Although felines are used to high temperatures, that doesn’t mean they don’t suffer from heat. Let’s see how to understand if our cat is hot.
The feline, considered a desert animal, bears more heat than humans. This is due both to its average body temperature which is higher than that of humans, and because the cat’s coat acts as an insulator.
In fact, we can easily see our four-legged friends as they lie down in the sun and how they resist the sun’s rays. However, although felines can handle the heat more than we do, they too can suffer from high temperatures and heat stroke.
To prevent this it is important to know how to recognize the symptoms of the cat when it is hot and to resort to “repairs”. Let’s see below how to understand if the cat is hot.
Understanding if the cat is hot: the symptoms to observe
As we all know, cats, like dogs, don’t sweat, or rather they don’t sweat like us humans.
In fact, our four-legged friends do not have sweat glands all over the body like humans but they sweat through the pads of the paws.
However, even felines just like us humans cannot tolerate certain temperatures and it is necessary to know how to recognize the symptoms of a feline that is hot, so that you can cool it down before it has a heatstroke. The main signs of a hot cat are:
- The cat always licks its paws: the felines, as mentioned above, sweat through the paws, and to eliminate the excess heat they often begin to lick the latter;
- The feline has its tongue out: just like human beings, breathing increases when it is hot. The cat, however, instead of panting as a dog does, simply sticks its tongue out ;
- The cat goes into the sink : the sink is a damp place and cat hardly crouches in it, unless it is hot and the sink is cold enough to cool it;
- The cat stands in front of the fan: a hot cat could decide to put itself in front of a running fan without considering the consequences that the air of the latter could have on its fur.
Finally, if you notice your four-legged friend lying completely on the floor with his eyes open and not in a usual position for sleeping, it means that he is on the verge of heat, the cat in this case could also have heat stroke.
What to do if the cat is hot
When we realized that our four-legged friend is hot, what should we do?
First of all, if Micio is hot, unlike what is said, the air conditioner must not be turned on. The latter is bad not only for us humans but also for the feline.
In fact, the cold air of the air conditioner can easily lead the cat to catch the flu , as the cold air also decreases the immune defences.
For this reason it would be better to use a fan that does nothing but turn the air or the dehumidifier. Another thing that is thought to do when the cat is hot is to wash it, which is completely wrong as we know very well that cats do not like to bathe.
However, we could moisten it, simply by wetting our hands and stroking with the latter covered with water, our furry friend by dwelling more on the head and paws.
Let’s not forget that when it’s hot the feline will surely go in search of water. So we always provide fresh water in the cat’s bowl, you can also add some ice cubes to make sure that the water does not heat up with heat.
In addition to hydration, nutrition is also important for the cat in hot weather. So try to offer the feline a light diet.
Finally, a refreshing kennel or a refreshing mat that you can find on the market can be useful. However, it would be enough to keep your furry friend’s kennel in the shade and perhaps add a damp cloth near the kennel where your cat can lie down and cool off when he wishes.
By having all this attention, you will prevent the cat from having heat stroke.
