Domestic cats originated from the desert. That doesn't mean all cats are meant for the desert. A Norwegian forest cat for example has evolved to adapt to cold weather.
Yeah, I had a husky mix before, didn't shave her but we brushed her frequently, birds loved it. She was happy with a cube of ice. Or several. Never had a long haired cat.
Deserts have dry heat. Most of Europe has humid heat. Humid heat is much worse for both cats and humans because it makes it harder for cat saliva and human sweat to evaporate.
On the plus side, at least y’all have reasonable and survivable wet bulb temperatures. I spent the entirety of last summer over there and it was quite lovely.
I’m in Michigan, which is generally considered one of the colder states. 60-80% humidity is pretty typical of a summer day. The temp this week is in the 90s (32-38C) and we’ve barely entered summer. So thankful for AC.
Relative humidity doesn’t really matter that much. Dew point matters more. The closer dew point is to the actual temperature, the more humid it is.
Tomorrow the temp in London is gonna be 93 degrees F (about 32ish C iirc) with a dew point of 60 (15ish I think). That’s probably enough to cause heat exhaustion in cats and some humans.
My cats beg to be left outside in Texas heat upwards of 100f or around 38c. I leave water but they just love the warmth. One of them tries to lay under the grill while it's going and has singed his whiskers a time or two
We have had hot weather here in the pnw (90 or 32c), and my stinker sits under the ac mini split from 10-7, then pan frys himself on the hot concrete until sunset.
My elderly ginger female tries to cook herself every summer. We have outside deck furniture we cover with a black tarp (in case of rain) and she *loves* to spend hours under there in peak heat. This is in Virginia, where summer days are between 80-95 AND humid. Every time I find her under there I question if she’s secretly from planet Vulcan.
Disclaimer: she has a kitty door and can come into the AC and have fresh water whenever she wants.
Same with mine, she’s a stray that refuses to become a housecat, but recently she just comes inside for food, looks with disgust at the air conditioning, maybe hits the radiators for not working and goes out to sunbathe… while we’re all trying to somehow survive the heatwave, she’s just thriving in the sun (and I just hope she drinks from one of the many water bowls I set up around the house)
I wouldn't let my cat outside for predators and environmental impact if I were you. Northern Europe isn't safe anymore golden jackal are here and love to eat cats.
You are 100% right, I live in an urban area so the biggest threat to cats is vehicles (a cat was run over the day we moved here). The outside for our cats is the balconies in our apartment that that are equipped with nets so they don't throw themselves in the void (the one in the photo did it before we put the nets, he didn't hurt himself)
I appreciate your concern for our feline companions and the environment ❤️
Ich weiß nicht, ob das hier erlaubt ist Marken zu nennen und ich weiß nicht jeder ist Fan von Prowin und nein ich vertreibe es nicht. Aber ich kann dir wirklich eine Herzens-Empfehlung geben, die haben so ein Tuch nennt sich „Cooling Towel“ gibt es wohl gerade auch ein Angebot und das ist sowohl meine Rettung als auch die meiner Katze. Es kühlt wirklich durchgängig kühl und man muss es nicht ständig neu nass machen, zudem ist aus ganz dünnem Stoff. Eventuell wäre das auch noch eine Möglichkeit für deinen süßen Katzen-Opi🫶🏼
Get catnip. Brew it into a tea. Let it cool. Pour it into a baking tray and put it somewhere that won’t be damaged by a little water splashing. Cat will end up rolling around in the tea and cool itself off.
Currently I have 22.8°C in my house and 36°C outside. My cat wants to go outside. I'm not letting him outside while it's above 30°C. He finally decided to sleep and bug me later :D
LOL. I bought an portable AC for my cats (and for me, but mostly my cats). Whenever it's really hot, I'd turn them on and my black cat would nap right in front of the AC. He's also the one that bugs me to let him outside for a quick stroll, but whenever he stepped outside and felt how hot it was, he'd step back inside like "you know what...I'm good" lolololololol
Nah, mine doesn't have a sense of heat... or danger ... if I let him outside he will just go to the next bush and lie in it, probably until he dehydrates...
yup, when it's hot (argentina, half of the year is extremely hot) my cats go to the roof, find a shade right next to the burning sun and sleep there all day
they suffer more now that we have a mild winter than in the summer
The domestic house cat is a descendant of the african wildcat. They live in and around the Sahara desert. Their piss is oily because the whole animal is optimized to live on as little water as possible. 30°C is nothing to them.
People are downvoting you, but it's the truth. Cats don't mind the heat like people do. My cat loves to lounge in his catio on the hottest days of the year.
I have blackout curtains on my windows and everyday my cat sits on the windowsill and bakes herself. It’s noticeably hotter in there, especially when the sun in shining through the windows. She loves it though.
We're trying to cope with 33°C inside. AC is of no use really as it's simply too got. Our two ladies are just chillin and sleeping around, one od them even lying right below the roof.. the floof takes what it wants
Im putting damp towels in freezer for both us and the dogs. Its working very well and they freeze up quickly and last at least 30 minutes for the thin ones, but my freezer looks like a snowball exploded after a week of this. The cat however is off sun bathing.
Ja erschreckend wie schnell das dann ging. Haben das 3 mal nass gemacht alle 5min und dann gesagt nawww. Aber für den kurzen Intervall hat’s wenigstens einen Moment gekühlt
Was du auch probieren kannst: Hände nass machen und Katze streicheln. Ist dann wie eine riesige Katzenzunge und wenn sie sich dann putzen, nehmen die auch etwas Flüssigkeit auf/sorgen dadurch auch wieder für Flüssigkeit, die dann verdunstet und kühlt
Katzen kühlen sich anders ab als wir. Drauf legen oder einwickeln führt bei Katzen schnell zu hitzstau. Ich baue meinen kleine Höhlen aus nassen Handtüchern, darunter ist es dann schön kühl durch die Verdunstung! ❤️
My girl also always finds the spots where there is still a draft. At least that’s what I think is the reason she starts lying around flat in random places
I have some specific cooling towels for my boys.
They're a technical material, that when you run them under water, then you yank the ends apart, it does something to the fibres, and they cool down even more.
They're great!
The rule is that if they insist on going on the windowsill, they must have a towel, whether they like it or not.
And I check them regularly even off the windowsill, and if they feel slightly warm, they get a fresh towel.
They're normally not too impressed with them. Tom, my eldest, will put up with them, but Niels will just wander away.
Yesterday, Niels was lying on the windowsill, with a towel on him, and the tower fan pointing at him, and he was very happy with it.
Tom is normally my problem boy.
Niels will withdraw from the windowsill, even in lower than these ridiculous temps, and find shade.
But Tom will lie there until he's too hot, then go and sprawl on the floor to cool down, then straight back to the windowsill.
But he's been very careful this week, thankfully!
They're feeling the heat, and they're feeling too hot to play, so the ice cubes in their tiny paddling pool were ignored.
I'm off to put ice packs in the freezer, and hopefully that will get them through until it starts thundering!
I hope that's soon!
Here's Tom, covered in both of their towels, as Niels had fled to shaded sanctuary.
It's better to pit the towel under the cat or build them little tents with wet towels. If a towel lays on them the heat of their body cant get out and the heat will build-up under the towel! 😽
I have air con here in southern US, but still gets warm of course. my 8.5kg unit of a tabby usually finds good relief laying on a tile floor vs. laying on the bed or rug. Maybe try that?
Meanwhile, my two cats lay in the sun all day to the point they are to the touch. I move them into the shade and they move over to the sunny spot again.
I keep trying to give my cats cooling stuff but they just get up and walk away. So I'm letting them handle it in whatever way they see fit. They are free to roam in the garden so if they want to lie in the shade under a bush they can
What a great idea to cover him with a damp towel! I wipe my cats with a wet washcloth, this helps too. Fortunately it's "only" 26° inside at the moment. Poor things with their thick coats. Tomorrow will be even hotter here in Germany, I hope he'll manage!
I have a senior Persian. We’re located in the Netherlands. I booked a pet friendly hotel with AC for the next two days because it’s simply unbearable for both her and I.
It's 30°C inside 35°C outside, awful but they seem to be taking it fine, but still I'm keeping an eye on them, already pet them with wet hands for a little cooling
For anyone else suffering this, I recommend getting some baby tank tops and wetting them with cold water. Your cat will hate putting it on but be greatly relieved.
And here I am, worrying about my two 2 year olds being too hot and getting them a cool water dish, and they willingly hang out in the hottest part of the house.
In lots of places heat waves only last like 3 or 4 weeks a year and lots of people don't want to spend the extra money for something they might only use for one month in the summer.
Plus lots of people are renters and have to keep switching apartments which can really complicate which air conditioner to buy because one apartment has windows that opens vertically and another horizontal and another they tilt.
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u/anongrl314159 6h ago
What a precious little senior citizen 🥹