[charleycat]

Hershey really struggles with the heat and is definitely suffering today, though the heat isn't as bad as yesterday. Two days in a row of high temps.

He pants, sometimes brings up a bit of liquid and is generally very unhappy until the weather cools down again. Won't go near an ice pack.

I can hardly bring myself to ask if it would help him to have his fur shaved for the summer. I think cats get some kind of insulation by keeping their fur on, and Victoria would have had equally high temps when he was there before.

Any ideas for keeping him cool, or what to do to help him?

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[fleabag]

My cats love a frozrn face washer..wet it, wring it out and freeze flat ...I keep a few in the fridge and just lay them on their side or tummy ..the cool sinks into the fur..once it's thawed ..replace with a new frozen one ...if you place a low fan to blow on them it cools as well

[charleycat]

Thanks Bronnie - Hershey's just being difficult to boot. I have a frozen gel pack(?) wrapped in a tea-towel and he will briefly let me stroke him with it but then he stalks off - won't stay still to get cool. He's in front of the window catching the breeze now...

I've given him a syringe of water (though he didn't like it) just to get some water into him - is there anything else to make him better?

[pammie]

Hi Charleycat.
I am in Sydney's west and it gets very hot here. When it gets up to 35 or more I syringe Lectade solution into my
cats every 2 hours and I think it helps them.

Pammie.

[monty_dweezil]

So far my cats don't seem troubled by the heat...

It's been hot here lately but it never gets THAT hot inside our apartment, thank god. The most we've seen them do is lie on the glass tables and the tiles in the kitchen as opposed to being in their fluffy beds or on the warmer carpet.

What temperature do cats usually start to be troubled by the heat? I know they can withstand much higher temps than us before discomfort sets in. (example - cats who lie right up against the fireplace, their fur burning to touch, but seem fine) lol

[aboutTaya]

Maybe a cooling pad would help http://www.ozpetshop...roducts_id/2064

Taya is a real heat seeker and even on hot days she gravitates to the hottest place in the house so it would be useless for her, but I am going to have to keep her out of the bedroom on warm days else she'll microwave herself under the doona or beside the hot window glass - her self preservation instincts aren't the best...also I suspect the super hot weather we had in February last year caused enough stress on her system to trigger the start of her orijen symptoms so will be extra cautious this year.

ETA that's Taya on a 35+ day last summer in my avatar just before her symptoms started. She may look comfortable but that corner of floor to ceiling glass is ridiculously cold in winter and hot in summer. (Needless to say she goes nowhere near it in winter,,,)

This post has been edited by aboutTaya: 05 November 2009 - 03:47 PM

[Heather Sharada]

If it is super hot - I would just dip them in a bucket of water and only part dry. Down here on hot days of course they were able to seek out where they wanted to lie and often just lay on the concrete or under a tree.

Strip out as much as possible of the coat....use a Zoom Groom. I take it you do not have Air Conditioning there Jen.

[charleycat]

No Heather, no air con! He's recovering well after having that little bit of water syringed, and the change is coming through. Hopefully we'll get a good storm soon. I'll fight him to do the zoom groom - he doesn't like that one much.

Cooling pads I've thought of in the past but neither cat will stay when I put something cool near or on them! It's taken him all day to move out onto the cool tiles!

Rubbed his ears with eau de Rescuepetics and he then let me wipe him down with the icy tea-towel. Briefly thought about getting him wet, maybe next time.

BTW - What is Lectade, do you get it from the vet?

This post has been edited by charleycat: 05 November 2009 - 04:26 PM

[*Flick*]

I have similar problems charleycat! My 3 are terrible in the heat. I live in a small unit with only a small box aircon in the lounge, which even then I dont trust and wont leave on when im not home..
I leave the bathroom open as the tiles are nice and cool, and I always wet them down with a bit of water before I leave for the day aswell. I also do the frozen towel trick and leave that on the ground, they wont always lay on them, but will sit just next to it. Im lucky I work near home so on really hot days I can pop home and check on them.
The hot weather seems to make mine go loopy though, and they get really grumpy and narky at each other.