27/06/2026
Cats in Extreme Temperatures.
I don’t know about you, but I am not made for heat! I get overheated very quickly and it can make me really feel quite ill. Give me a hot chocolate with a blanket on and a book any day! 😉
My little collection of cats and my little dog have REALLY been suffering in this heat. You need to be extra aware of cats to ensure they don’t get heatstroke - dogs also can get heatstroke but they pant to cool themselves down and give more warning signs, whereas cats generally don’t pant - if they’re panting, they are already too hot!
I just wanted to share a few little bits that will make your cat’s life (and dogs also) a bit easier in these high temperatures, things I already have for my cats, and some tips to keep them cool.
Do all the usual things - close the curtains, don’t open windows or doors until late afternoon or evening, or first thing in the morning. Put fans on, air conditioning units, and if it’s colder outside than inside, throw all the windows and doors open to create a breeze in the house.
Cats should stay indoors during the hottest part of the day (especially if you or your neighbours have Astro turf, as it gets a lot hotter than normal grass due to the fact that it doesn’t contain water, like real grass does), so should only really go out in the morning or evening.
Also you would ideally want a cooling shelter for them outside and lots of fresh water. There is a couple of Amazon products attached called “cooling houses” for inside and outside, and ice packs to put in them. You could also create a shade and put normal ice packs into a towel and lay it down where the cat normally lays.
I also think the first aid gel cooling mats are great to lie down on, just put something between the cat and the pad.
There are now not just cooling gel pads but cooling fabric pads, they don’t feel cool to the touch but the idea is that if they lay on it, it wicks away the heat from their body, cooling them down.
Buy an ice cube tray with big spaces for larger ice cubes and regularly pop them in their water. Also change the water frequently - I love a fresh, cold, sparkling water in this heat and it cools me down a lot, but after about an hour in the heat I go to drink some more and it’s warm I just can’t drink it, so I get a replacement. So please treat your animals the same and make sure you are replacing their water with cool water often.
To get more fluids into them, give them pouches of wet food and add some water into it and mix. You can also freeze chunks of their wet food and leave it in a bowl for them to lick at.
If your pet is looking unwell, panting heavily, very lethargic, drooling, heart rate speeding up, these could be a sign of the start of heatstroke and I cannot say this enough - it can be fatal, especially in smaller animals. Do not wait to see a vet, but if you’re only just noticing one or 2 mild symptoms just starting, you can try and bring it down quickly yourself, but if that doesn’t work fast, take them to the vet’s. They may need cooling down via IV fluids, and maybe some electrolytes.
If your cat loves the water, you can buy little folding dog pools on Amazon to put them in, or run a tepid bath. Do NOT use cold water on them as this can lead to shock. If they don’t like water, rub them gently with a cold wet towel, not drenched but wet enough to get through to their skin. You can even wet and cool face clothed or small thin wet towels and just lay them on top of them, just remember to keep refreshing them with cool water so it doesn’t dry out and make them water.
If this fails to make them feel any better then it’s really important to get your pet to the vets as soon as it is possible.
It’s so hard to keep cats cool in the summer because obviously they can equate that drinking water will help them. You could also try a little bowl of cat milk to help with rehydration.
I’ll attach pics of some of the products I use - they are all from Amazon, except the one from pawfect4pets site. Amazon, and other pet stores, have many similar items. These can be life saving for your cat and you’ll be able to use them year after year. It might be coming to the end of this particular little heatwave but it’s apparently going to be back in around 10 days so get some of these to help your fur babies keep as cool as you can!
