Cat going insane during this heatwave!

acequion

Hi all. I'd hugely appreciate any help/advice.

I have a 9 year old tabby, spoiled rotten, an absolute baby and I always knew she had no tolerance for heat waves. Luckily we usually don't get them so she's mainly happy.

Anyway during this heat wave she can't bear to be in my warm timber framed house. She'll eat in the kitchen and legs it off as soon as she's finished. I've a big garden with dense foliage which she adores.

The problem is night time. Though I live in a quiet residential area, I really don't want her roaming around at night. She has slept inside at night her entire 9 years. But during this heat wave she wakes me up in the middle of the night screaming blue murder to get out. I don't let her out. I put her into the coolest part of the house, which isn't very cool and she's not happy, but at least I can get back to sleep.

Any suggestions what to do? Hopefully temperatures return to normal soon and she'll get back to normal. But in case this heat wave lingers and in case another one comes along I'd like to have a plan B. I love this weather but unfortunately my furry friend doesn't.😨

Thanks so much for any help!

Akrasia

Tis a tough one alright. We have dogs and a kitten. The dogs have been basically shaved to cool then down

Nobody's brave enough to try to shave the kitten

We've just been keeping all the Windows open and lots of shade in the garden for some respite

We have left the grass grow long in the garden where there is shade and wetting that section with the hose a few times a day and the cats been going there to hide from the sun we also have a weeping willow tree that he hides in and we've been wetting towels and leaving them on the stone patio to make a path to the house so they don't burn their feet on the hot stones

Aufbau

Leave a damp towel on the floor? Use a cold water bottle?

New Home

I'd second the cold water bottle, or even an ice pack well wrapped in a towel.

Wesser

I'd let her out. I think she knows whats best for her. Is there something is specific you are afraid of. Cats can see well by night.

Wesser

endacl

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117635302#Comment_117635302

Probably doesn’t want the cat going full berserker on any grounded fledglings. Like a responsible cat owner.

ClosedAccountFuzzy

DO NOT SHAVE A CAT!

It will result in the complete opposite to what you're trying to achieve. She'll overhead even more and she'll also be extremely uncomfortable as her fur is there to control her body temperature, not just keep her warm. You will also expose her skin to sun burn risk. They don't have much ability to handle UV directly onto their skin as it's not normally exposed.

Cats cool both by sweating and by licking their fur. The heat is removed by evaporation. If you shave a cat, they an get into really serious trouble with heat. Their fur regulates their temperature.

Either let her out, or mist her with water and keep fans on around her.

Generally cats are adapted for far warmer weather than we get here, but they acclimatise much like we do.

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117635258#Comment_117635258

Akrasia

Yeah I was joking about that part

Graces7

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117635302#Comment_117635302

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117635395#Comment_117635395

Graces7

I had the same issues with mine but easier as I am on a small island. All you can do is try? It will be hard the first time, but gets easier.

I rarely see my lot during the heat wave. They knew what was about to happen and the week before started vanishing all day. Just checking in for food. Usually at night when I am trying to sleep.

Graces7

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117635407#Comment_117635407

sorry; not used to the new site yet.

But you know your cat best and must do what is best there. This weather will not last forever.

PsychoPete

I leave mine out at night, probably shouldn't but the house is fairly humid during the night. They really don't like spending much time inside anyway. What about an air cooler to try keep the room cool?

acequion

Thanks so much for the replies. I have a fan but she hates it, she thinks it's the hairdryer 😀 Wet towels and a cold water bottle are great ideas so will try those. She just hates being inside during this weather but I don't want to leave her out all night. A few more days and temps will most likely be a lot lower so just have to hang in there. This little missy is very adamant about what she does and does not like.

Graces7

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117636840#Comment_117636840

Mine are scattered to the proverbial four winds. Boycat and the new island strays stay very close to me but the other four .... I have only ever let them out when I moved deep rural over twenty years ago. I hate when any go awol for the night but here they are safe. So I do understand and as you say, this weather extreme is finite.

touts

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117635302#Comment_117635302

Speaking as someone with a neighbour who leaves their two cats roam free day and night I say please don't do this. The two creatures have taken to sh1tting in my vegetable garden each night. Nothing worse than pulling a lettuce and finding cat sh1t sitting beside it. Disgusting and dangerous to eat. I've spoken to the neighbour and he had taken the attitude of he can't control them it's up to me to net off my veg garden etc.

This will only last a few days. Please keep your cat inside at night and don't pass your problem onto your neighbours.

Graces7

Agree. I never let any of mine out at all when we were near other people, gardens etc. Out here there are no gardens for literally miles so they can roam free.

However I can and do protect my own vegetable crops against rabbits ,hares and my own cats. Easy enough.

acequion

Update. Kitty is now sleeping at my mother's house in the same street, but it's a much older and colder house and kitty is delighted with herself. Mum puts cold towels on the sofa for her as an extra so tis the life of riley 😁 So she disappears for most of the day, comes to my place for food and mum's to sleep and sleeps all night til morning. Problem sorted. It will be interesting to see what she does when the heatwave ends.

It's a cat's life, folks 😀

John_Rambo

They won't like lying on something wet, but an ice bag covered with a waterproof liner and then something soft on top should do the trick. Regarding roaming cats on an offshore island, the last bastions of ground nesting birds with young clutches? It's easy to work out why they're so happy.

Get a pet cooling mat. They actually work really well.

Here is a picture of my dog lying on hers, last year. She loved it once she figured out what it did!

Graces7

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117649459#Comment_117649459

There is a thread by someone whose cat ate a cooling mat....

Graces7

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117649352#Comment_117649352

Wonderful.And yes cats are adept at finding comfort... lol...

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117649827#Comment_117649827

Yes I read that. Still doesn't change my recommendation.

Glad it's doing OK though.

Graces7

<snip> Friday. of cats and rats and birds and the balance of nature

Mod note: please do not link to your own blog on thread. It is against the rules of boards.

tabby aspreme

Yesterday's rain and hailstones, had the cats back inside within a minute of it starting, what ever shady spots they were hanging out in for the last week are not waterproof

John_Rambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117654773#Comment_117654773

I read your blog and you're wrong. People don't havre to live on an Island in an enclosed community to understand nature. I myself live in a community beside a nature reserve, I work on the Bull Island for the Dublin Bay biosphere ecosystem. I'm fully aware of the damage domestic cats and dogs carry out. And your cats don't target rats ahead of other wildlife, that's a fallacy.

DBB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117654773#Comment_117654773

Mod post:

Have I got this right? You disapprove of a thread on boards, you post your disapproval on your blog, then you post the link of your disapproval on your blog about a thread on boards, on boards?

Are you serious?

Graces7, you are not allowed to post links to your own blog here. You know that, as it's been said to you before. You can link to your blog in your signature, but you may not tout for readers of it here. Especially as a tool to diss the people here on the forum, who have every right to disagree with you.

Thanks,

DBB