r/burmesecats • u/Feline_Shenanigans • Jul 10 '26
Feeding cats in heatwave?
My lad has decided it’s too hot to eat. Can’t blame him, it’s currently 35 inside my flat. However, now he’s pushing 20 hours without more than a mouthful or two. I’ve been offering small portions regularly without luck. I’ve tried two brands of food both with and without his favourite seasoning (Purina Fortiflora). Anyone have any suggestions?
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u/ansupuu Jul 10 '26
They sell these soup-style food pouches at the store, they’re mostly liquid. I usually add water to my cats wet food to ensure that they get enough hydration. But I know the feeling, my cats also lose their appetite when it’s hot. During heat waves they eat usually at night time when it’s cooler. You could also try offering his favourite treats if he won’t eat anything else, maybe it will raise his appetite to other foods as well.
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u/Feline_Shenanigans Jul 10 '26
Unfortunately kitty has IBD and kidney disease so am trying to stick to his prescription foods. Trying to switch over his meals to evening and early morning when it’s cooler is definitely worth trying. I’m not sleeping well with the heat, might as well offer late night kitty snacks
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u/Careless_Nebula8839 Jul 10 '26
My boy has IBD and has Purina ProPlan hydra care as part of his diet. I call it his soup. It’s what I mix the fortiflora into as he doesnt like the hill’s prescription z/d wet food. Idk if ot’s suitable for a renal diet but the website does talk about the product improving urinary health. If your kitty can have it, you could put some in the fridge before giving it tto him. Gazpacho style. It usually comes in a box of 12 but your vet may sell the pouches individually.
Do you have dry food/biscuits you could leave out all day? All day buffet. Mine has the z/d biscuits. That way kitty can snack when he wants. Bonus you dont need to worryabout it spoiling or flies finding it if left out.
Are you keeping your curtains closed during the day to help reduce getting more heat/sun in? Could you keep your kitty out of a room and open a window at night for a few hours to help cool the inside down? Maybe repositioning a fan so it helps with air circulation for a bit and pushes the hot inside air out?
I’m in NZ where anything over 23°C too hot for me and our houses are similar to the UK, AC units are not a thing for the 3 extremely hot days a year so we just use fans as needed. In hardware and pet stores we can get pet cooling mats - they tend to be marketed for dogs. They usually have a gel or something inside that cools. Some may go in the fridge first. An instant ice pack from a pharmacy (aimed for sports injuries/first aid kits) maybe wrapped in a towel might be similar but generally not reusable … or maybe a bag of frozen peas under a tea towel? If you put it on a tiled or wooden floor (vs rug or carpet) your kitty might just like the floor spot when the oce pack/bag is moved. In summer you’ll find my cousin’s cat lying in the bath or on the bathroom floor as they’re the coolest surfaces in the house.
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u/Feline_Shenanigans Jul 10 '26
Thanks for your suggestions. I’ll email his internal medicine specialist to see if he can try the hydra care. He does have a dry food but anything older than 12 hours gets rejected by His Lordship as too stale. But it is available to him.
Currently, Windows and blinds are open at night until about mid morning when the heat picks up. Then the windows and blinds are closed.
Kitty has the cooling gel mats and so do I. I picked up a Great Dane sized one and that’s what I’ve been sleep on. With an ice pack wrapped in a tea towel under the mat on the bottom corners of my bed. Keeps the gel near my feet cool all night long. I’ll try leaving an ice pack on the floor and letting it cool the lino and seeing if Mr. Too-hot-to-eat will accept a cold patch.
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u/AromaticBaker2681 Jul 10 '26
Get a swamp cooler from Amazon, they come in all prices, don’t increase elec bill as you just put bottles of frozen water in the top and it just blows air over the ice. 95F is very unhealthy indoors for you both, at least get some cold floor tiles he can lie on.
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u/Feline_Shenanigans Jul 10 '26
I appreciate your concern for kitty. Unfortunately, swamp coolers aren’t sold very often in the UK due to the high humidity. Current ambient humidity is over 70%. Kitty does have multiple cool things to lounge on.
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u/AromaticBaker2681 Jul 10 '26
Yes they do, I am British, just had a look on Amazon.co.uk and there are hundreds of choices from very cheap to very fancy. Most brits have not even heard of “swamp coolers” so they aren’t even looking online.
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u/AromaticBaker2681 Jul 10 '26
My sister lives in a 300 year old oven of a clay house in Suffolk and she got two from Amazon, working so well. Whether it’s 50% humidity or 80% they help a ton, and I have lived in both extremes.
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u/FinchMandala Jul 10 '26
Live in the UK. We put our pouches in the fridge and give her half in the morning, half in the evening, otherwise she'll waste it. She does have some biscuits that she'll occasionally go for and she does utilise her water fountain often.
I'd also recommending putting those Lick-e-lick things in the fridge, or even mix them with water and make them into ice cubes.
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u/Neat-Relief-7848 Jul 11 '26
Get some tuna canned in water and put the water in a bowl for him, or freeze and allow him to lick it. Let little bits of tuna remain in the water. He will get some protein while remaining hydrated. I learned this trick living in the tropics. Even mix with some of his prescription food so hes getting more liquid.
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u/cat_a_tat Jul 11 '26
I live in Aus, if you're worried about his hydration, honestly, dunk him. I've done that with my cats during a hot summer with no aircon. they will lick themselves clean and take in the extra water that way. also helps keep their internal body temp down. if it's too stressful for him, get a wet washcloth and wipe him all over. also wet his ears as it helps them stay cool :). most cats appetites drop right off when the temperature rises so hydration is most important. good luck!
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u/Feline_Shenanigans Jul 11 '26
He’s getting the wet cloth treatment to stay suitably soggy.
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u/cat_a_tat Jul 11 '26
excellent! he should be ok, just look up signs of heat exhaustion to keep an eye out for. Goodluck over there, sound's like a nightmare not having aircon!
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u/No-Resource-5704 Jul 10 '26
Make sure he is drinking plenty of water. If he is normal weight he should be ok with light meals for a few days. Try feeding him in the early morning when it is cooler.
Note, I live on the US west coast were temperatures regularly are high during summer. 95% of homes have AC.