• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Help needed , avoid cat heatstroke

Aepervius

Non credunt, semper verificare
A
Joined
Aug 7, 2003
Messages
14,571
Location
Sigil, the city of doors
I knew already that my flat was not well isolated and not a good place at high temperature for cats, but it never went above 32-34 celsius for extended period of time. But now I am reaching 40+ and this is dangerous for all involved particularly cats. I am planning to move as quick as I can find somewhere else, but in the mean time must help the cats survive, and i feel very guilty to not have forseen that.

Today I am giving cold water to the cats (they seem to refuse room temperature water but run to ice cube melting), and plan to have towel under which I will lay a bed of frozen pea and cold pack for them to sleep on.

Then by tomorrow I will have the basement free (it is very cool there) as a temporary place I can leave them during the day (unfortunately only 16 m^2).

Any suggestion to survive the next 48 hours ?
 
Get some freezer bags, put some ice in that and use that instead of frozen peas. You will need a good supply of ice. If they like cold water make sure there is some always available.

To make an old style fridge make a tent out of a wet towel. The water will evaporate cooling the inside. In effect the tent sweats instead of the cats. Works best in low humidity. If this is the only cooling then keep a window open to get the humidity outside.
 
rjh01 said:
Get some freezer bags, put some ice in that and use that instead of frozen peas. You will need a good supply of ice. If they like cold water make sure there is some always available.

To make an old style fridge make a tent out of a wet towel. The water will evaporate cooling the inside. In effect the tent sweats instead of the cats. Works best in low humidity. If this is the only cooling then keep a window open to get the humidity outside.
Click to expand...

Excellent idea, wet towel and making a small tent should be easy. Plus my flat is dry as hell, so it should be fine.
 
I'm also reading ice, ice, ice. But no need to sacrifice your peas, cooler packs or bags of frozen water will do;) I'm also reading that fans can help, but that struck me as odd. But our cat definitely prefers the breezy 35° of a shady spot outside to the still 30° inside.
 
The wet towel idea will work best if there is moving air passing over it, so point a fan at it.
 
Cat fear the fan... I tried to coax it and caress it, but he does not like the noise. (the other does not even approach)

I made a horrible mess with the tent idea : there now a lot of water on the floor :p. By the time it all evaporate I hope the tent and the room will have lost 10 °C ;).

Lessons learned : tomorrow use less water.
 
Aepervius said:
Cat fear the fan... I tried to coax it and caress it, but he does not like the noise. (the other does not even approach)

I made a horrible mess with the tent idea : there now a lot of water on the floor :p. By the time it all evaporate I hope the tent and the room will have lost 10 °C ;).

Lessons learned : tomorrow use less water.
Click to expand...

That is the problem with using other people's ideas. You may not have thought the idea though properly.
 
I thought I had learned in the distant past that cats are very heat tolerant, so I looked this up.

From Wiki:

"For instance, cats are able to tolerate quite high temperatures: Humans generally start to feel uncomfortable when their skin temperature passes about 38 °C (100 °F), but cats show no discomfort until their skin reaches around 52 °C (126 °F),[54]:46 and can tolerate temperatures of up to 56 °C (133 °F) if they have access to water.[63]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat

Your cats may not be as uncomfortable as you think.
 
Steve said:
I thought I had learned in the distant past that cats are very heat tolerant, so I looked this up.
Click to expand...

I remember now. It was a tv documentary on cats where they showed a cat quite happily dozing on a shelf next to the furnace in a blacksmith's shop.
 
Back in the 70s dad used to rent cheap beach houses with no AC. This wasn't a problem since we all grew up here in the South and were used to the heat ("air conditioning rurnt the South!"). But, a bit of sunburn would change that.

Dad's solution was a 10# bag of ice wrapped in a damp towel and hung in front of a small fan, with a crab pot underneath to catch the water as it melted. A small fan for a gentle breeze, not a giant box fan. It worked very nicely.
 
Steve said:
I thought I had learned in the distant past that cats are very heat tolerant, so I looked this up.

From Wiki:

"For instance, cats are able to tolerate quite high temperatures: Humans generally start to feel uncomfortable when their skin temperature passes about 38 °C (100 °F), but cats show no discomfort until their skin reaches around 52 °C (126 °F),[54]:46 and can tolerate temperatures of up to 56 °C (133 °F) if they have access to water.[63]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat

Your cats may not be as uncomfortable as you think.
Click to expand...



Interesting. They do not feel that hot (I haven't tried again to use an anal thermometer since last time, I still remember the horrific pain). Yet their behavior is completely different : very very quick breathing stop moving and plaintive meow.
 
I leave the fan on for my dogs and I usually find them sleeping in front of it. But you can get the air circulating even if the cats are not directly in from of the fan.

Are they in the basement now?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom