TOP 10 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR CAT COOL DURING THE SUMMER HEAT

Temperatures can get very high in the summers, and your little kitty may have a hard time dealing with that, especially when going outside. Here are some tips and tricks to help keep them cool and hydrated while out exploring with you!

Tips to keep cool:

1. Take your walks during cooler parts of the day (early morning, late evening).
2. Cats lose body heat and sweat from their paws. Keep their paws cool by wetting them with some water. 
3. Wrap an ice pack in a towel to place in their backpack or travel carrier so they can lay on that. (frozen veggie bags work too!) NOTE: avoid the gel/bead ice packs as they can be toxic to your cat if they poke a hole in it and ingest the contents.
4. Bring a portable fan with you that you can either hold on your cat during breaks, or one that you can clip onto your backpack to circulate the air inside there.
5. If you have your cat in a backpack, try to leave it as open as possible (if you have a bubble pack, remove the bubble). You can always clip your cat in so that they do not jump out, or you can leave them unclipped and hold onto the leash so that you know when they jump out.
6. Keep up with daily grooming/brushing. This helps them shed more and thin their coat so that their hair does not trap as much heat.
7. Wet a towel and wipe down your cat’s body to help them cool off quickly.
8. If out on the trails, try to find shaded areas to take breaks.
9. Try using cooling bandana/vest (RC pets has both)
10. Cooling mats can be used for the car or in your home too. Some work by touch, while others need to be refrigerated or kept in a cooler to stay cold.

Tips to keep hydrated:

1. Feed wet/canned foods because they have a high moisture content
2. Offer squeezable treats while out exploring to give extra water content (especially if your cat does not like to drink when out)
3. Syringe feed water to them  (be sure to go slowly and make sure they swallow it all before giving more to avoid them aspirating)
4. Give them ice cubes to play with/eat or add them to their water bowl to keep water cool.
5. You can make homemade “lollipops” for them out of low sodium chicken broth or tuna brine diluted with some water.
6. Always keep fresh water in their bowls (change AT LEAST once a day, preferably more!)

Other tips:

1. Always feel the ground/streets to make sure they are not too hot for your cat to walk on.
2. If you take your cat with you in the car, NEVER leave them in there while the car is off. Even if it is “really quick” or “just one minute”, cats cannot sweat the same way we do and can overheat very quickly being in a confined space like that in high temperatures.
3. If your cat is staying in the house all day, make sure to close the blinds and leave the air conditioner on for them. You can even wrap an ice pack in a towel and put it in a spot they like to sleep so that they can lie on that if they want. Also, some of the tips mentioned above for when outside with your cat would easily work when indoors as well!