke and hyperthermia. This is due to the fact that overweight cats have a greater layer of fat that acts as an insulator, maintaining body heat. That is why cats with excess kilos will suffer more from the consequences of high temperatures.
To keep your cat in shape you must offer him a quality diet and encourage him to engage in physical activity. In this article we leave you ideas to make a gym for cats at home.
