Summer is coming and you are worried that your cat is suffering from high temperatures? Let’s see when and why the cat sweats, with some tips on how to cool it down.
Summer is coming, lots of sun and good weather: yes, but what do we do with the heat? Even our pets, who love to warm up in the sun so much, can suffer from excessive sweating. We may notice some signals that the cat sends us when the heat, for him, is becoming unbearable. And in the end we might think that ‘not all evils come to harm’ when it comes to balancing the internal temperature of a sweating cat. Finally, a mention of the different remedies that can refresh our feline. Don’t believe it? Seeing is believing!
Cats and the sun: a dangerous passion!
Have we ever seen our cat running to the window to enjoy that ray of sunshine that comes from outside? Yes, because the cat has a real passion for the sun and the heat, also because the solar heat on his skin brings some benefits. The positive sides of lying in the sun are different: balancing the internal temperature (which is lowered when they sleep), it is a source of Vitamin D and then they are able to tolerate it even when it reaches very high peaks.
Although cats have this passion, it does not mean that they can lie in the direct sun for hours: the risk of a cat’s heat stroke or sunstroke is always around the corner! So it is right to give them the opportunity to warm themselves behind the glass of the windows, but in moderation and never forgetting to fill the bowls with fresh and clean water, always at their disposal.
The cat sweats: how and from where
It would be unfair to say that only dogs suffer from heat, but it is true that they demonstrate it with much more striking signs than their feline friends. A dog that is suffering from the heat cannot breathe, is panting and always has his tongue sticking out of his mouth, almost as if he is about to gasp. The cat, on the other hand, even when the sun is excessive, lies well stretched out in the sun, sprawled!
Yet it will be impossible to notice the typical droplets of sweat on the cat’s skin, also considering the fact that often crossing the long coat is not easy. So if we know that cats sweat, we will probably wonder where this sweat comes from. The sweat glands of the cat are found in some areas of his body, unlike us humans who are totally covered with them. In cats, there are few areas that give off sweat: paws, chin, anus and mouth. Pay attention to it: on hot summer days it will be easy to notice the footprints of cats on the floor, just as we humans leave our footprints on a reflective surface.
What does a cat do when it sweats
The fact that he can tolerate heat does not mean that he cannot find suitable remedies to deal with it better. In fact, when the sun is excessive, the cat tends to adopt some ‘strategies’, which help it not to collapse and to lower its internal temperature. The cat that is hot will look for a shady and cooler area on its own in the house; if you have the possibility of a garden, let’s always try to create an area that remains in the shade, perhaps with a canopy, so that the feline always finds shelter on hot summer days.
The cat will also lick the fur, to make sure that the liquid left by the saliva on the fur, is able to evaporate and give the cat a feeling of ‘cool’. In practice, if the hair fails to ‘produce’ sweat, the cat will leave saliva on it and make it evaporate.
Another infallible remedy is to move as little as possible: a hot cat cannot, and must not, make excessive movements and will also tend to rest more. So let’s not be impressed if we notice that his sleep hours have increased, or even if we don’t see him active and perky as usual. he is hot, and obviously he doesn’t want to make an effort!
How to help your cat in hot weather
In addition to always having small but great precautions, such as always filling the water bowl and never letting it deposit for long periods and buying metal containers, which are able to keep the temperature constant and cooler, there are also others remedies to help Cat face the summer season.
Let’s change his diet which, unlike the winter one, must contain more humid and watery foods, in order to always provide the right amount of water to his body. We also make sure that you can always easily find shaded areas in your home and perhaps cooler environments: but be careful not to overdo the air conditioning!
However, if we notice that the heat is really unbearable and not even these remedies are able to cool the cat, we ourselves provide to wet its face with a damp cloth and maybe pass it under the armpits and in the areas where it can sweat more.
