06/01/2026
🥵🥵IT'S HOT, HOT, HOT🥵🥵
We’ve all experienced 40*C Aussie summer day… but for a cat, the heat can be deadly☠️
As cats only sweat from their paws, their methods of cooling are limited.
Here are our tips for keeping your purr-baby cool and safe this summer❗️
❄️Make them a cool retreat:
Use a cardboard box to create a cool, dark spot for your purr-baby to retreat to in this hot weather.
Line the new cool retreat with cotton or terry towel, place in a quiet spot and add water bottles filled with cool water and ice cubes or dry towels that have been placed in the freezer over night
🌬️Leave the aircon running:
But make sure cats with no fur or a short coat can escape if it gets too chilly.
If you don’t have aircon, leave windows open (with fly screens in place of course!) and use fans to promote air circulation and to cool the room down.
Keeping the blinds down can also help to prevent the room from heating up in the first place
🧊Cool Treats:
Canned cat food frozen in ice cube tray makes an excellent icy treat for our feline friends.
🫗Fresh water:
Make sure they have access to fresh water at all times. You can do this by giving them chilled water from the fridge or adding a few ice-cubes to their water. Lots of cats love to drink from running water, so also consider investing in a drinking fountain or leave a tap dripping slowly into a bowl for them.
🚫Limiting exercise:
Active play increases your fur baby’s core body temp. So it’s best to limit play to the early morning or later afternoon when the outside temperature is lower.
🪮Grooming:
Daily brushing keeps mats away, which traps body heat. If you have long haired cats with lots of matted hair, speak to your vet about strategic clipping options such as belly clips, which protect the delicate skin but help to keep your cat cool. Most cats won’t mind your brushing their coat with a moist towel either
🚙Avoid car trips:
Car trips are best avoided if possible and remember to never leave your cat in the car, even if it’s only for a short period
🧴Sunscreen:
Just like people, cats with pink skin and fair coats are predisposed to sunburn and skin cancers! These are best avoided by keeping blinds down and using a pet-friendly sunscreen.
🆘Be aware of the signs of heat stress:
Heat stress is an emergency condition that affects the whole body of the fur-baby. Because cats are not very good at cooling down their body temperature, they can quickly become overheated.
Fur-babies affected by heat stress -appear distressed and restless
-drool large amounts of saliva from the nose and or mouth
-becomes unsteady on their feet
-collapse and in severe cases,
-may also vomit
-racing pulse
-their tongue appears red (more red than usual)
🤓Final words
I hope these tips will help to keep your precious purr-babies cool and comfy this summer!
🩺If you notice any of the signs of heatstroke in your cat, contact your local vet immediately‼️
