How To Keep Cats Cool in Summer

Summer is in full swing, and with that comes the summer heat and humidity. Though cats generally tolerate heat better than humans, they may still need your help to stay cool and comfortable when temperatures rise. Be prepared to help cool your cat down for the next big heatwave and all those hot days in between.

Know the signs of heatstroke and help your cat cool down this summer with these simple tips.

How To Tell If Your Cat Is Overheating

If your cat’s body temperature rises too high, it can begin to experience heat exhaustion. If their temperature stays elevated it can lead to hyperthermia, commonly known as heat stroke, a life-threatening condition that can cause serious damage to your cat’s internal organs and cause them to shut down.

Learn which symptoms of heatstroke to look for to best care for your sweet feline.

Signs your cat may be overheating include:

• Shallow, rapid breathing
• Stumbling or staggering
• Excessive lethargy
• Red tongue or mouth (instead of pink)
• Vomiting

Our Top Tips To Keep Your Cat Cool In Hot Weather

Keeping cats cool in the summer is essential when it really warms up. You love your furry feline buddy, and you want to make sure they’re cool as cucumbers when it’s hot and sticky out there.

Here are our top tips:

Keep Your Cat Well Groomed

Keeping your cat well-groomed is the number one way to help keep them cool. A healthy coat goes a long way in ventilation!

Brush your cat‘s fur often throughout the summer months (trust us, they’ll love the extra attention) to keep knots, tangles, fur balls, and loose fur from retaining any extra heat against your cat‘s body. If you have a long-haired cat, it may be worth getting them a haircut for the summer.

Your veterinarian or professional groomer can give you the best advice on cuts for your cat’s breed.

Uncover Those Cool Tile Floors

You may notice cats tend to spread out on kitchen or bathroom floors when it’s hot. This is not only because heat rises, but because tile doesn’t absorb and hold heat like rugs or cloth furniture does.

If you have area rugs or throw rugs covering these cool surfaces, consider rolling them up in the summer to give your cat a chance to cool down with some floor napping.

Get Your Cat A Cooling Mat

A cooling mat may be a good option for your feline family member if you live in a location where it’s warm year-round, or if you experience especially hot summers.

Providing a consistently cool surface for your cat to lay down will be a huge benefit to them, regulating body temperature and preventing heatstroke.

Keep The Air Conditioning On If You Can

We all know that air circulation is essential for staying cool. Open windows can be helpful when temperatures are tolerable, but when the heat and humidity rise it can be a real challenge for cats to cool down. Even if you designate one cool area of the home, consider keeping the air conditioning on for your cat even when you’re out and about.

Close Blinds and Shades During The Day

Indoor cats may not get as many opportunities to seek shade, especially if you have a bright and sunny home. The windows in your house can act like those in greenhouses, radiating the heat through the glass and warming up those sunny spots in your home fast.

Make sure at least a room or two in your home has some places to escape the sun, curl up in their favorite sleeping position, and take a shady nap.

Provide Shady Spaces for Outdoor Cats

If your feline friend is venturing outdoors in the summer heat, make sure they’ll have some shady spots to choose from. Planting trees and bushes that create shaded areas gives a great place for a cat nap in a cool place out of the hot sun.

If you have a gazebo or patio, put one of your cat’s beds inside to encourage some shady lounging. Leaving treats, food, and water in these places will also encourage your cat to keep coming back to stay cool.

Provide Plenty of Clean, Fresh Water

Cats need to stay hydrated just like humans and dogs do, and when it‘s hot and humid it‘s more of a challenge for them, too. Keeping multiple bowls of cool water around the house and available for your cat will make it easy for them to keep drinking plenty of water.

You can fill your cat‘s water bowls with chilled water from the fridge, or by adding ice cubes to their water throughout the day. Make sure you change the water daily. Cats also love to drink running water, so you can leave a tap dripping slowly into a bowl for them, or invest in a fountain that they can drink from.

Give Cats A Cool Washcloth Or An Ice Pack

Cat owners know their feline friends are typically not big fans of swimming, but being stroked with a washcloth or damp towel wet with cold water or draped over their body can be a nice relief from the heat.

You can also take an ice pack or a frozen water bottle from the freezer and wrap it in a hand towel before placing it in your cat’s bed or preferred snoozing spot. This gives your kitty a chance to control how close, how long, and how much of its body is getting cooled down.

How to Keep Cats Cool in Summer: Make Some Frozen Cat Treats To Cool Your Cat Down

Did you know you can make your own frozen cat treats at home?

Though your cat may be plenty interested in your chocolate or vanilla ice cream cone, consuming sugary human foods can be upsetting to their sensitive little stomach. Sticking to cat food and cat treats is the safest bet.

Frozen cat treats will help cool your cat down, and wet food has more water content for a treat that includes hydration. All you need is an ice cube tray and a can or pouch of wet cat food.

Open and spread evenly into the ice cube trays, filling the sections about halfway so they’re manageable for your cat once they’re nice and cold. You can also freeze small pouches of cat treats to share with your cool kitty.