Summer means hot weather. We know how to keep ourselves cool during soaring temperatures, but many often don’t realize how important it is to keep your pets cool as well!
Whether your cat is outdoor or indoors, check out these simple tips for keeping your cat cool for the summer!
Cool Tips for the Outdoor Cat:
Provide a well-shaded area – During the day, the sun changes positions. Thus, your cat needs a cool shaded area to rest and relax. Consider purchasing or making a cat house to the garage or a shed. It doesn’t have to be pretty, but it does have to be out of the direct sun.
Have a cool water source 24 hours a day – Dehydration from the heat can come on very quickly for your cat. Provide water in an easy-access and well-shaded area. A large water bowl with ice cubes is one perfect and will drive kitty’s curiosity!
Keep your cat’s fur groomed – Outdoor cats often find themselves with matted fur, which sits on their body and only raises their body temperature. Grooming your cat allows the fur to “breathe” and your cat won’t suffer from body “hot spots” that make cooling off even more difficult.
Cool Tips for the Indoor Cat:
Keep your home environment cool all day – The temperature indoors needs to allow your cat to remain cool and relaxed throughout the day. If your home does not have central air conditioning, draw your curtains and keep a stand-up fan or ceiling fan running in a safe/secure area to allow a nice airflow for your cat.
Provide cool water – Keep your cat’s water dish cool throughout the day by adding ice cubes, placing it in an area that does not get direct sunlight and keeping it fresh. We don’t want to drink luke-warm, old water and neither does our cat. It is also a good idea to provide an additional water dish somewhere in the house so that your cat never forgets to keep hydrated!
Keep windows/screens secure – This may seem a little outside the realm of cool control, but keep in mind that cats absolutely love to sit in the warm sunshine and this often means laying on a window sill that may be a safety hazard. Keeping your screen and window properly functioning and safe for your cat is a definite must, especially since the summer heat normally means open windows.
Allow playtime during cooler hours of the day – Cats love to play, which means a lot of exertion on their part. You may love to play with your cat and his/her favorite cat wand, but you don’t want your cat to overheat from activity, so keep playtime to hours when the heat has calmed down and your cat can finally let of some much needed energy!
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kathy downey says
These are all great tips if you have animals.The weather is so cool here in Newfoundland I wont have to use these tips nor will I have to store my winter jacket which i had to wear today when I went out for food
Debbie W says
My fur babies have a gravity water dish and they have air conditioned comfort. They are very comfortable.
Silvia D says
thanks for sharing all the great tips. We have one outdoor cat , one that goes in and out and one just indoors.Luckily our back patio faces north so is shaded for most of the day.
mrdisco says
that’s a great cat photo. very majestic
Laurie P says
Some great tips/reminders……I’m always refreshing my cats water, sometimes up to 12 times a day so it’s fairly cold (and clean).
Anne Taylor says
We had really hot weather here in Victoria starting in May and it lasted until just a few days ago. These are great tips! We worked really hard to keep our cats comfy during these last few months!
Amy Heffernan says
Great tip and cute kitty! Its hard. I freeze some water and let mine lick it!! Helps a lil!
Susan T. says
Luckily it never get very hot here in the mountains. We have a very cool basement though the cats can hang out there when it does get hot.
Elizabeth Matthiesen says
It’s really not surprising that cats get hot in the summer considering that they wear a fur coat all year. My apartment is in the basement of our home, so it’s cool down here all year. Good tips for those with cats I’d say, every little bit helps keep them comfortable. 🙂
Jeanette says
Because of allergies but very similar things for our dog. Usually she’s inside during the day and in the early morning and late evening outside and we play with her.
Jenna Wood says
We oven seclude our cat to one room when we leave the house for large periods at a time and we always ensure it is climate controlled. These are great tips!
Jo-Anne Pfoh says
love all the tips. Sadly I cannot put ice cubes in the dish because Sassy scoops them all out and makes a huge mess lol. You should see her run to the fridge when we press the ice maker lol
Sarah says
I used to make my cats frozen treats with some of their favorite ingredients. They loved them in the summer time. The windows reminder is so important. Our cats actually removed the child safety lock off the window (with their teeth, the teeth marks were on the lock) and escaped because we left the window locked while we were gone for the day. Definitely secure your windows and screens.
Nellie Blazina says
These are fantastic tips. Its gunna be a very hot summer and we need to keep our beloved pets nice and cool.
Danielle says
I don’t have any cats, but these tips sound a lot like how I stay cool in the hot weather, haha. I do have some friends who are cat lovers and could use this info. I’ll send it their way.
Liz Mays says
These are helpful ideas. We can tell when our cats are hot because they spread out and lay on their backs. Having a refrigerated recycling water bowl for them has helped a lot.
Kelly Hutchinson says
Great tips to keep your kitty cool in the summer. We keep our house cool all year round to keep them comfortable.
Amy Desrosiers says
I always wondered how all the fur on our cats growing up, affected them in the heat. I know our calico loved to be in the shade under the porch.
Claudia Krusch says
Keeping your cats fur brushed in the summer is a great way to help keep them cool. I have a good shelter outside to give them some nice shade.
Lisa Bristol says
I have a great water bowl that keeps the water moving and cold. It would be perfect for outside in the heat.
Kathy says
These are some great tips. I have 3 cats myself, and I always make sure they’re keeping cool. We have a lot of trees in our yard, so there is plenty of shade for them.
Sinisa says
Great tips for our kitties. It’s almost in the 90s every day here so we can use this.
Dawn Lopez says
Definitely timely tips to keep our cats cooler. The weather has been so hot lately! I spoil my cats with ice cubes in their water sometimes. They like to play with them in the water.
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
Awesome tips! These are really helpful for cats this summer!! Sharing this with my friends!
Hali @daytodayMOMents says
Great tips, gotta keep the kitties safe!
Sherry says
These are great tips. Our cat is an indoor cat only and we keep the air conditioning on when it is hot out.
Lola The Rescued Cat says
It’s so hot here! These are great tips for kitties to stay cool im this weather.
Kamira Gayle says
These are nice easy tips…especially hydration. I remember when my kitties were alive, during the hot summer months I’d find them chilling in the bath tub. It happened to be a cool place in our apartment at the time. It’s the only time they voluntarily went in the tub, lol.
The Island Cats says
Great tips! I never understood why on a hot day my cats insist on laying in a hot sunpuddle. Especially my black cat. Though they do tend to seek out cool areas in the house as well, like on the kitchen counter where it has to be cooler than sleeping in a wool bed. 🙂 ~Island Cat Mom
Cathy Armato says
These are all great tips! My Husky always runs to the shady area of the yard, right next to the garage. She also enjoys sitting in the early morning damp grass, it cools her belly I think. Water is so important, we always have to remember to have it for them when the dogs are outside.
Love & biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Marjorie at Dash Kitten says
Gosh the pictures are huge (must be my monitor on my Mac!) It is lovely to see your tips for keeping cats cool. Ours drink a lot of water in spite of the fact that cats began life as more ‘desert time animals’ able to survive on much less.
Tips for cats will also d as tips for dogs too won’t they? We have a new water fourntainfor review and it is getting a lot of use even in winter.
Shelby says
Great post as always, girl!! 🙂 I think people focus a lot on dogs in the summer, but cats need their cool too!!
Tenacious Little Terrier says
We recently got a new fan that is safer (smaller vents and more stable) so I feel better about leaving it on when Mr. N is home alone. I think we need to get him an extra water dish for the summer though.
Beth says
These are some great reminders! Our cat is pretty sedentary these days, but I regularly check the screens just in case. I hadn’t thought about the need to change up play time since our guy doesn’t really play anymore.
Sweet Purrfections says
We live in the hot South where we turn on the AC in early March and it usually stays on until November. Mom Paula keeps 3 pet fountains throughout the house so we can have a good supply of fresh water. The tough part is keeping us brushed because of all of our fur.
Kitty Cat Chronicles says
It has been SO hot this summer! Keeping cool is hard, but thankfully we have an AC that works well and a pet water fountain for all the furries to stay hydrated! Thanks for these tips!
AD says
Good tips! I saw this cool cat hammock which lifted the cat off the ground/surface and allowed for air flow around it, looked kind of neat.
Calvin F. says
My cat likes to chill in front of my tower fan 😀
Linda H says
We always have fresh water in her bowl and also have a cool basement for her if it is too hot.
kathy downey says
Fresh water is very important for kitty during warm weather