Cat Behavior During Heat Wave

[ninibestiole]

Hi everyone thank you for accepting my fur kids and I in this forum
I have two cats Charlie ( a boy and he is spayed) who is 10 months now and Loki 6 weeks old ( a girl) and it's the first time I have cats ( for those of you who light wonder why I sound so anxious )
I'm feeling concerned about Charlie since the heat wave started. He is not his usual goofy self he spends his days laying on the kitchen tiles he is very grumpy and walks reaaaalllly slowly . I called our vet who told me that was bound to happen during heat waves and as long as he eats his wet food and drink there is no need to be worry.
My question might sound very silly but does his behavior will last as long as the heat wave is here or is it just a spell of some kind
He has a fan running all day and night, cooling pad and yesterday I've added a "soup" made for cat ( I don't know if I can name brand but it's a chicken broth with shredded chicken) to his wet food because I'm not sure he drinks enough

Thanks for reading me
Have a nice day every one

 

[stephanietx]

Hmmm....I live in a hot area, but we have central AC, so it's not ever too hot for my kitties. Cats do tend to lay low when it's hot. They also seek out the coolest places in the house, usually on a tile or wooden floor, not on a bed or carpet. You can try adding ice cubes to his water bowl or putting ice cubes in a cake pan and set them in front of the fan. As the fan blows over the ice cubes, the air will be cooler. Some people I know fill balloons with water and then freeze them. Once frozen, they remove the balloon and place the large block of ice in a pan to place in front of the fan.

 

[ninibestiole]

Hi stephanietx

I've tried the ice cube but he doesn't like that so I out water bottle in my freezer we'll see how it goes from here.
It's rather temperate where I live we're not used to such temperatures.
It breaks my heart to see him like that but the vet says there is absolutely nothing we can do about it Charlie has to soldier on through the heat wave.

 

[vyger]

Hi everyone thank you for accepting my fur kids and I in this forum
I have two cats Charlie ( a boy and he is spayed) who is 10 months now and Loki 6 weeks old ( a girl) and it's the first time I have cats ( for those of you who light wonder why I sound so anxious )
I'm feeling concerned about Charlie since the heat wave started. He is not his usual goofy self he spends his days laying on the kitchen tiles he is very grumpy and walks reaaaalllly slowly . I called our vet who told me that was bound to happen during heat waves and as long as he eats his wet food and drink there is no need to be worry.
My question might sound very silly but does his behavior will last as long as the heat wave is here or is it just a spell of some kind
He has a fan running all day and night, cooling pad and yesterday I've added a "soup" made for cat ( I don't know if I can name brand but it's a chicken broth with shredded chicken) to his wet food because I'm not sure he drinks enough

Thanks for reading me
Have a nice day every one

Mine have been feeling the heat also. But first remember that they are desert dwellers to start with so they do better in the hot than we do. Laying on something that conducts heat like cold tile or cement is also a way for them to get rid of heat. It is funny that several of mine still want to sit on my lap but only for so long. It's to hot after a while. You could try buying a few marble tiles from a store like home depot, put them in your fridge to cool the down and then see if your cats wants to lay on them. It might work, hard to say unless you try it.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

.
ninibestiole - Welcome to TCS! The actual air temperature in your home or apartment is the key to keeping your cats comfortable, and even a small window-mounted air conditioner will greatly improve the 'conditions.'

Spoiler

Votre syntaxe suggère que vous êtes de langue maternelle française, oui? Un ventilateur est d'une petite aide pour un chat. Les chats se refroidissent seulement à travers leurs langues, leurs pattes et leurs nez. Quelle est la température (la plus chaude) dans votre appartement?

 

[ninibestiole]

Hi vyger,
I've bought him a cooling pad but he mainly lays on the kitchen tiles. What got me worried is apathy and grumpiness it's so not like him.
Our vet tells me that as long as he is eating it's good but I'm still worried

 

[ninibestiole]

.
ninibestiole - Welcome to TCS! The actual air temperature in your home or apartment is the key to keeping your cats comfortable, and even a small window-mounted air conditioner will greatly improve the 'conditions.'

Spoiler

Votre syntaxe suggère que vous êtes de langue maternelle française, oui? Un ventilateur est d'une petite aide pour un chat. Les chats se refroidissent seulement à travers leurs langues, leurs pattes et leurs nez. Quelle est la température (la plus chaude) dans votre appartement?

Thanks for the tips

 

[stephanietx]

Another thing you can do is freeze a water bottle or two and then wrap in a hand towel and lay close to him. I have also put frozen gel packs on an area where they frequently lay before they get there so the floor is cooler for them.

ETA: Be sure he keeps eating, drinking, and using the litter box as normal. If you notice a change in those habits, then get him back to the vet.

 

[ninibestiole]

Another thing you can do is freeze a water bottle or two and then wrap in a hand towel and lay close to him. I have also put frozen gel packs on an area where they frequently lay before they get there so the floor is cooler for them.

ETA: Be sure he keeps eating, drinking, and using the litter box as normal. If you notice a change in those habits, then get him back to the vet.

HI the only thing is he isn't drinking like he should I called the vet hotline a few minutes ago ( I have anxiety disorder and it was peaking) she said that as long as he is eating wet food and using the litter box I shouldn't worry. Now she also asked me to measure him because as he is 10 month old he might displays signs of growth spurt.

 

[dustydiamond1]

Just a guess. He may be grumpy because usually when he is not happy everything is magically made better (hungry-food appears, wants to play, cuddle, get brushed etc..his hoomun servant makes everything perfect again) but not in this case, so he is grumpy. Gypsy lays in the bathtub to cool off sometimes. Some good ideas are on this thread: How To Keep Cats Cool. @rubysmama posted the articles below on the thread 'post funny picture and memes here'.

 

[ninibestiole]

Just a guess. He may be grumpy because usually when he is not happy everything is magically made better (hungry-food appears, wants to play, cuddle, get brushed etc..his hoomun servant makes everything perfect again) but not in this case, so he is grumpy. Gypsy lays in the bathtub to cool off sometimes. Some good ideas are on this thread: How To Keep Cats Cool. @rubysmama posted the articles below on the thread 'post funny picture and memes here'.

HI there you know that what I was thinking he is been going through a lot this past 2 weeks : a rambunctious baby sister, having to share his toys, the heat wave... Usually I let him live the way he wants but I'm all over him when he is sick so it makes me wonder thanks for the tips too

 

[jcat]

What you describe is perfectly normal behavior during a heatwave. Our animal shelter has >20 resident ferals that can go in and out. On Friday, all but one had "disappeared" by 9 a.m. to beat the heat. The one that didn't was simply waiting for me to clean and refill the "kitty pool" so he could go in it. Some actually do.

 

[ninibestiole]

What you describe is perfectly normal behavior during a heatwave. Our animal shelter has >20 resident ferals that can go in and out. On Friday, all but one had "disappeared" by 9 a.m. to beat the heat. The one that didn't was simply waiting for me to clean and refill the "kitty pool" so he could go in it. Some actually do.

Thanks it's really reassuring

 

[laura mae]

Northwesterner? I have a long-haired stocky kitty and I had her belly shaved primarily because her fur gets tangled and she bites if I try to comb her belly. But the shaving also helps keep her cooler. She also is sitting on the kitchen floor. I have also used a damp washcloth and "bathe" her head with it to give her some cooling relief.

 

[dustydiamond1]

HI there you know that what I was thinking he is been going through a lot this past 2 weeks : a rambunctious baby sister, having to share his toys, the heat wave... Usually I let him live the way he wants but I'm all over him when he is sick so it makes me wonder thanks for the tips too

My pleasure. keep us updated and post photos, lots and lots of photos.

 

[ninibestiole]

Northwesterner? I have a long-haired stocky kitty and I had her belly shaved primarily because her fur gets tangled and she bites if I try to comb her belly. But the shaving also helps keep her cooler. She also is sitting on the kitchen floor. I have also used a damp washcloth and "bathe" her head with it to give her some cooling relief.

HI I live near Paris in France

 

[ninibestiole]

My pleasure. keep us updated and post photos, lots and lots of photos.

Well first update is that ate 90 grams of wet food today not feeling eating his snacks but it's OK he cleaned his food bowl clean, and then went back to sleep

 

[dustydiamond1]

Well first update is that ate 90 grams of wet food today not feeling eating his snacks but it's OK he cleaned his food bowl clean, and then went back to sleep

 

[stephanietx]

HI the only thing is he isn't drinking like he should I called the vet hotline a few minutes ago ( I have anxiety disorder and it was peaking) she said that as long as he is eating wet food and using the litter box I shouldn't worry. Now she also asked me to measure him because as he is 10 month old he might displays signs of growth spurt.

If you add some water to his wet food and make it thick like oatmeal, you can increase his water intake.

Good to know he's eating!

 

[ninibestiole]

Hi guys sorry for not updating sooner but Charlie had a fever at 104 FI called the vet who told me Charlie must have fall ( where and when remain unknown) that's why he was walking like a grampa
His fever is down to a 100.1 today and he is eating well the vet told me this morning that we were out of the wood