Tattle Tails - Is your cat feline too hot?

"With cats, some say, one rule is true: Don't speak till you are spoken to."

T.S. Eliot

Tattle Tails

My Three Cats Bury's weekly blog

Feeling hot hot hot?

Hi cat fans!

Jen here for the weekly blog post from My Three Cats - Bury, premium cat sitter.

This week I'm continuing with the theme of things harmful to your kitties. We have had bank holiday sunshine, but do you know the signs to watch for and how to help your cats in such weather?

Heatstroke in cats

Many kitties love to bask in the sun, just like many of us, but some breeds and physicalities mean they're more at risk of heatstroke, including:

Brachycephalic breeds such as Persians and British Shorthairs

Overweight and underweight kitties

Elderly and young

Cats with existing conditions, such as heart and lung diseases and those with mobility issues

Dense/long fur

Preventative measures you can take

Provide lots of sheltered areas for your cat indoors and outdoors (and if they're plants make sure they're on the safe list for cats - refer to my earlier Tattle Tails re plant toxicity).

Ensure different types of water sources. Many households only have one water source available, even for multiple cats. Cats like to drink out of various receptacles - mine do from china and glassware especially, or my girly does from a running tap. Just look at lovely Rebel who I recently cared for, who just waited for me to run the tap (despite having a water fountain and various other water sources!) whilst her sister was finishing her food!

Groom your long/dense haired cats, help them to release some of that heat that those coats encourage to keep in. If you see sweaty paw prints where they've sat/stood (and it's not due to stress) that's a sign they're trying to regulate their heat.

Like you wouldn't walk a dog in high heat don't encourage kitties to go out in really hot weather, their pads can get scorched too.

Check all closed areas, sheds, conservatories or other, to ensure that non ventilated or heat traps don't have a kitty trapped in them.

Clinical signs

***heatstroke is a medical ememergency, so whilst cooling call the vet & arrange an emergency appointment***

Panting - a cat's normal respiration rate, breaths per minute, is between 20-30. It is normal to appear more than this when they're sniffing so it's a good idea to look at your cat's breathing to understand what's normal for them. If they are lying down at 'at rest' a persistently high respiration rate can be indicative of respiratory issues, which if they've been out in hot weather could be related to heatstroke, but could be related to other conditions. As this worsens as heatstroke develops their upper respiratory noise is likely to get louder and the effort shown in taking breaths increases.

Restlessness - not lying down, distressed

Vomiting - just like us if we exert ourselves in the heat or stay out too long it causes nausea.

Drooling - hypersalivation. This can occur due to other reasons also (like toxicity as discussed previously this month) but might also occur due to vomiting or the cat seeking out water sources.

More severe signs:

Lethargy, confusion and disorientation

Collapse

Ataxia/wobbling

What to do if you suspect heatstoke

***Cool the cat and call the clinic!***

You can try and encourage drinking but DO NOT force your cat to drink.

Wet some towels and try and cool the cat's body surface area steadily. Do not wet your cat fully or pop them in water, or use ice water, as the stress of this could increase temperature further. Cooling needs to be very gradual to not cause shock, so start with lukewarm water initially, cooler that your cat feels at each time. Try to feel their body/skin rather than fur as some heat will be trapped within the fur.

I wouldn't advise trying to groom or clip your cat if they have long/dense fur unless they really like this as stress of clipping could exacerbate the issue.

Pop a cooling towel in the carrier and ensure whatever you're using to transport your cat to the vet is well ventilated. If there's more than one person have one person focus on cooling the cat whilst the other calls the vet and gets everything ready to best support your cat.

On a personal note, not MTC related:

One last thing is that I will be doing a 100km walk over a weekend in June to raise funds for the MS Society. If anyone can donate and sponsor me in this personal challenge I'd be ever so grateful, as would all those who suffer with, and family of those with, this horrid debilitating disease.

The Just Giving link is https://www.justgiving.com/page/jenny-taylor-1736115012894.

As always, if there is a topic you'd like me to discuss please reach out and let me know, or to ask about availability and bookings. You can reach me on01613077598, e-mail me at [email protected].ukor contact me via Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or pop an enquiry through on our contact form.

Thank you for reading, and hope to be chatting with you soon.

Jen x

(plus Chester, Phoebe, and Mickey - my 3 kitties - it's co-incidence, or meant to be!)