We all hear about the “dog days of summer”–but what about our cats and summer heat? We all know how much our cats love to lie in a puddle of sunshine but, when the temperatures take a turn toward real summer heat, our cats, just like us, have a tough time remaining cool. We’ve got tips for keeping your cat cool in summer weather, whether indoors or outside.
How Cool Should You Keep Your House for Your Cat?
Recently we had a reader question about thermostat temperature and turned to veterinarian Dr. Audry for the answer:
Dear Dr. Audrey,
I live in humid but hot Northern Oklahoma. At what temperature should I leave my programmable thermostat while I am at work? I have 5 cats & 1 Lab.
Ideally, your thermostat should be set at your pets’ thermoneutral zone. This is the range of temperatures where your pets aren’t expending any energy to maintain a normal body temperature.
In dogs, this is estimated to be 64-77 degrees, and in cats, the ideal temperature is 89-100 degrees. Keep in mind that these are only estimates, and are not cast in stone.
So, to keep both species comfortable, aim for a temperature in the low 80’s. It may be a little cool for your cat, and a little warm for your dog, but they will cope with that just fine.
How to Keep Indoor Cats Cool
Our cats are indoors-only cats, and we’re lucky in that we do have central air-conditioning. Nonetheless, our upstairs rooms (our offices) get especially warm in the summer.
Here are a few tips to keep your cat comfortable when the mercury rises:
Check out the cooling mats.
They’re available as gel-filled or water-filled and provide a cool place for your cat to lie. There are lots of styles and sizes.
Be sure to brush out any loose fur.
Tools like FURminator are great for removing loose fur (and preventing hairballs at the same time). If your cat is still shedding (ours are!), that loose fur will hold body heat.
Invest in a fountain.
Pet fountains are a great way to keep your cat’s water cool and to encourage your cat to drink more water.
Cool down with ice.
Some cats like ice cubes for fun and cool play!
A sink nap, anyone?
See if your cat might want to rest in an unconventional area. Some cats like to like on cool spots like bathtubs, tile floors, the top of the dryer, etc….pretty much anything metal or tile seems to appeal to them.
Turn on a floor fan.
A little floor fan can help, too; some cats will lie close by. Be sure to purchase a fan with a grill that you cat can’t reach through.
How to Keep Outdoor Cats Cool in Summer Weather
Alley Cat Allies released a list of ways you can help keep outdoor cats cool in summer weather. Whether you are working to help keep feral cats cool or your own indoor-outdoor cats cool when they are outside, we thought many of these suggestions might help you.
Our Experience Keeping Outdoor Cats Cool
Do you care for any outdoor cats? In the past, we’ve had two stray outdoor cats, Elaine and KitKat (both eventually became indoor members of our family).
Elaine was a long-haired, small cat (seen here with Linus and Felix). Before we were able to really approach her, we could see that she had a difficult time with our hot Texas summer weather.
When Elaine finally let us get close to her and move her into the house, she never once asked to go outdoors for the rest of her life. She liked that air-conditioning!
Food
- If you feed cats outdoors, try not to leave the food out for too long. After about 30 minutes, bugs will start to show up; picking up uneaten food after roughly 45 minutes (giving time for the slow eaters) will help to prevent that.
- Feed cats dry food in the summer—it attracts fewer insects.
- Many companies make “ant-proof bowls” designed specifically for feeding cats outdoors. Some have moats of water or other complications that make it hard for the ants to get to the food. Another option is to sit the food bowl on a half sheet baking pan with water to prevent ants from crossing over into the food.
- You can also create your own “ant barrier” by surrounding a cat’s food bowl with a line of food-grade diatomaceous earth without chemical additives (available at some natural food stores and pet supply companies).
Water
- Cats can dehydrate quickly, so when it’s warm out, extra sources of water are helpful.
- Dropping a few ice cubes into a water bowl can keep the water cool (if the cats are not bothered by the ice!)
- Pet water fountains give a constant stream of water, inspiring cats to drink even more.
- Keep water bowls out of the sun, saving water from quickly evaporating in the summer heat.
- Finding a shaded area for water bowls will keep water from evaporating too fast. The same goes for a narrow, deep bowl—as opposed to a wider, shallower one.
Shelter
- Like anyone, cats know how to find places to escape the sun. Provide easy access to shaded places, like under a deck, for them to rest and eat.
- Try your hand at building an outdoor cat shelter on the cheap with supplies easily found at any hardware store. Alley Cat Allies has easy outdoor cat shelter instructions, including a diy outdoor cat house for summer that can be built in less than 30 minutes.
Trap-Neuter-Return
- All cats should be spayed or neutered. But some outdoor cats—known as community or feral cats—won’t allow people to touch them, and so to best care for these cats, they need to be humanely trapped and brought to a participating clinic or veterinary office. After they’re neutered, vaccinated and eartipped for identification, the cats are returned to their outdoor home.
- If you’re trapping in the summer months, it’s important to be extra careful. It can be dangerous for cats to stay in traps in the heat too long—making heatstroke, which can be deadly, a possibility. For the safety of the cats, once they’ve been trapped, keep them in the shade or in an air-conditioned space, and do not leave them in the car while trapping additional cats.
- Placing traps on surfaces that absorb the sun’s heat can also be dangerous—making the metal traps hot enough to burn cats’ paws.
Find more information about summer weather safety for outdoor cats: www.alleycat.org/SummerWeather
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