ok so get this, it's upper 90's here, and i'm on the third floor in an apartment. to make matter worse, my landlord has our HEAT ON UGH!!!!!!!!!! the big jerk. (and he says "yer heat's not on", but hmm, why is all this hot air coming from the radiators and it's like 9million degrees coolor in the hallways & outside than in our apartment?? think i should call the police?)
anyhoo, my cats are feeling the brunt of this, and have been actually panting, which when a cat pants, it is a VERY bad sign.
i called around the vets & some pet stores to find out some tips on keeping cats cool in the summer & i know there are a few other cat people around here, so i'd like to share:
if a cat is panting, it means they are seriously dehydrated. sometimes it doesn't matter how much water you put down, if they get to this point, they may become too tired to walk over to their dish. it's ok to fill extra dishes & put them all over the place, and even bring a bowl of water over to where they are lying down & have them take a sip if they seem like they aren't visiting the water dish on their own.
scoop up a little bit of water and rub it in the backs of their heads and ears. make sure the water isn't *too* cold, or it could cause shock. they will hate it when you do this, and may get mad at you, but it is better for them to be cool & mad, than hot & sick.
the best tip: get a large towel & run it under the tap in cool water (again, not *too* cold) wring out the towel until it's just damp & then scoop up the cat & wrap them in the towel for a few minutes. they'll struggle, they'll growl, they may even try to nip you, but it will bring their body temp down. if the cat is struggling too much to be held, place the towel over them on the floor and hold them down with the towel over them (but not over their head)
i asked if it would be advisable to just dunk 'em in a tub of water, and they said you *can* do that but the towel trick will work better and they won't get *quite* as wet....which will make them a little less mad at you
if anyone else has some good tips on keeping kitties cool in massive heat waves, please share!! my kitties are my babies, and it is h-o-t up here in this apartment!! (efffing landlord GGRRRRRRRRR and i'm holding his rent hostage too, the poopie head)
"A BRW Original"
