As the hottest months of the year approach, our cats reduce their activity and tend to hide, especially in those places where temperatures exceed 30 ºC and do not have air conditioning. Cats suffer a lot from the heat, especially those that are overweight or those that suffer from a disease.
Excessive heat affects your he alth and can cause heat stroke or hyperthermia, when the body temperature rises above what is considered physiological for cats.
A cat that grooms itself a lot, drinks more than usual, is listless, hides around the house or lies on cold surfaces, such as floors or the bathtub, is telling us that it is beginning to feel hot. But if he also has difficulty breathing or a bluish discoloration of the mucous membranes and skin, you have to act immediately.
If you're wondering how to tell if your cat is hot, continue reading this article on our site to identify the signs of heat, as well like what you can do to prevent it.
Do cats feel the heat?
Cats use the energy obtained from food for growth, metabolism and movement. The waste from these processes generates the heat needed to maintain proper body temperature.
When you less heat is dissipated than is produced, you feel hot. On the contrary, when more is dissipated than produced, the cat will be cold. Cats are able to regulate their body temperature to several degrees so that they feel neither hot nor cold. But when ambient temperatures are higher, cats, just like us, will be hot.
Heat symptoms in cats
Although our domestic cats come from the desert wild cat, the heat still affects them. That is why in the hottest months of the year its activity can be reduced to the point that, in some cases, the cat stays practically all day hidden in the coolest and darkest places to protect itself from high temperatures.
As a curiosity, cats do not have sweat glands distributed over their body surface as we do, but only have them on the pads of their paws.
In addition to this behavior, the signs that may indicate that our cat is having heat are the following:
- Increasing water intake to compensate for losses, improve your hydration and cool the body. You have to be careful with this symptom because it can also indicate the existence of pathologies such as diabetes or kidney disease.
- Weakness.
- Inactivity.
- Blue or purple tongue.
- Hypersalivation.
- Muscle tremors.
- Excessive grooming.
Hyperthermia in cats
When external temperatures are really high and cats are not protected, they can suffer from hyperthermia or heat stroke, increasing their temperature above 39.2 ºC, which is the highest body temperature which can be considered normal for cats. You can read in this article how to measure your cat's temperature if you have doubts.
Elevated body temperature can cause the cat different clinical signs such as:
- Excessive Panting.
- Altered breathing, which may remain rapid even at rest or present many difficulties.
- Tremors.
- Seizures.
- Difficulty maintaining posture.
- Vomiting.
- Reddish rashes on the skin.
- Blue skin and mucous membranes due to lack of oxygen.
Ideal room temperature for cats
There is a temperature range in which cats can regulate their losses well to maintain, at all times, a good body temperature, so that they do not feel hot or cold.
In general, cats maintain this temperature well between 17 and 30 ºC, although it will depend on the breed. Thus, while cats with little or no hair, such as the Sphinx breed, have a range between 20 and 30 ºC, cats with long or thick hair, such as Siberians, Maine Coons or Persians, keep it better between 15 and 25 ºC. Therefore, they tolerate heat less than short-haired cats.
What to do to prevent heat in cats?
Given the negative consequences that excessive heat can have on the he alth of our cats, we must protect them to prevent them from suffering heat stroke or simply to relieve them of the stress that heat entails for them. your organism. Here are some tips to prevent heat in cats:
- Move it to a fresh and ventilated place.
- If the cat is already showing signs of heat, you can moisten the head, neck, back and groin so that cool off and can normalize its temperature.
- Avoid going outside during the hottest hours or on days with the most extreme temperatures.
- Always keep the drinker filled with fresh, clean water and change it frequently. A good idea is to put ice cubes several times a day to keep it fresh or put a cat fountain. Moving water encourages its consumption, favoring proper hydration.
- Prevent overweight and obesity by providing adequate nutrition and encouraging daily physical activity, as overweight cats suffer more from the heat.
