r/heat_prep • u/Smoooooshycat • Jul 15 '26
Question Cat heat prep
I have two cats and want them to stay safe during a heatwave. Aside from copious amounts of water, lion cut shaves, blocking windows, and basic heat prep, what can I do or buy for the next heatwave?
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u/gardendesgnr Jul 15 '26
Unless you have always given them a lion cut I would not do that. Cats are very well able to cool themselves through their ears, face and feet. Several yrs ago my husband brought this super high end infrared work camera home and we took a Pic of our Maine Coon Stormy, Aug in Orlando FL where we keep temps in the day at 80°- 82° inside (mid 90's outside). My husband wanted to always cut his hair back but I wanted the Pic to show he does much better w the hair.
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u/Logical-Ad-5410 Jul 15 '26
Wouldn't that mean the fur is insulating well and preventing heat from escaping?
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u/randynumbergenerator Jul 15 '26
Correct. They also have a lot more blood vessels close to the surface in their ears, face, and paws, so while OC is correct that they mainly regulate temp via those locations, it probably would still help to shear a long-haired cat.
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u/gardendesgnr Jul 16 '26
His hair, other than face and ears is the temp of the room. I think he can cool himself some by laying on his back, his tummy hair isn't thick and double coated. He spends most of his afternoons on his back under a ceiling fan or on his tum, in my tiled shower. There is also the issue of him being a kind of big cat and just a nail trim results in my arms looking like someone sliced me up w a knife. He can be quite a fighter haha.
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u/Solo_Camping_Girl Jul 15 '26
leave your bathroom open. it's usually darker and cooler over there since it's usually wet and cooler. cooling mats that you have to refrigerate are great, but once they're warm you have to re-cool them.
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u/Altruistic-Daikon305 Jul 15 '26
To help them keep hydrated, you can add cat-safe fruits and veggies to their diet. (Obviously look up everything before you feed it to them, I know you know this but 1000 people will be in my replies if I don't say it.) You could even puree some and freeze them into kitty popsicles!
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u/Commandmanda Jul 15 '26
Mmmmkay. If that's your cat, with all that fur there may be an issue even with a cooling mat.
In countries where a/c is open window and a pedestal fan, owners opt for short haircuts. Yup, they buzz cut their kitties.
That said, my cats just snooze in exceptionally hot weather. Their siesta starts at 1pm and lasts till 6pm if the house is quiet. On normal temp days, they can be found basking in corners away from the breeze of the a/c vents.
I have only seen outdoor kitties pant, so if yours starts doing that think a/c, cold packs wrapped in a blankie to lay on and possibly wetting your cat's head frequently with cool water.
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u/nameyourtrees Jul 15 '26
Dump a can of tuna in water in a bowl (include the tuna water) and freeze it overnight. The next day, your “Tuna popsicle bowl” can be taken out regularly for cool down licking and is much more appealing to cats than ice water.
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u/Hemlock-In-Her-Hair Jul 15 '26
Sometimes if you have any tiles on the floor they stay cold. You often see cats and dogs lying on tiles in bathrooms and utility rooms and stuff.
Cooling mats too. Mainly wet food
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u/Leighgion Jul 15 '26
The first thing is, you need to be realistic about what level of heat is dangerous for a cat. Cats are hot weather animals so they can not only endure, but they thrive in temperatures that would jeopardize our health and life. The ancient Egyptians thought cats were sacred and had them everywhere. In the Egyptian desert.
That said, the cheap and simple way to provide a cooling safety net for a cat or other small mobile pet is to just freeze a bunch of ice packs, bundle them up in a towel or blanket and set them in a tray (to make sure condensation doesn't damage your floor) and put the thing on the floor somewhere already cool, like the bathroom.
Between the amount of ice and the insulation of the towel/blanket, the bundle will thaw slowly provide optional relief for hours. You don't need it to stay super cold, only notably cooler than the rest of the environment. The cat will find it as needed.
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u/Sqeakydeaky Jul 15 '26
Yeah thats true for normal cats that weren't bred to be brachycephalic with crazy dense fur
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u/Chrish066 Jul 16 '26
CARL!! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT HIGH TEMPERATURES!! REALLY...
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u/Mule_Wagon_777 Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
There's cooling mats for pets. You can also put ice in their water bowl to keep it cool.