My house is not air conditioned. I live in Michigan, and we still have short periods of hot weather. I tolerate the heat by using a room air conditioner, but I often worry about my 2 cats when the temperature gets really high, and the house gets hot. They don't seem to like the room air conditioner, (maybe because it makes noise) and go hide in another room when I turn it on. Is the heat bad for the cats, or do they tolerate the heat better than us humans.?
2006-07-13 04:53:25 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
OK a cats physiology does differ greatly than that of a human. I could not find the exact differences, but what I did find was an interesting Q&A between a Vet and an Owner.
Heat tolerance and cats
Q: Dear Doctors, Many of us are fortunate enough to work in air conditioned offices. However, we must leave our cats at home with the a/c turned off. A friend of mine asked me what to do with her cat in the hot weather. I am familiar with procedures when a cat has heat stroke, but I cannot find information on how well cats tolerate temperatures in the 90s and 100s.
Recently, I have noticed that my cat is a little lethargic when I get home from work -- especially during the heat waves we've been having. Is it dangerous for her? I leave the windows open, plenty of water in her bowl and some water in the bathtub. Is there anything else I should be doing? (She's also shedding like crazy)
Thanks for your help. Denise & Minuit
A: Denise-At the risk of inciting a lot of stories of heat stroke in cats, I have to admit that I can only remember treating one cat for heat stroke and it went through a whole dryer cycle trapped inside the dryer. I think that the temperament and physiology of cats makes them more tolerant of high temperatures than dogs.
I'm sure she'd appreciate it if you left the air conditioning on but the other measures you have taken should be sufficient to keep the risk of heat related illness very low. Lethargy is a defense mechanism against overheating so Minuit is doing her best to help herself, too.
Mike Richards, DVM
Michal Response: It was touch and go for a while - but the dryer Cat lived. His owner never ran the dryer without a catcheck first.
So my respone is yes the cats are fine.
2006-07-13 05:04:00 · answer #1 · answered by grimjack1973 2 · 10⤊ 2⤋
Cats And Heat
2016-11-10 02:18:44 · answer #2 · answered by longsworth 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cats Dont Like The Heat. It Depends If You Have A Long Haired Or Short Haired Cat. How Bad It Will Be.
2006-07-13 05:13:44 · answer #3 · answered by mks 7-15-02 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depending on how much fur they have will determine how they are affected with the hot tempetures. Cats generally don't like air conditioning because of the noises they make. You may want to try and give them some low fat cottage cheese in their dishes. It is cold and will cool them off inside their bodies. You may want to give them a little bit at first to see if they eat it. If they like it, then you can give them a half a teaspoonful twice a day. Make sure that they aren't over doing it in their play times either. Heat and a lot of fur can make it miserable for cats.
Good luck to you and your feline friends! May the three of you have many enjoyable days with each other to come!
2006-07-13 05:03:15 · answer #4 · answered by Lyndee 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because cats have a higher body temp than humans, they tend to tolerate heat better than us. They probably don't like the AC because it's cold. Just make sure they have plenty of water and some place cool like under a bed so they can cool down if they get too hot.
2006-07-13 05:15:46 · answer #5 · answered by Betty C 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Man, it's going to be hot here this weekend, too! They should be fine. Let them in the basement, if you can. My cats like the heat, but the are short-haired (you didnt say?). Make sure they have plenty of water available for them at all times, and keep an eye on them. If they get into poor shape, bring them into the cold room and turn the air off. It will stay cool for a while and let them recover.
2006-07-13 04:59:07 · answer #6 · answered by Strange question... 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my cats are the same way they will go to the warmest part of the place. we had a portable a/c unit (NEVER get one of those they don't work good at all makes the place even hotter) and it was 84 degrees right infront of it and at least 90 in the kitchen and the cats would be in the kitchen. we since have gotten an a/c unit that works and pretty much cools off the entrie apartment and they won't hang out a whole lot in the living room where it is but they are just doing their own thing like they did in the winter.
just make sure your cats are drinking enough. get a drink well pet fountain, they will love it and drink quite well.
2006-07-13 05:51:52 · answer #7 · answered by macleod709 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We live without AC too and here's a tip -- wet a towel for the cats to lay on. I usually let my cat have my bath towel after my shower while it is nice and damp. She will lay on it, belly down, for hours. We also got a new portable AC unit that is very quiet and the cats will stay in the same room with it, so I am sure it is the noise of the AC unit that keeps your cats away.
2006-07-13 05:35:20 · answer #8 · answered by JP 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not only should you have a large source of COOL fresh water availible to them you may also need to get a window a/c from like sears. i spent 70 dollars on it after i came home one day and my two cats almost were dead from heat stroke, and they had the water and were both short haired. also feeding your cats wet food will help them keep hydrated when its really hot. also fans help if a a/c is out of the question, moving air seems to help combat the heat for them.
2006-07-13 09:08:57 · answer #9 · answered by burningmanluver 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If they have lots of cool water and the house isn't *too* hot, they should be all right. Try adding icecubes to their water bowl. And if you have fans elsewhere in the house, sitting a glass of ice in front of it makes a great cooling system!
Meanwhile, your cats know where the cool air is if they want it, so there shouldn't be any real problem.
2006-07-13 05:35:12 · answer #10 · answered by Tigger 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋